My 500 Words

A few years ago I heard a report about the role of hate on relationships. I still remember the assertion that people form stronger bonds when they share hatred than when they share an interest. Last year I was watching an episode of Shark Tank and an app developer, Brendan Alper, pitched a dating app that linked people based on their shared dislikes rather than their mutual interest and hobbies.This app identified things users hate. The app runs an algorithm to match mutual dislikes and voila!, recommended connections appear. In the process of selling the sharks, he mentioned what seemed to be the same research that I had heard about the role of hate. I have struggled to comprehend how people could get behind and support a person like Donald Trump to serve as the President of the United States of America. The thought continues to be anathema. As I have observed life in America from my vantage point, I have found comfort and support with those who espouse that same emotion about Trump

Is the consumption of alcohol wrong? Evidence promotes benefits of alcohol as well as revealing its dangers. You have addiction on one hand and bonds of friendship on the other. Yet we either promote the benefits or decry the evils of drinking. We have seen carnage caused by driving while intoxicated yet celebrated momentous occasions with the tip of a glass. So is it wrong? For me the answer is simple because I’m different. I have made a covenant to abstain from alcohol use. Yet, even if my church lifted the ban on alcohol use, I would still abstain. My family history includes problems with alcohol abuse and I recognize personal tendencies that correspond with addiction. I abstain, because I don’t dare risk what I might become if I go there. Today, my community is grappling with a choice regarding a proposed law to allow medical marijuana. Some oppose this law because they see it as something that will introduce something inherently bad into the community under the guise of promoting