Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet meet and fall in love in Shakespeare's lyrical tale of "star-cross'd" lovers. They are doomed from the start as members of two warring families. Here Juliet tells Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention, and that she loves the person who is called "Montague", not the Montague name and not the Montague family. Romeo, out of his passion for Juliet, rejects his family name and vows, as Juliet asks, to "deny (his) father" and instead be "new baptized" as Juliet's lover. This one short line encapsulates the central struggle and tragedy of the play.....
I cannot say it any other way! You look on this subject as a child, disregarding the fact I chose to be miserable....I chose to live with guilt and shame...I lived with the abuse of one un-willing to love who and what I am. I chose integrity, she chose degradation. I chose commitment, she chose to find another while we "reconciled". I lived a lie of convention while she took any and every opportunity to demean my way of life, my character, my ethics, my very soul. It's so easy to sing the psalms of forgiveness, love, charity and hope to the degenerates bussed in off the streets every Sunday.... but love a man content to produce, provide a home and way of life, most would pine for in romance novels...that is simply not possible, for her! Is it for you?
You were, and are still young. You have no idea what it is like to be better than most in your field and come home to the drama of another so unhappy with herself, her family, her doubts and insecurities that she lashes out at your 'feeble' attempts to express, " look what I have done...are you pleased?" I pleaded with her to see that it was for her I toiled. I wanted nothing else but a small word of (dare I say THANKS ?) appreciation for achieving a level of success that allowed her to decide her own fate, to decide to work or not, to manage the household WE had created, WE had established, WE had conceived....
Yet, there she sat ...along with a man you claim to want to take on his name. A man that saw his day in court. A man that had a chance to "adjust" according to his present situation. A man I am no doubt is just as superlative in his field of endeavor, surpassing all that claim to be his equal, smashing the levels of competency set by his trade, AND being rewarded for such...there sat a man, that would allow you to take on his name without the responsibility that goes along with it. Forgive me, but how Brave!
Speak of faith if you must my child. You still have no idea what I believe. Only what she has told you. Allow me to share with you my vision of faith...
I believe in the goodness of man. I believe that a man left to his own devices will succeed in survival, lest only the cannibal that demands a portion of his mind, his body, his worth and a portion of his very life in exchange for their non-acceptance of righteousness, their evasion of reality or their unwillingness to strive for the simple sake of survival.
I believe in the Integrity of man. I believe that a man left to his own devices, his own mind, his own ability, will succeed; as long as he stays true to his convictions, true to his innate honesty, and by God, true to himself... a being of moral justice seeking the right, the just, the essence of existence... his life! A man cannot lose in the face of true evil as long as he faces it with rationality, compassion and an ardent desire for truth steeped in reality. I breathe, therefore I live. I live, therefore I exist. I think, therefore I am!
I now tell your sister the same thing I tried to express to you by phone. YOU TWO are MY daughters! I am hurt and cannot express the pain I feel seeing HIS name tagged on my daughters! I taught you to be independent, strong with conviction, steadfast in your acceptance of truth ONLY in the light of reason...question everything, dig till you feel you have found the one, the only, the truth, only then, be satisfied!
I now have expressed in writing the same I asked of you. My request is that you stay true to what I taught you and your brothers.
Remember who you are!
Your name is not an artificial or meaningless convention! It is who you are. Choose to change it for the man of your dreams, and I will support your decision and treat him as a son, just as I consider Justin's betrothed as my daughter. He chose her, he loves her and I am happy that he has found solace, happiness and more importantly....love! Until then you are both Newtons! Choose to keep your tagged last names if you wish... I will always love you both, my daughters, my girls. It will simply continue to hurt!
Love Forever my Loves,
Daddy
I cannot say it any other way! You look on this subject as a child, disregarding the fact I chose to be miserable....I chose to live with guilt and shame...I lived with the abuse of one un-willing to love who and what I am. I chose integrity, she chose degradation. I chose commitment, she chose to find another while we "reconciled". I lived a lie of convention while she took any and every opportunity to demean my way of life, my character, my ethics, my very soul. It's so easy to sing the psalms of forgiveness, love, charity and hope to the degenerates bussed in off the streets every Sunday.... but love a man content to produce, provide a home and way of life, most would pine for in romance novels...that is simply not possible, for her! Is it for you?
You were, and are still young. You have no idea what it is like to be better than most in your field and come home to the drama of another so unhappy with herself, her family, her doubts and insecurities that she lashes out at your 'feeble' attempts to express, " look what I have done...are you pleased?" I pleaded with her to see that it was for her I toiled. I wanted nothing else but a small word of (dare I say THANKS ?) appreciation for achieving a level of success that allowed her to decide her own fate, to decide to work or not, to manage the household WE had created, WE had established, WE had conceived....
Yet, there she sat ...along with a man you claim to want to take on his name. A man that saw his day in court. A man that had a chance to "adjust" according to his present situation. A man I am no doubt is just as superlative in his field of endeavor, surpassing all that claim to be his equal, smashing the levels of competency set by his trade, AND being rewarded for such...there sat a man, that would allow you to take on his name without the responsibility that goes along with it. Forgive me, but how Brave!
Speak of faith if you must my child. You still have no idea what I believe. Only what she has told you. Allow me to share with you my vision of faith...
I believe in the goodness of man. I believe that a man left to his own devices will succeed in survival, lest only the cannibal that demands a portion of his mind, his body, his worth and a portion of his very life in exchange for their non-acceptance of righteousness, their evasion of reality or their unwillingness to strive for the simple sake of survival.
I believe in the Integrity of man. I believe that a man left to his own devices, his own mind, his own ability, will succeed; as long as he stays true to his convictions, true to his innate honesty, and by God, true to himself... a being of moral justice seeking the right, the just, the essence of existence... his life! A man cannot lose in the face of true evil as long as he faces it with rationality, compassion and an ardent desire for truth steeped in reality. I breathe, therefore I live. I live, therefore I exist. I think, therefore I am!
I now tell your sister the same thing I tried to express to you by phone. YOU TWO are MY daughters! I am hurt and cannot express the pain I feel seeing HIS name tagged on my daughters! I taught you to be independent, strong with conviction, steadfast in your acceptance of truth ONLY in the light of reason...question everything, dig till you feel you have found the one, the only, the truth, only then, be satisfied!
I now have expressed in writing the same I asked of you. My request is that you stay true to what I taught you and your brothers.
Remember who you are!
Your name is not an artificial or meaningless convention! It is who you are. Choose to change it for the man of your dreams, and I will support your decision and treat him as a son, just as I consider Justin's betrothed as my daughter. He chose her, he loves her and I am happy that he has found solace, happiness and more importantly....love! Until then you are both Newtons! Choose to keep your tagged last names if you wish... I will always love you both, my daughters, my girls. It will simply continue to hurt!
Love Forever my Loves,
Daddy
posted by Atlasdn at 12:55 AM
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