Family

The moment you spring into consciousness, your being is assigned an identity. More often than not, this identity has its roots in something literally bigger than you - your family.

Where I'm from, family is ridiculously important - I don't just mean the parents and siblings - oh no. I mean the whole shebang. Aunts, uncles, cousins of a variety of degrees and relatives you may only cross paths with once in your life (and many more you may only hear of repeatedly but never actually meet). Your identity and self-worth are born of the family you're a part of. That last name may have more to say about you than you do. By the age of 10, you've already interacted with so many family members that your poor little head can't keep track of how they're related to you - and the fun part is that there's much more to come!

So why on Earth is this concept of a family given so much importance?

*tips hat*

If I did seem against the idea of a big, strong family, I have to set that straight. I believe that a family that's supportive and one that challenges you whilst encouraging you is terrific in its own right. Such a family ensures that one's sense of individuality isn't threatened but still gives you a sense of belonging and familiarity to return to at the end of the day. They're the bonds that are formed from birth - beings with a few more genetic similarities than a friend at the workplace or that guy from across the bar asking for another gin and tonic. You can't choose them, but you can choose how you treat them.

 

While I do get the idea that having other people's views shoved down your throat can be annoying, it's been evident that of late, more people seem to be striking out on their own. Break free from the family, sever ties, limit contact and move away to a remote location to never be heard from again. Times change and that one family member you were insanely close to isn't themselves all of a sudden. Conversations that would occur monthly or bimonthly just happen once or twice a year - on birthdays.

 

I guess this would be one of the reasons why a strong sense of family was something that I was brought up with since I was little. Why it was important to accept individual as they came - gloss over the flaws and pay heed to the positives. Try to be more understanding of the elders, accepting of the peers and nurturing of the younger ones. All of it does pay off because you can find the closest of bonds forged within the family - be it supportive and funny cousins, a ridiculously cool set of elders who are broad minded beyond their age and aunts and uncles that care for you as their own.

Even if the whole world turns against you, you'd find peace and acceptance at the hands of your family.

Though my definition of family isn't just the people along with me in the family portrait or the people whose names happen to be alongside mine on the family tree.

I haven't mentioned the family you choose -

Friends

And everything I've mentioned applies to these individuals too.