Will You Now Love?

By Cara Lewis, 9th Grade

    “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22) A world full of anger and without love is definitely not a desirable place in which to live. For anger truly violates the attractiveness of love.

    Born into a financially secure, Orthodox, Russian family during the year 1870, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov was one of six children. As an inspector of schools for the Department of Education in a town called Simbirsk, Russia, Mr. Ulyanov brought his children up, encouraging them to think differently than the mainstream ideas. Both of Vladimir’s parents were sympathetic towards socialistic philosophies.

    While he was a child, Vladimir’s behavior was rambunctious and domineering. He was a meticulous student and brought great pride to his family through his many honors. He idolized his older brother, Alexander, who was four years his senior. When the two brothers grew older, they had little in common, so no one would have ever guessed that Vladimir’s life labor would be inextricably connected to that of Alexander’s.

To be continued next month...