What is Love? Baby Don't Hurt Me!

What is love? How would you define it? It is one of those words we use a lot, but find it hard to define. Love to me is when your liking for someone or something grows into a stronger emotion. How do we begin to love a certain individual? The most common way of falling in love is to start dating. Dating standards have changed so much throughout history. Today a date is usually defined as going out with someone you have an interest in. The date is usually planned and paid for. If you get to know each other and the date goes well, you usually end up going on another date. How do you get to know someone? We learned in class that is is a combination of time spent together, the amount of talking you do, and how often you are together. As you get to know someone better, you might tend to begin to have stronger feelings for them; maybe even love!

We Are One!

Upper class, lower class, different cultures.... what do these all have in common? A lot more than you would probably think! Take different cultures for example. There are so many different customs and traditions in today's world. What can be a similarity between all of these you ask? Easy, everyone has their own culture, traditions, or customs. That's what makes this world so exciting! How boring would it be to travel to foreign places and experience the exact same customs everywhere you went? Does this mean that certain cultures or even classes are better than one another? The answer is a resounding no! Despite a few cultures that are clearly inhumane and not civil, all cultures should be treated with equal respect. Just because someone is different from you doesn't mean that you are superior to them. It makes me think of the second Lion King movie where Simba is singing to Kiara and he states, "We are one, you and I, We are like the earth and sky, One family under the sun..." We all are equal and we should respect different cultures.

You Raise Me Up

We've all heard the phrase, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link". Did you ever think to apply it to families? Families are a delicate system of parts that work together. If one of the parts decides to not do its task, the whole system can come crashing down. It's like a car; it runs smoothly and properly when all the pieces are working correctly. Once one part stops working, it takes its toll on the car and it can be catastrophic! We can help prevent these catastrophes in our homes by simply being aware. If you see a family member struggling, go out of your way to raise their spirits. Try to see what's wrong with them or just simply try to brighten their day. Khalil Gibran brings up an interesting insight when he states, "You have been told that, even like a chain, you are as weak as your weakest link. This is but half the truth. You are also as strong as your strongest link. To measure you by your smallest deed is to reckon the power of ocean by the frailty of its foam. To judge you by your failures is to cast blame upon the seasons for their inconstancy." We need to do all we can to be sure all the links in our families are as strong as they can be!