The Purpose of the Family
The institution of the family
The Greeks define a family as ‘a dwelling’ or a place where you feel at home and fit in. The Hebrew idea of the family, which is very similar to the African idea, is even more extensive because it includes everyone in the lineage as well as dependants and may go as far as people who work closely with the family. Hence, with regards to these above mentioned cultures, anyone living with you or anyone who your child constantly relates with, is considered to be part of the family and must therefore believe in the same values and morals.
England went into pandemonium when a law was finally passed for shops to start charging 5p on bags. There were so many interesting videos on the internet on how people carried all their shopping in their handbags or picked up a fight in order to avoid the 5p charge on each carrier bag. What I am waiting to see is shoppers doing it the African way by balancing their shopping in a big bowl on their head just to save a couple of round silver coins.
The greatest crisis in national development is not lack of money or investment or even crime and unemployment. Behavioural scientists have proven that the greatest crisis in national development of any country is the absence of fathers in the nation and in the home. There is no substitute for fathers. This article will address the importance of fathers or male role models in building the family.
“We have a very strange, awkward and confusing relationship. I think my mum doesn’t behave as a mother because most children gravitate towards their mother for love and affection and support and understanding but I don’t remember getting that from my mother. I feel that a lot of my efforts are overlooked because she’s busy with her life and I am nobody”. J. Stone.
“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character”. This is an excerpt from a speech made by martin Luther King Jnr many decades ago. It is a very profound statement because it is very obvious that the visionary is not too concerned about the skin colour but more about the content of our character which has a direct correlation on how people of colour are perceived.
Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh, over the fields we go, laughing all the way... This is the music heard in all the stores at this time of year and it makes me wonder whether our kids are truly as happy as Santa is. According to survey in the guardian newspaper, children aged between ,8 and 12 years old in England are less happy with their body image and school as compared to those in Estonia, Poland and Turkey.
January is the time of year when almost everyone wants to make a new year resolution be it keeping fit, eating healthy, or starting a new course. But the question is, how many people follow through to the end of the year? According to statistics, gym memberships for example increase by 33-50% in January with the second week in January being the busiest of the year. However, 80% of these people drop off by the second week of February. This statistic made me laugh initially but it actually got me thinking as I realised that I could easily be among the 80% who are not disciplined enough to see it through.