Week 12 - Family
5:18 PMAccording to my beliefs, and the beliefs of my church, the family unit is central to this life, and throughout eternity. Everything the church teaches is centered on family, and how we can live as eternal families. The subject of family is really close to my heart because of my religion, and also because I was blessed with a really amazing family.
my family!
I understand families as eternal and sacred. But that isn't specific to the LDS faith. Most people and cultures regard families and close human relationships as the most important thing in life. Even people who don't believe in any kind of deity or religion often still have faith in human relationships, respect, and love. The subject of families is very important to children as well, since children are part of families. Family is the first thing a child knows. As kids, we spend all of our time with our parents, and sometimes siblings, at least until we make friends. These friendships can also become like family relationships. We are always seeking to connect with people on a deep level, because that is usually when we feel most fulfilled. I think Maslow's hierarchy of needs applies here.
Once we have our basic needs of survival and safety, we immediately need to feel love and belonging. Relationships like this come before we worry about ourselves and our individual potential.
The film "I Wish" dealt with the importance of family relationships. The two brothers live in different cities because of their parents' separation, and they long to be reunited. This story was really sweet, and it showed both the joys and sorrows of family relationships. I thinking people who watch this can relate to the boys, and probably to the parents as well, especially if they have dealt with divorce or other strained relationships in their families. I loved how in this movie, the kids realize why they feel unfulfilled, and they do something about it. They know that they aren't feeling complete because their family is separated, and they do whatever they can to get their family back together. Along the way, they also realized the importance of friendships and trust, as well as looking out for each other whenever possible. One sweet moment in the film that sticks out to me was when the grandfather played along with the kids' ploy of faking sick to skip school. All of us watching thought he was the most awesome grandpa ever, and this moment showed a taste of the joy the family relationships bring.
A lot of my favorite films and tv shows are all about families. To name a few: The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Dan in Real Life, The Sound of Music, Big Fish, Fantastic Mr. Fox, etc. I think that these stories are so emotional and easy to relate to because they hit so close to the heart. These stories can also be harder to engage with because they bring up the sad parts of relationships as well that may still be sore spots in our lives. Arrested Development is one of my all-time favorite TV shows. It's about an incredibly dysfunctional family. The entire series shows their ridiculous escapades, and their one son, Michael, who actually isn't insane. He is always frustrated with his family members, and doesn't understand why he doesn't just move far away from them and lead a normal life with his son, George Michael. This show is so funny and entertaining, but it also has really sweet moments. Even though his family is ridiculous, Michael always is there for them, and does his best to keep the family together. He knows that even if he loses everything in the world, his family will still be there.
Not only do we care about current family and friend relationships, we also tend to be interested in the lives of our ancestors. "My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts" is one woman's family history story that means a lot to her. So many of our relationships are strengthened through storytelling and togetherness, and stories from our own families often have an even greater impact. I liked this short film because it felt like this woman's home movie in a way. We record our lives and the lives of our families because we feel it's important and brings us together. This filmmaker probably felt an even stronger bond to her grandmother after learning about this story and making a film about her. This is a good example of a piece of media about families, but how also media production with and about family can build and strengthen relationships, which makes us stronger, more loving people.
0 comments