Love as inspiration

Often when we express our sentiments by the means of effort it usually has that certain tie with inspiration. When we do things out of the ordinary or when we perform extra ordinarily well, we attribute that to inspiration. So how can we say that we use love as inspiration? Well just because love is everywhere. But the most common thing we do to be inspired is with the help of having the “in love” feeling. With this we are in that cloud nine state where everything just seems to be going so well for us. No problems, no worries, just happiness everywhere. We seem to be full of life and energy as we go through this stage and this is where the inspiration comes along. In having a girlfriend or boyfriend that inspiration is always, no exceptions, a positive thing! It helps us with school because we want to impress our significant other and show them that we are not only good looking, but also smart. Another is through the things we do, with the help of inspiration our work is cleaner, better and much more polished as compared to our regular doings. There is a difference though with this kind of inspiration and the kind that we may encounter in class. In certain subjects like theology, this word is thrown a lot. It may mean something different and may be shown differently but then I guess they can just be one and the same. For example, in the bible the word inspiration was used when God gave the apostles the grace to write the gospels and the epistles and to preach the good word or the word of the lord. With this kind of inspiration it is given to us but in the type that I’m trying to point out, it is an effect of our love for and affection for someone we care about. It may be hard for us to understand how it works and how this changes our lives but I guess it is just one of those mysteries in life. There are just certain things in this world that are not meant to be fully understood by the human mind and faculty. We’ll just have to accept that as a fact of life. So believe it or not, I bet that in even just one point in your life you have experienced how and what it is to be inspired with love.

Sources:

• http://www.lgeoresearch.com/img/HandIdeaLightBulb.jpg

Fixed marriage

Ah, the dreaded and infamous problem that is in our culture, Fixed Marriages. We all know that the cinemas and the tele-novelas here in the Philippines have made the problem regarding fixed marriages so infused in us. They use it some story lines and make it look as if the parents are really bad people who just want their children to blindly follow their every whim. Well, this is a total misconception regarding this type of marriage. Fixed marriage is nothing new in our World, it was adopted by the Filipino culture from the Chinese. Though some other cultures and countries also practice it, here in the Philippines it is mostly associated with them. And since the media has made it look so bad in the eyes of the youth of today, we are scared of it. So, what exactly is Fixed Marriage? According to weddings.lovetoknow.com:

“An arranged marriage, also known as pragmatic marriage, refers to a marriage facilitated and approved by a party other than the bride and groom. Most often parents are the initiators of these types of marriages, although other family members and friends may also be involved. Traditionally these types of marriages are determined almost exclusively by the parents, and the recipient having little or no say in choosing their mate. “

Now that we have defined and learned what it is exactly, let us now see its pros and cons and why it should not be feared. Let us start with the pros of having a fixed marriage, it is stress free because we are not the ones scouring the world for our soon to be husband or wife, the individuals concerned can focus more on their education and career paths, there is less likely to have any family conflicts, and it leads to a much stable family and marital relationship. As for the cons of it we can start with the following, if the marriage was forced and has no consent from both sides who are to be wed it is considered as coercion on the part of the parents, the environment may be violent and oppressive to those involved, and with a forced marriage the parents may be violating the human right on child marriage. So with all this said, you be the judge. You decide whether or not fixed marriages should be accepted generally in society and in culture because as the youth, your opinions do count.

Sources:

• http://weddings.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Arranged_Marriage

• http://goodnewspilipinas.com/?p=1654

• http://www.tokafi.com/static/2008/05/anna-netrebko-rolando-villazon-la-boheme-young-lovers-Anna_Netrebko_Rolando_Villazon_La_Boheme_Deutsche_Grammophon.jpg

Teen Marriage

This problem might not surprise you at all. We all know that it happens in our society. Sometimes it even happens to people we know. It might be hard to accept why it goes on or why people consider it, but let us all be young adults here and not instantly judge them according to their actions. They might have a good reason why they are doing or considering doing it. In teen marriages, there are certain factors to be considered like, age, mental capacity and faculty of both man and woman, and even parental advice. In the age requirement, here in the Philippines individuals to be wed must be 18 or above. If you are below the age of 18, even if you have your parents consent you cannot be married in a court and most especially in a church. Though the real marrying age here in our country is 21 and above, certain families really do allow their children to get married even at a young age.

Though teen marriage may be, and I’m not saying it is, acceptable in the society do you think it is morally correct? I mean, we can’t judge people with regard to how they act or how they look, who is to say that they can turn out to be good parents after all. But we can’t also overlook the fact that they might screw up. According to Kristen A. from www.parentingteens.com, the major contributors to having young married couples are the following; pregnancy, Teens blinded by what they see as “Love”, teen adjustments, and teens wanting to separate themselves from their families. With this said we can say that before we even start thinking about marriage we have to weigh it all first. Trouble can start form the first bad idea that comes to our minds and since we are in the “growing up” face in our lives where everything we do might affect our future we have to consider all outcomes of whatever we are faced with.

While preparing to create this blog entry I looked at some references to base my ideas on. This is one of the more striking ones I have found. A man named Erin Donovan, Senior Teen Advisor, of WholeFamily.com tells his insight as he asks the question “Why do you want to get Married now” in his article regarding teen marriages. This short snippet will tell you what he had to say:

“There are many reasons that could be pushing a teen couple towards wanting to get married. It varies from couple to couple. Maybe the girl is pregnant and the boy feels it's the only "proper" thing to do.
Maybe you want to get out of your parents' house, and feel that marriage is that opportunity.
Maybe you want to live together and your parents feel it's inappropriate to live together before marriage.
Maybe you are afraid of losing each other and think that marriage will save your relationship.
Or, maybe you just feel that your love is so strong you are ready to take "the big step". “
He also followed it up with a few more questions like, “Where will you do?”, “What about your education?” and “How will you support your family?”. It seems that he is very concerned about this adolescent problem facing our society. I hope that in this blog entry that I have made, it has at least shed some light into this dilemma that we face.
 

Sources:

• http://www.wholefamily.com/aboutteensnow/relationships_peers/crushes_and_dating/teen_marriage1.html

• http://marriage.about.com/od/philippines/a/philippines.htm

• http://www.parentingteens.com/index/Other+Teen+Issues/Teen+Marriage

• http://www.flash-screen.com/free-wallpaper/uploads/200812/thus/1230534197_470x353_young-lovers-wallpaper.jpg

Love for Family

You might know the feeling of getting into trouble and feeling all alone and no one is going to bail you out. But then as you start losing hope, someone eventually does, and you know who that person is? It could be your mom, your dad, your older brother or anyone else for that matter but who they really are is your family. They are the ones who will never ever leave you no matter what you do, no matter how bad you are. They will always be there for you through thick or thin. As young men and women we tend to rebel against our parents without putting things to consideration. We think that our parents are our enemies and that they are trying to control our every move according to what they want. This is where we are very wrong. No parent wants their kids not to love them.  All they want is the best for them. It may be hard at times to restrict them from what they want to do, but if it is for the best it is what they should do. As young adults we need to see this. See what our family as a support group. They are not like any of our “barkadas” who might leave us when we are faced with problems. We should not take them for granted is all I’m saying.  Storge love is love for family. It is the love that binds us together in blood and responsibility. But more than that it is a bind more than any friendship we can form. I say all this to you troubled youth out there. Don’t hate your parents; don’t rebel against them for any apparent reason. Look through their eyes and see why they are doing the things you hate. You might not feel that they are good for you, but then in time they might be. It may be hard for us to realize and it may be hard to swallow at times. But in the end lets all face it, family is all we got.

 I would like to close this blog entry with this quote:

“Just because somebody doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with everything they got.”

Let us all remember that God’s greatest gift to us is our family.

Sources:

• http://thinkexist.com/quotations/family_love/

• http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:UxEX2ndAIusQYM:http://www.silhouettesclipart.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/family-silhouette-clip-art.jpg&t=1

Chastity, a new trend?

So I’ve been watching tv these past few days and I saw that chastity or purity rings are starting to be a hit thing now a days. Much like any other fad, it starts with a group of certain celebrities who advocated what they thought about the youth of today. And as for these purity rings now, the advocates where the much famed Disney superstars, the Jonas Brothers.  After a much needed research on the topic, I found this article about it.

“The Jonas Brothers all practice abstinence and wear purity rings to prove it. Here’s a snippet from the very lengthy article on the JoBros featured in Details Magazine:
“On a quiet Friday morning in a dressing room at Madison Square Garden, the Jonas Brothers hold out their hands to show off their purity rings. Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas—the teen-pop trio who stand, at this very moment, on the brink of hugeness—wear the metal bands on their fingers to symbolize, as Joe puts it, ‘promises to ourselves and to God that we’ll stay pure till marriage.’ Joe is 18. His ring is silver and adorned with a cross. ‘It actually ripped apart a little bit, just on the bottom, here, but I didn’t want to get a new one, because this one means so much to me,’ he says. Nick, who is 15, says, ‘I got mine made at Disney World. It’s pretty awesome.’ Kevin, at 20, is the oldest of the three, and while a punk-rock purity ring from Tiffany might represent the ultimate oxymoron, that’s exactly what he’s going for. His silver vow of abstinence is covered with studs. ‘It’s pretty rock and roll,’ Kevin says. ‘It’s getting banged up a little bit because of the guitar.””

Well, my thoughts on this are that what they have done is quite admirable. They are becoming the image that the youth needs to see chastity as something worth doing and sex as something worth waiting for. Though many might just be following it because it’s a fad, but then it is still a big help and a big impact. Being able to change the youth’s perception through their advocacy is a very noble thing to do. I just hope that the teens who follow their practice of purity really mean and understand whole heartedly what they are getting their selves into. It is just not enough to practice it, but most importantly we need to live it. 




Sources:

• http://justjared.buzznet.com/headlines/2007/11/jonas-brothers-good-morning- america.jpg
• http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/12561/thumbs/s-JONAS-BROTHERS-VIRGINS-large.jpg

• http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/02/22/jonas-brothers-purity-rings/#ixzz0y463nQvi

Love or Lust?

I believe that there is a very fine line between love and lust. Though they meet in one common ground, they differ in how we see them. Love is affection that we give to someone to show them how much we care. Lust on the other hand is affection with a carnal orientation. You don’t love the person for who she is, you love them for their body or for something else. When you lust for someone it usually has a bad connotation. A lot of teens and youth now-a-days may face the same problem. They might not know how to distinguish one from the other. They might think its love but then it might turn out to be just a great infatuation or just lust. Someone should tell them that lust is a very dangerous thing to feel for someone else. It can lead do certain things that they might regret in the future. It is also a capital sin that we must avoid simply because it is bad.

With young love, we can’t just feel it right away. We think we love our partner whole heartedly but sometime that feeling of “falling in love” isn’t what it really seems to be. Sometimes the love we feel is not as pure as we think it is. This is lust. Just plain unpure love for someone we like. We like their looks, the shape of their body, their face, how they dress, and other physical features but we don’t take into consideration who they really are inside.

While I was looking for sources to base my blog on, I stumbled across this article from the internet that said:

“Lust is all centred around your 'sexual compatibility'. If your partner's face and physique fits your map of what's gorgeous, if they talk, move and communicate in a way that pushes your buttons, then you have lust. And I know how fantastic that feels!
However, if you lack the compatibility on other levels, then when the chemicals start to fade from your body, the lust will disappear and you'll be left with someone who you probably don't even fancy any more and certainly don't love.
Of course, it's possible to fall in love with someone and not be fully compatible - but that's another issue! What I'm really saying is that a relationship that's about lust is almost wholly based around the element of 'sexual compatibility'. And that's not enough for a truly loving relationship."



I totally agree with all that, “Lust is not enough for a truly loving relationship”. So, what can we do to save ourselves from committing this mistake? Well all I can say is that we need to take things slow and be patient with our relationship.


Sources:

• http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kzi2khIuBO1qzw0uno1_500.jpg
• http://www.therelationshipgym.com/love_or_lust.htm