The Nature and Dynamics of Family Life

By Richard Demeritte

In today’s twenty-first century, we live in a world of perfect means, but confused goals. There is a crisis in the world momentarily, which is unpredictable as politics and uncontrollable as inflation. It is the breakdown of morality and discipline in the home and ultimately the family.

Behind this background, the times are confusing and young people everywhere are searching for a standard to believe in, an example to follow and a world they can relate to. In this atmosphere, it is important for the family to preserve society for upcoming youth as the society can only be as strong as the family.

Regrettably, as you look around at your fellow human beings, you find it hard to ignore the fact that very few are fulfilled and leading focused lives. Most of them are unable to cope with their problems and the circumstances of daily living. The majority settling for the average, having resigned themselves to, “just getting by.”

Acceptance to mediocrity has become a way of life. The feeling of inadequacy causes them to blame society, people, circumstances and surrounding conditions for their failure and disappointments. The idea that people and things control their lives is so ingrained in their thinking that they normally will not respond to logical arguments.

There is a growing awareness that if democracy is to survive and its precious strength are not to be strangled by international and internal chaos, then we must get on with the work of constructively analyzing our family system.

Our thinking must then be from the concern of quantity, toward attention of quality and from the concept of individuality, toward the concept of interdependence.

Planning must be aware of its origin in hope, as hope is nurtured by images of the future that we desire. To refuse to hope is an act of disloyalty against our humanity, as hope is always the future now. To hope is to evoke the future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984554789

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Richard Demeritte.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 09/26/2018

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

757275

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

1 The Family: The World’s Oldest Organization

2 The Biblical Structure of the Family

3 Parenting

4 Key Ingredients for Effective Parenting

Conclusion

Bibliography

About the Author

Family Collage 1

Family Collage 2

Image%201.jpg

To my beautiful wife and my two brilliant daughters who have made me proud as a husband, father and grandfather. They always comfort and console me without complaints or interference while continually lending their support.

FOREWORD

Ever since my good friend Richard Demeritte told me just over a year ago that he was going to write a book on the nature and significance of the family, I have been anticipating its completion. It was always his conviction that if democracy was to survive and its precious strength not to be strangled by international and internal chaos, then we must get on with the work of constructively analysing our family system.

He derived this insight from his experience as a global diplomat, having served as his nation’s ambassador and statesman in the United Kingdom and a number of nations within the European Economic Community. In addition, he and his wife Ruth have successfully raised their own family, producing outstanding professionals who today serve in significant positions in building their own families and nation. This undoubtedly qualifies him to write his book, and to affirm that nations develop and are preserved out of families both generationally and corporately.

Carl Wilson in his classic book, Our dance has turned to death (1979) warned the American people about the threatening disintegration of the society. He saw the same indicators identifying the common pattern of family decline in the waning civilizations of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.

We cannot afford today to reduce the family merely to be a sociological phenomenon, a relativistic cultural expression, an economic convenience or a psychological hospice. The family is a