L.O.V.E Doesn't do It Justice...

If there is one word in this world that i can eliminate, it would probably be love, because this way instead of saying it I can show it, instead of depending on it I can recreate it, instead of using it as an excuse, I can use it as my ongoing reason to rediscover its unfathomable depths.

Someone once told me that love is the easiest form of communication, but try to communicate it without actually just saying it...it's not so easy.

Without the word LOVE, our lives will have less definition, lines would be blurred, boundaries would be crossed and new territories trespassed... But through this new discovery to find meaning to a feeling you will feel alive, because "I love you" does not exist, you can't become complacent and depend on it, it depends on you to be expressed, you can't end your text message with it, or end a conversation saying it, you have to uncover to what extent "love" exists, how it eases your mind, warms your soul and makes you smile, how much it frustrates you, and exhausts you and what it robs you of.

When you eliminate love as a word you start understanding love as an expression; it's not just a five letter word or simply a three word phrase "I love you" is not... it's a high, a low, it's beautiful, complicated, simple, determined and scary, it is intimate, it is all encompassing, it is fragile, it makes you whole, it makes you incomplete, it mends, it breaks, it ends... Love is transformative, so how can just a 4 letter word really pin down LOVE?

Respect

A young lady asked me: “I have a fiancé that loves me, but he also loves all beautiful women. He devours them with his eyes, and he allows them to devour him with theirs, even in my presence. I love him dearly, but I cringe whenever he looks at another, even when he apologizes… I am not sure how much longer I can handle this… what should I do?”
I responded: “Leave him”

Another married woman asked me: “My husband is very kind and affectionate, but he gets angry very quickly and becomes unkind and harsh with is words and threatens to leave me… and this has become almost routine… what should I do?”
I responded: “Leave him”

A third asked me: “He loves me, but his parents don’t want us to be together, and he’s afraid of confronting them… but I love him… what should I do?”
I responded: “Leave him”

Each one of these men don’t deserve a woman who is faithful, pure and loves unconditionally, for one reason only… Because something more important than love and compassion is missing and that is RESPECT.

Lack of respect comes in various shapes and sizes: flirting with another woman or allowing her to flirt back is a sign of disrespect; threatening to leave the woman is a sign of disrespect; not defending and fighting for love is also a sign of disrespect.
When a man respects a woman that means he is giving her security and stability. And security is more important than love… much more important.

If a woman accepts it upon herself to live without her just respect, she will never reign a queen in an era where we still believe is subjugation.

If love is a gold ring, respect is a jeweled crown. If it’s gone, it disappears and along with it everything else, but if it comes, it will as a king… it comes with everything else.

Written by: Hani Nakshabandi (Saudi Writer)
Translated by: Celine Aswad

Respect

سألتني قارئة
لي خطيب يحبني
لكنه يحب كل إمرأة جميلة
و يأكلها بنظراته و يسمح لها ان تأكله حتى في وجودي
أحبه كثيراً
لكني بت أثور عندما يشاهد أخرى .. ثم يعتذر
لا أدري إلى متى أتحمل .. ولا ماذا أفعل؟
أجبتها : إتركيه

قارئة أخرى سألتني
زوجي رجل حنون
لكنه يغضب سريعاً فيتحول إلى القسوة
و كثيراً .. ما هدد بتركي
و تتكرر القصة .. فماذا أفعل؟
أجبتها : إتركيه

و سألتني ثالثة
هو يحبني
لكن أهله لا يريدونني له
خائف هو من مواجهتهم
و انا أحبه .. فماذا أفعل؟
أجبتها : إتركيه

كل واحد من هؤلاء لا يستحق أن تكون معه إمرأة مخلصة محبه
لسبب واحد
أن عنصراً أهم من الحب مفقود
و أهم من الحنان مفقود
هذا العنصر هو (الإحترام)

غياب الإحترام يأتي بألف عنوان وألف هوية
فالتغزل بأخرى أو السماح لها ولو (هزلاً) هو عدم إحترام
(تهديد) الأنثى بالرحيل هو عدم إحترام
عدم دفاعنا عن حبنا هو أيضاً عدم إحترام

و إنتفاء الإحترام ينفي الحب والعلاقة
إحترام الرجل للمرأة يعني الأمان
و الأمان أهم لها من الحب .. و أهم ألف مرة

و إن كانت هناك من ترضى حياة لا إحترام فيها
فلا تتوقع أن تصبح ملكة
في زمن ما زال يؤمن بالجواري

إذا كان الحب خاتماً من ذهب
فالإحترام صولجان وتاج
إن ذهب .. رحل ومعه كل شيء
و إن أتى كان كالملك .. جاء ومعه كل شيء

بقلم / هاني نقشبندي

Never Quit, When it Counts the Most

Dear Unborn

When all ears are too busy
When smiles are too sparse to share
When a touch is distant and cold
When a laugh is a faded echo
And bleak are those arms that are stretched out
That’s when you know you’re growing up

When trust is not given but earned
When promises are broken too often
When the tooth fairy’s allowance isn’t enough
When judgment trumps imagination
And gone are those soft kisses goodnight
That’s when you know you’re growing old

When faith is questioned
When pride is a killer
When love is equated to sex
When ghosts and demons come from trips and not story books
And numb are those feelings of warmth
That’s when you know you’re growing up

I’m sorry my unborn, that’s the way of the world
I’ll protect you as much as I can but at some point I have to let you go.