If the smallest care unit functions well, then most likely we will have a world of happy, steady individuals who take adversity as an opportunity to grow. Not succumb to bad habits that gradually eats them alive.

Psychology defines family as “the first natural environment in which the members that form it evolve and develop in affective, physical, intellectual and social terms, according to lived and internalized models” (Ortiz et al., 2017).

It’s a good definition, however, I find it incomplete. Because it leaves out how this external environment affects the members of the family. For instance, some such scenarios are listed below:

• If a parent comes home very stressed about a work meeting, that day’s dinner suffers. The family atmosphere of love and care suffers. And if this stress is perpetual, then family life goes out of the window.
• A grandparent is very sick, the hospital bills are piling on, and the insurance is hardly covering anything. Family is under financial hardship, but then again, this battle becomes a lonely fight.
• Some workers are paid so little that they have to work multiple jobs, both husband and wife. How is that family struggling to keep themselves and the childcare afloat, is again only their business.
• Teachers are paid so little for such an important task that even hurts to write about this.
• Individuals in the families are working so hard, handling the stress and politics at the workplace that stress trickles into the family’s well-being affecting the quality of the overall family.
• The wildfire was so bad this year, that the electricity was out for days, causing so much damage in day-to-day family affairs and some damages are irreparable.  
• Single Parents has his/her own set of hardships to pull off.

I can make a never-ending list of such scenarios. These examples showcase that a family’s well-being, for most days, is a very lonely affair. Each family’s needs are so unique that it is impossible to wrap all the granularities needed to establish a universal care system. However, there is a dire need for such a universal care system that understands the unique needs of different kinds of families. How can one understand such a large number of unique family needs?   

Stress levels are so high, especially now that both spouses work, and the lack of a thoughtful healthcare system, etc. barely allows an individual to understand their own needs first, then how can one expect him/her to understand other people’s needs in that family? We operate under the assumption that – A family understands the unique needs of the individuals that inhabit it. That is a HUGE assumption with lots of loopholes. However, we can make family certainly an abode where this assumption can be true, or at least a possibility. I think that is where the beauty of this concept of the smallest care unit in society becomes important.

I am not an expert, but have some thoughts about this subject. What we need is a conversation/discussion around the concept of the smallest unit of the care system. And this conversation should start very early on like at the school level with kids. What are the habits that can be established to take good care of one’s overall health even when external environments are not so supportive? How to make the right choices, when you are flooded with the wrong ones in the environment etc.? Slowly but steadily use this knowledge and develop oneself as an individual who can understand and help oneself first. We need to be very careful here; this system is to establish a system to clear clutter from one’s mind, which should never come at the cost of others. If done self-centeredly, then the whole point is moot.

The next step could be then to use that knowledge to establish a similar care system for their family members. This would help shape the internal environment of the family. Every individual in the family partakes in a similar process to contribute collectively to everyone’s growth.

Now, what about the external environment that influences it; this family is part of a bigger network of massive care units such as an employer, city, state, country, continent, and ultimately the world. The individual with a clear mind can understand what he/she needs to be a better citizen of any unit they belong to. He/She can vocalize the tools they need to contribute better in taking care of themselves and their families. For instance, when a ‘parent to be’ employee seeks the support of her organization to be part time with a full time salary, especially during their last trimester to get accustomed to new life changes coming their way, then the employee helps to make this new adjustment. This would cause some financial strain on the organization, so to accommodate such a system, governments can work with employers to share the financial loads, improve healthcare quality, etc.

This is a theory, but often these things come to my mind. I think we are marching towards the artificial intelligence phase with amazing results and capabilities that are on a growth trajectory, but are we forgetting to grow together? Your thoughts……

Please take good care of yourself, you lovelies…

Yours

Chitu