Family Values

On page 17 of our book, Confucius talks about the importance of being a good family member. He believes that being a good family member also influences one's behavior towards other people, thus making the world a better place. He states that "The transformation of society begins with the cultivation of the self within the environment of the family" (17), again stressing the influences on society of a good family member and even goes on further to say that this behavior could effect government. This made me think about the societal effects of being a bad family member. Is it possible that today's divorce rates are causing a drop in the average quality of family members? And if so, is this having an impact on government, a government that people never seem to be happy with? Confucius notes that it is vital that we treat others as well as we treat family members. Clearly this is not evident in many places of the world, never mind government.