CNY : Visiting Relatives …

Of course, they are many aspects of CNY. Maybe today, I just write a little bit about visiting relatives during CNY.

Relatives, like branches of a family, are supposed (could be) the ones who can help us unconditionally in times of need. It’s miraculous (maybe difficult to fully comprehend) that just such blood-link can draw such power.

Yet, I heard too many (gladly, not all) people (especially the teens, even the younger adults, okay even many older adults) complaining (verbal or in writing) about how meaningless it is to visit relatives during CNY.

These people who dislike it have their reasons.
- Only see these relatives once a year.
- Don’t feel connected.
- They asked the same questions every year.
- Boring to be around so many people you hardly know well enough.
- Could use the time for other more interesting things.
- Feels bound by senseless traditions.
- and so on..

Mm… Some thoughts came to my mind.

(1) Who are the ones limiting to the number of visits in order to know our relatives better? Probably ourselves. Of course, we have reasons for not visiting. We are all so busy working for bread and butter, and sometimes even neglect the people staying under the same roof as us. Heh… So, if we regard them as relatives that we should know better, maybe we should take initiative to make time for visit, not just during CNY, but anytime.

(2) Maybe many people feel they don’t need the relatives for assistance anyway, and so the drifting apart doesn’t really bother them that much. It’s cold, isn’t it? Mm.. Do human comes together on the “need” basis?

(3) The feeling of non-connectedness… the feeling of boredom around relatives. Oh well, this I can’t say much, especially when the chemistry is already waning. But for sure, if nothing is done, or nothing happens, it can only fade away even more. Haha.. I always think that how interesting any meeting could turn out, we can play an active part. In other words, if the meeting turns out boring, maybe we are the boring ones.

(4) Traditions are around for some reasons. I would agree some are senseless, or rather no longer appropriate in our time. Sometimes, I even like to challenge that our people were surviving just as well before any particular tradition was set. Plus, people without our tradition are also surviving just as well now. Haha.. Of course, tradition goes beyond “surviving well”. Maybe, it’s also a kind of identity we like to keep and call ourselves Chinese, Malay or Indian accordingly. Visiting relatives is well practiced amongst all religions and races of mankind. The interesting thing is : if we don’t bother to even visit during festive seasons, maybe we wouldn’t during any other time also.

(5), (6), (7), ...

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Beside visiting relatives, another good thing would be visiting friends. :o)

I'm writing too much already. I know it's boring writing too. Haha..

Nonetheless, hope you all have a great rat year ahead. :o)