loyalty and love

So this morning I have been watching one of my favorite disney movies:  Brother Bear.  This is the story set in one of the ice ages.  The plot is about how a man, Kenai, turned into a bear learns to love.  Among the ice age people they have a tradition where they all receive their totem, and a word that describes what they will become.  Kenai's totem is a bear, which means love.  He is puzzled about the meaning of his totem.

Kenai and his brother are out hunting, when they run into a mother bear.  The oldest brother dies while fighting the bear, while the bear survives.  Kenai, naturally blames the bear for his older brothers death.  So he takes off in pursuit of it, intending to kill it.  His other older brother, Denahi, comes after Kenai.  Well, Kenai kills the mother bear, and the spirits transform him into a bear.  Denahi, not knowing that Kenai is a bear, tries to kill his brother.

Well, Kenai escapes and winds up traveling with a small cub, Koda.  Kenai had killed Koda's mother.  They travel to where Kenai can turn back into a man.  Through the course of their journey Kenai learns to love Koda.  Denahi follows Kenai and Koda, trying to kill them as revenge for his brothers.  In the end Kenai gets turned back into a human long enough for his brother to know it's him, then he turns back into a bear to be with Koda.  

I love watching disney movies because of the lessons that are easily discerned and their application to life.  One of the lessons from this movie is learning to love.  Loving someone is hard at times.  We are supposed to love unconditionally.  That is near impossible I've come to understand.  But we still need to try.

How do we begin to love someone?  Loving someone should start out in the home.  Mothers and fathers have the duty and responsibility to love any and all children they bring into this world.  They need to care for it, and show it affection.  Love should be strongest among families.

How do families get started?  They get started when a man and woman begin to love each other.  They are attracted to each other by their looks, then they fall in love.  Love is where you care more about the other person and their thoughts and feelings than your own.  You try your best to put them first.

Human beings crave affection.  We are naturally drawn to others, especially those who show us affection, love or attention.  We are not meant to be alone and not be loved.  That is why love in the home is so important.  There needs to be some place in the world where a child can feel comfortable and loved.

In this day and age I feel that there is not enough love.  The newspapers and the news are filled with broken families, people who do terrible things to others.  I do not believe that those individuals care about their victims.  They don't see them as someone who is vulnerable, who has the same craving to be accepted as they do.  

I believe that the human need to be accepted by someone has lead to the formation of many gangs.  The gang provides people with others who accept them, who show affection.  They are a group, which gives identity.  We feel safer as part of a group.  Gang members show loyalty to each other.  

So some may not come from homes where love is strong.  You can still find love elsewhere.  I sometimes struggle with showing my appreciation to others not in my family.  Appreciation may not be love, but it can show that we do accept and like who others are.  This is a lesser form of love.  

So what can we do on a day to day basis that can show others appreciation and love?  We can just show basic kindness.  We can give others the benefit of the doubt.  We can say please and thank you.  Give someone a hug.  Those always help em.  We can praise others for their work.  We can put something away that we didn't get out.  We can go the extra mile.  If it is not required we can do it anyway.

This is my plea to others.  Just be kind to others.  You don't have be assigned something to do it.  If you notice someone struggling, help them.  When you go to a grocery store Talk to the check.  Ask them how their day has been.  It will help them a lot.  When trying to do my suggestions today, please remember: It is better to give than to receive.  If you show others love, you will receive more love in return.