Possibly Insightful Ramblings

Two years ago today, my family van pulled up along a rather nondescript curb somewhere in the middle of Provo, Utah. I was excited. I was terrified. I was completely naive of what the next 18 months would hold. And yet I knew I was doing the right thing. After a final round of hugging, I said goodbye to my family. A friendly young woman met me, took my luggage in her charge, and led me away from my waving parents. From everything I'd ever known. Into a place that would change my world. And almost before the tears had dried off my cheeks, I found myself in a large room full of smiling people. A black piece of plastic was thrust into my hand, and I looked down at it. "Сестра Nay." That was me now. As I clipped it to my shirt, I felt a thrill. This was happening! I was becoming a missionary. Soon I found myself in a tiny, cinder block room with a few other people. The people I would be spending all my time with for the next 9 weeks. The people that would become my dear...

This week for one of my classes, we spent some time in a book called The Belonging Heart by Marie and Bruce Hafen. And an idea from it struck me deeply. In the Japanese language there is a concept designated “amae.” There is no direct translation for this concept into English, but we can approximate it with the “longing to belong” or “desire to receive love.” And, even though we all understand our need for love, our Western society doesn't really talk about it a lot. We strongly disdain traits such as “neediness” and we look down on those who are “dependent” upon others. We praise children who don't cry when they have to leave mom and go to school for the first time. We consider "well-adjusted" those college students and missionaries and service men and women who don't get homesick, who are "independent" enough to not be hampered by longing for home. We're inundated with the feminist rhetoric encouraging women to not base their self-worth on being ...