He that hath a wife and children hath given hostages to fortune.
-Sir Francis Bacon
Apparently, there is some unique form of goodness, moral uprightedness, or sincerity that a family-holder possesses. When one cares for someone in general, or a group of someones as in a family, he or she is made vulnerable; he or she needs to take that someone into careful account when making decisions rather than thoughtlessly acting on his or her own enterprising desire. This, ultimately, is a sacrifice.
So many times throguhout my childhood and adolescence I have heard the aforementioned "s" word escape my parents' mouths. Though the word may be used many times for their own self-worth, a harsh reality exists regarding that word: a family is one big sacrifice. Plain and simple. It can be argued whether people are obligated to form a family and what requirements precede the formation of a family, yet the statement remains the same.
In order to commit to caring for other human beings, one must relinquish any sense of self. This is nonetheless quite humbling. Getting married and raising children are committments that automatically require the above course of action to take place. This isn't always the case, for often times various members of a family refuse to surrender their own selfish desires, but in order to achieve the same sincerity that Bacon asks us to consider, it must be done. Bacon phrases it as a statement to make it clear that one automatically is obligated to make his or her family a priority over material successes or other self-involved concepts.
Am I willing to make that sacrifice?
1 comment:
That was so insightful. Period.
It's so true too! Before raising a family, parents need to first learn the meaning of altruism. And as you so eloquently expressed, some parents don't commit and try to maintain a family AND keep a grip on personal aspirations. I remember one of the quotes were about how a family member is so eager to give up his or her life to save that of a loved one. But both those quotes are normative statements, how families OUGHT to be, rather than how families actually are.
You are so smart. *mwuah
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