Weary travelers long for home after a long journey, just as tired workers cannot wait to return home after a hard day's work. Home is life's safe harbor where one seeks comfort and a place of love and warmth.
There are big and small families. In today's society, large households may have problems maintaining domestic harmony, while small families may have an uneasy feeling of emptiness. If no one is home, those living in a big home may feel empty and unwanted. Yet those living in small quarters, facing the confines of the walls, may also feel deprived of the warmth of a family. What we must keep in mind is that a home is a home because it is the place where our families live together in harmony. As a saying goes, "A family in discord will be taken advantage of, while a family in harmony will achieve success in everything." If every member of our amily can be of one heart and mind, we can turn dirt into gold. Therefore, domestic harmony can only be accomplished when parents are loving, and their children are respectful, siblings are as supportive of each other like the best of friends, and spouses treat each other with respect.
Many of today's families face similar problems of high debt, unequal distribution of household duties, inflexibility, and differences in personal habits and views. When these problems are not properly resolved, coldness and apathy will overcome the family. Love will be replaced by anger and warmth by indifference. Then, a home is not a home anymore, but instead a battlefield of constant fights and arguments. When a family is no longer a family, but instead is just a boiling cauldron of discontent, family life can then feel miserable and lose its meaning. If we wish to help our country and bring peace to the world, we must first cultivate ourselves and put our family in order because a country is comprised of many families, and a family is comprised of many individuals.
If we do not conduct ourselves properly, our families will be in disarray, and we will be troubled and unable to think clearly. Therefore, we must cultivate our personal lives in order to maintain harmony within our families. Only when our households are harmonious and happy can we devote ourselves to bringing order to our country and society.
Thus, before serving our community and building up our country, we should serve and build up our families. Since charity starts at home,we should look after the needs and wants of every family member by providing them adequate support and services. We should always make their happiness a top priority in our lives. If we truly love our families, we should never take them for granted and do everything in our power to protect them from harm.
Humble Table, Wise Fare states that, "The victim of sibling resentment is the parents; the victim of spousal discord is the family; the victim of workplace hostility is the supervisor; the victim of government ill will is the country; and the victim of enmity is the self." The book also tells us that one can never overcome hatred with hatred, for happiness can only be found in loving-kindness and compassion. Therefore, if we wish for our families to be happy and harmonious, we must look after their well-being, love them with all our hearts, and have a sense of humor in everything we do.