Cycles and Circles

I want to start by saying there is good and bad all over. That is the way it is in rural Alaska villages too. There are some good people and there are some people with problems.Working as a drug and alcohol counselor I see a lot of the bad side of life. What I see and noticed is that violence and abuse is a cycle. If young kids grow up watching violence and abuse in the home they are at higher risk themselves.What some kids see as normal, the rest of us consider dysfunctional. What I grew up with as normal is everyone helps out, contributes, are open and honest with each other, and supports each other. Not all families pass on these values. To have a healthy society we need healthy families.

Some characteristics of healthy families are: members can go outside of the family unit for help when needed, personal boundaries are set and respected, family roles are well defined and followed, the family unit supports all it’s members physically, emotionally and spiritually, knowledge is passed down through generations to help ensure the survival of the family unit, and each member is valued for their strengths, knowledge and potential.

We need to work together to raise up all members of our society and make sure good family values are passed on to the next generation.