friendship
C.S Lewis got it right: friendship is born when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one!"
YOU
It’s incredible how we are still here, after 16 years that we know each other. Yes, exactly, 16 years, our story starts in kindergarten when we were 3 years old. And from that moments we became best friend, and we still are, obviously in a different way, but that doesn’t matter, because the connection that we have is unique and amazing.
By Lorenzo Ramalli 5 years ago in Humans
Forgiveness? To do what?
Forgiveness? What is the purpose of it? And above all, what does it mean? For years, the word "forgive" was a word that I didn't understand, that I didn't like. It horrified me. For a long time, I associated this word and this concept with a form of cowardice and injustice. I thought that it allowed people who had hurt us to get away with it and even to do it again. And that it represented a gesture of kindness on the part of the victim towards someone who didn't deserve it, and who moreover, often didn't even take the step of asking for forgiveness for the harm he or she had done. I have often thought that this was something useless, and even dangerous for oneself. Because it left us defenseless against potential aggressors and enemies. I heard everywhere and all the time that it was necessary to forgive. So I tried to understand why it was repeated over and over again in many philosophical, spiritual, and religious systems, in books, in the media, in movies. Even the people I met in my life were saying that we should not hold grudges against those who had hurt, betrayed, or humiliated us. So yes, I was told, mechanically it seemed, that God loves those who forgive, that Jesus invited us to turn the other cheek. But I was never told why I should forgive, and also what benefit I would get from it. This lack of a coherent explanation made me even more reluctant. Clearly, to turn the other cheek meant for me to sign one's death warrant and to invite all the unjust of the earth to trample us. It was like carrying a sign that instead of saying "free hugs", would say "free punches". Another striking inconsistency was that very often, not to say almost systematically, those who extolled the virtues of forgiveness did not seem to live by these sacred rules when they found themselves cheated or offended. Had they too been influenced by this doctrine without rational basis or explanation? I even came to consider this morality, although it had noble intentions, but was devoid of pedagogy, as propaganda bordering on the absurd. Instead of calming me down, these words had the opposite effect and increased my anger when I heard them.
By Julian Salvatore5 years ago in Humans
A Hero to my Character
Words can not describe everything you have helped me through. The nights you stayed awake as I cried or the fun arguments you would start, just to see my reaction. I can not say thank you enough! You saw me at my worst and continued to be a friend when I was less than one.
By Missy Kish5 years ago in Humans
Teri Buckalew
Teri Buckalew is a foster manager (previously with Robin's Nest of Indy) and founder of Cuddle Me Cat Rescue. She is instrumental in saving the lives of an incredible number of cats and kittens each year. I could only wish that there were more people like her.
By Sheila Sellinger, Author5 years ago in Humans
The woman who looked at life through Violet glasses
I made it to ninth grade. The year was 1994.. I was a lost child with so much potential and imagination.... I was taking LSD smoking pot and I was in a continuation High School. I was so angry at my parents that I found comfort in music and of course my journal.....
By Andriana Vega 5 years ago in Humans
TO BE CONTINUED...
We who were transferred to St. David School – Grades 7 through 10 – from the various other Roman Catholic schools in Waterloo in the fall of 1967 were, I think, fairly pleased with our new digs. For those of us in Grades 7 and 8 especially, things had taken quite a turn as we went from sitting in one classroom, with one teacher the entire day, to having a Homeroom where core subjects were taught by our Homeroom teacher in the morning then, in the afternoon, we got to wander from pillar to post and classroom to classroom for such exotic subjects as French and Guidance, Typing and Music. There was even a Science lab and dedicated Art classroom. The Science lab had Bunsen burners and the Art room held magical properties. Being a Catholic bunch, we also had one class a week in something called “Revelation” which, really, was just a word to lull us into a sense of not having religion jammed down our throats.
By Marie McGrath5 years ago in Humans
