Communicating love:
The way 2 different people groups communicate through love.
Some people take love to mean only romantic interest. Attention, time, flowers, kisses, hugs, candy, sweet notes and loving touches are all ways that Americans show love to one another. The words: "I love you." are heavily weighted in meaning for Americans. It can mean: "I'm interested in knowing more about you" (boyfriend to girlfriend), "I want you to know how much I can sacrifice for you" (a parent to their child) "I'm taking care of you and everything is alright (caretaker to a child) "I will miss being in your presence" (a friend to a friend). Each time this is said generally means the person who is saying it is getting closer emotionally or physically to the reciever.
To touch others seems to be the first choice for a majority of Americans' ways of communicating love. If a person is upset, most good friends would first touch that person to find out if they are okay. The friend might make different choices on a plan of action but almost all good American friends would first establish a touch connection with the person.
But in China to touch someone else is not a way to show love nessairally. To touch someone else, you show community, establish someone to lean on, push your way through a crowd, or butt into the other persons life and personal matters. To show love is to (by American standards) force your way into their lives. Constantly I am being asked by Chinese friends if I have a boyfriend. When they find out I don't, their next assumation is that it is their job to find me one. One friend of mine went so far as to send for a husband for me overseas! My future husband is waiting for me in China HA! I think not!
That is just one example of the loving a community can do in 2 different cultures. I wonder what other cultures do to show love!?
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