Family ties

Unconditional acceptance, respect and loyalty, affection that expects nothing in return - so many positive expressions. Is this going to be a post about the Western misinterpretation of an Eastern phylosophy that teaches people how to cut corners on their way to happiness? Hopefully not. Are families important in today's society? The number of broken homes is increasing. Less and less people are capable of living in families and/or less decide to try to. I believe, however, that families are indispensable building blocks of our society. In less developed countries and in countries like Hungary where middle and lower classes of society are poles apart families are the key to survival in times of financial hardship for the poor. It is always easier to overcome difficulties if united. There are many different types of hard situations in life when turning to your family for support is the last resort. How do families endure the individualism of modern life? Capitalism stresses competition and individualism. This - when misunderstood - results in the distortion of human relationships - and I think it is often misunderstood in immature democracies. Talking about the unconditional acceptance of another person sounds almost like a joke in a community like this. The good news is that families existed in ancient times and will not cease to exist, however, their role constantly changes throughout generations.