Volume XIV, Number II

At the heart of KidSpirit’s 2021 winter issue on Love, KidSpirit editors and contributors ask: How do we show love? Why do we love in spite of pain? What power does love have? How can we love ourselves and others better? They respond to these questions and many more in their personal essays, expository pieces, poems, media reviews, and art. Here, you can continue the discussions KidSpirit teens have started on essential questions about love.

1. Sylvie Green, from Brooklyn, responds to the Big Question of this issue chosen by KidSpirit editors, “What Is the Relationship Between Loving Yourself and Loving Others?” Sylvie takes into account that each of us loves and expresses love in unique ways and that having healthy relationships requires self-awareness and an understanding of the impact we have on others. They explore the patterns that can harm our relationships and the connection between self-love and loving others. They also address ways that love can blur our perception of our relationships and our perception of ourselves. Discuss: What do you think are key aspects of a healthy relationship? Do you think it’s true that you must love yourself before you can love others? Share advice you would give to a friend who is being negatively influenced by a relationship or who has a negative perception of themselves. Think about what stories you tell yourself or beliefs you have about who you are. How is your identity impacted by those you are in relationship with?

2. In her fascinating feature “Exploring the Magic of Love in Music,” Marium Ihsan, a KidSpirit writer from Pakistan, elucidates the connections between love and music. She discusses the ways in which people understand and learn about love through music. Ultimately, Marium asks: if love were not magical, would music still be magic? Discuss the connections between love and music. Does music have power to help one heal from the pain of heartbreak or a lack of love?

3. Australia Ed Board member Abigail Webster dives deep into our ideas about failed love in her Interfaith Connections article “Treasuring the Love That Is Destined to Fail.” She touches on the negative connotations associated with love and pays attention to the wide variety of approaches people have towards love and relationships. What are some of your beliefs and values that impact the way you interact within relationships? How can one value relationships that ultimately end? Does this require a certain optimism and open-mindedness in one’s approach to love?

4. Influential civil rights leader, author, lawyer, filmmaker, and educator Valarie Kaur gifts us with her wisdom in this PerSpectives piece, “Wonder: The Wellspring for Love.” She challenges us to think about how we can break down the boundaries between one another and expand our capacity to love. What, or who, do you have a sense of wonder about? Does wonder give you a greater sense of interconnectedness? What lessons from your culture, community, or spiritual tradition have shaped your understanding of love and the way you express love?