If the family you are in is keeping you too busy, and/or is too full of noise, and distraction when will you move on to a new “family”? A choice many groups of people feel is the answer to what family really is. Family is a word of different meaning. A word that has been here since the beginning. A word that carries such a powerful meaning to certain cultures and societies and little meaning to others.
There are 23 definitions in our Webster dictionary for the word family. Which tells us that the word is short termed and is constantly changing in different societies today. The American culture is the most confused of all cultures. As a whole American society feels that a family “is any relatively stable group of people bound by ties of blood, marriage, adoption, or by any sexually expressive relationship; or who simply live together, and who are committed to and provide each other with economic support.”(Mary Ann Schwartz & BarBara Marliene Scott, 5) The authors have attempted to cram everything the American society feels in the meaning of family into one long definition. Family was once used by slave owners, they considered their slaves as families groups of same ethnicity. Like herds sheep and cows. The slaves then took the savage word and turned it into a meaningful word. They used the word to claim different primary groups of parents and child who lived together. The word then transformed to mean a group of people with the same blood lines. Meaning people whose ancestors are traced back to the original primary group.
In polygamist group a family is made up a man and multiple wives, a woman with multiple husbands, or group with many men and women married all at once. This culture feels multiple mating is the only way to keep their families big and strong. The group is also a very religious group and they feel god has led them and truly supports their lifestyles. Family holds a powerful meaning in this sub group of people.
“Nowadays people often feel that their private lives are a series of traps. They sense that within their everyday worlds, they cannot overcome their troubles, and in this feeling, they are often quite correct.” (Mills (1959), 1) Mills is saying outside of our personal worlds life is still going on for others. We have to learn to understand each other and realize that there are differences outside of our home. If the family you are in is keeping you too busy, and/or is too full of noise, and distraction when will you move on to a new “family”. The American culture is so confused on the concept of love and family that we run away if we feel trapped and confined within our everyday life. If we could just learn from the other cultures and take what they know in. We would be able to succeed and face our problems head on as a small group and society.