America: The New Rome.

                             

Is America the New Rome of the Modern Age? Will we forever be the super power of the 21st century or will we face the same fate as the Romans did? Are we in a threshold of no return? Is it possible we are falling victims to corruption,fascism, and de-moralizing of society. Is this great nation of ours coming to a soon demise; does history repeat itself? 

Rome: From greatness to demise

Rome at the height of its power was the most powerful nation in the world. Rome's power extended from the deserts of Persia all the way to the marshy lands of the British Isles. The Roman Empire controlled 6.5 million km of land surface. The power was so great that Rome influenced language, religion, philosophy, and law on the countries it controled. The influence is still seen heavily today in modern society of most of the world (including the U.S.A). Rome also had the most powerful army of its time and was heavily equipped. With this all said, it makes you wonder how could something so powerful and great just fall like that....?

WHY DI D ROME FALL......?

                      

       ·    DEMORALIZING of society- The society of rome completly          lost thier sense of their morality. Bestiality was rampant, crazy orgies among people of power and the utter apathetic attitude of the people of rome (working class and poor).   

·    Over expansion- Rome controlled most of the known world. But also conquering came with a price. They constantly had to control the borders which took lots of time money and soliders that they did not have during their decline. it was just too much for the empire. Also with expansion it caused hatred and mini-wars among the people who were subjected to roman oppression/power.

·    Corruption- THE SENATORS OF ROME became extremly corrupted.  seats/positions could easily be sold for the right amount of money. They accepted bribes in exchange for favors and also pushed agendas of others who could pay a good sum.

·    Economic problems(National debt)- rome had a huge debt because of the cost of just maintaining the empire alone. The war debt also helped increase economic problems. Also the de-value of the roman currency also helped to ruin the economy. 

·    Constant  state of war- rome always had to suppress rebellions and  had to fend itself from enemies. This constant state of war helped decline rome.

KINDA  SOUNDS FAMILIAR RIGHT….? THESE ARE THE SAME ISUES THE U.S.A IS GOING 

THRU RIGHT NOW.

So will it fall...?

Sadly, I strongly believe America is the new Rome of the Modern Age; Just like the Romans were powerful and declined so will America. History always repeats itself.

>> http://archive.org/details/TheDeclineAndFallOfAmerica-TheMovie  <<

                                       (link of video link on the reason why we will fall )

America: The New Modern Rome;The demise.

America was founded on the greatest ideas any country could ever ask for; Life Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our whole function of our government revovled and was the Constitution. The Constitution promised us  our God given right to be free and the protection for the people from the government. It was  the suprume law of the land. Today's news shows you that the constitution is no longer in power. With the singing of the Patriot Act, National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the Trespass bill all of our rights have been stripped away. These bills are the start of what is to come....Facsims.

America has been spiraling down this path of no return. Just as the Romans were, all powerful and great and the super power of the world. Their greed, unmoral, constant war-state, and corruption got the best of them; History always repeats itself.

The corruption of the U.S.A gov is even worse of Rome itself. The bailling out of corrupted banks on wall street with tax payer money. The slashing of domestic policy that is vital to the majority of Americans. The mass media propagagandaPro-war coverage. The death of innocent civilans from around the world because of U.S.A foreign policy (which is under the clock of "spreading democracy''). Eventually, everything corrupted and evil ALWAYS comes to an end. History will repeat itself.

AMERICA IS THE NEW ROME! 

Creationism or Evolution?

           Where do we come from? This question has puzzled humans for thousands of years.  In the world we live in today, we hear this question quite often.  Is there an all-powerful God that created the world as we know it? Have we evolved from apes over thousands and thousands of years? Were we an alien life form that came crashing down from the sky? Which of these theories is true? There is no definite answer to this question, only opinions. My personal opinion being that we came about from the process of evolution.

What is evolution? Evolution is defined as a gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form. One person who played a huge part in the beginning of theory of evolution is Charles Darwin. Darwin was a British Scientist who lived between 1809 and 1882. He laid down the foundation of modern evolutionary theory with his concept of the development of life through the slow working process of natural selection.  I personally find the theory of evolution very interesting. I tend to only believe in things that have some sort of scientific merit supporting it. With evolution, there has been scientific research done for many years to help prove this theory. There are fossils of human-like species dating back close to 5 million years ago. Evolution has shaped the modern homo sapiens in numerous ways to help adapt to their environments.

What is creationism? Creationism is the doctrine that matter and all things were created, substantially as they exist, by an omnipotent Creator, and not gradually evolved or developed. Most of my personal belief in evolution is my disbelief in creationism.  There is evidence of human life forms stretching thousands of years before anyone even thought of there being an all-powerful god. Do we have any concrete evidence that there is a God? We have the bible which has been changed and altered throughout the years. Why do we worship so many different Gods? There were the Greeks who worshiped a different God for every situation you can think of. There are the Christians who worship God and his son Jesus Christ. There are the Muslims who worship Allah. There are the Hindu people who believe Brahma is the creator of everything we know. If there really was a “God” who created everything, why wouldn’t we all be worshiping the same one?

In conclusion, I follow things that can be seen, touched, heard and even tasted. To me, Creationism is none of those. The bible is supposed to be the all-knowing source of everything but this book has had changes throughout the years. While I do not believe in Creationism, I also do not hold it against people who do. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I believe there is nothing bigger than myself. There is no preconceived destiny for me. I make my own life happen, not what a god predetermined for me. I would like to think that I, like my ancestors before me, am evolving to stay current and adapt to my surroundings. With all this said, I would completely change my mind with some sort of real concrete evidence of a higher being.

Submitted By: Patrick DeVries

Comparative Culture

The modern pop culture seems much influenced by the many things people see, especially in this 21^st century, whether if it’s from what we see on television or the behaviors from different social groups, people are drastically changing in behavior, lifestyle and attitude.  In today’s society, we can say that we are more educated with the copious number of tangible resources and sources such as the Internet, newspaper and media that reflect today’s society.  The technological advancements play a huge role in our culture as well.  People in the 21^st depend on technology to make their lives more safe and convenient, but then again, isn’t that what technology is all about?  From constructing monuments, establishing a plan, or creating a design, there are many cultures that use technology for those purposes.  In comparison to the ancient Egyptian culture, technology helped build their beautiful, breath-taking pyramids.  The tools they used were primarily made of bronze, until they discovered iron to be more durable and strong.  They also figured out ways to mobilize heavier objects by using levers, rollers and ramps.  Of course, with many people working on the pyramids, they can work without tools and still get the job done, but the convenience of technological tools and ideal design, the work can be done in a more a faster and orderly fashion.  Heavy objects include the boxes for tools, stones and rocks.  It’s because of these very hard stones and rocks, the pyramids and many monumental structures, such as the Incredible Statues of Ramses II, still stand today for over 4000 years.  As I was doing my research, I stumbled upon a couple documentaries on YouTube pertaining to ancient Egyptian architecture and technological advancements.  For one thing, the stones that were used to build these structures were diorite and granite, the toughest stones on the face of this earth, anything that is past that is diamond stones themselves.  So you can imagine what the ancient Egyptians used to carve and chisel these stones and the amount of work they spent on perfecting measurements.  In comparison to the 21^st century, our culture is very fast pace to change.  It is out with the old and in with the new.  Buildings and foundations are dismantled every so often to meet the sociocultural standards.  Furthermore, the technological measurements used to build structures were truly amazing.  If you notice each statue that’s built is perfectly symmetrical, not so much on the body, but the head and face.  The Egyptians took much consideration and emphasized the face to be perfect, in honor to their powerful and highly respected rulers.  Ultimately, technology mirrors the art of any culture.  From the ancient Egyptians with their mysterious machinery to establish such breathe-taking monuments to modern pop culture’s research of new technology, there is no doubt that technology will never die.  In fact, it will expand into something unimaginable.  

- James Kang

The Meaning of Life

Humans are born, make decisions through life, and then die. In this life, the decisions that are made define who we are. Through trials and tribulations decisions made dictate the outcome, whether that is a positive or negative outcome remains in the eye of the beholder. Philosophers have squandered the beginning of life in every aspect imaginable, to develop an explanation for “the meaning” of life. From mathematical equations explaining the possibilities of movement to earthly elements of air and water being the basis for life, proposed theories of the beginning were set to set the foundations for this meaning of life.

After the foundation of WHERE humans came from became more concrete with reason and logic, further questions developed as to WHY humans have a life. Two primary theories developed as to how we can answer the questions to the meaning of life. The first theory is humans must go through the stages in life to find a constant, which will deliver us our self -gratification and a fulfilled life. The other theory is that instead of finding our constant, we must undergo choices that force change and allow us to grow. Whether you take life on to find the constant or growth in it, both theories illustrate that one must live a life through obstacles to find meaning in it. Based on the challenges and choices made, true meaning for the life lived will be revealed.

Through time, everything changes. In a simple sense, fashion and technology change radically every year. However, more complex ideals take longer to change, and sometimes, not necessarily for the better. Take the way humans learn as an example. Days long ago, students learned primarily though word of mouth form there teachers and with the aid of books. In today's classroom however, there is a push with technology to make learning more proficient with the use of computers, laptops, and tablets. The problem with changing the medium in which we learn is that computer screens cause a dumbing down effect. Screens cause a different chemical reaction in the brain and so the information is stored differently, which makes whatever was learned easily dismissed and forgotten.

With the changing of the times, because the way we learn has changed the way that we view life has also changed. Our priorities are different and so, the life that we live is different. To test this theory of mine, set this scenario yourself. Go a week without your modern technologies and see how different your everyday normalcy changes.  Most people in today’s society would not be able to survive with out the comfort and artificial security that these devices provide. The new meaning of life is so dependent upon our devices because it is more comfortable to have them. Everything is instant, fast, and easy so that life is easier to live, but does this necessarily make life easier or harder. Can we truly find the meaning to life, or find who we are through endless hours of Google searches and Wikipedia?

The "real answer" to life

The "Answer" according to Raymond

http://users.aristotle.net/~diogenes/meaning1.htm

By: Eric Hebert

The greatest sculpture of ancient civilization by:Kerray Rajaram

The Woman of Willendorf

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In my opinion I think one of the earliest sculpture of ancient civilization is the woman of Wilendorf, which is also called the Venus of Wilendorf.It was discovered by an archeologist, named Joseph Szombathy, around 1908 in a Aurignacian loess deposit near the town of Wilendorf Austria. This sculpture measures 110 mm in height and can fit in the palm of your hands. It was carved from a fine porous oolitic limestone and tinted with red ochre. This is a pigment derived from tinted clay and contains mineral oxide. This sculpture was dated back around 30,000 and 25,000 BC and was a derivative from a nomadic society.
            This prehistoric art has several intriguing features that stands out. Her physical appearance and structure depicts several characteristics of society back then and it also gave us an insight of how early humans lived. This sculpture can be analyzed by its body features. It has a huge abdomen and breast. It has no face, her hair is designed in a spiral shape, genital area is hugely emphasized, her arms are skinny and placed behind her back and also she has no feet. It is believed that her huge breast, abdomen and elaborate genital area, signifies procreation and nurture. Her lack of face is also believed to be seen as a way in which she has no identity or privilege over anyone else, she is just seen as a sexual object instead of a person. She is supposed to be equal to the other females and have the same duty. Her lack of feet is said to mean several things such as: to make her unable to leave wherever she had been place and they only included the parts that was important since she signifies fertility. The red ochre pigment covering her abdomen has been thought to symbolize menstrual blood seen as a life-giving agent.

It is also argued that this sculpture serves as a good luck charm and that it is possible that men carried it with them on their hunts so that it reminded them of their mate back home and as a charm to bring them success in their hunting. It was also assume that it could even just be a doll for a child due to its miniature size. This sculpture is seen as the goddess of fertility due to its exaggerated features that relates directly to procreation. She is a sentimental icon of ancient civilization and a representation of females during the Paleolithic period. She can currently be found in Vienna’s Naturhistorisches Museum on display for others to get a closer insight on one of the greatest sculptures of ancient civilization.

Mythology and their religion: By Alre Hudson

The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods, each with a distinct personality and domain. Greek myths explained the origins of the gods and their individual relations with mankind. The art of Archaic and Classical Greece illustrates many mythological episodes, including an established iconography of attributes that identify each god. There were twelve principal deities in the Greek pantheon. Foremost was Zeus, the sky god and father of the gods, to whom the ox and the oak tree were sacred; his two brothers, Hades and Poseidon, reigned over the Underworld and the sea, respectively. Hera, Zeus's sister and wife, was queen of the gods; she is frequently depicted wearing a tall crown or polos. Wise Athena, the patron goddess of Athens (1996.178), who typically appears in full armor with her aegis (a goat skin with a snaky fringe), helmet, and spear (07.286.79), was also the patroness of weaving and carpentry. The owl and the olive tree were sacred to her. Youthful Apollo (53.224), who is often represented with the kithara, was the god of music and prophecy. Judging from his many cult sites, he was one of the most important gods in Greek religion. His main sanctuary at Delphi, where Greeks came to ask questions of the oracle, was considered to be the center of the universe (63.11.6). Apollo's twin sister Artemis, patroness of hunting, often carried a bow and quiver. Hermes (25.78.2), with his winged sandals and elaborate herald's staff, the kerykeion, was the messenger god. Other important deities were Aphrodite, the goddess of love; Dionysos, the god of wine and theater; Ares, the god of war; and the lame Hephaistos, the god of metalworking. The ancient Greeks believed that Mount Olympos, the highest mountain in mainland Greece, was the home of the gods.Ancient Greek religious practice, essentially conservative in nature, was based on time-honored observances, many rooted in the Bronze Age (3000–1050 B.C.), or even earlier. Although the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer, believed to have been composed around the eighth century B.C., were powerful influences on Greek thought, the ancient Greeks had no single guiding work of scripture like the Jewish Torah, the Christian Bible, or the Muslim Qu'ran. Nor did they have a strict priestly caste. The relationship between human beings and deities was based on the concept of exchange: gods and goddesses were expected to give gifts. Votive offerings, which have been excavated from sanctuaries by the thousands, were a physical expression of thanks on the part of individual worshippers.

The Greeks worshipped in sanctuaries located, according to the nature of the particular deity, either within the city or in the countryside. A sanctuary was a well-defined sacred space set apart usually by an enclosure wall. This sacred precinct, also known as a temenos, contained the temple with a monumental cult image of the deity, an outdoor altar, statues and votive offerings to the gods, and often features of landscape such as sacred trees or springs. Many temples benefited from their natural surroundings, which helped to express the character of the divinities. For instance, the temple at Sounion dedicated to Poseidon, god of the sea, commands a spectacular view of the water on three sides, and the Parthenon on the rocky Athenian Akropolis celebrates the indomitable might of the goddess Athena.

The central ritual act in ancient Greece was animal sacrifice, especially of oxen, goats, and sheep. Sacrifices took place within the sanctuary, usually at an altar in front of the temple, with the assembled participants consuming the entrails and meat of the victim. Liquid offerings, or libations (1979.11.15), were also commonly made. Religious festivals, literally feast days, filled the year. The four most famous festivals, each with its own procession, athletic competitions (14.130.12), and sacrifices, were held every four years at Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, and Isthmia. These Panhellenic festivals were attended by people from all over the Greek-speaking world. Many other festivals were celebrated locally, and in the case of mystery cults, such as the one at Eleusis near Athens, only initiates could participate. (www.metmuseum.org)

My Thoughts

Okay Okay enough with that long detailed description. Here comes my real thoughts and opinions on this whole topic.  In my opinion I feel that all religions have somewhat of the same purpose. Each religion praises that of a higher power. The problem I notice with religion is that each faith believe that they are correct when in reality each religion is looked at in a different way. For example, A person of Muslim faith that praises Allah will look down upon a person who is of the Christian faith. The Muslims believe that Allah is superior than Christ, but in reality Both God are the same. They in fact also have the same reputation. So you can't really compare religions because to me it just wouldn't add up and make since to me, and each religion is all the same just a different name of the higher power they worship.  If you think about it each religion has somewhat of the same kinds of rules they just be worded in a different way. In Greek Mythology religion is looked at differently because the gods cherish and worship more than one god.  Now can you imagine living in the world they lived in while everything you do or have already done is being watched or looked over by a God.? I don't think I could but that's me I guess. The Mortal would praise the gods everyday and night to stay in good standing with them because they knew if the did anything to anger the Gods the gods would punish them for their wrong doings.
In my opinion I feel that Religion is a way to keep people under control because if you think about it when you go to church to worship the pastor tells you you're not supposed to be doing this and that and if you are you will be punished by God. Have you stop to realize that the pastor telling you this might have somethings that he or she had been doing that were wrong and are in the same boat and need to repent to be forgiving of there sins. This leads to a perfect example of the gods in Greek Mythology. They put some much fear into the mortals of the town that the people are like little puppets doing any and everything to stay on the Gods god side keeping them happy.  So this makes my point very valid saying that Religion is somewhat of a mind control. There's so many different ways and so many different opinions toward this subject.I'm sticking to my opinion saying that all religions are the same and not one is superior to the other. Now I do feel that is a form of mind control in the state of "perfectness" but for some reason you always here that no one is perfect in the eyes of god but yet and still they want you to be perfect. I understand where they are coming from but c'mon really? Give me a break here you cant be serious. Then again it really is that serious to those people that try to achieve that so called "perfectness" and if you think about it they had all ready achieved it. I hope everyone reading this understands my point of view and has a time to think more into it to get your own message out of it.

Science & Reason

Science & Reason

By Ruth Espinoza

Wise is a profound understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations proceeding in the capacity to apply ideas, judgments and actions in maintaining with this understanding. It generally requires control of one’s emotional reactions so that principles, reason and knowledge to decide ones actions over time. In my opinion there should be some limits to how much we aspire to know. There are so many things out there in the world that is yet to be discovered and studied. The more we get involved into knowing then our ideas and conclusions of a concept start to change. Our meanings and forms of ideas start to shift and we do not know what is right or wrong and true or false. I understand if we keep striving for the right answer to questions, but some stuff will appear over time. That is how we grow in knowledge. It would be wise to keep it a certain extent, because yet were always striving to know. We are intelligent and some more than others. That is fine because it is not always troubling ones thoughts and idea. Intelligence is what we have learned and knowledge we have picked up but not much have experienced. Trying to know and competing for knowledge make us tense. If we depend or start to depend on knowledge, we will start being closed minded to new experience, so we would not know what to do. To avoid this it would be appropriate to stay open minded to all kinds of experiences, but still remain focused. With too much knowledge people would not know or have their own opinion. It will make one not happy with so much intelligence, and without so much would make you a happier less stressful person. We as people will start to depend too much on knowledge in our life, and be controlled and lose fact. Knowledge would bring us harm and trouble. “Ignorance is bliss” what you cannot know, would not hurt you-Thomas Gray. If a person is ignorant of the sciences, the contradicting information cannot challenge their belief. Being ignorant to certain things means you can go on being happy. If you knew every secret to every magic trick, then it would not be fun or a magic trick. It is like knowing the end of a movie. If you knew what everything in life, how would you find anything interesting? Since there is no curiosity, why would you want to live? With so much knowledge people will lose communication with less intelligent people because they are at a lower level of intelligence. Nothing would be wrong to them. There would be less satisfaction with one’s self along with the feeling of no success because everything is already known. We would not be able to take trips knowing there is so much danger out in the world. Taking risks would not be an option and you would not be spontaneous. I believe with large amounts of knowledge life would be dull and boring. It would be wise to have limits on how much we aspire to know.

Mythology Throughout History

Mythology Throughout History

By: Hayley Reteneller

People say that mythology and iconology continue to reemerge in history, which is true seeing as though the word “iconology” indicates its comprehensiveness: “icon” meaning image, re-presentation and “logos” meaning word, speech, reason – in short, the lore and language of visualization.

“This sense of the term was inherited from Warburg, Saxl, Panofsky, Dvorak, Schlosser, Hoogewerff, Gombrich, Wind, Meiss, Stechow, Held as including all the meanings – explicit and implied, denotative and connotative – in images has a long history in studies of explanation and interpretation.” Dreams, plants, animals, gestures, and heaven all prefigure iconology as ways to discover meaning. Iconographers transformed pagan mysteries into a systematic dictionary of signs.

Mythology is used when referring to the study and analysis of stories. Early philosophical mythology was the first intellectual movement to question the basis for the people’s unquestioning faith in the muthoi of the poets. A second development that arose with the birth of Greek rationalism in the 6^th century BCE is something that many have called allegorical mythology. Allegorical mythology is a way of reading objects depicted in myth as symbolizing something beyond the story’s plot and the literal meaning of its words. Philosophers use “Allegory of Nature” to look beyond the literal surface to find hidden references to religious truth.

About a century after Plato, Euhemeros talked about the values and importance of traditional myths. His contribution to mythology has been called historical allegory. “Not unlike the philosophical mythologists and Theaganes, Euhemeros assumed that his ancestors were primitives lacking the scientific method, philosophical principles, and cognitive sophistication of the ‘modern’ world in which he lived. Therefore, he reasoned, the ancients exaggerated the historical facts of actual persons and events and, because they did not have access to better forms of knowledge, accepted these embellished stories as truth.”

Founded by Zeno of Citium, Cyprus, the Stoics made major contributions in logic, grammar, and the philosophies of language and mind. This ancient philosophical school’s moral philosophy of cultivating freedom from the passions that disarray our lives gives us our modern adjective, stoic, which means “a detached indifference to pleasure or pain.” The Stoics interpreted myth in terms of physical phenomena. The Stoics also read the Iliad and Odyssey because they were a lot like Theagenes, allegorical readings of myth frequently described the heroes and gods of myth as embodying their own moral ideals and as resisting the vices and weaknesses that they themselves wished to avoid.

More than a century later Porphyry also employed a form of allegorical mythology in his “The Cave of the Nymphs in the Odyssey”. “In this work he declares that what is obviously absurd in myth positively cries out to be read allegorically so that absurdity will be transformed into that which is meaningful.  Porphyry’s Cave of the Nymphs adds historical ‘research’ to the etymological method of the Stoics.”

Every culture has used mythology to help analysis stories, cultures still use mythology today and will continue to into the future. 

Olympian Gods of Ancient Greek Mythology   

Roman Mythology

The greatest architectural civilization : Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt civilization took place in North eastern Africa , it was concentrated along the lower reaches  of the Nile river .This civilization occured around 3500 BCE.

The success of Ancient Egypt civilization came mainly from the high benefits of the Nile River Valley, its significant irrigation produced crops which fueled social development and culture .The nile river was also a source of mud used to build houses.

This particular civilization is well known for its fascinating architecture that is still standing almost
 intact and testifying  of its  great achievements including the amazing engineering  techniques that facilitated  the building of monumental pyramids and temples .
The Ancient Egyptian architecture was based on stones , back then they were very abundant and this availability must explain the giant proportions of these surviving buildings. Limestone and sandstone were easily quarried in nearby locations along the Nile cliffs. Harder stones such as granite ,basalt and quartzite were obtained from more remote regions .


The  Pyramids are the most famous structures in all Egypt , they are one the seven wonders of the World and also one of the greatest achievements of all time .These structures can be as tall as  482 feet (147m) high .They were built in the fourth dynasty of the old kingdom  , they are a symbol of high skilled engineering techniques and the power of the pharaonic religion.

The great pyramid of Giza was finished around 2580 BC is the oldest of the pyramids and the only surviving building of the seven wonders of the ancient world.The great pyramids are built of  solid limestone ,the blocks were cut so precisely , modern architect are so intrigued by the mathematical precision of the pyramids .Inside the pyramids , they are burials for mummified pharaohs .

 
Before the existence of  the pyramids , the pharaohs of the old kingdom used to be buried in tombs called the mastabas which means house for eternal life , they flat roofed , rectangular structure .
The mastabas are composed of two distinct parts :the chapel and the crypt.
The chapel is an offering room to make offering to the dead person , it is decorated with a false
door as a symbol linking the living with the dead .The halls were flanked of small rooms full
of provisions such as furnitures ,offerings.The crypt was highly decorated with scriptures and paintings that describes the afterlife concept.

Temple of luxor

The ancient Egyptians believed that temples were the homes of the gods and goddesses.
Every temple was dedicated  to  gods or goddesses worship .
These temples were made of stone so they would last forever ;their walls were covered with scenes that were carved onto then brightly painted.The most popular temple is the luxor temple located in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes).

 The rich culture and monuments of egypt have left a timeless treasure that is still  fascinating  the whole world including the ancient civilizations like Greece and Rome even if  the european's colonization of Egypt destroyed an important portion of the monuments .


posted by sara ben amer

Understanding True Love

  You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling: Understanding True Love

By: Rachel Crall

Love is a topic that never goes stale.  Much has been written on this subject yet people always seem to have more to say.  Libraries are full of books on love.  Songs of all genres contain an overwhelming focus on love.  I cannot recall a magazine cover in the checkout isle void of some reference to love secrets, tricks, or trips. The web has countless links to advice and  statistics regarding this matter.  Dozens of dating services promise to lead one to love's doorstep. In fact, this service can be tailored to filter by age, religion, hobbies, and the like.  Looking to find love with a Jewish plumber who likes the opera?  Have no fear as your soul mate is just a few clicks away.  

But for all this information, why is it that we have such a hard time knowing if we have found love?  At the first mention of love, our friends and family cannot resist the temptation to inform that these feeling, while closely resembling love, could not possibly be the real thing.  For some advisors, love involves some proportional relationship with time.  For example, you must have this feeling for several years before it can be considered love.  Others say that you can tell it is love the moment you meet, as if the cosmos was coming into alignment at the very moment you locked eyes with your significant others.  And of course, still others have devoted a near science to the idea that love develops into clearly definable stages.  "Puppy love:, even though it contains the word love, is not exactly love but rather a strong "like."  Perhaps there is some logic to this reference as we all love puppies because they are young and cute.  Of course, when they grow up, they are not so lovable and keeping up with their needs can be a burden.  A "crush" is something similar I assume, although I am not sure how one would attach such an undesirable word to a positive feeling. Being crushed or crushing someone else is not foremost on my mind when thinking of love although this word often comes up when love has gone bad.  Perhaps a crush is simply a foretelling of what is to come. 

When thinking about love, I may have come across the reason the Greeks are having so much economic trouble.  Experts say Greece has too many government financial safeguards which is costing the people more than they can afford.  While I am no expert, I am inclined to agree since the Greeks also have far too many words which they use to ensure they communicate precisely what they intend. For example, in the USA, we have one word for love: love.  It is up to the individual to discern the strength of this word.  We say we love our cats, televisions, sports teams, grandparents, and our kids. We also love certain shampoos, movies, ice cream, and deodorant.  But which ones do we really love and which ones do we just "like?"  How does one know which "loves" come out on top and which ones are at the bottom?  This is the problem with just one word as it leaves us needing more information.  However, the Greeks do not have this problem for they have at least six words for love as depicted in the chart below. So, if I was Greek, I might have a Pragma love for my shampoo, a Storge love for my grandparents, and a Mania love for my sports team.  Problem solved.  While understanding Greek interpretations of love might be a hobby for some, it is essential for understanding the Christian Biblical teachings on this subject since the New Testament was originally written in koine or common Greek.      

  

Love has and will likely always continue to be viewed in a cultural context meaning that definitions are subject to change.  Looking through a Western lens, love has evolved from something once considered rare and permanent, to something temporal and fleeting.  Today, people are said to fall in and out of love with marriages lasting only months instead of decades. This is due to how society has evolved from love being something one gives to something one gets.  People tend to enjoy the "feeling" of being in love meaning that they enjoy being loved.  But this is not the way it was from the beginning.  God, the author of love, paints a very different picture as evidenced in the following scripture: 
      
1 Cor 13:4-8a: ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  ⁸ Love never fails….                    

Notice that this form of love, Agape or sacrificial, is selfless in every way.  There are no conditions, no small print, and no exclusions.  This is the kind of love that God has for us.  To further demonstrate the love God has for us, Jesus Christ summed up the greatest commandments and it should be no surprise that love was center stage.

Matthew 22:34-40: ³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Again, love is measured by what one gives and not what one gets.  Imagine what this world would be like if we all gave such unconditional love to each other. If we did, Hall and Oats might have had to look for a different hit song since they would not have lost that "lovin' feeling."  

                                                              Hall and Oats - Lovin' Feeling

Weblinks

http://www.biblegateway.com/  Search the scriptures

http://www.greeceindex.com/various/greek_love_words.html Greek love wordshttp://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0133.pdf Divorce and Marriage Stats http://www.christiananswers.net/q-dml/dml-y030.html True love from christian answers.net

A poem about Marriage