How it is and how it should be.

It sounds so original to say but, what is love? How do you show it? When do you tell someone you love them? Well in the dictionary it defines it as: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. I was brought up by my parents who are from Ghana in Africa. I was born in Canada and raised in the United States. I never noticed how different everything and everyone was around me. When I was at home I was taught and was outside in the world.

Is it with the words or actions? At home it was more with the actions, in the African culture you do not show your love by hugging or by telling the other person you love them. No, you show them by respecting your mother and father. Another way is by doing all your chores and homework. Growing up I never heard my mother and father tell each other they love each other, or even hold hand. That was very awkward and diverse to me since, when I went out everywhere else that’s all I saw and knew of. The African society believes that showing emotion when it comes to love as a sign of weakness, or even a sign of being disrespectful. Implying if I was to go to Africa or even be around an African and be holding my “boyfriends’” hand in public I am being very rude and people around me would not approve of that behavior. In the society I live in that is ok! That is normal, that’s how it should be.

People are supposed to be passionate and tell each other how they feel. When they want to hug or hold each others hand. They should not be subjected to hold back their feelings because of what “is accurate”. I have come to learn that love isn’t just a word it is an action you need to take.