Reasons to Spend Time with Family

It has come to my attention that people of the millennial era has cultivated a culture that supports capitalistic Ideas to the extent where excess labor is common. The idea of working 100 hours per week for a 3 or a 2 digit salary is very common in both the western and eastern sphere.

In that sense, is it still worth it to spend time with the family? In the stoic philosophy we are encouraged to fulfill our function in society. Whether it is honing our academic skill or simply doing what we do best such as leading a team, making paintings or any other activity that fulfills what is needed in society. Within that role we spark our self-discipline in respect with our ambitions and goals.

Indeed the sense of serving society in our own way and doing things for the great or good no matter how small is one of the ideas of stoic philosophy. But as an individual one must have an imperative role in serving one's own needs. Just because we ought to work for providing our needs doesn't translate into depriving one's affection towards something else such as family. 

Family is one of the smallest social institutions one can have. In order to grow in accordance to today's demands requires a modern family that not only transcends the constraint of traditionalism, but also is released from the shackles of an ill mind. This doesn't mean the family in question is disregarded from the culture in which it pertains, it only means that a family must be more inclined to be progressive to a certain extent where basic ideas and practice such as education is not prohibited, but rather elevated to the level of modern ideals today.

As a child we often spent time with our family. Note that family in this sense is not limited to the paternal sense, but also to the extent where we can just define family as a group of one or more parents and their children living together as a unit. 

Spending time with those we love is evidence of love in which we create. Although, at some point, human beings would develop a priority list in which they act upon. With the coming of new priorities and upbringings it is to be expected that  a clash of ideals appear in the mind. The choice between work, family, or even holidays will be imminent.

Most of us will somehow manage to prevail, some might get frozen in the cage of choice,  or they might take a swift decision in favor of the urgency of the moment. This raises the question. How does one discern on how to act upon these complex choices? The approach that would be universally accepted is nonetheless expected by our own family members. In which we might understand, but then we are trapped by the deceptive feeling of knowing what's best.

Given the hard decision, it is important for us to understand what am I exchanging for this valuable time? Is it necessary for me to go somewhere? Is it going to change my life? If it is, is it significant? Or is it merely a gathering in which mutual exchange happens? 

For a child this might not be trivial, but as someone who has grasped the wonders of the world and understands its fundamentals. It is important to seek such questions. We must avoid seeking opportunity costs, but rather the meaning behind each bond we have and what do we want from it?

By leaving such opportunities, we might miss laughter, small talk, or even special bonds. But to leave a meeting  with genuine thought gives a mutual understanding from both sides. The responsibility of mutual understanding lies in your hands. To create an excuse is impermissible, but to have a reason it's an obligation. 

Indeed, what we seek in work, meeting friends, or other personal experiences might only be a deceiving pleasure in which we indulge ourselves. But to have a connection with those who raise us, is for one to have a never ending bond that is unbreakable.