Throughout the years, our family has had quite an interesting journey through this thing called “life”. In some cases, there were times where harsh jabs were thrown to each other; dividing and picking each other apart for the purpose of harm. Little more than fear, our insecurities in a large family can often evolve into cannibalistic tendencies; seeking to tear down the other members of the family, due to the evolutionary-instilled sense of instinct that feels as if we will receive less love from our parents if we’re one in the crowd, rather than one.
Yet, as humans, we have the opportunity to go beyond our evolutionary instincts and make conscious choices. When we realize that by nurturing and protecting, we grow and improve the quality of our lives. Very similar to the refreshing breeze we feel when escaping the polluted confines of city air; stepping foot into the forest and taking in a deep breath of air the way it ought to be.
Love is what changes these instincts within us. Over the course of 27 years on this planet, I’ve seen two seeds planted within the Plaat family. Love. Fear. Growing older, I have watched as the two opposing forces fought each other for dominance. Fear carried the team with low jabs and years spent in harsh arguments that could have united us, rather than bind us. On the same token, our parents insisted on a foundation of love and harmony between the siblings in our family.
Years have gone by, and I’ve seem many situations in our family where things could have gone much differently than they had, because there was an element of love in place, rather than a foundation of hatred and fear. Witnessing tears of anger and frustration turn into tears of laughter, joy, and new beginnings is a priceless gift.
Those ignorant “they” constantly speak of the impossibility of family working together, or having any type of social connection. I think that’s a really sad assumption to have; thinking that you couldn’t trust somebody who knows you from the ground-up, before you trust a ‘stranger’ with your business, friendship, time, and love. What does that do for our internal belief in the idea of ‘family’ and love?
The beautiful part of our world is the fact that we have a very, very limited perspective of the world around us. No one man can know it all. Yet, we often go through our lives feeling as if we have everything figured out. Try talking a wrong turn at an airport.
I added a new tattoo to my body this week. It has a fairly interesting story behind it. My older brother received a tattoo of a broken infinity symbol on his left shoulder. We both have personal reasons for the tattoo’s. However, I decided to get a matching one on the opposite shoulder, with the break in a different location. The symbolism is very important for me, because every single time we hug, the breaks in our symbols cover each other up.
We represent one single smidgeon of matter within the universe. Yet, we often feel as if we have much more of our existence ‘covered’ than we really do. Each and every one of us has a purpose, place, and reason for being here. As we remove ourselves from the way and connect and engage with others around us, by choosing to make decisions based on love, rather than fear, our hearts and minds begin to open and it’s only then that we can grow and evolve.
I hope that someday, when I have children, that they will love each other enough to recognize and embrace each other as a family of friends. And I hope their friends are able to benefit from their relationship, because they understand what it means to maintain and guard their loved ones.
Featured Image From Deviantart
No Comments