Respone to Chapter 4 Religion

In chapter 4 growing in love, intimacy can be considered a key element on deciphering the basis of this chapter. Upon reading this chapter I have come across many different concepts and ideas that I do and do not agree with. With these perceptions at hand, one can see that there are many different views when reading something that can be controversial and cant at the same time depending on the reader. It is also questionable at the fact that intimacy is greatly confused at some times. An even bigger problem is the mass confusion people have today with the word love and what it actually means. At this point conversing on how some ideas and concepts can relate to me and how I would choose to act upon arriving at such situations is very relevant. So relevant that to the point where I can actually perceive these situations as a journey to finding good in ones own life.

Upon reading intimacy in relationships I have learned how to cherish and how to show real intimacy. As opposed to when I had first reached this section and I had the idea in my head that intimacy was something else. I first thought when I read this that intimacy is just merely touching and grabbing at a lowbrow explanation. Really though when I read the article I learned that there is much more to intimacy such as cherishing. What cherish means is to hold dear, to love tenderly, to protect and take good care of. When I had first read this I totally changed my outlook on what cherish means. At first I thought cherish meant basically to care for something, but it means so much more. When I read this the first thing that came to my mind was my family. This is because they are typically my everything. And to hear that the real meaning of cherish is realistically to care for someone at the so-called super level, I thought this is totally what the word cherish could mean. Family. When I read intimacy I thought again as well. What intimacy means by the book is, deep loving closeness that usually involves sharing what is most personal and private. When I read this I sort of got the idea that it was referring to sex, but initially that was my first thought, touching and grabbing. By reading this and the section I have learned this too is also much more than what it seems and I have learned to respect I much more to a point where it is greatly valued.

As I continued reading, I came across the Growing in intimacy section in the book. As I was reading my reaction towards this section in the book was very, very different. I felt that I had almost been left out in the experience of growing in intimacy because of the point that the section mentioned, individuality. Individuality means total combination of qualities that make each person unique. Why I had felt this way was because I was the type of person that when I was growing up that did not have much intimacy with anyone and strangely as much as I wanted to be loved, the further it went. When I read individuality it occurred to me that the qualities I had weren’t enough to realistically make a combination that would make me unique. I felt discouraged at this point because many of the people around me had so much to talk about themselves or show about themselves that makes them unique. Later I learned that it was the way I was that made me unique and everyone appreciated me for me. This made me feel good and complete. Also that sometimes we shouldn’t be blind and open our eyes up to the people around us.

Upon finishing this section I became very interested in this chapter and had now come to another section in the book that sparked my attention and my different and relevant opinions. This section was intimacy killers. The thing about intimacy killers is that I found it to be very relevant to my own life, but not at first sight. My first intentions upon reading this section were that it was mainly about things or decisions that kill a relationship. When I read this section it now came to me that yet again, it was so much more. In this section it started to mention things about drugs and how they can be used as the practical crutches to hold up a relationship. What caught my attention the most upon reading this section was how big of a problem drugs were in many relationships. Not only that but also the other intimacy killers that destroy relationships. As I continued reading I started to relate myself to the intimacy killers in the perspective that what had happen to myself. The reason why though I had related it personally to myself is because I myself had problems in past relationships. Some of the problems that I had encountered in my lifetimes deal with drugs and some deal with trust, two of the most biggest intimacy killers to this day.