Can the Timeless Principles Work at Home?
This is one in a series of essays that was originally conceived as a book for print publication. If you enjoy it and would like to read more from the collection, you can find a sort of Table of Contents here.
We’ve already established that the Principles can work at work and at school, so, of course, they can work at home too.
But, as we established earlier, as imperfect humans we tend to hamstring our own efforts in this arena.
Why?
Because we tend to expect or demand far more of our family members than we do of our friends, acquaintances or strangers we run into over the course of the day. And, they do the same thing to us.
There are a few reasons for this, but with a little extra effort, each of these challenges can be turned into an opportunity to apply Timeless Principles to our home life.
We’re Overly Familiar With Our Family
Since we know our spouse or child better than anyone else in the universe, we instinctively know exactly which buttons to push, and when, in order to get the reaction we desire.
But, this same over-familiarity can be huge benefit. More than anyone else in the universe, we know what our family members love, what brings them joy, what eases their stress and brightens their day. And they know the same about us.
So by doing to them what we’d like them to do to us, we can make their lives far better rather than worse.
We can use our intimate knowledge of their moods, their habits, their idiosyncrasies, to show patience, self-control and long-suffering. We can humbly concede when we know an argument is going to accomplish nothing, and we can modestly admit when we’re wrong.
We can mildly set the example in our house, both through our own actions and our gentle training of our family members. Then, eventually, they’ll follow our lead and we’ll really start experiencing the haven of peace and joy a home should be.
Once again, that’s reciprocity.
WORDS TO REMEMBER:
“Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible — the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.” — Virginia Satir
This is one in a series of essays that was originally conceived as a book for print publication. If you enjoy it and would like to read more from the collection, you can find a sort of Table of Contents here.
