Lately I've thought about relationships a lot, mostly relationships with family and friends. A proverb that kept coming to mind is one many of us have heard often growing up. "Blood is thicker than water". For those who don't know this proverb, it implies that family ties will always trump other relationships that you make with people that you aren't biologically related to. As I pondered on this, I made an analysis of the properties and importance of blood and water (be warned that this is a very simplistic analysis).
Blood is vital to a human's survival. As long as we are alive, we need to have blood running through our veins. When we have too little blood, or when our blood doesn't function as it ought to, there's a big problem. I believe this is the same with family. We are born with family, and generally our families are a given- an integral part of our lives that has certain functions. When things are not well in the family, it's a big problem for most of us. Inevitably, it adversely affects us in one way or another. So yes, blood is definitely important and essential.
What happens when you lose a lot of blood or when there is a problem with your blood? Usually, you need a blood transfusion. Isn't it amazing how you can get blood from a total stranger just because you share a blood type? And isn't it also amazing that sometimes your own siblings might not be able to give you their blood because it's not compatible? What does this mean in terms of relationships? Some people become 'your blood' because they were there to give you what you needed when your own 'blood' couldn't. How often have you had friends or even total strangers provide life-giving words or resources when your own family couldn't? This revelation completely changed my definition of who my 'blood' is.
Enough about blood! Let's look at this so-called 'weak' water. How many of you can live without water for a prolonged period? I know I can't! I'm sure you've heard the expression, "Water is life". It is a basic need and without it, we will die. So here's the question: Is blood more important than water? I don't think so! I need to drink two to three litres of water everyday. When I don't I feel that something is missing because I get this thing called thirst. I believe I need my friendships just as much. I need regular doses of my friends to keep me going.
So we've established that both blood and water are vital, but isn't it funny how our blood is there but we hardly ever think about it? Usually we think about our blood when we see it- i.e. when we cut ourselves or something. On the other hand, most of us think about water at least once a day. It could be when you get thirsty, or just when you need a bath :-). Now here's an interesting point: blood is 70% water. If family is blood and friendship is water, it just means that friendship is a vital part of family! I guess that's why one has better relationship with some relatives than others, because some of my 'blood' are also my 'water', but the others are platelets and whatever else.
Now here's a twist. H.C. Trumbull Wrote:
My conclusion? I'm just happy that I have blood and water! So here's to my blood, to my water and to my milk! I love you all and am grateful for the roles you all play in my life.
Blood is vital to a human's survival. As long as we are alive, we need to have blood running through our veins. When we have too little blood, or when our blood doesn't function as it ought to, there's a big problem. I believe this is the same with family. We are born with family, and generally our families are a given- an integral part of our lives that has certain functions. When things are not well in the family, it's a big problem for most of us. Inevitably, it adversely affects us in one way or another. So yes, blood is definitely important and essential.
What happens when you lose a lot of blood or when there is a problem with your blood? Usually, you need a blood transfusion. Isn't it amazing how you can get blood from a total stranger just because you share a blood type? And isn't it also amazing that sometimes your own siblings might not be able to give you their blood because it's not compatible? What does this mean in terms of relationships? Some people become 'your blood' because they were there to give you what you needed when your own 'blood' couldn't. How often have you had friends or even total strangers provide life-giving words or resources when your own family couldn't? This revelation completely changed my definition of who my 'blood' is.
Enough about blood! Let's look at this so-called 'weak' water. How many of you can live without water for a prolonged period? I know I can't! I'm sure you've heard the expression, "Water is life". It is a basic need and without it, we will die. So here's the question: Is blood more important than water? I don't think so! I need to drink two to three litres of water everyday. When I don't I feel that something is missing because I get this thing called thirst. I believe I need my friendships just as much. I need regular doses of my friends to keep me going.
So we've established that both blood and water are vital, but isn't it funny how our blood is there but we hardly ever think about it? Usually we think about our blood when we see it- i.e. when we cut ourselves or something. On the other hand, most of us think about water at least once a day. It could be when you get thirsty, or just when you need a bath :-). Now here's an interesting point: blood is 70% water. If family is blood and friendship is water, it just means that friendship is a vital part of family! I guess that's why one has better relationship with some relatives than others, because some of my 'blood' are also my 'water', but the others are platelets and whatever else.
Now here's a twist. H.C. Trumbull Wrote:
"We, in the West, are accustomed to say that "blood is thicker than water" ; but the Arabs have the idea that blood is thicker than milk, than a mother's milk. With them, any two children nourished at the same breast are called " milk-brothers," or "sucking brothers"; and the tie between such is very strong. [..] But the Arabs hold that brothers in the covenant of blood are closer than brothers at a common breast; that those who have tasted each other's blood are in a surer covenant than those who have tasted the same milk together ; that "blood-lickers," as the blood-brothers are sometimes called, are more truly one than "milk-brothers," or "sucking brothers"; that, indeed, blood is thicker than milk, as well as thicker than water."In this case, family is 'milk' and friends are 'blood', and blood is still thicker. So again we've come back to the question: Who is my blood?
My conclusion? I'm just happy that I have blood and water! So here's to my blood, to my water and to my milk! I love you all and am grateful for the roles you all play in my life.
I love this line of thought. I agree that to some degree one cannot choose their biological family but they can choose their, for lack of a better word, spiritual family which is non restrictive and can consists of blood relatives, friends and workmates.
ReplyDeleteLovely piece my blood, milk and water;-)