Do you know many people from other parts of the country? How many of your friends, family, and acquaintances live in other states?
Share why if you wish.
Category: Relatives
How Important Is Family?
Many of our holiday traditions are centered around family. But just how important are the people related to us, and how do they impact our lives?
If pop culture is to be believed, family is all important. Gathering together, exchanging gifts, eating a festive meal — that’s the image we have of the season. There are numerous songs, movies, and TV shows that make this point. Businesses even try and draw that comparison: “When you are here, you are family.”
But is that true? Of course, it is important to be supported and to be loved. That support and love, however, could just as easily come from friends or neighbors as from people who are genetically related.
In fact, who you are related to is somewhat random. Parents know that their kids can be wildly different from one another. One might be athletic, another studious and uncoordinated. One loud and outgoing, another quiet and shy. There is no guarantee that you will share traits or interests with someone who happens to be a sibling, parent, cousin, aunt or uncle.
It is difficult to deny, however, the role that our relatives play in our lives. Our parents provide guidance and support. Siblings are often drawn close from the shared formative experiences they have.
Is that simply a remnant of our evolutionary development? Humans evolved as hunter gatherers, where a tightly-woven clan probably increased the odds of survival. Of course, what was true for our ancestors may also be true for us.
As you maybe visiting some right now or in the past week or two, ask yourself: How important is family?
Related questions: Why do we feel the need to belong? How have your parents influenced you? What does the holiday mean to you? Is your pet part of your family?
What’s The Best Advice You’ve Received From Your Parents?
Parents can be a great source of learning. Is there any notable advice you have received from your parents over the years?
Share why if you wish.
How Are You Misunderstood?
One of the most difficult things about being human is how isolated we are. No one truly knows us, and every day we are misunderstood — sometimes in big ways, sometimes small.
Unfortunately, it is all too easy for misunderstandings to arise. At work, at home, at school, our image of ourselves is different from what others see.
You mean one thing, but say something else, even if what you say is close to what you meant. Your actions are misinterpreted. Your motivations are misassigned.
No one knows what goes on in your head but you. No amount of exposition, no amount of explanation is sufficient for complete understanding.
Despite our best efforts, our inner monologue is something that is unknown to all but ourselves. Even the people that know us best — our parents, our spouse, our loved ones — often misunderstand us.
In what ways are you misunderstood by those around you? How do you act, what do you say, which of your written words are misinterpreted? What traits do you have that go unheralded or unappreciated? And what do you do to address this?
Related questions: How do you think others see you? How are you underappreciated? Do you feel lonely? How do you talk about yourself?
Do You Go To Reunions?
Whether it is for school, family, or work, people like to get together to see how friends and loved ones are doing. As well as to relive past glories and experiences. Have you been to a reunion of some sort? Do you intend to go to one in the future?
Share why if you wish.