There is a problem among us far bigger than you and I probably dare or care to think about. A problem so big that it affects the entire world-- it's affecting every human being on this planet. And the worst part is that we are just idly succumbing to its mass symptoms. This epidemic I speak of is Love.

Love is not the problem; the problem lies in the worlds ever-decreasing ability to truly Love. When I say truly Love, I mean treating others with respect in general, Loving your family members and your friends, and showing Love to those who are in the running to someday be your spouse.

Well, why is it such a problem? That is exactly it. Society does not care anymore. It has just become another form of desensitization. Somewhere deep inside of us our emotions are processed and felt. We know that we, as human beings, want to Love and be Loved in return. Most all of us have aspirations to have and become a spouse, or perhaps start a family someday. That, you may say, is just human instinct. That human instinct, I might add, is Love. When we grow up, during the adolescent and teenage years, we start feeling a desire to be independent, and part of that independence is finding Love in other places than in our homes.

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Children are being educated about sex at early ages. Informing them is good, but one can give a child too much information and all the child wants it so try it out. Give a child a new toy and they are so eager to play with it, to explore it, to learn more about it. Sex has become a toy. And kids are learning how to use that toy at younger ages than ever before, and they are getting quite good at it.

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Adolescent promiscuity is so common in the halls of our high schools and junior high schools these days. In fact, it is too common. What people see is a pregnant girl. 'Well, she must be a whore.' She got 'knocked up' by some 'sperm donor.' 'That poor girl, she's so lost, she just doesn't know what she wants in her life.' Maybe in some cases, but in most I would be willing to bet that she wants one thing in her life. Ultimately, she only desires to be Loved. That's all she ever wanted before she had sex. She just wanted to be loved. But, in today's society, that makes her a whore. How sad it is that a desire for Love requires a label so hurtful as 'Whore.'

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Single, unwed mothers have it rough, that is a given. Living a life by themselves with a kid, maybe two, three, four or five. Trying to provide housing, food, clothing and education to those children is no doubt difficult when you are working with a single, low-income budget. Many of these unwed mothers have to work more than one job just to make ends meet. Why would she make the choices that she made and be living the life that she is?

Well, I think you can answer that question quite simply on your own by now. She did not intend on having multiple children through multiple love affairs. Why did she not learn her lesson the first time? Why did she not use birth control or other kinds of protection that are available these days?

The answer: Love. Love makes us do the most unexplainable things, things we would never normally do. Love sends us through times of grief and sorrow, puts us through some of the deepest pain that we, as humans, ever feel. Love sometimes makes us feel regret. It is unknown why we keep fighting for love, withstanding storm after storm, getting beat down and having to rebuild ourselves again and again.

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They are all around us. Yours may be or may have been one of them. Maybe you were lucky and did not have one, but those around you may seem happy on the outside, but once they get home they retreat into loneliness, scared to face the problems of their dysfunctional family.

Maybe the husband or wife is abusive. Maybe the family keeps running into problem after problem with finances. Physical or mental disabilities within the family, struggles with parents or children getting involved in drugs or alcohol, crimes and felonies, problems from previous marriage(s), the list goes on. The truth is, they surround you every day.

Just because you don't personally see it happening does not mean that it is not happening. We let these struggles get in the way of the number one, most important thing required to make a family a Family: Love. The medical or court bills are more than your annual income. They take over the attention that should be focused on Love and divert it to more worldly matters. Love has somehow been replaced in the homes of every family in the world.

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Divorce rates are higher now than ever, and they keep increasing. It is so easy to get a divorce. It is easy legally, and it is easy to just forget your problems and leave them behind you.

It is simple, really. When you divorce your spouse simply by giving up on them, you are giving up on yourself, you are giving up on the rest of the family, and you are giving up on Love.

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Love comes from within. It starts within us and expresses itself with more and more precision as it moves outward. But within is where it all starts.

Planted deep within us is at conception is a seed. That seed is nurtured and grown to a certain extent by our parents and siblings until it becomes a small plant. There comes a time where we start taking over that small plant, learning how to properly nourish it and give it exactly what it needs. It is an art only mastered over time, something that only comes through practice. Essentially, the goal is to make that small plant grow into a giant tree with roots planted firmly in the ground, spreading out far away from the trunk of our tree, touching the roots of others that surround us, becoming a giant network, a forest of trees that support each other.

That seed is love. That tree is mastery and understanding of self-worth. And it affects everyone around us in some way or another. Love affects everyone around us in some way or another. Just try it, don't give up on it, and you will see for yourself. You will be happier, and so will everyone else around you.

Never be afraid to Love, because Love is the only thing we have from Beginning to End.

Just Love.

Listening to some songs from a broadway show, I've come to realize that the lyrics hit home. If anybody would appreciate it, I thought I'd write the lyrics first, then explain how they relate to my life. Enjoy:

I thought home was all I'd ever want,
My attic all I'd ever need.
Nothing feels the way it was before
And I don't know how to proceed.
I only know I'm meant for something more.
I've got to know if I can be...
Astonishing.

There's a life that I am meant to lead,
A life like nothing I have known.
I can feel it,
And it's far from here.
I've got to find it on my own.

Even now I feel its heat upon my skin,
A life of passion that pulls me from within,
A life that I am making to begin.
There must be somewhere I can be...
Astonishing...
Astonishing.

I'll find my way,
I'll find it far away,
I'll find it in unexpected and unknown
I'll find my life in my own way,
Today!

Here I go,
And there's no turning back,
My great adventure has begun.
I may be small,
But I've got giant plans
To shine as greatly as the sun!

I will blaze until I find my time and place
I will be fearless,
Surrendering modesty and grace
I will not disapear without a trace
I'll shout and start a riot
Be anything but quiet
Christopher Columbus
I'll be Astonishing
Astonishing...
Astonishing...

At last.

Sometimes when you dream,
Your dream is just a guess,
Sometimes, when you work really hard
You don't know,
If you'll ever find success!

Sometimes when you dream,
Your dreams come true,
In extraordinary ways,
Suddenly a day
Can be so amazing!
And sometimes when you yearn
You burn the air!
And someone else feels the flame
You always knew was there!

I'm ready for destiny!
My tresses are curled.
I'll take what is rightly mine
With curtains unfurled.
I will not quit, I won't be forgotten!
I will shine, I'll dazzle and more...
I'm ready to take a bow,
I've taken a solemn vow,
My destiny here, and now!
I'll astonish the world!

I've been listening to these songs a lot lately, and these are lyrics from two songs. It's very much how I feel about my life, and it's very much what I'm going to be, and nobody is going to stop me from being what I want to be and doing what I want to do. I have a dream, I have goals, and if you even want to try to stop me, so help me.