The title of this prompt made me remember a South African TV series that I recently watched which is titled "Blood & Water," this movie showcased series of events where family fight and all, they they still stood as one which was a clear demonstration that no matter what happens, family always comes first, and where I grew up, we also have this popular saying, "Blood is thicker than water." But with what I have seen around, I do not think that saying is applicable to everyone.
From what I have seen around, I have seen two siblings fighting over a land left behind by their late father, and I have seen some people doing charms to each other just to claim an inheritance and even the smallest thing from their household. Maybe because of the type of cultural environment of a thing, I can't really say. And I have seen some people who just grew up together or met in school with no bloodline connection grow up together and stand together in sorrow and happiness.
I remember a time when I was in school, a close friend of mine who is not practicing the same religion as mine was there for me when I was finding some courses very challenging; he would even sacrifice his time to put me through some things. He did more for me than even those who I usually call my “blooda” can do. That moment made me rethink how I view the blood ties.
But with all these, will I say family does not matter? Definitely no. Family is everything to me in a way that I always feel I belong, with deep roots and culture. But some things like trust, honesty, love, and loyalty are not about bloodline; in fact, they must be earned because a bloodline can betray, while some I call my brother will go all in for me to defend.
However, what I stand on is that each other's family should be cherished, but we should not close our eyes and worship them blindly. Because someone who you call your sibling with a bad character can drain you, but a brother from another mother could easily be there for you at every step of the journey. And like I usually say, calling someone my family does not mean we are related by blood; it means those people who choose to stay in good and bad times—when life gets real.
Thank you for reading.
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