Good relationships, bad relationships

Letters

A RELATIONSHIP – regardless of whether it is romantic, diplomatic, family, social, peer, or something else – should bring peace and stability.
A relationship affects one’s moral and ethical attitude towards people one is in a relationship with.
And that can avoid conflicts and differences and encourage unity and peace.
However, of the many different types of relationships we have today, there are always problems of misunderstanding, selfishness, corruption, conflict of interest, etc.
And those problems lead to heartbreak, wars, disunity, divisions and hatred.
For instance, the Korean War (1950-53) broke out when Harry Truman, who was the United States president at the time, excluded North Korea in the relationship the US intended to have with the countries it intended to protect.
Wars and conflicts are the results of broken relationships, and so relationships need to be maintained and strengthened to avoid those conflicts.
And one way of doing that is by going back to the basics.
After birth, the first relationship we have is with the family, and that becomes for each of us the basis of all the relationships we have today.
If one has a stable family that relates well to each member, then one will know what to do when one becomes part of other relationships.
To be a good, loyal and honest members of other relationships depend on the type of family we come from.
Therefore, I wish to urge parents and upcoming parents to structure their families so that they can create an environment in the home that develops children’s moral and ethical behaviour towards all members of the family. Help them know their roles and responsibilities towards their family members.
Teach them how to solve conflicts at family levels.
Support them when family support is needed.
And that certainly can develop them to be responsible members of whatever relationships they become involved in later in life.

Jesse Dickson
Madang