Division

Division is taking something that is whole and separating it into different pieces. Division could be very useful; pizza pies can be evenly split, workloads can be tackled by a group or team, and, through miracles, even an entire sea can be split right down the middle. Division is great under certain circumstances.

But sometimes, division is the last thing you want.

A family divided is probably the saddest and one of the most life-numbing experiences one can go through. In this world, where the ultimate meaning of life is unknown (but there are thousands of different theories..that's a topic for another day), you are blessed with a few things in life. Shelter, food, friends, and, most importantly, family. You need to keep loved ones close to you, no matter what the circumstances are.

For a quick sidenote, always, ALWAYS, respect your parents. And if you're parents aren't alive anymore, do them justice, ask yourself if your mom or dad would approve of your actions, and keep their honor.

Brothers and sisters are special: you grow up with them, go through good times of laughter, hard times of anger, yet in the end, they will still be your sibling. They entered the world through the same womb as you did. Sometimes fights can go too far, I've experienced this with my sister before. Tears may be shed, unkind, but mostly unmeant, curse words may be screamed, and in the heat of the moment, hate may take hold. But time simmers heat eventually, and that temporary hate gets over powered by the sibling bond that you share.

Or that's how it's supposed to play out at least. Other factors sometimes take hold.

Greed. Disloyalty. Jealousy.

These driving factors cause the hate to actually increase over time, blinding the siblings into forgetting where they came from. The childhood that they shared, the insane adversity (adversity at levels that I don't believe I could've been successful in) that they battled through, and the beautiful moments of family and love that thrive when there is no animosity between each other.

The siblings also forget that they are adults. That they have children to think of. In a weird plot twist, it isn't unusual that the children (aka the cousins), may act more mature than the adults. It isn't the adults' fault; hate has blinded them so strongly, and unfortunately, weakening one sense doesn't tremendously empower your other senses like in super hero movies. But this is why it is important to learn history in the classrooms, as we are taught to try to learn from past experiences and to avoid having the same disastrous results.

Which is why my sister and I have vowed to never let money, in-laws, or material things get in the way of our relationship.

And why my sister and I remain extremely close to our cousins, despite any family drama that may occur.

The lesson in all this is that you can't forget where you came from and the siblings that you grew up with, the ones who share the same DNA and blood as you. In the end, you are fighting over things that don't matter in the grand scheme of things. If you are religious, do you think there is a greater chance of you getting into Heaven if God sees that you have more money than some one else? Do you value your brothers and sisters, or can you live without talking to them for months, possibly years, at a time?

But most importantly, do you ever think of your parents? Would they approve of this? You really gotta ask yourself this and do some self-analysis.

Please just keep an open mind towards others, and learn how to forgive and move on.

Thanks.

Erick Julian