Kennedi Santomenna - HUM 1020 - CRN 14242

Chapter 13: Love

"Parents undoubtedly showed their affection to their young by teaching them how to survive in a hostile environment; their vocabulary was filled with words that relate to survival strategies, all with favorable connotations (13.1)."

Growing up, my mom always told me she was preparing my sisters and me for the future. My mom and I have a very open relationship, which allows me to tell her everything. I am beyond grateful for our relationship because it means I don't have to worry about hiding things from her. Sometimes, I tell her a story, and she will take it well, but it will end up in a lecture. She will say, "I am not only your friend, but I am also your mother, and I am required to make sure you are aware of what is happening." I may not enjoy her lectures, but I know where she is coming from, and I know that she is raising me to be better. I can proudly say that my mom has taught me many valuable lessons and has raised me to be the woman I am today. When my friends act out or start to do things I don't agree with, I think of my mom's words and reflect. Recently, I have been in a dilemma with my friend who is using my other friends, including me, for food and other resources without properly asking or paying back. My mom used to tell me, "Don't take advantage of your resources and use them wisely," and "Don't ask for things unless they are offered." I never understood this until my friend started to act like this, and it has given me the realization that my mom is my best teacher.

"Platonic friendship involves much more than, say, having a classmate who studies with you while both save other relationships for the weekend! (13.2)."

One of my best friends, Stace, passed away due to stage 4 cancer. In the beginning, she hated me, and it soon became a joke. I am beyond grateful for the things she has done for me up until her passing. When she was well and after she hated me, she would take me out of my house to feel better and would pay for my meals when I was low on income. She gave me my first job and provided me with the utmost support. She was the person I would go to whenever I needed a good laugh and the person I would go to when I needed to cry. Her passing affected me greatly, and there is not a day where I don't have her on my mind. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she withheld the information about it because she knew how I would react. She was aware of my anxiety before I could even comprehend what was going on. In her honor, my friend and I got matching tattoos to commemorate our friendship. We got all of our birth flowers, with Stace's being in the middle because, without her, we would not have been so close. I love that girl dearly, and our platonic friendship taught me so many lessons about who I want to become in the future.

"But large societal changes have also brought changes to the way we think about love itself (13.6)."

One of the topics I talk about frequently to my friends is how social media killed romance. There have been many TikToks regarding this subject. I am pretty old school when it comes to Snapchat and Instagram, but my sister is different. My sister will tell me about how a guy will have her on delivered or that he did not send a "full face snap". I am honestly confused by this sort of thing; meanwhile, my sister knows it well. Then there is Instagram, where it is huge if someone you like does not comment or like your post. I don't even understand meeting people online. My mindset is to let whatever naturally comes to me and not in a way where I am stressing about who is liking my post. I enjoy the sappy love stories I hear from my grandparents about how they met. They did not have to worry about this subject, and their stories are so cute.

References

Richard Paul Janaro & Thelma C. Altshuler, 2017, The Art of Being Human, 11th Edition