‘Mi famiglia’ is a phrase in Italian which converts to ‘ My family’ in English. Italians are traditional people who loves their family and would do anything for it. They are reckless and irrational when it comes to family. They don’t consider a step of theirs when they are doing it for their family.
According to them, a family is what all they have got. Blood runs in the family and blood is what runs the family. We would be nowhere without our family. Blood remains always come first because they will never ditch us in the times of need.
Their love for us is infinite. Sure friends do love us but their love comes in boundaries which we can never step on. ‘Friends’ have an ‘end’ in the word ‘friends’ itself but is dumped on our heads, we can still count on family to come and save us.
According to the modern usage of this proverb, blood signifies the blood relations while the water is compared to ‘friends’. It signifies that your flesh and blood will always help you even when your friends turn their backs against you.
When the proverb originated, it had a different meaning. According to me, I accept the version of meaning more than the one we now read in books. Blood in this proverb was used in literal sense. It signifies that the comrades who bathe in the blood of the enemy together have a strong bond as compared to any other relations.
But then what does ‘water’ signify? For that, we have to dig deeper into the history of this proverb. It was being asked as ‘the blood of the covenant is always thicker than the water of the womb. This is a reference that the blood of the enemy bonds surpasses the blood of family. Funny, huh?
How we have been using this proverb is absolutely pathetic. All this time, we have literally reversed it’s meaning. It’s meaning has been distorted to a really unrecognizable extent. So, we will focus on it’s modern meaning instead of it’s original meaning because that way, I won’t be writing a conflicting essay.
In this world, you have nobody to count on your backs for your benefits. You cannot trust anyone instead of the immediate family you have. There are friends who stay with you lifelong but after some point of time, you learn to prioritize your family. Family is everything.
But in last two decades so, I have seen a decrease in the number of family members. You ask someone about their family members, they are only 4 members. Families have broken up. There are no joint families now. All we are left with is nuclear families where both the parents are working and children are left to fend for themselves. The comfort they ask in parents, siblings and other members of the family is found in friends.
Friends listen them out on each situation and help them out. There have been instances where family went against their backs but friends never left and supported the person through their difficulties. When children move out to live in different cities for more career opportunities, it is friends who support them in their hard times through thick and thin.
Friends who gain trust and warm their place into heart become your family. This proverb, if taken in a deep sense, should signify that trust and faith are the virtues of strong relationship rather than a relationship built on the virtues of fakeness and materialism.
Family and blood ties will always surpass the maturity of any relationship. Even when you make mistakes which are unforgiveable, your family is always there to help you out from the mess you have made. The sacrifices that a family can make for the well being of all it’s members is endless and boundless.
The family is vital for your existence. If in case, both the parents of a child passes away; the immediate close relative is looked for. This is the trust that runs down in a family. It is a kind of promise to endure all the hardships together, come what may. You have been with your family members since the day you were born.
We make us and our character. We are said to be a reflection of our own families. Because it is mainly from our family only that we learn the virtues ingrained in our conscience. This proverb is also used by Mafioso. The mafia is heavily reliant on their families for their illegal operations.
The illegal business they run is actually an assortment of different employees who work in different departments. But they call them family so that they can develop trust and nobody rats them out. Calling someone family implies full trust and faith on that person. Family isn’t an ordinary word; it has the power to change relations and show each other their hidden side.
Family may not always be blood related. There is no doubt in the fact that some bonds are above blood relations. They don’t need a name to their relationship. It is a pious relationship where the love and affection that flows from both sides is tremendous. At times, parents adopt children.
The adopted kids are not related by blood but they are loved by their parents to no equals. By this, I remember the example of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna was given away by his parents to foster parents so that they would protect his life.
Yashodha loved her son to no extents even though she knew that he was the son of Devki. This is the power of a mother’s love. It does not matter if she gave birth to the child or not. But what matters is that she loves all her children equally and boundlessly.
Thus, we should always remember to prioritize our family first. Because when all people turn against you, your family will always support you. They will die for you and live for you. But you just need to connect to them.
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