As I sit in my college dorm room and ponder on our society, I am perplexed.
I experience people with mental disorders, eating disorders, violent urges to shoot their friends and stories of stepparents.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I will never figure out the disorder in so many different realms of life. It will never be a utopia, but I’m convinced that there is something in life that offers some sort of foundation to get by day-to-day.
After years of thinking with my feeble mind, I am enlightened by the concept of family. I am convinced from what I have experienced in living a couple of decades in the American society that one of the most important things people need is some sort of environment or security and stability that is provided by the family
Of course, there are many families that exist in our society today, but how many of them offer a sincere environment of care and love … daily?
We could simply put the blame on our demanding society that pulls people away from their family. This aspect of our increasing industrialized society creates a greater need for a secure foundation in life that can be granted by a family.
It is normal for people to eat meals three or more times a day, making it not seem difficult to make at least one of those meals a time to sit around the same table and commune with each other. This is what people need – quality time to share with other people even in the mundane moments of their life.
A human being has the natural instinct of needing someone to give the message of “I love you; I care about you.” Children need the guidance of a wise parent to teach them of life.
Proverbs 22:6 says “train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.”
The family is such an important foundation for the child in today’s society, one that does not offer much solid direction. It is so vital for children who are still in at an impressionable age.
What is it that is filling children’s minds? Are they being raised by the teachings of their parents or the teachings of a violent society? Statistics show that 82 percent of television has violence and children’s shows are the most violent with 32 acts per hour.
It is common to blame the media for violent children but my stance takes a slight different perspective; the behavior of a child has to do with the guidance, or lack of it, that comes from a structured family. A family is stable in a changing and fastpaced world.
This applies to children and every other family member. Everyone has needs of nurture and the family is designed to meet those for every member.
I am at the age where I am transitioning from being taught life lessons by my parents and am preparing to be the teacher if I am to have a family. I doubt I’ll ever figure out the things that perplex me about society, but I feel strong-willed enough to become a positive example to my impressionable children who become tomorrow’s society.
So my challenge to you: realize your role and the next time you eat one of your many meals, be compassionate to the people that live so close to home, your family.
Amanda Ruble
Milligan College

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