Friends, Facebook, and INfidelity

I really enjoyed our discussions this week in class. I think we had to touch on a few touchy subjects, but they were things to help open our eyes and further our knowledge of the things taking place in the world today. Essentially these are issues that we need to be aware of to know what we will be facing when we reach certain stages of our marriage and parenthood.

For starters, I feel like a lot was gained from Brother Gardner's article. He touched on the causes of infidelity, what infidelity is, and how we can avoid it in certain aspects. I think my favorite story/insight that was shared, was the story about the woman who kept feeling an attachment to her best friend even though she was married. She made sure that she would run into him on campus and eventually came to the conclusion that what she was doing was wrong. I have a friend who I am so emotionally attached to that sometimes I feel like this could be a red flag in future relationships. I loved what she said: "I want to have the greenest, most beautiful grass is on the side of the fence where my husband is, and I will not let anything in to harm that." She recognized that her friendship with her best friend was on the verge of becoming an emotional affair. When we see the smallest signs, it is our duty to push any idea that might lead to this completely out of our minds.
A few key points I want to hit on:

• "Thought is the father of an act." This means that the second we begin to think something, we immediately become more susceptible to committing that act than had we not had the thought at all.
• Venting is something you do with heating and exhaust systems. You do not vent to someone or confide in someone even if you think you may never have any "feelings" for them.
• Even pornography is considered infidelity. This is the most common form. We begin to categorize physical instead of emotional arousal. In my own personal opinion: I have done research on this particular subject. It is poisonous to a marriage, the individual committing the act, and anyone that person is emotionally attached to. Just over a week ago I found some disappointing information about a friend who has been viewing this material. I am very emotionally attached to this person and can attest to how it can poison all parties involved. It is mocking the temple that God has given us, it is offensive to the Spirit, it is offensive to your significant other. It is Satan's mockery of sexual feelings. In the long run, it will not bring any happiness to the table...only grief, sadness, loneliness, and doubt. I love this video from www.lds.org on Mormon Messages. http://lds.org/pages/mormon-messages-gallery?lang=eng#watch-your-step

This video portrays the good and bad that can come from a person's choice to partake or push away from the viewing of pornography.

I hope that we can all take away the different things that we touched on in class and through our readings. I feel very strongly that these are things that Heavenly Father wants us to be aware of so that we can shudder at the thought of infidelity.