Love

     Well, I'll think I'll have to write another cliche for this bland and extremely vague idea, both qualities which have come to define the assigned blog topic. These assignments tend to be so vague that one can write their  entry about virtually anything, which makes the practice of assigning a topic superfluous. . For example, I could write how the feeling of love is nothing more than a set of chemical reaction occurring in the brain coupled with the release of hormones that produce the effect (some would beg to differ, claiming "spiritual" factors at play). Anyways, on to the "topic".

     Love is a universal idea, present in every culture spanning back through the vast history of the human race. Social gestures such as hug or a smile are understood all over the world as a display of affection. The omnipresence of this idea in human history & culture makes one wonder why it is as such. Humans are very social creatures, and being away from one's fellow man can be very detrimental to the human psyche. Thus, I believe that love and similar social displays and interactions are a component of the very essence of the human being, and their removal would make us, dare I say, something less than human. This begs the question, then are those with mental disabilities that would make it difficult for them to understand and utilize these concepts somehow inhuman beings? Certainly not, I say, for their inability to show love should make our compassion and understanding for them that much deeper and more profound. Ultimately, love is what ties us, binds us, and in the end defines us as a social collective. 

           

                                                       -Andrew