Things that strengthen love between family members - Essay Example

? Things that Strengthen Love between Family Members Family is the basic unit of society. It may sound a bit cliche, but the resounding truth is thatthe great political community and the great men of the world whose names now belong to the archives of history all come from the cradle of this tiny unit. We learn our basic values from our families, from proper toilet training, to washing the dishes, and making friends instead of foes, and we die with our families grieving and mourning while we are headed to our final destination. In this journey from womb to tomb, love does exist between family members. Familial love exceeds than that of an erotic love that a family member never fails to communicate with his or her parents even if he is in distant places, and he can sustain for himself. Indeed, familial love is the bridge that binds every family member together despite the length of time and distance. Families are not always intact, however. Perfection is what one desires, but admittedly, divorces take place, and broken families are rising in number. What could have been the key ingredient/s in enhancing family love despite the rampant temptations of family wreckage? Even Aristotle himself disproved his initial contention that the political community is far more important than the family (Loveless and Holman 6). He cites that one of the key lessons in building a successful family and community is by knowing “how to be ruled before one rules” (Loveless and Holman 8). Aristotle said that it is important to instill among children the value of respecting their parents and elders because someday, they will become parents themselves. Children should be grateful for whatever it is that their parents gave them because this will become the start of a lasting friendship between the child and the parent. Friendships beget love and love begets respect. Loveless and Holman further stated that the eradication of inequality between the parent and the child happens when both acknowledge the importance of equality in a relationship (8). It is similar to democracy where everyone’s voice is heard and not just the opinion of the elderly. Equality also means “the sharing of responsibilities” (Loveless and Holman 8). Children should know their responsibilities at home, at school, and in the community, while parents should fulfill their duties in those particular aspects. Being responsible leads to an understanding of the role that every member of the family plays; when there is understanding, there would be a growing concern for everyone, and putting one’s self in the shoes of others is the likely result. The movie Philadelphia (1993) also depicts how freedom increases love and respect for each family member despite societal condemnations. Tom Hanks playing the role of an AIDS victim was never condemned by his mother despite his homosexuality. Freedom is an important component of love. How could one love when the other is restricted? The homosexuality issue of Andrew Beckett played by Tom Hanks did not in any way hamper his love for his family. His father wants him to be the man that he truly is. Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote Stride toward Freedom which contains a chapter that talks about the Pilgrimage to Nonviolence. Freedom is the most important gift from God as his child (King, Jr. 93). Same with family values, every member of the family must be treated as a “means” rather than as an “end” (King, Jr. 93). Now, this might be a usual case of easier said than done especially to parents who have, say, a homosexual son or daughter. They might find it hard to let their child be the real person that some abnormalities in their chromosomes have caused them. When you contemplate about King’s statement, one will realize that it is the individual freedom that grants you happiness, not the relief from being able to hide your face and your family from an apprehended shame. Everyone is entitled to their own freedom; children raise a salute and more respect to their parents by being just and open-minded. In Stride toward Freedom, Martin Luther King, Jr. acknowledged Gandhi’s teaching about love and nonviolence. Although Gandhi equates love and nonviolence to social reform, we might also introspect that the social community or society is preceded by family. A family that does not know about violence composes a society that is peace-loving. It is safe to assume that nonviolent approach to rearing children, in the same way that children approach their parents with love and care, promotes a healthy relationship and can even increase love and respect for each other. Violence also deserves violence. The law of karma states that what goes around comes around. Children who grew up in violent families are likely to forget what peace means, and will probably end up doing violent acts to people. It is never a generalization, but the case always ends up this way. Let us not forget the most important thing in our quest to increasing love between family members; it is loving itself. However, we might educate ourselves in some types of love that can be found in the Greek New Testament (King, Jr. 104). Eros or the erotic form of love is our present concept of romantic love; philia or a reciprocated love, now understood as children’s love for their parents; and agape or Christian love (King, Jr. 105). All of these types of love are so important in the family setting. Romantic love is not only applicable between unrelated people. Family member can be equally loved in the same way that we give in to the wishes of our partners. Philia and agape go hand in hand as the former is a mandate in the holy teachings of Jesus Christ. Loving our parents is a form of respect to our creator in the Christian teaching. Lastly, agape encompasses all forms of love that we have because by having this within ourselves, we make unconditional love for our family members. This kind of love teaches us, and our parents to be selfless despite being treated unfairly just like how Jesus Christ in the Christian faith forgives those who wronged him and loved those who hate him. Respect, freedom, equality, and love itself are the key components of enhancing our love towards our family members. These ingredients are not served in a silver platter. We have to consciously work to achieve all of these because it will be a start of rebuilding our society. All these types of love are important in enhancing our family relationship and our community where we live in. I believe that key to a lasting world peace is through a loving family, not with airstrikes and nuclear weapons. More so, an individual who lacks the love from his family can devastate the world more than what sophisticated warfares can afford. Therefore, family love is undeniably vital to our existence. Works Cited King, Jr. Martin Luther. Stride toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1958. Print. Loveless, Scott, and Thomas B. Holman. Eds. The Family in the New Millennium: World Voices Supporting the Natural Clan. Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2007. Print. Philadelphia. Dir. Jonathan Demme. Perf. Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Antonio Banderas, and Roberta Maxwell. Tristar Pictures, 1993. Film. Read More