The rose is a perennial flower shrub or vine that contains over 100 species and comes in a variety of colors. The species form a group of erect shrubs and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. It is a common error to refer to roses as having thorns. Thorns are modified branches or stems, whereas these sharp protrusions on a rose are modified epidermal tissue. Most are native to Asia, with smaller numbers of species native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa.

Attar of rose is the steam-extracted essential oil from rose flowers that has been used in perfumes for centuries. Rose water, made from the rose oil, is widely used in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. The French are known for their rose syrup, most commonly made from an extract of rose petals. In the United States, this French rose syrup is used to make rose scones.

Rose hips are occasionally made into jam, jelly, and marmalade, or are brewed for tea, primarily for their high Vitamin C content. They are also pressed and filtered to make rose hip syrup. Rose hips are also used to produce Rose hip seed oil, which is used in skin products and some makeup products.
 
It has always been valued for its beauty and has a long history of symbolism. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with their goddesses of love referred to as Aphrodite and Venus. In Rome a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where secret or confidential matters were discussed. A bouquet of red roses is often used to show love. It is used as a Valentine’s Day gift in many countries.

A red rose, often held in a hand, is a symbol of socialism or social democracy. It is used as a symbol by British, Irish, French, and other European labour, socialist or social democratic parties. This originated when the red rose was used as a badge by marchers in the May 1968 street protests in Paris. The White Rose was a World War II non violent resistance group in Germany.

Agape is one of several Greek words translated into English as love. The word has been used in different ways by a variety of contemporary and ancient sources, including Biblical authors. Many have thought that this word represents divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love.

Greek philosophers at the time of Plato and other ancient authors have used forms of the word to denote love of a spouse or family, or affection for a particular activity. This is in contrast to philia, an affection that could denote either brotherhood or generally non-sexual affection, and eros, an affection of a sexual nature.

The term agape is rarely used in ancient manuscripts, but was used by the early Christians to refer to the self-sacrificing love of God for humanity, which they were committed to reciprocating and practicing towards God and among one another.

The word has been expounded on by many Christian writers in a specifically Christian context. Thomas Jay Oord has defined agape as an intentional response to promote well-being when responding to that which has generated ill-being. Oord also argues that agape is not the only form of Christian love. Philia and eros can also be forms of love appropriate for Christians to express.

Agape received a broader usage under later Christian writers as the word that specifically denoted Christian love or charity. The New Testament provides a number of definitions and examples of agape that generally expand on the meanings derived from ancient texts, denoting brotherly love, love of one’s spouse or children, and the love of God for all people.

In the New Testament the noun agape is often used to describe God’s love. However, the verb form agapao is at times used in a negative sense, where it retains its more general meaning of affection rather than divine love. The word agape in its plural form is used in the New Testament to describe a meal or feast eaten by early Christians. It is sometimes believed to be either related to the Eucharist, or another term used for the Eucharist.

This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of Christian dating sites. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12@gmail.com

The pursuit of happiness is one goal that’s common to almost every single one of us — perhaps it’s only very young children who are able to be truly happy without being conscious of the emotion. The psychology of happiness is not easily understood, because each of us is unique, and what makes one person happy need not necessarily induce joy in another. But there are a few things in life that do bring happiness universally — a loving family, supportive friends, a job that you love, a nice pay packet, an understanding boss, a great relationship, passionate sex and burgeoning romance, healthy and smart children, achievements in various activities like sports and performing arts, and so on. 

It’s simple enough to figure out why people feel happy when they have one or more of the above-mentioned aspects in their lives on a continued basis. What’s quite hard to understand is why some of us need to feel extreme thrills (like bungee jumping) or near-the-edge experiences (like adventurous sports) in order to feel happy. And what’s even more difficult to grasp is the idea that some human beings have brains so perverted that they take pleasure in hurting and torturing others. 

Happiness is an elusive concept, one that varies not just according to the kind of person we are, but according to the kind of mood we’re in. It’s a common enough reaction to find pleasure in the antics of a child when you’re totally relaxed and feel equally irritated by the same actions when you’re in the middle of an important discussion that’s not going too well. 

There are many people who believe that happiness comes from doing something for others — altruism is said to be a great mood elevator, but from what I’ve seen, people who help others often expect something in return, even if it’s just gratitude. If you help someone out and they’re not openly grateful to you, you’re likely to feel slighted and irritated that you’ve “wasted” a good deed on someone who did not deserve it. 

In my book, there’s only one way to be truly happy at all times and in all situations — and that is to have no expectations at all and be totally content with what you have. When you don’t expect anything, you cannot be disappointed that it hasn’t happened. And when you’re satisfied with what you have, you don’t feel sad when you try to gain something more and fall short of your goals. 

That being said, it’s up to each of us to take care of our own happiness. There’s no use in placing the blame on all and sundry for our woes and misery when the truth is that true happiness comes from within. A large part of being happy involves taking each day as it comes, not building castles in the air, and learning to appreciate even the smallest blessings that are being showered on us. I’d like to conclude with a song we were taught when I was growing up — Happiness is like a circle of dancers in a ring; you have to keep it moving, or it doesn’t mean a thing. So be happy, and spread the good cheer around so that it comes back to you sooner or later. 

Benevolence is the expression of kindness and altruism. It has been described as a commitment to achieving the values derivable from life with other people in society, by recognizing their humanity, independence and individuality, and the harmony between their interests and ours. Benevolence represents strength, conviction, and uncompromising good. It is the disposition to do well for the love of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote happiness.

I composed this piece of music on the weekend before the 2008 presidential election. For me, it represents the celebration of a powerful change of consciousness in the United States that has been witnessed worldwide. I used Digital Performer, Symphonic Instrument, Miroslav Philharmonik and MachFive. All of the percussion samples were downloaded from The Freesound Project.

America the Beautiful is an American patriotic song with words by Katharine Lee Bates and music by Samuel A. Ward. In the third verse, the author scolds the materialistic and self-serving robber barons of her day, and urges America to live up to its noble ideals.

At various times there have been efforts to give America the Beautiful legal status either as a national anthem equal to, or in place of, The Star-Spangled Banner, but so far this has not succeeded. Proponents prefer America the Beautiful for various reasons, saying it is easier to sing, more melodic, and more adaptable to new orchestrations while still remaining as easily recognizable as The Star-Spangled Banner. Some prefer America the Beautiful over The Star-Spangled Banner due to the latter’s war-oriented imagery. While that national dichotomy has stymied any effort at changing the tradition of the national anthem, America the Beautiful continues to be held in high esteem by a large number of Americans.

In 1893, Bates had taken a train trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to teach a short summer school session at Colorado College, and several of the sights on her trip found their way into her poem. When she saw the majestic view of the Great Plains from atop Pikes Peak, the words of the poem started to come to her, and she wrote them down upon returning to her hotel room. The poem was initially published two years later and it quickly caught the public’s fancy. 

Several existing pieces of music were adapted to the poem. The tune composed in 1895 by Samuel A. Ward was generally considered the best, and is still the popular tune today. Ward had been similarly inspired. The tune came to him while he was on a ferryboat trip from Coney Island back to his home in New York City after a leisurely summer day, and he immediately wrote it down. Ward died in 1903, not knowing the national stature his music would attain. Miss Bates was more fortunate, as the song’s popularity was well-established by her death in 1929.

It is often included in hymn books in a wide variety of religious congregations in the United States.

O beautiful, for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

O beautiful, for pilgrim feet

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw;

Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law!

O beautiful, for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America! May God thy gold refine,

‘Til all success be nobleness, and ev’ry gain divine!

O beautiful, for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years,

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America! God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!

The Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life says that there is a phenomenological difference between the pain that you experience when you take someone else’s pain upon yourself and the pain that comes directly from your own pain and suffering. In the former, there is an element of discomfort because you are sharing the other’s pain. However, as Shantideva points out, there is also a certain amount of stability because, in a sense, you are voluntarily accepting that pain.

In the voluntary participation in other’s suffering there is strength and a sense of confidence. But in the latter case, when you are undergoing your own pain and suffering, there is an element of involuntariness, and because of the lack of control on your part, you feel weak and completely overwhelmed. In the Buddhist teachings on altruism and compassion, certain expressions are used such that one should disregard one’s own well being and cherish other’s well being.

It is important to understand these statements regarding the practice of voluntarily sharing someone else’s pain and suffering in the proper context. The fundamental point is that if you do not have the capacity to love yourself, then there is simply no basis on which to build a sense of caring toward others. The capacity to love oneself or be kind to oneself should be based on a very fundamental fact of human existence, that we all have a natural tendency to desire happiness and avoid suffering.

Once this basis exists in relation to oneself, one can extend it to others. When we find statements in the teachings suggesting to regard one’s own well being and cherish the well being of others, we should understand them in the context of training yourself according to the ideal of compassion. This is important if we are not to indulge in self-centered ways of thinking that disregard the impact of our actions on other sentient beings.

We can develop an attitude of considering others as precious in the recognition of the part their kindness plays in our own experience of joy, happiness, and success. Through analysis and contemplation one will come to see that much of our misery, suffering, and pain really result from a self centered attitude that cherishes one’s own well being at the expense of others, whereas much of the joy, happiness, and sense of security in our lives arise from thoughts and emotions that cherish the well being of others.

Another fact concerning the cultivation of thoughts and emotions that cherish the well being of others is that one’s own self interest and wishes are fulfilled as a byproduct of actually working for others. As Je Tsong Khapa points out in his Great Exposition of the Path to Enlightenment, the more the practitioner engages in activities and thoughts that are focused and directed toward the fulfillment of others’ well-being, the fulfillment or realization of his or her own aspiration will come as a byproduct without having to make a separate effort.

At some point the question comes up of whether we really change our attitude. Sometimes the mind is very stubborn and very difficult to change, but with continuous effort and with conviction based on reason our minds can become quite honest. When we really feel that there is some need to change, then our minds can change. Wishing and praying alone will not transform the mind, but with conviction and reason, the mind can be transformed.

Time is an important factor here, and with time our mental attitudes can certainly change. One point that should be noted is that some people, especially those who see themselves as very realistic and practical, are too obsessed with practicality. They may wonder what the point is in trying to cultivate a mind that tries to include every living being. In a way, that may be a valid objection, but what is important is to understand the impact of cultivating such a state of awareness.

The point is to try to develop the scope of one’s empathy in such a way that it can extend to any form of life that has the capacity to feel pain and experience happiness. This kind of sentiment is very powerful, and there is no need to be able to identify with every single living being in order for it to be effective.

True compassion and love in the context of training of the mind is based on the simple recognition that everyone aspires to be happy and to overcome suffering, and that others have the natural right to fulfill that basic aspiration. The empathy developed toward a person based on recognition of this basic fact is universal compassion. This compassion is able to be extended to all sentient beings, as long as they are capable of experiencing pain and happiness.

The true meaning of love is a wonderful thing. It is the desire of the soul to express itself in terms of creation. It is brought about only through the generosity of the lover to the object of the love. This is why, when we love people, we will go to the limit to help or serve them. Nothing is too great, no sacrifice is enough. The true lover gives all and is unhappy in not having still more of himself to give to the object of his adoration.

Because of our emotional nature, love is generally expressed through the sex desire. But too great an expression of this desire is destructive, for it depletes the vitality and demagnetizes the one who overindulges. Love is the most wonderful thing in the world and creates the highest form of energy known to the mind of man. It will be expressed at the level of passion or become transmuted into artifacts of real and lasting value.

What is commonly called falling in love is in some cases an intensification of egoic wanting and needing. One becomes attracted to another person, or rather to the image of that person. It has nothing to do with true love, which contains no wanting whatsoever.

Our culture has a long heritage of the individual learning that they are unworthy children in need of discipline by religious hierarchies. Many religions condition people to believe in their sin and inadequacy. Christianity historically has emphasized the benefits of suffering and the sin of pleasure. We are conditioned with an emotional conditioning of pleasure anxiety. Our fearful contraction prevents our liberation.

In Byron Katie’s book I Need Your Love, Is That True? she states:

“When you say or do anything to please, keep, influence, or control anyone, fear is the cause and pain is the result. Manipulation is separation, and separation is painful. Another person can love you totally in that moment, and you’d have no way of realizing it. If you act from control, there’s no way you can receive love, because you’re trapped in a thought about what you have to do for love.”

Some people, if they cannot get love or admiration, will settle for other forms of attention and play roles to elicit them. If they cannot get positive attention, they may seek negative attention instead by provoking a negative reaction in someone else. Children already do that by misbehaving to get attention.

Love is the wholistic feeling of attraction and is an integrative force. On a personal level it is an expansive giving force. The aspect of love as a communication of energies need be emphasized. There is no reason in the quest for enhanced states of joy that we cannot acculturate the enhancement, technique and knowledge of love to a more sophisticated degree. Finding ways to enhance the enjoyment of life is a pleasurable task and is a legitimate focus of attention.

When one looks elsewhere for the love that is within their own being, it creates a cycle of unsatisfied need that is never resolved. Love and admiration are not really emotions at all but states of being. They emanate from within as the love, joy, and peace that are aspects of all true nature. Knowing the oneness of the self is true love, true admiration, true compassion.