What makes a family happy?

What makes a family happy?

Abstract

Happiness in families depends on various factors. These factors can usually be overcome in order to live a happy life. Some people have the view that families cannot live happily while there are others who believe that families do face issues in life but living a happy life is possible with the effort from every member. God has made every family member different from one another and the same way he loves us, he demands that family members should love and care for each other in order to live a happy life. Life is always full of difficulties therefore it is the duty of the husband and wife to set an example and take the family out of all issues.

Introduction

Tolstoy's quotation “happy families are all alike; even unhappy family is unhappy in their own way” is the opening line in the novel Anna Karenina which suggests that he believes that every family is unhappy because of various reasons; these may be failure in love, life, or any other failure. However, he also believes that all happy families have things in common that distinguishes them from others. It is due to the hardships faced by certain family members that life changes but the biggest problem is when a family member causing harm to the entire family. In such cases, it becomes difficult to life a happy life (Tolstoy, 2009).

Discussion

In certain ways Tolstoy is correct that God created families in a different way and each of them has its own characteristics that distinguish them from others. This relationship should be based on love and understanding just the way God loves us and understands us; but this is not the case. In most situations, families argue for minor issues which eventually swell to form major issues that can impact the entire family. In such situations, it is best to calm things down so that the family can relate back to the bond and close the differences that exist. This shows that it is possible for families to live happily if they make an effort. This goes against Tolstoy's claim that it is not possible to certain families to live happily (Wasiolek, 1978).

The problem with Tolstoy's claim is that he highlights the fact that it is very unnatural for families to live happily due to which unhappiness remains in the lives of the family. He does not ...