Synonymy between Family and Heaven

As soon as the word ‘heaven’ strikes our ears door the first thing that comes to mind is

choirs of angels singing, people with spotless white clothes, flying shiny unicorns and other

things alike. But thinking about it seriously our image differs. Heaven according to the Oxford

Dictionary is “the place believed to be the home of God where good people go when they die:

the Kingdom of God.” This can be one explanation; but what are the other things we hear about

heaven? Some say heaven is a state of being and not a physical place; some say it is a fantasy or

imagination created by certain individuals to cozy themselves. Some others say heaven is a

concept created by morally sound people to scare those who do not live a moral life. Many are of

the opinion that heaven is participation in the life of the Trinity. These are all noble thoughts but

there is also a big group of people who believe that heaven can be present even on earth. These

people believe that heaven is a place where everybody lives peacefully, helping and loving each

other. Heaven need not be some place out there. It can be right here but this requires love and

sacrifice.

What is a family? A family according to Oxford Dictionary is a “group consisting of one

or two parents and their children.” This is the formal meaning of the term family but what is

family according to the common man or woman? Family is a group of people living together,

united in love and responsible for each other’s wellbeing. They may or may not be related by

blood ties.

When we speak of “family”, a sociologist will say it is ‘the basic unit of society’, a

psychologist would say it’s ‘the place where the child feels safest’, an educationist would say it’s

‘the first school of an individual’, a religious or a devout person would say ‘a cradle of love’, a

person living on the peripheries would say it’s the ‘support system of a person’; the list goes on

and on. Each person or group has a different opinion regarding family, but the fact remains that

family is a necessity for a healthy and happy life. If given a chance to propagate my idea of

family, I would compare it to a breath (the air we breathe). We need it the most but we don’t

realize its presence. We know or realize its importance only when it is taken away from us. We

do not make any effort to take care or know about it, but unconsciously we reap the benefits.

Every person may have a different opinion or a perspective about family but it surely boils down

to love, care and security.

A normal or a so called ideal family consists of father, mother and children, but there are

also extended families with their own positive and negative points. The family is or will be

peaceful if each member does what he or she ought to do. Nowadays we see people doing their

aptitude tests to know the right job or field of studies they will be good at. There are some

women who show very high potential in office work or business, will her family life be a

disaster? This depends; there are some very understanding families where husband and wife

complement each other. In the traditional sense, women ought to do house-hold chores and men

to work and earn for the family. But when a woman is more inclined to business there occurs a

problem in an Indian family not because she is not a good mother but because she does not fit

into the mould created by society for her. The movie Ki and Ka is a very good example of how

there can be a happy family even after man and woman switch their roles in the family. The

problem is not with who does what, but with what we think we /they ought to do. Sometimes it

so happens in the family that a member insists on certain practices so much, by showing hope of

heavenly life that the family becomes a hell on earth.

Heaven is not just a bi-product of living a good life on earth. If instead of living for

ourselves we begin living, keeping in mind the good of our family we can surely bring a change

and there won’t be need to wait to die to enjoy heaven. Heaven can be here on earth. And the

family is the closest and the most possible place that can be a heaven on earth.