It’s nice
to give this speech knowing I’m not the most nervous person in the room. The
people who know me are indescribably terrified right now because they know I’m
either going to say something profound, resonating, and philosophical. Or I’ll
say the most arrogant and sarcastic things imaginable. I’ll try and give you
the full experience.
This speech was difficult to assemble
for ample reasons but a couple had me more stressed than others. First I’ve
known Ryan since he had hair, and yes that was a long, long time ago. Thus
navigating a life’s worth of memories has been a daunting task. Secondly, this
was difficult because I find society incessantly ignorant, infinitely appalling,
and digressing in intellect by every fleeting second. Yet, the one aspect of
life, which gives humanity hope for change, is why we are all gathered here
today celebrating the birth of this transcendental covenant.
Love is amazing,
profound, under utilized, and excessively misunderstood by many generations. If
you ask Christians what love is, they will probably reverberate 1 Corinthians
13. If you asked an Indo European speaking individual they would laugh and ask
which meaning of love to which you’re inquiring. The English language only
contains a solitary word to attempt to encompass this boundless and
transcending word. As a lit major, poet, husband, and father I find it
embarrassing that we not only limit our affections to this word, but how the
majority of society has come to view or define this true aspect of life. As we
grow older we realize how truly rare it is to find love in its purest form.
This wedding symbolizes the kind of love that no William Shakespeare, or Walt
Whitman can define…because there’s no definition for the most ambiguous but
fulfilling adventure of life. You both have found the oasis of happiness and
love in this dessert pilgrimage we call life. Congratulations to the new
couple, and thank you for letting me share this day with you.
So now that most of you had to get your dictionaries, let me explain a bit. I am completely annoyed with society in just about every way imaginable. I keep very few close friends just for that reason. (Moving On) Something that makes my heart throw up is the fact we only have one word to describe our ultimate affections and our most intimate moments in life. Yet they are used and abused by the time we're old enough to fully understand their definition or true meaning. The only way I could describe the event of love at this wedding is the four Greek words. Agape, the sacrificing love of the father giving us life to wake up day to day, or for those not so religious, the love from the cosmos to give us energy and life each day to see and breath in our surroundings. Phileo, the emotionally exuberant brotherly love or love for your friends. This is one of my favorite parts of weddings because family is a very important aspect of my life. To have family and friends gather together is becoming an endangered experience for most. The phrase "pencil me in your schedule" has taken over our society. Eros, I mean really? We're adults here I think we can connect the dots for that one. Finally storge, a nature family love. Once again I don't feel the need to connect the dots to why that one applies. The combination of all these aspects, of what we define as love, makes weddings one of the most special days. I hope by the time my daughter marries we learn to respect the importance, innocence, and fragile nature that is this event.
I don't find myself sad about weddings because of the intimacy, but because of how we treat the word that is supposed to encompass this covenant. For those who attended the wedding and didn't have a dictionary....I'm sorry....not really. I leave you with popular quotes from Jesus and Gandhi.
"Love your neighbor as you love yourself." Mark 12:31
"Be the change you want to see in the world." M. Gandhi
