How often is your loyalty questioned? Loyalty is something of value. Loyalty is a jewel that is hard to find in today’s society. Think of your loyalty to an organization. People do not spend the same amount of years working for the same company, as their parents and grandparents did. Think of the marriages that end in divorce. People are quicker to terminate marriages for the smallest of issues, such as “irreconcilable differences.” Loyalty is a strong force that will keep you in any relationship, whether business or personal.

Your loyalty to someone or even an organization will always have a high appraisal value. When your mate for example senses a hint of disloyalty in you, the level of trust goes down. When trust diminishes, the relationship deteriorates. The same is true for the organization you work for. When disloyalty is evident in you, your opportunities for growth in that organization are lost. Trust and loyalty go hand in hand.

The opposite obviously is disloyalty. So how is disloyalty shown? Simply in what you say and sometimes what you do. Do you gather at the water fountain with other employees to bad-mouth what management is doing? Do you tell your mate’s secrets to your friends, knowing that if your mate found out, he or she will be highly embarrassed or upset? In terms of what you do, how likely are you to allow someone to speak evil of a friend or relative of yours without you speaking up for them? What if your coworkers say negative things about your CEO? Is he or she worthy of your defense?

Loyalty is rooted in the heart. It is not superficial by any means. It is a code by which one lives. It is a standard that will gain you allies for life. It is true that one can be loyal to people or organizations that are negative, such as gangs or terror groups. So loyalty in itself is not a sign of a good trait. What is important is who or what you are loyal to.

Now, loyalty is not just a matter of you showing it for the sake of being loyal. The reason you are loyal is because the other party has your interest at heart. Loyalty is required on the parts of both parties. If your company for example is not showing you signs of job security or passes you up for promotion when you are the most qualified, then the company is not being loyal to you. Going back to Trust, it is diminished in your eyes. Likewise with your personal relationships. All parties involved must show loyalty. If you are not benefiting from the relationship, then the loyalty level is dropping.

So be a person who is known for being loyal. However be a smart loyal person. If you are given reasons to distrust the other party, your loyalty level will naturally drop and you must demand that corrections are made. If corrections are not made, then …

It is very common to hear these days that romance is dead, or that love and relationships of the present age just do not have the passion of the old days. But how true is that? Were relationships of the past so filled with romance and so perfect as often described?

The truth is, all those amazing love stories that are told in great novels and movies, even when real, are the rarest of relationships. From an early age, a perception is created in people’s minds about love and relationships, that it should all be as in fairy tales or in a romance; that love, when it comes, will be forever and will be a perfect and a smooth ride. Human beings are not perfect, therefore their relationships can’t be perfect either.

We’re not that much different from people who lived centuries ago; our core is still the same, our desires and feelings are unchanged. What has truly progressed, on the other hand, is a society which has now a different set of values that changed the way people perceive love and relationships. A few decades ago a wedding ring meant it was forever, but not because the couple would love each other endlessly; it was only because it was not possible to break the vows of marriage. No matter what happened between the two, there were no exit doors. And even though we are given the idea of these perfect marriages, the unavoidable truth is there were problems. They were just hidden behind veils of lies and deceit.

The key to making love and relationships last and be happy doesn’t involve any magic, or a ring; it’s about both people committing themselves to the fullest. Often people are so lost in their search for the stereotypes they believe, that they forget commitment and love is truly important to make things work. This is something that will remain the same over the years.

Love and relationships haven’t changed that much over the centuries, because men and women still feel the same way and are still after the same desires. Their surroundings, on the other hand, have evolved the perceptions of these ideas. Before, just as it is now, relationships were haunted with many problems, doubts and struggles between the couple, but no one is interested in reading stories about failed romances of the past. And this is what creates the dream of perfection in the minds of people, that is so far from reality.…

Art has always been a reflection of the emotions, personal struggle, and the path breaking events of a contemporary society. When a society demands or undergoes a change, art has mostly subtly complied with it. The Oxford Dictionary describes art as “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” In effect, art definitely is an expressive platform for individuals, groups, as well as society, especially the radical changes or events witnessed thereof. It usually depicts the current or a particular scenario in the purview of the political situation, economic, social, geographical, the emotions spun therein, the undertones of revolutions, and uprising, to name just some.

If we go periodical about discussing art as a reflection of society, then we begin from the most ancient. The ‘Prehistoric Art’ consisted of paintings on the rocks and caves, which symbolized their routine lifestyles and rituals. The paintings were therefore, an evidence of their culture, which helped historians derive information about the life, culture, and the civilization of this era. The famous ‘Indus Valley’ or ‘Harappa,’ ‘Greek,’ and ‘Egyptian’ civilizations, especially had prolific artistry, including sculpture, architecture, paintings, engravings, and metal art.

In fact, the most we know about these amazingly rich civilizations, is credited to their narrative artifacts and buildings only. For instance, the ‘Egyptian Civilization’ believed in life after death. The society therefore, had a strong spiritual framework, concentrating more on the human journey after death. They believed in immortality and worshipped many deities, a fact distilled from the paintings adorning the walls of the great Pyramids. The Greek Civilization however, was more emphatic about the human form, its poise, and beauty, reflecting mostly on the attires, body languages, hairstyles, and cultures prevailing over different periods.

Creativity adopted the sects of ‘Art Movement’ to depict the realities of a contemporary society, vis-à-vis, its stable fabric, regularly changing aspects, and even revolutions. The impact of the contemporary socio-political scenario has also always been portrayed. For instance, before the First World War, Paris used to bustle with great political activity. This restlessness somewhere influenced the development of ‘Cubism’ by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. ‘Cubism’ involved the depiction of a particular subject from multiple angles, a practically prevalent situation then. The artistry turned mysterious in essence, to manifest the hatching of diverse political conspiracies in Paris at that time.

Expressionism’ was another art form developed, when the society was undergoing transitions at different levels, including creative. There was a revolt against the traditional outlook towards art. A modern approach was adopted. The ‘Modern Art’ was a blend of ‘Abstract Realism,’ in which the subject was distorted to depict its reality and emotional upheaval. The colors in the paintings have nearly always portrayed the true emotions of the subject, the event, or the mood of the artists.

To conclude, we can say that art may always not be beautiful aesthetically or comprehensible to all. It however, should be powerful enough to portray …

It is not clear how music influences the individual. Some experts insist that music and musicians influence young people. Other sources insist that certain individuals respond to particular types of music and musical expression. Either way, today’s youth can see how their favorite musicians dress and behave, both in public and in private, via the multiple media sources which are constantly monitoring the world’s celebrities. Young people can then elect to change their own appearance and behavior to reflect the musician and musical style that they most identify with.

Two separate, but related, theories explain how individuals relate to and express themselves through music. Social identity theory indicates that people “borrow” their identity from the society in which they live. The individual’s adopting of a group identity through music is a way for that person to conform to the ideals, goals, and norms of the society as a whole. The opposite of social identity theory says that some individuals elect to behave in a manner that is contrary to societal norms. These people prefer to adopt their own style and stand apart from everyone else. This is called personal identity theory. These theories are interrelated because, even though personal identity theory identifies the individual aspects of expression, the person is still identifying as a part of a sub-group.

Young people are more likely to subscribe to varying forms of identification through music; especially those forms that my not conform to the larger society. As young people move through the adolescent years and into young adulthood, they are more likely to explore and experiment with their own identity through music than older adults, who have likely settled into one genre that they identify with. Looking at music in this way makes it easier to see how it has always been, and remains, a socializing agent; a way for young people to explore their independence as they move away from the authority of their parents.

This perspective on music can hide the influence that music has on children. The music of the past century has played an important role in the lives of young adults, yet music may be having an expanding effect on individuals who are even younger. Remember that music has always been an important part of every society. Children are socialized through songs that are shared with them at many ages. Children’s songs can be as simple as songs that teach basic information, such as ABC’s and 123’s, and they can teach social skills and acceptable behavior (think Sesame Street and Barney). Still, children have access to the same music that young adults have access to; and sometimes this music is not age-appropriate. This phenomenon has ushered in the debates about whether or not exposure to certain musical influences is having a harmful effect on the nation’s youth.

Interestingly, one study has found that females are more likely to be influenced by music than males, although both genders find expression through music satisfying. This may be because …