by peterpan

Created on: April 11, 2008

"Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."

Who would ever forget that line from the movie Lilo and Stitch. If you haven't shed a tear while mesmerizing the deep meaning that the movie wants to impart, I could say you are a rock.

A family is the smallest unit of the society. As small as it is, it forms the bonds that bridge the gaps in each member as well as it links itself to the whole society. It involves itself to issues that would affect the welfare of the members as well as the environment where they belong. However, these are just the definitions of a family in a superficial sense. These are what we could see in the dictionaries and political writings. But a family has more to give than being a social unit. It has better meaning than being involved in social, political and environmental issues.

As what is stated in the movie Lilo and Stitch, a family means being together. It means unity. Each individual is different from the other. They have characteristics that may differ since they are separate individuals but the family is something they have in common for them to humble themselves and submit to what would benefit each member, thus, to promote unity in times of diversity.

A family respects the individuality of the members but promotes an environment to compensate for these differences and therefore uplift the lesson of being together in times of life's challenges. There is no "I", "me" or "you" in a family's vocabulary since everything has to be "we" and us." Decisions and plans are made with a big consideration on the welfare of each member.

A family means being there when someone is down or is in rough times. It provides a support system to provide encouragement in times of fear, to lit a spark of hope in times of sadness and it is there to extend a helping hand in times of sorrow. It serves as a shoulder to cry on to its members when things are not the way they should be.

The family provides the material needs of the members. It provides a house to shelter the members from the forces of nature that would harm the health and the physical aspects of the members. It provides food for the hungry stomachs. It provides a haven to rest on to the tired working members. It provides the comfort to the weary minds.

I remember when I was in grade school. There was a time when we were suffering from economic crisis. My parents that time were in debt and we don't even have something to eat on the table. As hard and pitiful as it may seem,

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