What Is Love?

I really enjoyed this week in class. We talked about relationships and dating. The two chapters that I had to read for this week were very interesting. The chapter that really stuck out to me was the one on love. The book asked how many times have you been in love? This intrigued me and got me thinking about how many times I have been in love. I started to reminisce on past relationships. I answered this questions for myself. I can honestly say I have been in love twice. Once when I was a senior in high school and I am currently in love. I started to remember the time in high school like it was yesterday. I was so in love with that boy and I still love him today but I am not in love with him. I am currently dating someone who I am completely in love with. He is my best friend. We plan on being married in the temple sometime next year. In the class discussions we had I just thought about the things that we have together. One thing that stuck out in one of the discussions is that we tend to date people who like us. And this is so true. I think that my boyfriend and I are similar in looks. We both are shorter people and have thicker bodies.

Something that interested me was that in the book they talked about a survey that was conducted asking people how many times they had fallen in love. And surprisingly men had fallen in love more times than women. And just a random fact, I have had the song What is Love stuck in my head all week. So here is a link to the song. :]

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhrBDcQq2DM

Truth and Tolerance

This week in class we discussed a lot about culture. I was purposed this question,  Are all cultures equal in terms of being right and wrong, good and bad? Do we have the right to proclaim one set of values to be better than another? I believe that all cultures are different. There are some that are similar to each other. I do not think that cultures are equal in being right and wrong, good or bad. Not everyone is going to agree with everyone's culture. There are certain aspects that one may agree with and there are aspects that one might disagree with. We do not have the right to proclaim one set of values to better than another. That would be judging and the Lord has commanded us not to judge one another. This reminds of an article that my boyfriend had me read about a couple and their culture. The couple believed in faith healing. Faith healing is when someone believes in the power of prayer to heal another. So this couple lost their child because they did not take their child to get the proper care ( they has already lost a previous child). I DO NOT think what they did is right in any way but that is their culture. I do not agree with their culture but I am not going to say that my culture is better than theirs. We need to respect peoples cultures whether or not we agree with it. I had the opportunity to read Elder Dallin H. Oaks CES devotional talk "Truth and Tolerance." I believe that this devotional explains how we as members as the church need to handle different cultures. Here is this link to the devotional.
http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2011/01/truth-and-tolerance?lang=eng

And I also purpose the same question to everyone.  Are all cultures equal in terms of being right and wrong, good and bad? Do we have the right to proclaim one set of values to be better than another?

This week in class we talked mostly about theories and related them to families. There were four theories that we discussed in class and they were the conflict theory, exchange theory, family systems theory, and the symbolic interaction theory. The conflict theory is seeking to get important things and exerting it through power. The exchange theory is like "you owe me one." So if I do something for you, I except something in return. BUT I am not like that, that was just an example. The family systems theory is how a family functions as a unit. There are subsystems with in families. With this theory we talked about family roles. This got me to thinking about what role I play in my family and what the other members in my family play. My family background is a complicated one, so this week was interesting for me. I know that when I start a family that I want to be able to have a strong connection with my husband (whoever that may be) and be able to have a functioning family. One system that did stand out to me a lot was the symbolic interaction theory. This theory is the perception regarding behavior is more important than the behavior. This stood out to me because my boyfriend and I got into a disagreement about a situation because he perceived my actions the wrong way. Do not worry though everything is just fine. ;] On another note I am not sure what project that I am going to do, the genogram or the family system project. I think that both of these would be difficult because my family situation is complicated. Anyways I am really enjoying this class and it gets me excited to start a family one day.

Week 2.

So this week in class we talked a lot about fertility. For a discussion board we has to participate, this statement and questions were given to us ;Decisions relative to when, how often or even whether to have children is a very personal once, and a very significant one. It may be, however, that we are prone to leaving God's direction and preference out of our decision-making process. Does it really matter how many children I have? Why, and who is affected by my decisions? I believe that it does matter. The decision process is a private matter that stays between a husband, the wife, and the Lord. I can not wait until I will be able to start a family. I love children and want children of my own. There is just one thing that I need to do first, get married. Do not worry though I am working on that. But I want to be able to bring pure and holy spirits into this world. I really enjoyed the quotes that where provided along with our assignment. I agree with the quotes and they are straight to the point. They instruct us on what we need to do regarding children.
 

“There are multitudes of pure and holy spirits waiting to take tabernacles, now what is our duty?—To prepare tabernacles for them; to take a course that will not tend to drive those spirits into the families of the wicked, where they will be trained in wickedness, debauchery, and every species of crime. It is the duty of every righteous man and woman to prepare tabernacles for all the spirits they can.”
 - President Brigham Young

 "You did not come on earth just to “eat, drink and be merry.” You came knowing full well your responsibilities. You came to get for yourself a mortal body that could become perfected, immortalized, and you understood that you were to act in partnership with God in providing bodies for other spirits equally anxious to come to the earth for righteous purposes. And so you will not postpone parenthood. There will be rationalists who will name to you numerous reasons for postponement. Of course, it will be harder to get your college degrees or your financial start with a family, but strength like yours will be undaunted in the face of difficult obstacles. 
“Have your family as the Lord intended. Of course it is expensive, but you will find a way, and besides, it is often those children who grow up with responsibility and hardships who carry on the world’s work. And, John and Mary, do not limit your family as the world does. I am wondering now where I might have been had my parents decided arbitrarily that one or two children would be enough, or that three or four would be all they could support, or that even five would be the limit; for I was the sixth of eleven children. Don’t think you will love the later ones less or have few material things for them. Perhaps like Jacob, you might love the eleventh one most. Young people, have your family, love them, sacrifice for them, teach them righteousness, and you will be blessed and happy all the days of your eternal lives.“
 - President Spencer W. Kimball (in an open letter to all young couples, found here in the Ensign, June 1975)