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COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHENING THE FAMILYBy Sean E. Brotherson1 |
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Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests and Participants, I would like to begin by thanking you for your attendance here, and greeting you with a traditional Arabic greeting, "May peace be upon you." While my Arabic is very limited and poor, I have also learned another language, Korean, and I would note that the traditional greeting in this language of Asia, "Annyonghashim-nikka?," means literally translated, "Are you in peace?" Perhaps peace in our hearts and our homes is the ultimate objective of these efforts to defend and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society. I offer my gratitude for this opportunity to NGO Family Voice, particularly Richard Wilkins, Dr. Terry Olson, Kay Balmforth, and Cory Leonard, for their untiring work and vision in bringing us together, and also to its sponsoring institution, Brigham Young University. This university is my alma mater, and for me, to come here is to come home. Let me begin with a brief introduction. I am an assistant professor of child development and family science at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota, and also the family life specialist for the state of North Dakota in its Cooperative Extension Service. This is a program designed to provide research and educational resources through the university to the citizens of our state (there are similar programs in all fifty of the United States and in many nations throughout the world), and one of its objectives is to strengthen families and communities. I have been involved in the study of families for some years on such topics as fathering, work and family relationships, and family stress, and more recently on how to strengthen individuals and families through family life education and family policy. These interests have brought me to cooperate with NGO Family Voice in some of its efforts as a professional resource. I have come to this conference to learn from you and to provide support, and am also accompanied by nearly a dozen other family professionals who are here for similar purposes. I will introduce them to you momentarily. Reasons to Strengthen the Family The family professionals who are here as resources to NGO Family Voice and all of you at this conference are often asked, "What is your reason for being involved in these efforts?" We are scholars committed to the family and also to the knowledge and wisdom required to strengthen families. We draw inspiration from a passage concerning knowledge and wisdom in the Latter-day Saint book of scripture known as the Doctrine and Covenants, which states that, "The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth." While we are scholars and professionals in family studies, religion, political science, and other disciplines, we believe that our understanding to strengthen families must be based in light and truth, which comes from God. We believe that knowledge attained through our study as scholars can be helpful and even critical in understanding and strengthening families, but we also combine it with the practical knowledge obtained through experience in family life and the spiritual knowledge attained through inspiration from heaven. A distinguished participant in these meetings, asked me why we feel joy and commitment here at BYU in our lives and efforts. I could only say, "Because of our faith in God and our spirituality." This guest agreed with me. We come from different religious backgrounds and different cultures, but I believe our hearts beat as one in this understanding. We are committed to strengthening the family because it is not only the fundamental unit of society, but as stated in the Proclamation on the Family by the LDS Church, "the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." A second reason is our belief in a maxim that has been well stated concerning the health of society: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men and women to do nothing." When I am asked if working to defend and strengthen the family through international law and policy is really important, I am forced to ask myself: Shall we do nothing and wait to find out if it is important? Shall we wait until there is no longer an opportunity for us to speak? If not us, then who? If not now, when? We believe that strengthening families requires both the voice of defense and the power of love. A third reason for our commitment to strengthening the family is because of the truth that each act of ours influences those around us and society at large for good or ill. As Dr. Terry Olson has stated so eloquently in his presentation, "We have discovered, that in human endeavors, every act in the present moment is an act for or against the next generation." We live and breathe and create healthy family relationships by our every act in the present moment. We choose to love others or only ourselves by our every act in the present moment. But I have also learned from you who speak with commitment and passion about the family at this conference, that every act in the present moment is not only an act for or against the next generation, but every act in the present moment is also an act for or against the past generation. Resources to Strengthen the Family One of the purposes of the World Family Policy Forum is to develop the resources needed to strengthen the family, in particular, the human resources of shared commitment, understanding, and cooperation. We hope that meeting here together provides an opportunity to begin and further many relationships that can be joined to create a united effort to preserve and strengthen the family. In addition, we hope to provide you with an understanding of the resources available to you in these efforts. I represent a number of family professionals and scholars who share an interest in being a resource to NGO Family Voice and also to others in understanding and strengthening the family. I chair a national network of such scholars and professionals, and through our communication we are able to identify needs or opportunities to strengthen families and then individually provide our support in meeting those needs or opportunities. For example, if you were interested in receiving support related to strengthening fathers in family life in your context, you might contact me or NGO Family Voice and we could communicate that information. I know of over two dozen scholars who study that topic and have an understanding of family life education and family policy efforts on that topic that could be contacted, and who have experiences across cultures from China to Canada and from Jordan to Nigeria. Short biographies of the individuals who have been here at this conference, meeting with you and learning how they might be more helpful, are included in the binders which you have received. Let me have those who are here stand and I will briefly introduce them. These are professionals and scholars who are willing to be of assistance not only in shaping family policy, but also in broader efforts to strengthen the family in society within your many specific contexts. Some of the resources prepared for this conference on family policy or other family issues were developed by these individuals. For example, in the Friday section of your binder is a short article on Critical Parenting Practices that was based on work by Dr. H. Wallace Goddard, who is here today, and which is derived from a national model for parent education developed in the United States that is used across this nation and also in many other nations. If you would like to discuss parenting, parent education, or programs for adolescent development, he is here to speak with you and is available as a resource. As another example, one of our participants, Dr. Marcus Martins from Brazil, a professor of religion and sociology at Ricks College, is a scholar of religion and sociology who has the effect of social and economic change on families. That has been discussed as a major theme at this-conference by many of the participants. He is another resource. We have included resources on the development of international family policy, family strengths and resiliency, and other topics. I hope that you will feel free to contact any of us now and in the future directly or through NGO Family Voice. Conclusion Let me conclude by saying that in order for us to be helpful in these efforts, we need your feedback and your input. We must hear your voices and understand your needs and concerns. Please provide us with that feedback through the forms provided to you at this conference and other means. One of the great commandments given by God to the prophet Moses was, "Honor thy father and mother." This is, in essence, a commandment to honor the family. We believe in this commandment and this cause, for no success can compensate for failure in our homes, for they are the seedbed of a virtous and good society. It is for those of us whose hearts are drawn out to God for the blessings He has given us, and whose lives and made rich and joyous because of our familial commitments, to honor the family, to defend the family, and to strengthen the family. We believe that can be assisted through research, education, and advocacy, which we offer, but even more fully through our trust, cooperation, diligence, and love for one another, our families, and our God. Thank you. |
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1. Sean E. Brotherson, Extension Family Science Specialist, EML 283, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA 58105. Phone: (701) 231-6143. E-mail: sbrother@ndsuext.nodak.edu - please feel free to contact me on matters of interest or concern related to family issues, family life education, and/or family policy. |
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