Hindu View of a Harmonious Family

[Guest guest]

Hindu View of a Harmonious Family

 

Every human being is potentially divine and the goal of life is to express this

divinity by performing useful work. A harmonious family is an institution which

provides the energy and inspiration to bring forth one's divinity. A child of a

harmonious family becomes a divine personality.

 

Expressing one's inherent divinity is akin to entering a house that has four

doors, with each door having a unique key. Each door must be opened to gain

entry into the house. There is one road that leads to this house. In this

example, the four doors are dedication, contribution, learning and

responsibility. The four keys are love, recognition, sharing and trust. The name

of the road is offer and receive (sammarpan and swikãr). The following

illustrates which key opens which door: Offer Love & Receive Dedication

Recognition Contribution Sharing Learning Trust

Responsibility

 

Love and Dedication

 

Love is accepting a person as he (or she) is and helping him to grow. Love is a

divine feeling which is beyond likes and dislikes. Dedication is

self-sacrificing devotion to whatever one does. Dedication builds attitudes in

people. Positive attitudes are necessary to perform useful work in the world.

 

Love and dedication are two aspects of the same relationship. When parents are

loving, the children are dedicated. When the children are dedicated, the parents

are loving. When the teacher is loving, the students are dedicated and when the

students are dedicated, the teacher is loving. The love-dedication relationship

brings out noble qualities of the child and helps him to grow and establish

harmonious relationships within the family and with the outside world.

 

Recognition and Contribution

 

While attitudes are necessary, abilities and skills are required for an active

and contributing personality. Abilities and skills are developed by performing

useful work. It is essential to ensure an atmosphere of daily useful work in the

family. When children contribute to useful work, they can perform useful work

for the society, nation and humanity in their adult lives. Recognition and

contribution are two sides of the same interaction. Recognition begets

contribution and the contribution begets recognition. Parents are the starting

point. When parents recognize and appreciate, children will contribute more and

more. When children contribute, parents will appreciate more and more.

 

Sharing and Learning

 

Dedication and contribution alone are not sufficient. Knowledge is necessary to

perform useful work in the world. Knowledge comes from learning, and learning

comes from sharing. While there is an end for every teaching, there is no end

for learning. When parents continuously share their knowledge and experience

with their children, the children continuously learn. Sharing and learning are

two aspects of the same relationship. When parents share, children learn and

when children learn, parents share. Sharing is the best way of teaching. Sharing

encourages learning. With a positive attitude towards work and learning,

children can grow into noble personalities.

 

Trust and Responsibility

 

Positive attitude, dedication and knowledge alone are not sufficient for a

person to express divinity. Responsibility is another key factor. A responsible

person is an enriched person. Assuming responsibility for the family, society,

nation, and humanity is divinity. It is essential to inculcate a sense of

responsibility into children, a task for the parents. The parents cannot perform

this task unless they are responsible themselves. Trust and responsibility are

two aspects of the same interaction. When parents trust their children, the

children take on responsibility, and in turn develop increasing trust with their

parents. A trusted person is a divine person.

 

Conclusions

 

A harmonious family is an institution, which provides the energy and inspiration

necessary to bring forth one's divinity.

 

 

The key to a harmonious family is the offer and receive philosophy (sammarpan

and swikãr), as taught by rishis. Family members must learn to rise above the

take and take (a thief's philosophy), take and give (government philosophy),

give and take (business philosophy) and adopt the offer and receive philosophy

within the family.

 

The love-dedication relationship builds positive attitudes in children. As

parents offer love and receive dedication, children will offer dedication and

receive love.

 

Encourage children to participate in all aspects of daily work of the family.

With positive attitudes and useful work, they will develop into noble and

productive personalities in their adult lives.

 

 

Share knowledge with children. With positive attitudes, useful work and

learning, they will become dedicated, knowledgeable and contributing

personalities.

 

 

When parents trust children, children will take on responsibilities. A

responsible person is an enriched person.

 

The three basic ideals of Hindu Dharma-Sewa (unselfish service), vishva

kutumbam (universal family), and sahaviryam (together-ness in the family)-can be

realized when children grow into responsible, knowledgeable, and dedicated

contributors.