Values

Family and Values: All You Need to Know

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Family and Values All You Need to Know (2)

Thinking about values and what should be your top value? Choose family. Read this article to know why. A family is a group of people related by blood, marriage, or adoption. The Cambridge Dictionary defines values as the beliefs people have, especially about what is right and wrong and what is most important in life, that control their behaviour. Examples of values include growth, empathy, discipline, family, compassion, honesty, humility, and courage. I hold family as my top value, and I believe everyone should too. Family is the first and primary institution in society, and it plays a crucial role in child care and development. Your family is your first school, and when a child is born, the family becomes solely responsible for their development, welfare, and overall well-being. The family unit teaches children basic knowledge, respect, honesty, humility, and essential life skills. As children grow, these lessons shape their social, cultural, political, and religious views. When children from different families interact, their differing perspectives often lead to disagreements. However, these disagreements stem from the values instilled by their families. Brown is a high school girl who believes she can break barriers and, against all odds, become a great force in aerospace. June, a five-year-old, believes he’s going to be a doctor someday. Lin doesn’t eat meat because her mom said they’re vegetarians. Zuri, a four-year-old, almost went out with her hair out, but her elder sister told her girls in Islam should always cover their hair. Tahley cried because he wanted to meet Santa Claus, and his dad said, “Wait till it’s Christmas.” Nobody is an island; everyone needs family and the love that binds them. Your family is the first to love you, and this love stays, even till the end of time. While there may be conflicts, it is pertinent to know that as long as humans are on earth, there will always be conflicts, and they can always be managed and curbed. Tobi and Julie, siblings who argue frequently, remain best friends for life. If you’re unsure about prioritizing family, ask yourself: Who supported you in difficult times? Who reassured and cared for you? Who made sacrifices and stayed by your side? Who said those prayers and stayed with you all night? Mr. Levi, a 66-year-old in the hospital, looks at his wife with so much love as she cleans him up with care and gentleness. Shayla cries as her lover just dumped her, and she finds solace and comfort in her big brother’s arms. Katherine is campaigning, as she wants to be the first black woman to win the election. The love of family is profound. It’s deeper than the Pacific Ocean, knowing you for who you are and standing by you through thick and thin. Come rain, come sunshine. When others turn away, your family remains. They bring joy in bleak times, make you laugh when you see no reason to, provide a sense of security, and take risks for you. They teach with love, and no one wants the best for you more than your family. Brown is now an aerospace engineer; her family believed in her and gave her all the support she needed. Just like Ben Carson, June is now a neurosurgeon; he wasn’t good in sciences, but his big brother didn’t give up on him. Lin doesn’t need to be reminded to say no when given meat. Zuri knows she must not expose her hair in public; she has never done that. “Christmas is my best season,” Tahley said, as he does his Christmas decor in his apartment in a Santa Claus costume. Mrs. Levi has tears of joy rolling down her cheeks as Mr. Levi rings the bell; he beats cancer and will be discharged from the hospital in a few days. Shayla has now found true love and is married to the best man ever. Katherine won her election against all odds; her family was her backbone. I can go on and on, but the lesson here is that all these achievements were made possible because they all had families with them and by their side. Even as you reflect, this is all you need to hold family as your top value today. ALSO READ: When Family Becomes the Most Important Destination

Love And Unity

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Love And Unity

Without love and unity, a lot will be left unresolved, deteriorated and issues will always get complicated. The assertion “No man is an Island” as thought by Mr. John Donne over a couple of centuries ago has not ceased to gain prominence. “No man is an island entire of itself; all man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea; Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were, as well as any manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind. Therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee”. Without love and unity, a lot will be left unresolved. In light of the above-quoted words of John Donne, it is evident that no single being is entirely independent and it is human nature to rely on others as a basic art of survival. Indeed, every human needs food to survive and in this regard, every human that feeds on food invariably depends on the farmer and such is like the connection of humans in all other endeavors. No soul is self-sufficient, but with love and unity, we can reach a greater height. Love and unity undoubtedly, is an indispensable tool for nation building. Unity cannot be divorced from the description of a nation. An example of this is the meaning given to a nation by Wikipedia: “A nation is a stable community of people, formed based on a common language, history, ethnicity, or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.” The mentality that an Igbo man is generally treacherous, a Hausa man is intolerant, and a Yoruba man does not even accommodate his fellow Yoruba is indeed a threat to national prosperity. Tribalism is a nation destroyer. Cultures and indigenous values must evolve bottom-up policies and approaches to oneness, growth, and development in the country. Every culture in Nigeria has different unique foods, modes of dressing, modes of production, language, greetings, marriage, mode of socialization, and political systems that could be annexed for development. Even values like love, hard work, honesty, bravery, care, extended brotherhood, and filiations are now negatively rationalized as individualism and profit concerns take center stage as imported through globalization. Aside from culture, another unifying factor is sports. Sports is more than ever before commanding global attention to all nations. Sports influences world peace, the economy, and the development of social relationships. Also, recent research suggests that sport-based programs focused on children and youth in areas of conflict. It also offer a means of both resolution and in turn, reconciliation and reintegration of communities. Successful nations in the world have one thing in common: love and unity. The list of prosperous nations on earth is incomplete without the mention of the  United States of America (USA) and China, with much consideration of what the USA and China have achieved as a country. Although both countries are not crisis-free, but their citizens are united more than they are uncooperative. This informs us of why “God bless America” which was a song composed by Irvin Berlin in 1981 during the first world war, has been widely adopted by Americans as their national slogan of patriotism. Therefore, the slogan becomes the symbol of unity of the Americans. James Dobbins, Seth G. Jones et al., in their book: “A Guide to Nation Building” observed that the primary objective of nation-building is to make a violent society peaceful. This is only after the attainment of this economic and political objective be pursued. The view of James Dobbins et al., poses a question, how can a society be peaceful? The answer to this is not far-fetched as peace is only attainable in a society where love and unity prevail amongst its constituents. This implies that lack of cooperation between people, cultures and ethnic groups at large is a threat to the peace of a nation. Therefore, it is known that without peace, the primary objective of nation-building cannot be achieved. Also, the attainment of peace in its entirety is impossible without the spirit of love and unity. It is only with the spirit of love and unity can people of different cultures peacefully co-exist in a country and its only upon realization of this a government can achieve its economic and political objectives. Love and unity indeed is a vibrant tool for nation building. ALSO READ: We Can Make the World Better With Love