Practicing Families

Original Photo from Pixabay

Bruce Lee was stating a principle when he said this quote.  What we continually practice is what we achieve.  Goals need to be specific if we want to achieve them.  It is important not to forget the basics of whatever we do.  The best musicians are the ones who are exceptional at the basics.  They practice their scales and arpeggios day after day.  The best artists practice their brush strokes or pencil strokes or the basic form of any medium they work in. 

For society to flourish, it needs to work on its basics.  The family is the basic unit of society.  Families are being choked out by media, government policies, societal messages, laziness and fear.  As a result families and societies are facing increased challenges.

People who join gangs, when interviewed as to why they join, say they are looking for a sense of belonging, it feels like a family.  If we promoted the strength of families, perhaps these people wouldn’t have to go looking elsewhere for that belonging. Fewer people in gangs would mean less gang violence.  Families can increase unity by doing things together.  One thing I have noticed that improves the vibe in the home is family dinner.  People who have family dinner together get to know one another as people.  Then when conflicts come up, they aren’t as big of deal, partially because there is more balance between positive and negative experiences.

National statistics prove a correlation between single parenthood and income.  If families are making less money and have less time, they have less ability to contribute to society.  The more stable families in society, the more likely it is for people to give back.  If there was more of a focus on marriage being something you work at for the rest of your life, instead of something you grow out of, then there would be fewer broken families.  Especially harmful is the idea of a “starter marriage.”  This is a marriage you enter into without the expectation of staying.

There is also a trend of younger families taking on more debt than they used to.  People who borrow money from the government/banks and can’t pay it back contribute to the national debt.  People who are self-sufficient improve the world around them.  People can avoid this by avoiding debt where possible.  Buying a house you can afford, not needing the next best thing, and keeping to the bare necessities where necessary. In short, you can do this by living within your means and spending less than you make.

There are many things we could do to try to help society.  By far the most effective way to improve society will be to improve families.