Rebuilding Our Families, The Importance of Shelter

The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families.
Families are being blamed for our cultural crisis. This is due to the media. Non-reciprocal relationships are being developed with celebrities. This prevents families from developing relationships within a community that shares or at least back up our values. Television does teach values and behavior, but they aren’t”t our own. And those values aren’t what we want our children to be learning.
Our crisis is also due to culture and personality. Information that was once only available to adults is now accessible by all. Television news is shown at a time when parents are preoccupied with ending their day. They may want to wind down or are cooking dinner. They are in a state of mind where they aren’t fully aware of what their child is watching. The lead stories and headlines of newspapers are often about crime, whether it is murder, assault, drugs, etc. Since the media has made us all equal, we are becoming a culture that is preoccupied with ourselves. We see commercials and think what can that product do for me.
Our cultural crisis is based on beliefs about families. A pastor once said in his sermon, “Home is where they have to let you in.” Family use to mean blood relatives. Today people are often separated from families, whether by choice or distance. They try to form their own families with friends. These formed families are not permanent. You do not have automatic acceptance into a group that is regardless of merit. People also move away. And they do not have to invite you to Thanksgiving or give you a loan until payday. We are encouraged to be independent in a time when we need to be dependent.
Families are being hurt by therapy. Therapy usually consists of a one-on-one relationship between a doctor and the patient. Without meeting all of the individuals involved, some therapists will base their findings on the one-sided view of the patient.