Theories on Relationships, and Etc.

So, I have been focusing a lot on politics as of late and figure that it is time to switch gears, perhaps to something a little more palatable for my readers. Needless to say, I've had a few recent discussions regarding some form or other of relationships with various friends and figured that I could use that as a springboard for thought for the next few posts before mixing it up again. As such, I would like to start by including a poem that I had written six years ago dealing with relationships. A little background is necessary. At the time that the poem was written, I was attending a singles ward in Claremont (church for single adults between the ages of 19-31). I wrote the poem based off of two things: my observations and my theories. Keep in mind, this is not the best poetry that you will ever read--I'm sure that you can easily pick it apart. Nevertheless, Epistle 3 contains many of the theories that I had developed six years ago, some of which I have expanded upon in the present. Feel free to skip to that section of the poem if theories on relationships interest you. If not, simply skip this post all together.

THE ORACLES OF CLAREMONT
by Brett Hall
(February 2003)

Epistle 1
Argument
On The Wisdom Of The Oracles of Claremont

The oracles of Claremont rarely speak
On why we men and women are so weak
In our pursuits to obtain happiness
And grasp the grace of God whose will's to bless.
The oracles, they say that talk is cheap,
And with vain words, vain practices we reap,
And in our clicks and in our paltry ways
We scurry through our most abhorrent days
As singles in a world of married bliss,
We dream of marriage long before a kiss.
O fools who dream of capturing a mate
without the effort of a simple date.
What reason's lacking deep within the mind
That thinks to wait, a better one to find?
'Tis foolishness to think that one exists
Who'll top the current rankings of your lists.
So settle down, let reason mark your way,
And work toward a more productive day.
Use reason and your heart and you'll abound--
These proverbs here portrayed may prove profound.

Epistle 2
Argument
On The Proverbs Of Dating; Foremost Advice For Men, Followed By That For Women

Why is it that our love always begins
With those whose hearts we know we'll never win?
How often has your interest been ignored
By one with whom your dreams has been abhorred?
When touching issues that relate to love,
As fools we seek that which is far above
Our own capacity to stretch and reach,
Rejection is the law we fail to breach.
A principle that every man must learn:
Pursue what's in your grasp lest you get burned.
Too often men pursue beyond their means
And become jilted, upset and obscene.
They can't control indifference and spite
And rant and rave within a lonely night.
This pain a man might easily remove
If he would but pursue what he might prove.
If one has not an education yet,
He shant pursue a woman doctorate.
If one may only rise to five foot tall,
He shant pursue a six foot babe at all.
If one has constant battles with his weight,
He shant procure the petite for his date.
If one can't live the standards of the Lord,
He must expect that he will be abhorred.
O fools who judge a woman with their eyes,
Know this, they judge you too and may despise
The very person you have come to be
With your own faults and chided heraldry.
A principle that every woman needs:
Show int'rest both in words and also deeds.
If a man has called you once and then again,
It is alright for you to then call him.
The interest that you show, I guarantee,
Will lead to dating (or so it is with me).
For men will test the waters here and there
To see if women even really care.
And thus a man will seek to you invite
To some activity some weekend night,
And if you never invite in return
He'll feel that if he asks you he'll get burned.
And when a man has asked you on a date
Do not despair and some excuse relate.
If you've no interest tell him rather plain,
For honesty will keep both parties sane.
But if in truth you're busy on that eve,
And you would like your words to be believed,
Then tell him, "O, this Friday's rather bad,
But if you'd like, next weekend I'd be glad."
How often one's attempts are all in vain
Because the other party won't speak plain.

Epistle 3
Argument
On The Proverbs Of Relationships

So I shall speak now to the general crowd
With a few proverbs if I am allowed,
That explores theories contemplated long
For you to judge if they be right or wrong:
In solitude, what happiness for man
May reach and bless according to the plan?
A noble mount with peace its own reward--
This peace is doubled with a mate adored.
And what of joy within a meadow green?
One's twice as happy when one share the scene.
And what of worries, half when all alone?
'Tis twice the comfort when support is known.
Love's supreme wisdom, mortal and divine,
Put it into action and a soul's refined.
The deepest things within us can't be pressed
By one who wants the other to confess
Of all that deep within them may reside,
For this is given freely or denied.
That which we truly love is rarely seen,
For eyes know not just where the heart has been,
And one who seems a friend more than the rest
Is where love is and where it's hidden best.
How oft we settle with being content
With what we have and not with what is meant
For all the children, God's posterity,
To inherit, be sealed and blessed be.
How oft we speak as if we are to prove
The means by which another wills to love,
When words as proofs prove one is nothing more
Than insecure with what he may adore.
Love is a gift, its price--sincerity,
And if you have it--happy you will be.
The soul's true language is uttered in tears
Whether in happiness, anger, or fears.
Mark them well and you will understand
How love may move a lover's caring hand
To soothe in times of need and to repent
When one has caused the other to lament.
And further when one's happiness unfolds
And you may share that moment made of gold.
But tears unnoticed fall upon the ground,
One tiny drop, yet splashing it resounds
Into the distant caverns of despair
Leaving a lover nevermore to care.
And caring not, a lover is annoyed,
Creating a deep chasm dark and void.
And poetry--it is a dying art
Which never proves the way to a dear heart.
It cannot move a woman's to affection--
It stimulates the heart already won.
And when in love seek not a soul to change--
This makes relationships become estranged.
But seek to serve with honest charity
And change will come, and that most nat'rally.
One's life is too much filled with pain to waste,
live right, live happy, and please live chaste.
Pain pierces life in many ways too far,
Don't add that which prevention would not scar.
Uncommon wisdom lies in common fields,
Uncovered once, all fruitfulness it yields.
And when exposed it leads a happy life
Amid our pains, our struggles, and our strife.
And what is wisdom most important for?
To find a mate--the process we explore.
And many false perceptions herein lie
That lead to lonely heartache and deny
The searching soul of what that soul may find
If false perceptions did not make it blind.
In truth there is but one requirement
That makes our search one which is heaven sent:
'Tis this, that everyone should seek a spouse
That they make happy, not that they arouse.
'Tis not to say you lack intimacy,
But that it's used within a harmony
That leads a soul beyond lustful desire
Into a perfect love that Gods admire.
Beware the soul who's stingy in selection,
Who always seeks an image of perfection.
Perfection comes within eternal spheres
After a couple's tried a thousand years.
Rather, seek a soul with great potential
And your reward in life will be substantial.
But also be weary of compromise
That fills one's heart and soul with petty lies.
For truly one should marry but the best
And leave behind desires for the rest.
But best is something only you define,
What you consider best may not be mine.
How sad to say you settled on your mate,
Leaving her to feel she's second rate.
But best is not so easily discerned--
The best is found in one that you have earned.
So wipe away all of your vain excuse
And date the woman that you freely choose.
For agency's a gift given to all
That through our choices we may rise or fall.
So choose in wisdom with a true desire
That you may live within celestial fire.