family unity essay spm

SPM Essay Writing Guide – Format, Examples

The SPM exam is a challenging time for Malaysian students. It’s an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and skills, but it can also be confusing as the requirements are constantly changing. For example, this year there is no essay marking scheme provided by the Ministry of Education or any other official source on how essays should be assessed. This blog post will guide how to write an engaging essay that is sure to impress your teacher and get you top marks.

What is SPM?

The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), or the Malaysian Certificate of Education, is a national examination taken by all fifth-form secondary school students in Malaysia. It was created to test what they have been learning over their course of study and aspires them for higher education opportunities abroad.

Malaysians take the SPM exam that is set and examined by a Malaysian Examinations Syndicate. This Syndicate is also known as Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia. The education system in Malaysia can be completed after passing this test, which is equivalent to O-levels at the secondary school level. It’s compulsory for those seeking tertiary education before taking it; only then will they have an idea of what field of study suits them best. The age for completion of this public examination is 18 years old and students must pass it to be eligible for higher education.

The syndicate has made Bahasa Malaysia, English (Bahasa inggeris), Islamic studies, moral studies, history, and mathematical reading a compulsion for the students.

The Islamic studies subject is a compulsion for Muslim candidates. And moral studies are compulsory for non-Muslim candidates. The science coursework is common and compulsion to all students, but you can choose your elective subjects from these core courses below:

• Arts And Health- Music education, visual arts education, and sports science knowledge.
• Language And Literature- Malay literature, English literature, Chinese language, Arabic language(advanced), Chinese, Tamil, Iban, Arabic language for communication, English for science and technology, Chinese literature, Tamil literature, French language, and Punjabi language.
• Technical And Vocational- Agricultural science, home economics, engineering drawing, mechanical engineering studies, invention, food management, fashion design, engineering technology, domestic constructions, automobile servicing, etc.
• Science and Mathematics- additional Mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, additional science, information and communication, and applied science.
• Social Science And Religion- Business, entrepreneurial studies, principles of accounting, basic economics, Islamic worldviews, AL-Quran and As-Sunnah education, bible knowledge, etc.

SPM Essay Format

SPM essay writing is divided into two parts, part A and part B

Part A- This section is where you’ll be writing an essay, a report, or a letter. You’re given 45 minutes to answer this and it’s compulsory for you as only one question will bring in 35 marks- so make sure not to skip over the questions! Your examiner may award 3/35 points for your format, 12/35 points on content, and 20 out of 35 if they think that your language (grammar) is good enough.

Part B – This is the section where you apply all your knowledge of writing skills. It’s also a place to study grammar rules and how they work. Take some time now before we dive in so that by taking this bird’s eye view of it, you’ll know what to expect from this portion of our coursework.

• You will be given five options and you have to opt for only one.
• 60 minutes will be given to students to read all the questions thoroughly and plan key points for the same.
• This part carries 50 marks.

How to Write SPM Essay

Introductory paragraph:.

• Always write general information to write an introductory paragraph.
• Write at least 6-7 sentences.
• Use proper grammar, punctuation, and correct spelling.

Body Paragraph:

• Write at least the main idea
• 3-4 supporting details
• One conclusion paragraph
• Write 40-50 words
• Use correct grammar, correct spellings, and punctuation marks

Concluding Paragraph:

• Restate all the main ideas in a brief
• Write synonyms to restate your idea

SPM Essay Writing Tips

• Read all the questions wisely, some students make mistakes while selecting the question and later regret that they could have handled the other questions with much ease.
• Must choose a topic you are familiar with.
• Plan your essay like outline/ideas/thoughts/supporting points etc.
• Write sentences of different lengths a short sentence looks better after the long one.
• Always write neat and clean must use bullet points etc.
• Pay strict attention to the length of an essay, you have to write no less than 350 words if you write less than that, then you will be penalized, also never write extend your essay from 600- to 1000 words the more you write, the more the mistakes will happen.
• Always spare 10 minutes to proofread and edit an essay.
• After opting for a topic for an essay you can either write descriptive, narrative, reflective, descriptive, argumentative/persuasive, or factual/expository), but according to my suggestion always choose a narrative essay because another one requires a lot of knowledge of current issues.

Types of SPM Essays

The types of essays in SPM are:-

• Narrative essay- To write an interesting narrative essay often needs the right ingredients – just as cooking up a plate of curry masala does. The first thing about writing such essays is one’s creative imagination; so long as they are imaginative enough and think out of their box, then any story becomes more exciting than ever.
• Descriptive essay- a descriptive essay is an essay that aims to describe one’s viewpoint of the world through observations and feelings. The goal of this type of essay is to provide a vivid portrayal of the subject to get readers excited about what they are reading.
• Factual Essay- A factual essay is a non-fiction form of writing that is typically used when discussing some point relating to science or history. Factual essays are very similar to research papers in structure and format; however, they both vary in the use of citations and footnotes.
• Reflective Essay- A reflective essay is a personal essay that focuses on the writer’s reflection about an event, experience, or topic. The goal of this type of essay is typically to think critically and deeply about something which has been experienced by the writer.
• Persuasive Essay- Persuasive essays are a common way to voice opinions and sway readers. Readers will often disagree, which is why writers need to present their point of view as persuasively as possible with evidence from research or arguments that the reader can’t refute.

Topics for SPM Essay

• Illustrate an adventurous activity that has been done recently. Describe the preparation you have done before that and how was your experience?
• Describe your College reunion of yours; explain how memorable for you it was?
• Describe the project conducted at your school and you have played the most important role, what was your experience with that?
• Should parents give freedom to children? Discuss
• Write a story about a neighbour who is very popular in your neighbourhood. Discuss the reasons that make the neighbour popular and what other residents think of the popular neighbour.
• Write a story about a young successful farmer who is very generous. End your story with: “My friends and I learned a lot, especially the meaning of generosity.”

SPM Essay Example for Malaysian Students

Schools and universities have turned to online classes during this pandemic. Your teacher asked about your experience with online classes.

In the wake of an infectious disease outbreak, Malaysia has had to change how its students are getting educated. The COVID-19 virus is spreading rapidly in schools and villages across Asia; as a result, many Malaysian children have been forced into remote learning for fear that they will come into contact with someone infected by this highly contagious pathogen. These changes force educators all over the world to switch from traditional teaching methods– instructing pupils face-to-face or via webcam–to online coursework where the distance between teacher and student is not just social but physical too. Some Malaysian kids accept these new conditions readily while others may be struggling with adapting because it’s difficult adjusting without close human interaction on a day today.

I reap the benefits of Online education, first of all, you will spend less than in traditional classrooms, you can easily communicate with your teacher, you will gain new technical skills, you can gain better self-motivation, and enjoy a broader perspective.

The demerits of Online learning are that it can cause social isolation, it also needs strong self-motivation and time management skills, lack of communication skills, preventing mischievous activity can be complicated, teacher-focused only on theoretical knowledge, not on practical, E-learning lack face to face communication.

With the unprecedented virus covid-19, safe to say that online learning is the best alternative we have now. In the future, I would opt for classroom learning it has various plus points that E-learning cannot replace.

Buy SPM Well-written Essay from Reliable Essay Helpers

Hope you have completely understood the guide to the SPM essay.

Assignment Writer Malaysia is staffed by a team of writers who are experts in the Marketing and business field, holding master’s degrees or PhDs. These professional homework writers can assist  with case study writing for your marketing projects as well as thesis support at an affordable price point.

Turn to a Freelance assignment writer if you want help on any company project from top-tier professionals! Our essay writers know academic requirements inside out, so they can deliver research topics that meet all student’s needs. Not only are we staffed by professional writers, but they also have the know-how of Marketing and Business to provide assistance with case study work as well as thesis support at an affordable price point.

Buy Custom Written Academic Papers From Malaysia Assignment Helpers

Related Post

50000+ Orders Delivered

4.9/5 5 Star Rating

Confidential & Secure

Group Assignment Help

Online Exam -Test & Quiz

Cheapest Price Quote

Diploma & Certificate Levels

Semester & FYP Papers

Summative & Individual

GBA & Reflective

Last Minute Assistance

UP TO 15 % DISCOUNT

Instant Paper Writing Services by Native Malaysia Writers

Get Assistance for Assignments, online Exam, and Projects Writing

Importance of Family in Society Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

The family institution has always played an essential role in forming society, civilization, and culture. The definition of family has changed throughout the history, and the reason for this was various factors: from ancient religious concepts and philosophies to modern political ideologies and economics. However, this essay provides a look at a family from a particular perspective. The family both forms and changes the worldview of parents who have taken responsibility for people close to them, and it brings up the children born in it as well. Thus, a family is two or more people united by love for each other and, most importantly, by strength and will to take responsibility for each other.

Family values, in their essence, have several elements necessary to create a strong foundation of mutual understanding and dialogue within the group. The central family values ​​include, for example, internal ones: the unity of culture and faith in the family, mutual understanding, love, and support between parents and children. Moreover, dialogue between all family members is significant because mutual understanding and communication are the essential elements of any strong relationship between people. External values are of no lesser meaning; these imply autonomy from the influence of the state and information coming from mass media. Additionally, public school education, school clubs, communities of children, and other activities imposed by the state fall into this category. The influence of these organizations alienates a person from the family, making them operators of political interests that encourage fragmentation within small communities and ideological centralization. To summarize, family values ​​comprise adherence to its firm foundation, consisting of love, shared views and dialogue within it, and autonomy from external influences outside it.

Next, responsibility plays an essential role in the formation of a healthy family. First of all, the authority of the parents as the prominent family members is relevant to this question. Family life for many modern people seems to be a heavy burden, which is easier to quit than to continue the long and challenging building of a strong union. This view comes from numerous factors inherent in modern society, mired in infantilism, skepticism, and reckless atheism, depriving a person of any responsibility to himself and community. Parents are responsible not only for their partners or children. More importantly, parents are responsible for themselves and their will, which keeps the family together. Thus, each parent’s responsibility is to be a person who can maintain the family’s coherence.

On the other hand, children have a colossal responsibility before their families. Sometimes this responsibility is higher than the parental responsibility even. Children might not meet the parents’ expectations to a great extent but instead accept the proper care, time, and resources that have been given to them. However, children succumb to the most crucial test of their will due to childish frivolity and youthful maximalism and the strength of those convictions that their parents helped them find. Therefore, children are responsible for themselves and the proper use of the family’s opportunities, which is sometimes difficult and requires discipline.

As to the discipline, there is a misconception that it should be supported by a steady hand, violence, and emotional pressure on children and partners. This approach has shown its inconsistency throughout the entire history of civilized humankind. For example, research from Howarth et al. (272) reveals that domestic violence “is associated with a significant risk to children’s physical and psychological safety and well‐being across the lifespan.” The key to maintaining discipline without aggression and trauma is dialogue, which includes communication, joint problem solving and discussing essential family members’ life details. In brief, a key to healthy discipline is dialogue instead of punishment and other violent actions among family members.

As a result, a particular foundation is needed for conducting a dialogue and determining the moral and ethical conditions. As such, religion dominates the family and acts as a vital factor in the consolidation and direction of family members’ development. In this essay, the suggested belief system is Christianity for several reasons. The basis of religion is love and compassion; this and the simple way of explaining humanistic values and Christian life in a community imply the importance of dialogue. Faith within the family allows for a discussion within the framework of common morality and ethics, allowing each member to reveal the essence of their thoughts and ideas. Thus, religion creates a moral and ethical consensus in the family, creating a general framework for discourse and setting its vector.

It could be seen that such a perception of the institution of the family is prevalent. In this context, the words of William Bennett (par. 5) are relevant: “it is the values ​​that a child is taught that will more determine that child’s fate”. Looking at modern society, one can notice that the influence of the family is the most critical factor of the personality, both in its initial period and in later life. In his article, Bennett reveals the issue of the family from the point of view, nowadays defined as “conservative.” This is reflected in criticism of the school system and popular culture in the lives of children. In short, Bennett considers the family’s moral and ethical ideals and imperative concepts to be the family’s foundation.

In addition, Bennett also expresses ideas about what positively affects the family in general and children in particular. His ideas include a strong religious and cultural unity within the family. Furthermore, he emphasizes a responsible and humanistic approach of parents to the upbringing of their children, i.e., guidance and upbringing with love and care, instead of harsh prescription and aggression. It also describes a critical element of the family: two parents, especially a father, in the process of raising a child. This is explained by the fact that in modern society, the irresponsible approach of parents to conceiving a child and forming a family leads to the absence of paternal guidance and maternal care. It is this that most fully corresponds to the definition of family discussed in this essay. Hence, Bennett’s position insists on the fundamental factors of family formation in the face of a humanistic approach and love and the presence of fatherhood and motherhood in education.

In conclusion, the family is the foundation of society, allowing an individual to live harmoniously, develop and stick together with people close to her, based on personal responsibility, love, and mutual understanding. Family values ​​are essential since they create relationships in a group, allowing the family to conduct a dialogue and understand each other. Importantly, dialogue requires mutual support; discipline and faith are critical for the comfortable living of several individuals in a unity named family. It is generally held together by the responsibility of both parents and children and the humanism and communication of its members.

Works Cited

Bennet, William. “Remarks by William Bennet — The Forerunner.” The Forerunner . Web.

Howarth, Emma, et al. “Towards an Ecological Understanding of Readiness to Engage With Interventions for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence and Abuse: Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis of Perspectives of Children, Parents and Practitioners.” Health & Social Care in the Community , vol. 27, no. 2, 2018, pp. 271–92. Crossref . Web.

• Alice Walker’s Beauty: Accident From Childhood
• Personal Social Work Practice Skills and Field Experience
• The "Should Drugs Be Legalized?" Essay by Bennett
• "Should Drugs Be Legalized?" Essay by Bennett
• Literature Studies: "Alas, Poor Ghost" by G. Bennett
• Experience and Resilience: Connection
• Personal Prosocial Behaviors During the Day
• Elusive Nature of Dreams: A Personal Exploration
• Cultural Competence and Cultural Humility
• Personal Experience With the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, October 23). Importance of Family in Society. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-family-in-society/

"Importance of Family in Society." IvyPanda , 23 Oct. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-family-in-society/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Importance of Family in Society'. 23 October.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Importance of Family in Society." October 23, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-family-in-society/.

1. IvyPanda . "Importance of Family in Society." October 23, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-family-in-society/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Importance of Family in Society." October 23, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-family-in-society/.

Or so she says...

Family Fun, Favorites, Food, and Faith

March 12, 2017 by Adelle Belnap

The Stories That Bind Us – Creating Family Unity (she: Adelle)

• Pinterest 21

Do you know your family history? Try sharing stories with your kids to bring past and present generations together! Here’s a Family Night lesson to get you started.

What makes a family strong, resilient, and happy? It is something we all desire. There are many articles and books written on this topic. One of my favorite is an article published in the New York Times written by Bruce Feiler. It is titled, “The Stories That Bind Us.” (Link Here) I like this particular essay because the principles taught make sense, it feels right, and it is easy to implement.

This article teaches a simple principle that draws the generations of a family tree together and makes the overall family resiliency strong. It is all about stories. What is your family story? Talk about it tonight with this fun Family Night Lesson.

Lesson: I recommend reading the article in advance to teaching this lesson. Or, read it together as a group. It will only take a few minutes and it will help you understand the lesson better!

First, define what family means. There are two parts to the common definition. The first is, “A group consisting of parents and children living together in a household.” Obviously, this ideal isn’t always the case, and that is ok!

The second part of the definition is, “All the descendants of a common ancestor.” Adding this part of the definition to the world family is important for this lesson. We are part of something bigger than just our single family unit.

Talk about who your family is. What is Grandma’s name? Who is Aunt Susan? Where did they come from? Where do they live? Pull out a scrapbook and show your children pictures of your extended family. I love to look at physical similarities. Do your kids have Great Grandpa’s nose? Did they inherit Uncle Billy’s curly hair? Is there a trait that is consistent through the generations? The grandkids in my family are really lucky when they get my father’s bright blue eyes. My siblings and I all secretly hope our kids will be born with them, because they are the most vibrant beautiful blue eyes a person could have.

Why is it important for your children to know about their ancestors? In the article Dr. Duke said, “that children who have the most self-confidence have what he and Dr. Fivush call a strong intergenerational self. Meaning, they know they belong to something bigger than themselves.” Their research points to a direct correlation between a child’s ability to cope with stress (general happiness and resiliency) and the child’s sense of being part of a larger family. When a child knows that they are a link in a strong chain of people, it makes life easier to handle. Each person is not battling life alone, but as part of a greater whole.

Isn’t that an amazing gift? We are all part of a family that is bonded together through trials and success. The more you know and your children know about your ancestors, the stronger the family bond can be.

So, how to you make this link solid? By telling stories! Take a few minutes to share a few stories about your ancestors that are interesting, funny, inspirational, or educational. You don’t have to go very far up the family tree if you don’t want to. You can talk about your parents or your siblings. Tell your kids about how your parents met. Talk about what they did to earn a living. Is there a time when you were impressed by a hard decision your parents had to make when you were a kid? Share it. This is story time. And these are the stories that will bind your family together.

This might be a fun time to call a grandma or grandpa on the phone to ask them questions! Ask them about where they served a Church mission. Ask what they liked to learn about in school. What is their favorite vacation? Find out what trial was the hardest in their life and how they overcame it. Make a list of questions on a piece of paper before you call to help guide the conversation. This little interview will help you get to know them better.

A few months ago, while preparing dinner, I took two minutes to tell my kids a story about their Great Great Great Great Grandpa Dan Jones. This is what I said in a nutshell: Dan Jones was a Mormon Pioneer. He was with his good friend Joseph Smith the night before the prophet was martyred. Dan Jones got lost heading home that night. It was a lucky mistake, because there was a mob of people waiting to kill him on the correct road to his home. The Lord was watching out for Dan. He knew him and He knew there was still so much good work for Dan to do on Earth. He was a very special man. You kids are so lucky to have a brave hero as a Grandpa.

That was it! I wasn’t even sure if my kids were listening. Then, a few weeks after I told the story, my family and I were at Disneyland. We walked past the Indiana Jones ride in Adventureland. My little six year old boy’s eyes lit up and he got so excited. He exclaimed, “Mom! It’s the Dan Jones ride! We know him!” After I laughed, my heart swelled up. Because, he remembered the story and he was proud to be related to Mr. Jones. Even if it was the wrong hero. His sense of self was elevated because of his connection to his Great Grandpa Jones.

Kids really do feel a bond with their ancestors when they learn about them through the stories we tell.

Cut paper into strips that are about 1 inch thick. Give each person a single strip of paper and have them write their own name onto it. H0ld the paper in a circle. (Don’t staple it yet) Tell each child that this link represents you.

Link the pieces of your chain together so that the links that represent your immediate family are all together.

Then, start writing down the names of your extended family onto the extra paper strips.

When you write the name it would be good to say a quick thing about that person. For example, “Great Grandma Mary-she made the best orange rolls every Thanksgiving dinner. My siblings and I would get stuffed eating as many as we could. I got my recipe from her!” Take turns hooking the extended family chain pieces to your own family chain.

When you are finished you will have one giant family chain that has been bonded together. This giant chain is much more impressive than the individual links you started with. Hang the chain up so that you can see it throughout the week as a reminder that you are all part of a family bond.

Sharing stories about your family should become a consistent dialog in your home. The article in the New York Times gave the suggestion to utilize times when you are already together to talk about family stories. Stories can be told and bonds can be built during family dinner time, while riding in the car, waiting at the dentist office, walking home from school, after a hard loss at a sporting event, before a big date, or during young children’s bath time.

Hopefully, you are already spending time together. (That is the first big step!) Now, you just need to remember to use that time to create a sense of family belonging in the hearts of your children. It is amazing how knowing who they are and what their family has accomplished over time really does make a child feel more important, strong, better adjusted, and happier than those who are living life without that bond of love and belonging.

For more posts like this, check these out:

Recording Family History Through Pictures

The Moment I Realized Family History is AWESOME

Family Night: Kids Interviewing Grandparents

The Rare Newsletter

It doesn't happen very often, but when it does... it's good!! Favorite things, great ideas, and all things "FAMILY."

Free Book of Mormon Offer

10 Reasons I Love Being a Latter-day Saint

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Affiliate Disclosure

‘Or so she says…’ is a participant in a variety of affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Read more in the Disclosure ,  including info on Adthrive, the publishing network for this blog.

10 Most Popular Posts

• Choices & Consequence Family Lesson
• Free Book of Mormon Information
• The Best Family Vacation in St. George
• Swiss cheese Chicken Easy Dinner
• Would You Rather ~ Scripture Edition Game
• 150+ Sanity Saving Parenting Ideas
• Over 100 Family Movie Ideas
• The Ultimate Collection of Scriptures on Faith
• Foods to Freeze Dry ~ Ultimate List
• 30 Books to Read Out Loud to Older Kids

• Unsubscribe
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy

Creating Cohesion: The Foundations Of Family Unity

• by Relationship Mag
• August 14, 2023 May 17, 2024

Unity within a family forms the bedrock upon which all other facets of social, emotional, and psychological well-being are built. It’s not just about being in the same family tree; it’s about fostering an environment of mutual respect, open communication, shared experiences, and unwavering support. This post explores the foundations of family unity, illustrating how it can be cultivated and strengthened. Each section provides an in-depth discussion of key elements and practical implementation strategies. The objective is to provide an insightful guide to fortify the pillars of unity within every family, fostering healthier, happier, and more fulfilling familial relationships.

• 1 Understanding Family Unity
• 2 The Role of Communication
• 3 Building Trust and Respect
• 4 The Value of Shared Experiences
• 5 Conflict Resolution Skills
• 6 Nurturing a Positive Family Culture
• 7 The Significance of Love and Affection
• 8 The Bottom Line

Understanding Family Unity

Family unity is the bond that ties a family together; the sense of support and love gives each member the confidence to face life’s challenges. This unity does not come from genetic connections or shared living spaces; it emanates from understanding, respect, shared values, and mutual support. When a family is united, it can effectively weather any storm, supporting each member in times of hardship and celebrating together in times of joy.

Understanding why family unity is essential is the first step in fostering it. It promotes emotional health, creates a supportive environment, and offers a sense of belonging. A united family can significantly impact children’s development, providing a solid foundation for emotional, cognitive, and social growth. It offers a blueprint for interacting with the world, negotiating conflicts, and forming healthy relationships. It offers adults a supportive network, mutual understanding, and a haven of comfort and love.

The Role of Communication

Communication forms the lifeblood of any relationship, and within a family , it plays an instrumental role in fostering unity. Open and honest communication allows family members to understand each other’s thoughts, feelings, needs, and desires. It paves the way for empathy and support, creating an environment where each member feels heard and valued.

However, effective communication is not a naturally occurring phenomenon in every family. It requires deliberate effort and, occasionally, the breakdown of barriers that hinder open discussions. Such barriers could range from a generational gap, language differences, or emotional barriers rooted in past conflicts or misunderstandings. Overcoming these challenges can involve establishing regular family meetings, active listening exercises, and encouraging open discussions about feelings and experiences.

Building Trust and Respect

Trust and respect are the cornerstone of any solid relationship, and within the family unit, these elements are paramount. Trust offers safety and predictability, while respect acknowledges each member’s individuality and inherent value. They create a nurturing environment where family members can grow and flourish.

Cultivating trust and respect within a family involves honesty, reliability, and empathy. Keeping promises, acknowledging emotions, validating each other’s experiences, and demonstrating consistent behavior are practical ways to foster these elements. They build individual self-esteem and contribute to a stronger, more unified family dynamic. The interplay between trust and respect significantly impacts cohesion and overall harmony within the family.

The Value of Shared Experiences

Shared experiences play a significant role in the construction of family unity. They are the threads that weave together the fabric of familial relationships, strengthening the bond between family members. From everyday activities like shared meals and bedtime stories to special occasions like vacations or holidays, these moments form a tapestry of memories that foster a deep sense of belonging.

Although these experiences are invaluable, they must not be grandiose or expensive. It could be as simple as a weekly game night, family cooking sessions, or watching a movie together. The critical factor is sharing time, emotions, and experiences. These create shared memories, which are a powerful bonding agent. Over time, these shared experiences foster mutual understanding, shared values, and collective identity, essential elements of family unity.

Conflict Resolution Skills

Even in the most unified families, conflict is inevitable. Differences in opinions, miscommunications, or clashing personalities can lead to disagreements. However, managing these conflicts can significantly impact the family’s unity. Therefore, effective conflict resolution skills are essential in maintaining harmony and fostering understanding within the family.

These skills include patience, active listening, empathy, and compromise. They help family members navigate disagreements respectfully and constructively, ensuring that conflicts become opportunities for growth rather than sources of division. These skills involve acknowledging and respecting different viewpoints, expressing emotions honestly, and working towards a mutually agreeable resolution. Family members learn to understand and appreciate each other more, fostering a stronger bond and more profound unity.

Nurturing a Positive Family Culture

A positive family culture is one where every member feels valued, loved, and accepted. It’s an environment that promotes mutual support, encourages individual growth, and nurtures positive values. This culture significantly contributes to family unity, setting the tone for interactions, influencing family dynamics, and shaping the overall family identity.

Creating such a culture may involve setting family values, fostering open communication, demonstrating love and respect, and encouraging individuality. It requires consistent effort from all members and a commitment to nurturing a supportive, loving, and positive environment. A positive family culture not only makes the family a haven of love and support but also significantly enhances the unity and cohesion of the family.

The Significance of Love and Affection

At the heart of family unity lies love and affection. These emotions form the foundation of the family bond, creating a sense of belonging and acceptance. Expressions of love and affection—whether verbal affirmations, acts of service, quality time, or physical touch—further strengthen this bond, fostering unity within the family.

However, expressing love and affection may not always be straightforward. Sometimes, emotional barriers, busy schedules, or simply not knowing how to express these feelings can stand in the way. Overcoming these challenges requires understanding each member’s love language, setting aside dedicated time for family, and fostering an environment where expressing emotions is encouraged and valued. By doing so, love and affection become the glue that holds the family together, fostering a profound sense of unity.

The Bottom Line

Family unity is the harmonious blend of mutual respect, open communication, shared experiences, conflict resolution skills, positive culture, and love. These elements contribute to creating an environment of support, acceptance, and belonging—forming the pillars of family unity. While each family is unique, and the path to unity may differ, the foundations remain the same. Implementing these strategies and nurturing these foundations can help foster unity within every family, ultimately creating healthier, happier, and more fulfilling familial relationships. In the grand tapestry of life, family unity forms the vibrant threads that hold everything together, a testament to its enduring power and immeasurable importance.

Related Posts

Preparing for the Emotional Impact of Empty Nest Syndrome

• July 29, 2024 July 29, 2024

Empty Nest Syndrome (ENS) is a complex emotional response that many parents face as their children grow up and leave home. This transitional phase can… 

Overcoming Challenges In Multigenerational Families

• March 12, 2024 May 17, 2024

In today’s society, multigenerational living is becoming increasingly common, with families spanning grandparents, parents, and children under one roof. While offering numerous benefits such as… 

Coping With Loss: Grieving And Healing As A Family

• February 27, 2024 May 17, 2024

Loss is an inevitable part of life, yet it strikes each individual and family uniquely. The journey through grief, marked by a myriad of emotions… 

Privacy Overview

What Is The Importance Of Family Unity In Modern Society?

With advancements in technology, changing cultural norms, new priorities, and advanced forms of communication fueled by the internet, you may wonder how family holds up in modern society. The concept of family is likely to continue to be essential for people from all walks of life, despite changing beliefs and customs. Research often demonstrates the importance of family for numerous areas of well-being . No matter how much life changes and the concept of family evolves, it may continue to benefit human health and wellness by offering a sense of belonging and support. If you’re experiencing family-related challenges, it can be helpful to speak to an objective person, such as a licensed therapist, for insight and guidance.

Its definition may evolve, but family may remain essential  

The traditional definition of a "nuclear family" typically entailed one man and one woman who were married and had biological children. However, today’s families can be more inclusive and may look different than family stereotypes. Additionally, research usually labels many different types of families.

Benefits of a healthy family 

As modern life can add pressure and stress, a healthy family dynamic can have multiple benefits, regardless of whether it's a biological family, adoptive family, or chosen family. 

Helps you meet your basic needs

Many years ago, Abraham Maslow created the Hierarchy of Needs . At the bottom of this hierarchy are usually basic needs, including water, food, rest, and health. A family may provide these necessities, which can serve as building blocks for other needs. 

Research also suggests that social connection can be considered a need, as it usually improves physical and mental health. Family may offer social connection in abundance. 

Allows you to belong to something and foster a sense of unity

A sense of belonging can come from the family, group, or community we belong to, and it can contribute to our emotional well-being by allowing us to feel connected socially. 

Offers an important built-in support system and promotes family connection

Research shows that the support system families provide can have a profound impact  throughout different stages of life. Difficult times are often inevitable, but a family may provide a sense of stability and connection that can make it easier to get through them. 

A family bond contributes to health 

Children might experience a healthy lifestyle when they live in a healthy family. They may eat healthy meals, enjoy time outdoors, and get prompt medical attention when needed. 

Health benefits can exist for parents in families, too. Research has shown that people with children in their families tend to live longer , even after the children have grown up and moved away. 

Families provide support when someone is ill

Facing medical problems alone can be challenging. A family may help alleviate this difficulty by offering support and assistance as you heal. 

Offers community benefits by reinforcing family values.

A strong family structure may reduce the likelihood of delinquency and crime. This can mean that the family unit may substantially impact an individual and their community. 

The importance of family and love in educating children

One way many parents contribute to society is by educating their children. Parents and caregivers often begin teaching children at a very young age. They may help them learn to walk and teach them new words as they develop their vocabulary and language skills. They also may teach them manners and take advantage of learning opportunities in everyday life. 

Many parents also encourage scholarship opportunities, ethical behavior, and social skills that can benefit children throughout adolescence and into adulthood.

All families may struggle sometimes

Even though families can have benefits, they may face challenges at times. When it comes to overcoming the difficulties of family life, you might find support in your friends. You can also seek the help of a professional with training and experience in family dynamics. 

Seeking help

Talking to a therapist may help you explore your feelings about family and learn to express those feelings openly. You may also learn to understand the family influences that shaped your personality. 

Benefits of online therapy in enhancing family relationships

Online therapy can be an easy and convenient way to receive insight and guidance from a licensed therapist. It can be helpful to vent to an objective person during therapy sessions, and you can attend these sessions from any location with an internet connection. With an online therapy platform, you can even seek out a therapist who specializes in helping their clients navigate family-related concerns.

Effectiveness of online therapy

 Although more research may be needed regarding the efficacy of individual online therapy for addressing family-related challenges, a growing body of evidence generally supports the idea that online therapy can be just as effective as face-to-face therapy.

What is the importance of a family bond in life?

Family can often serve as a cornerstone of our emotional support system, playing a role in each individual's emotional health. This foundational element often sets the stage for future relationships and helps build self-esteem.

What is the importance of family connection to a person?

Family can provide unconditional love and emotional support, which are key factors in building an individual's self-esteem. These early relationships set the groundwork for personal relationships and adult life.

What are 10 important aspects of family in your life?

• Emotional support:  Family offers a safety net for emotional well-being.
• Unconditional love: The love from family is often lifelong and uncompromising.
• Moral and ethical guidance: Family serves as our first role model, teaching us social skills and crucial role values.
• Financial support: Financial stability often starts with family support.
• Educational support: Family’s involvement can positively impact academic performance.
• Healthy families: A supportive family environment can contribute to healthy relationships.
• Family traditions and history: Knowing your family history adds a sense of belonging.
• Role models: Family provides the first role models in a child’s life.
• Open communication: Communication within the family contributes to emotional health and strong personal relationships.
• Sense of belonging: Family gatherings, such as family meals, add to the sense of community.

Why are family relationships among the most important support we will ever have?

Family relationships can lay the foundation for how we manage future relationships. The skills learned in the family context are applied to personal relationships in adult life, playing an important role in our overall emotional well-being.

What are the most important values in your relationships as a family?

Important values, like unconditional love and open communication, can form the bedrock on which the emotional health of each individual in the family is built. These values often lead to a unified family, increasing senses of security, stability and support.

What is important in life: family or love?

Family often provides the first experience of unconditional love, and this foundational emotional support sets the tone for what we seek in other personal relationships throughout adult life.

Is having a family the most important thing?

Having a family often offers emotional support and unconditional love, serving as an individual’s foundational support system and playing a crucial role in emotional health. However, many aspects of life are important, and family is not necessarily more important than other relationships in your life. 

Why is family more important than happiness?

Family often serves as a significant source of happiness, fulfilling our needs for emotional support and unconditional love. 

What is the importance of family unity?

Family unity offers a conducive environment for emotional health and well-being. This unity is often fostered through open communication during family meals, contributing to each individual's ability to maintain relationships.

What brings unity to the family?

Common values and open communication are key factors that bring family unity. Family meals and traditions also play a part, serving as regular platforms for them to express emotional support and unconditional love.

• What Is Family Support? Understanding Services Available To You Medically reviewed by Laura Angers Maddox , NCC, LPC
• Is Sibling Rivalry Normal? How Conflict Between Siblings Works Medically reviewed by Elizabeth Erban , LMFT, IMH-E
• Relationships and Relations

When parents can't agree on how to raise their children or run a household, there is little chance that the family environment will be one of harmony and peace. In order for children to learn teamwork and togetherness, their parents must first learn to function as a unified team. As you put into practice the following suggestions, you will make significant strides toward having a family that works together to create a happy, healthy home.

1. Communicate

Regular communication with your spouse and children is vital to a healthy family. Have weekly family meetings where all family members can express themselves freely and openly without the fear of criticism. Talk to your children about future plans or problems and explain to them why you do certain things they may find unfair. By allowing your children to take an active part in family business, they will be more likely to want to help with any problem that needs to be solved.

2. Listen to each other

Try to consider the other person's perspective. When you are listening, don't think about what response you are going to give. Instead, ask yourself why your spouse or child feels the way he or she does. Listening is one of the most powerful ways you can show you care about the other person. Children, especially, need to know that they are important, and this can be shown through active listening.

3. Share household responsibilities

Explain that if your family is, indeed, a team they must all do their part in the family. Discuss with your spouse what you should expect from each child, then tell the children what you would like and what you expect. If you present a unified front when you propose this idea to your children you are more likely to get a positive reaction.

4. Assign specific chores

This will teach your children to have pride in their work and learn responsibility. Teach them that they are all accountable for certain chores and that the whole family must work together in order to make your home a clean, orderly and functional place to live.

5. Establish routines

Routines help children to feel safe. Maintain a consistent schedule that is realistic for your family. For example, try to serve dinner at the same time each evening and expect everyone to attend whenever possible. Establish set bedtimes, especially for younger children, and make sure your children adhere to them. Having a schedule allows both parents and kids to know what to expect and when.

6. Seek spiritual experiences

Attending a church, temple or mosque as a family helps you all realize that no one goes at it alone. Read spiritual works that reinforce your family's belief system and inspire your family to be better. By reinforcing a value system that your family can share, you create a family culture that gives your children the sense of being part of a greater whole.

7. Have fun together

At least once a month, go on a family outing. These outings can be inexpensive and simple. Consider going on a trip to the woods, the museum or the zoo. Having fun together as a family reinforces to your children that teamwork also means playing together. Remember that a family that works together and plays together - stays together.

Say Cheese! Capturing and Preserving Family Memories

• Contributors
• Advertise With Us
• Privacy Policy
• Unsubscribe From Notifications
• Terms of Service
• Do Not Sell My Data
• Radiant Digital

Malaysia Students

Enter your email address to get ★ FREE Malaysia Scholarships 2020 ★ Post your advertisements for free here!

• Shop Discount Promo
• Ask Question & Get Help
• Rent a Room
• Scholarships
• Part Time Jobs
• Write & Get Featured
• Buy Bus Tickets

Thursday, June 26, 2014

46 good spm english model essays / free essay samples for o-level, ielts, toefl & muet writing.

46 Model Essay Samples for SPM English, O-level, IELTS, TOEFL & MUET Writing

        descriptive essays.

• My Best Friend
• Describe an afternoon at the bus station
• A Horrifying Swim
• A Prominent Malaysian Leader
• A Demonic Gold
• My Favourite TV Programme
• The Night Market

Narrative Essays

• A Horror / Tragic Story
• Finally, A Voice Message
• That is the reward for my patience and hardwork
• A Holiday I Would Never Forget
• Couple Foils Robbery Attempt
• Write a story starting with: “The widow had to work hard to bring up her little son alone...”
• My Most Embarrassing Situation
• A Road Accident
• Autumn on Sugarbush Street
• Of Bombs and Ice-Cream

Argumentative / Persuasive Essays

• Haze: A Danger to Health
• Cell phones - One of Our Greatest Technologies Misused
• Importance of Studying English

Reflective Essays

• Are undergraduates ready for the real world?
• Does School Prepare Us for Life
• What would you do if you had a lot of money

Factual Essays

• Social Networking Website

Directed Writing

• Anti-Smoking Campaign Speech
• Informal Letter
• Informal Letter Sample
• Formal Letter: Letter of Application
• Formal Letter: Letter of Complain
• Complain Report About School Canteen
• Book Report
• Police Report on Accident

48 comments:

Is there any chinese language essay?? can recommend??

lol u retarded?

Why are you so mean? Which part of it is retarded?

Maybe he lack of attention in his life

Dude, there are really chinese essay in spm. What's wrong with you guys

Are you lost mate? This webpage is for english essays, not chinese retard

Cmon he just asking if theres any chinese language essay... nothing wrong with it... sorry i think u are the one who is retarded here... no one r supporting ya...

what is naratif composition

Lol retarded 9 yr olds hating over a single question

WTH????? He is just asking. FGS he is not even asking u man..That question were asked to the admin. Pls just mind your own bussiness..

Senyap ar semua

Ahaha. Retarded indeed.

Ni nk buat rujukan ke gaduh?

Spm around the bout

guys i think,personally that this site helps you a lot in your studies.Amazing essays which are wonderfull

This is a fabulous site , helps me a lot😍

hey there.. im just here looking through the comments

i honestly thought that no one gonna be on this blog in 2021

bunch of pointless people arguing about an idiot

The test score works as a proof of their language proficiency and knowledge. Finding the Best TOEFL Coaching it self is a task because the objective of TOEFL classes is to give you interactive examples of TOEFL test questions.

Good Work for English learnes

This is important to remember while you are browsing IELTS or TOEFL preparation course, if you are planning on applying for citizenship or collage and intend to use your results as an entry requirement.

klau tuk repeat bi spm ngan st ada x ?

After attemting for my IELTS five times I had to get professional help and nothing like enrolling in Insearch I had an amazing support team that helped me clear and achieve my required target.

The MBA is a master's degree in business administration which helps people attain a better understanding of the scientific approach in management.

With such programs it will be more easy for the students to get the good writing ideas and the techniques, looking forward to most important among them.

Transferring to a four year university may actually be a cheaper way to get a high quality education. This article provides tips for students who wish to transfer in.

That's really huge list of sample essays for students those need to write essay and facing difficulties. I am sure that will be very helpful for students studying in various level.

To be honest All the 46 Model essays are uncomparable to the O level English Standard. In fact,writing such a essay in o level english will guarantee a fail

Woah,these essays are actually good for SPM level. Seeing this comment,I wonder how am I going to survive after SPM with my own level of English. HUhu..T-T

totally useful for me

thank you much for the God's sake who had done this blog :) You pretty had aid me much in essays

thanks for the essay samples! I was struggling what I want to write about for my mid term examination.. But not anymore :)

Hey I would like to get in touch with you about publishing one of my articles here? Any way to do that??

Click here for email address to submit your article.

Thank you for sharing. This is a good material for the development of creative thought. I'm writing an essay for more than five years. Sometimes creative crisis comes. In this moment you need to distract yourself with other thoughts. Good luck to all with essay writing.

Oh, thanks! It is very useful information! Right now I have to write an essay. But I haven't decided yet will I write it alone or with the help of this writing service.

Thank you for the useful samples of the essay. But if we are talking about the uniqueness of I prefer this service. Cuz the professionals guarantee the quality of written works. In addition, I like the price and the system of discounts. So I advise you!

Do you have any doubts on the result of online writing service? Visit us and learn more about our reliable writing service and eliminate all the fears you have. Take professional help and relax!

Any spm 2020 candidates here?. How's your life going?. Mine is cursed

Same and im goin through mid year exams rn...smh

Me, a 12 year old that wants to write longer than the word limit in primary school: wow, this is cool

Malaysia Students Blog is a team blog on Malaysian major examinations, secondary, pre-university & tertiary education, scholarship Malaysia , student resources, students' thoughts and everything relating to students & undergraduates at schools, colleges & universities in Malaysia - Student Education Malaysia Comment Policy: Comments posted at Malaysia Students blog should be on-topic, constructive and add value to the discussion . Comments that are off-topic, one-sentence, abusive or offensive will be removed. Please use proper English with correct spelling and grammar in your comment. For general questions, please post them at SPM Student Malaysia . For enquiries, please email the administrator of this blog: Student at Malaysia-Students dot com.

Join over 50,000 people who get FREE latest scholarship updates via email!

Do not miss any job offers get student part time jobs via email.

“Striving for Family Unity,” Ensign, Sept. 2007, 9–13

Lessons from the New Testament

Striving for Family Unity

By Elder Donald L. Staheli

Served as a member of the Seventy from 1997 to 2006

It has been said that if you think you know a perfect family, you don’t know the family very well!

This suggests that all of us have periodic challenges in establishing and maintaining love and unity within our families. Yet, in large measure, our challenge to teach and nurture our children in a way that will qualify us as eternal families defines our mission here on earth.

In his epistle to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of “perfecting … the saints” and reaching a “unity of the faith” ( Ephesians 4:12–13 ). With this “unity,” Paul counseled that the Saints would “be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” ( Ephesians 4:14 ). What a magnificent promise—especially for parents!

Love of families and fellow men was the keystone of the Savior’s ministry. To His disciples, He said, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” ( John 15:12 ). Less than a year following the organization of the restored Church, the Lord told the Saints in Fayette, New York, “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine” ( D&C 38:27 ).

The teachings of living prophets and apostles as summarized in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” make clear our responsibilities to our families:

“Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another. … Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.” 1

Amid all the counsel we have been given about nurturing our children in love and unity, as parents we must decide how we can best accomplish this challenging but eternally compelling task. Some of the following principles and ideas may provide help in uniting our families in love and truth.

Unity of Parents

Unity in the family begins with a loving parental relationship that sets an example for the family and extends in a personal way to each child.

President David O. McKay often credited his father and mother for the love and unity experienced in their family. He said: “Most gratefully and humbly I cherish the remembrance that never once as a lad in the home of my youth did I ever see one instance of discord between father and mother, and that goodwill and mutual understanding has been the uniting bond that has held together a fortunate group of brothers and sisters. Unity, harmony, goodwill are virtues to be fostered and cherished in every home.” 2

Loving, Trusting Relationships

Studies have shown that in most families, children’s self-confidence and sense of personal worth are directly related to the quality of their relationships with their parents 3 and how parents have taught and lived basic principles of the gospel.

As our children become teenagers, they frequently rely on things that will endear them to their peers. Unless a strong bond of love and trust has been established between parents and children, supported by a strong spiritual environment in the home, children’s loyalties tend to move to peers as they become teenagers. As children develop confidence in themselves and strong testimonies of the Savior, they add a special spirit of unity and happiness to their families and have strength to resist the pressures of the world.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has counseled: “I would like to see greater love in our homes. … You parents who are fathers and mothers of children, treasure your children. Look to them with love. Lead them … with love. … They will follow after you if you do that. And I make you a promise that if you do so, the time will come when you will feel so grateful that you have done so, that you will get on your knees and thank the Lord for the precious children who have come to you and grown up under your direction.” 4

Frequent expressions of love are a key to building trusting and loving relationships, but equally important is the consistent demonstration of that love. How we act often speaks louder than what we say and how we say it. It is important that we consistently and genuinely show our children our love for them as well as tell them of that love.

Following his father’s death, one young man felt he could take little comfort from his mother’s assurance that his father loved him and was proud of him.

“While a doctor was verifying death, I was leaning against the wall in the far corner of the room, crying softly. A nurse came over to me and put a comforting arm around me. I couldn’t talk through my tears. I wanted to tell her:

“‘I’m not crying because my father is dead. I’m crying because my father never told me that he was proud of me. He never told me that he loved me. Of course, I was expected to know these things. I was expected to know the great part I played in his life and the great part I occupied of his heart, but he never told me. ’” 5

Perhaps there was a greater message than most of us realize when God our Father announced His Son by saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ” ( Matthew 3:17 ; emphasis added).

Children thrive on loving relationships that make them feel special. Encouragement and love are important, especially when things may not be going well.

Listening to our children and respecting their views builds trust and opens communication. Understanding and agreeing on expectations with each member of the family adds to the unity and good feelings for each other. Periodic one-on-one time is a superb way to build lasting relationships and trust. In fact, personal time with each child is an essential building block to genuine lasting relationships of love and unity.

As children replace selfishness and envy with kindness and service to each other, unity grows within the family. And as the family serves together to assist others, a bond of unity and love becomes the hallmark of the family. Unity in the family will not always free parents from problems and challenges with their children, but it does enable families to cohesively focus on solutions.

Personal Spiritual Experiences for Children

Living in accordance with our strong personal testimonies becomes the foundation for unwavering love and unity within a family. Testimonies also provide the bulwark against Satan and the things of the world that he uses to bring contention into families.

One of our key responsibilities as parents is to help our children prepare for and have spiritual experiences in their youth that will develop strong testimonies of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. These experiences come as a result of prayer, study, and living gospel principles. They come from family home evenings and scripture study. They result from personal experiences and feelings from association with Church leaders and spiritually strong friends. Frequently, they come in a very personal way as the Spirit touches and confirms the truth and testimony of the living Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, as the Savior and Redeemer of the world.

I will be forever grateful for my faithful parents who, in their humble way, used the priesthood and the power of prayer to bless their children with the Lord’s healing power. On several occasions during my youth, the Lord responded with His tender mercies in a way that was miraculous. For me those experiences formed the basic foundation on which I have developed an undeniable testimony of the Lord and His love for each of us.

Unified Families Minimize Contention

The Lord’s challenge to raise our families in unity and righteousness is not a simple one. Our youth live in exciting yet challenging times. Their lives are filled with responsibilities and activities of various kinds. They have access to many things, including media and music that do not always fit within the standards of the home and the principles of the Church. As a result, almost every family at one time or another experiences disagreements on certain issues, both large and small. This creates contention.

The Lord made clear His feelings on contention when He said to the Nephites, “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil” ( 3 Nephi 11:29 ).

Our challenge as parents is to keep misunderstandings and disagreements to a minimum and to resolve differences quickly and amicably. The more we and our children are committed to living gospel principles, the greater the opportunity for the spirit of unity and love to reside in our homes. A clear understanding of gospel-centered guidelines and expectations in the home will significantly reduce periodic issues that precipitate contention.

Consistent Family and Personal Prayer

Some of the most effective teaching in our homes comes from the family’s kneeling together and feeling the spirit of what is said in daily family prayer. Asking the Lord for forgiveness, while also petitioning His help in unifying the family in love and righteous purposes, can have a lasting influence on our children as they grow together in the family. Sincere prayers soften contentious thoughts.

It is absolutely imperative that we teach and encourage our children to be consistent and sincere in offering their personal prayers. As children pray daily, they will feel the Lord’s personal direction in their lives. As they learn to seek His blessings and guidance, the family will find the joy and happiness that come from striving to be a righteous family.

In His great Intercessory Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Savior pleaded with the Father five separate times for unity—“that they may be one, even as we are one” and “that they may be made perfect in one” (see John 17:11, 22–23 ). Unity is the outcome of a family engaging in righteous principles.

May we as parents pray for and live worthy of the Lord’s blessings so that our families may be one on earth and in the eternities to come.

Helps for Home Evening

To help family members visualize family unity, consider weaving a placemat from strips of paper. Write the name of a different family member on each strip. As they are woven together, discuss how this process represents the process of creating family unity. Use Elder Staheli’s article to discuss ways the family can build unity.

Consider having family members draw a picture of five people holding hands. Label each person with one of the headings from Elder Staheli’s article. Point out strengths that your family has in each of these areas. Using the suggestions in the article, plan an activity that will strengthen your family.

Photograph by Frank Helmrich

Photograph by Welden C. Andersen

Photograph by Robert Casey

Photograph by Matthew Reier

Photograph by Craig Dimond

Insights Library

Family unity: what is it, why it’s vital, and how to achieve it.

You May Also Like

Few would dispute that family unity is important to sustain a family enterprise over generations. There are too many examples of family conflict helping to bring a family down to dispute its importance. We would go further: we believe family unity is vital for the long-term success of a family or its enterprise. It’s true that some families that are fractured and unaligned are kept orderly —for a time—through hefty dividends, strong handed leadership, or emotional appeals to tradition. But when big decisions come up or dividends run out, the serious fractures and disputes within the family become visible and these divisions hobble and sometimes scuttle the family’s enterprise.

The effects of disunity are many. It can cause abrasive friction and slowness in group decisions and in day to day activities. Sometimes, because of disunity, a family group decides to just stand still to try to keep a peace that doesn’t really exist. Disunity generally leads to mistrust and guardedness (because the other faction doesn’t want what we want), the blocking of even simple actions that need to be taken, political maneuvering to seek advantages for one’s side, and if prolonged, to decline for the entire group. Even mild disunity can fester and grow into a serious problem and should be addressed.

Unity for any group has to do with members’ authentic agreement about what the group exists to do (its mission or purpose) and how the group will do this work and treat its stakeholders (its approach). For a family, such alignment creates a solid foundation for effective work by the family, whether in its operating business, investments, philanthropy or other activities.

Unity in a family on mission and approach doesn’t mean that family members are in lockstep on all issues or necessarily chummy. A united family can have disagreements on tactics and strategies— should we discard one management practice in favor of another, is now the right time to exit a certain line of business, etc. Some debate and challenging on strategy and tactics is actually essential to being effective as a group. Strong unity accepts that members of a group will disagree somewhat on some issues and debate strongly on others, and that some members won’t like each other. But unity means that members of the group are committed to the same fundamental ends and means. This builds trust, reduces defensiveness, and unleashes a lot of positive energy.

Agreement by members of a group on where they are going, why they are going there, and how they are supposed to do their work and treat each other (which often goes by the labels of mission, vision and values), enables decisiveness, innovation, boldness, and persistence in group efforts. Unity also motivates caring and support for one another in the group because “this individual wants the same things as I do.” A united enterprising family can better grow the assets it needs to finance its enterprise and the family. Such alignment also clarifies the kinds of family and non-family talent the family enterprise needs in order to stay successful. Growth, talent and unity are, we have found, the main ingredients of long-term sustainability for a family and its enterprise. One must conclude that family unity deserves to be celebrated and protected.

Unfortunately, unity is not the natural order of groups, including families. Without active counter measures, over time, entropy or disunity within families usually prevails. As families age and grow over time, they become diverse in many ways, and family complexity needs to be both embraced and managed. Failure to manage family complexity usually leads to fracturing of the family into smaller, more naturally coherent units. In addition, conflicts among group members can occur for many reasons and these can breed resentments and create lasting wounds that spread like a virus to involve large numbers of members. Families are particularly gifted at transmitting conflicts down through generations. Conflicts among members need to be healed or at least managed, and leadership and governance needs to be nurtured and adapted to current family circumstances. Without these and other measures, families grow apart and divide into smaller groups.

Unity around mission and approach is vital to maintain but mission and approach, themselves, need to evolve. Over time and certainly over generations, a family’s mission and approach needs to adapt to the changing interests, talents, resources and circumstances of a family. The same is true of the mission and approach of a family organization. Mission and approach needn’t change much over time for a group to stay effective, but they probably need to change some. Periodically (and more often than in previous generations), a family needs to reflect on and renew its “vows”—what do we stand for and want to achieve, and how will we do our work together and treat our stakeholders. By evolving a family’s mission and approach to be compelling to current members, the family can better maintain the focus, energy and discipline needed to work through its many challenges and sustain its success.

Building Family Unity

We have found that family unity is built through several mutually supportive ingredients:

• A compelling and achievable family mission, vision and values
• An engaging family enterprise organization that encourages broad family involvement and contributions
• Family enterprise organizations and activities (family company, family investments, family philanthropy, etc.) that perform well (including representing the family well), and maintain positive momentum toward key family goals
• Pride in one’s family and its contributions to its organizations and key activities (we have been and currently are capable, creative, decisive, brave, responsible, etc.)
• Strong levels of trust within the family achieved through: strong family and organization performance, trustworthy leadership and governance, adequate transparency and inclusion in key discussions, fair and respectful treatment of members, and demonstrated caring for family members and key stakeholders
• Managed expectations of owners and family members
• Affordable rewards and earned opportunities going to family owners and family members
• Timely conflict management
• The ability to change the ownership group to maintain unity.

It is possible to have adequate family unity without being good at all of these ingredients, but these items are a helpful checklist to understand where a system can improve. While most of the ingredients to building unity listed above speak for themselves, some (particularly 2-4 and 9) need some elaboration.

As much as commitment to an organization inspires an individual’s contribution to it, the inverse also seems true: the more a person contributes to an organization, the greater his or her commitment to the organization grows. This principle is central to building unity in any group. If you want someone to feel committed to what a family is doing, its mission and approach, give the person opportunities to contribute to the family and the family’s enterprise.

To achieve a family’s mission, the family needs organized efforts as well as funds to support these efforts. If a family’s mission were simply to support its family company, raise good children to be responsible well-educated adults, and have family members get along well, the family would need a family company, useful parenting and family activities, perhaps an education fund, and definitely some useful mechanisms (perhaps grandparents, maybe a family council) to keep the family aligned. Some families could have the above mission plus want to contribute to society beyond having a socially responsible business, need a way to manage the family’s financial assets, and have a desire to maintain the family’s religious faith. These families would need to add organizations or activities to support their mission, such as a philanthropic foundation, perhaps a family office, etc. The point is that families need to have appropriate organizations to help support their interests and pursue their missions. Having a well-designed family enterprise organization is critical to effectively pursue the family’s mission. The right family enterprise organization also helps to build unity in a family.

Most family members want to contribute to their family and to be regarded as adding value to the family’s efforts. An important reason why some family members disengage from the family is that they feel that their contributions are not valued in their family and that the family has little commitment to their interests. The family enterprise organization needs to reflect the family’s important interests and give family members an opportunity to help the family pursue its mission. As a family grows, becomes more diverse and develops a broader set of interests, the mission of the family and the family enterprise organization should reflect the key common interests. In fact, it is rare for families to stay very united when there is only a family company to support, where only a minority of family members can contribute to the family’s mission.

Of course, family unity is strengthened when the family is proud of its organizations and activities, and even further when the family can point to its members’ contributions for this good performance. This requires that family talent is developed to be able to contribute strongly to the family enterprise.

Building family unity often requires some corrective actions in family relationships. When we see strains and fragmentation in a family, we address it, trying to move family members beyond past misunderstandings, hurts and differences, and when important, reunifying the family around a compelling mission and approach that can bind them. But we recognize that family unity can’t always be maintained with the current family members. Most family enterprises do better when the assets of the family and the talent of the family are pooled, engaged and aligned. However, when parts of an enterprising family resists reunification and it is seriously undermining the sustainability of the family, the family must consider the radical options of either dividing their assets and activities,  or buying out members that are no longer aligned — Family unity is that important for the success of a family and its enterprise. A family is more assured of success if it has a smaller asset base and a more united family, than with the converse situation. This pathway is desirable only after serious efforts at unity have been pursued.

Questions for Further Reflection

• What is the difference between consensu s and unanimity ; why is consensus the key to family unity, not unanimity?
• How can the family and the family enterprise system change over time in order to adapt to the changing factors that affect family unity?
• How can you help your family understand that conflict is inevitable, that it is impossible to eliminate it, that accepting some conflict, managing it, taking advantage of it, and functioning despite conflict is the goal?
• What would a family conflict resolution policy look like?

This article originally appeared in Wealth of Wisdom: The Top 50 Questions Wealthy Families Ask by Tom McCullough and Keith Whitaker  

Andrew hier.

Andrew Hier is a Senior Advisor and Partner at Cambridge Advisors to Family Enterprise where he advises business families globally on issues related to shareholder relationships, ownership strategies, succession and next generation issues, and governance of the family, owners and business. He is a Fellow at Cambridge Institute for Family Enterprise where he teaches and facilitates in family business programs around the world. He is active in the Family Firm Institute, the premiere association of advisors serving families.

Professor John A. Davis

John A. Davis is a globally recognized pioneer and authority on family enterprise, family wealth, and the family office. He is a researcher, educator, author, architect of the field’s most impactful conceptual frameworks, and advisor to leading families around the world. He leads the family enterprise programs at MIT Sloan. To follow his writing and speaking, visit johndavis.com and twitter  @ProfJohnDavis .

Essay on Unity for Students and Children

500+ words essay on unity.

Unity is of utmost importance for society as well as the whole country. “Strength is always with Unity” is a popular phrase and it is true to its every word. Unity represents togetherness. Therefore, it is standing together for every thick and thin matter. There are many stories as well as real-life incidences have proved that unity always leads a harmonious and fulfilling life for all. On the other hand, many people still do not understand the importance of staying in unity. People keep fighting over insignificant things and at last end up with loneliness.

Towards Common Goal- Unity

People in unity look forward to work towards a common goal instead of satisfying their own selfish motives. People love their nation as well as their fellow citizens. Therefore, it is the fact that they would be able to grow with a better lifestyle only when there is national development.

And it is but obvious that national development is possible only when they maintain unity. Hence, this goes a long way in the development of the nation.

Advantages of Unity

Here are some of the advantages of unity:

Help and Support-

People help each other and provide moral as well as financial support when it is needed. On the other hand, living in isolation will make anyone feel insecure and introvert.

Good Guidance-

It is a proven fact that when we stay united then we may seek guidance from others them for both personal and professional matters.

Proper Growth-

Staying united is good for our growth as well as the nation’s development. This is also good for the family in particular and all-round development of children.

Source of Motivation-

When we work together, we are motivated and encouraged to work harder. Also, we push each other to accomplish the goals and this works as a great motivational factor.

Greater Accomplishment-

When we work together as a team, we are able to accomplish greater goals which might not be possible alone.

Fighting a Mission-

Fighting a mission becomes much easier when there are more numbers of people involved. Indian national movement for freedom is it’s the best example. Many social evils and unjust practices have been fought and eradicated in the past only because of unity among people.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Government’s Role in Building Unity

Unity can be achieved if each individual is ready to leave his individual interests and work for the betterment of the nation as a whole. Undoubtedly this spirit must be inborn. But the government can play an important role in building unity among people. Few steps in which this can be achieved are as follows:

End Corruption-

A country can never be prosperous if its political system is corrupt. So, the political leaders must be chosen with utmost care. Also, the government must make it possible by imposing the required legal measures.

Lower Economic Disparity-

There is a lot of economic disparity in our country. As we can see that rich people are becoming richer day by day and the poor are getting poorer. This makes the poor people adopt the criminal means that hamper national development. The government must bridge this gap.

Educate People-

People must be educated about many things related to the country’s development and also about the importance of unity. This should be made a part of the school curriculum. Many other means are also there through which it can be emphasized.

Thus, we see there are uncountable benefits of staying in unity. We can accomplish big tasks, rely on the people in times of need and nurture youth power in a better way. Safety and security can be assured by the national unity. Every citizen must work towards having full unity in the country.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians

Source: original from Kremlin Archived

ON THE HISTORICAL UNITY OF RUSSIANS AND UKRAINIANS

By Vladimir Putin

During the recent Direct Line, when I was asked about Russian-Ukrainian relations, I said that Russians and Ukrainians were one people – a single whole. These words were not driven by some short-term considerations or prompted by the current political context. It is what I have said on numerous occasions and what I firmly believe. I therefore feel it necessary to explain my position in detail and share my assessments of today’s situation.

First of all, I would like to emphasize that the wall that has emerged in recent years between Russia and Ukraine, between the parts of what is essentially the same historical and spiritual space, to my mind is our great common misfortune and tragedy. These are, first and foremost, the consequences of our own mistakes made at different periods of time. But these are also the result of deliberate efforts by those forces that have always sought to undermine our unity. The formula they apply has been known from time immemorial – divide and rule. There is nothing new here. Hence the attempts to play on the “national question” and sow discord among people, the overarching goal being to divide and then to pit the parts of a single people against one another.

To have a better understanding of the present and look into the future, we need to turn to history. Certainly, it is impossible to cover in this article all the developments that have taken place over more than a thousand years. But I will focus on the key, pivotal moments that are important for us to remember, both in Russia and Ukraine.

Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians are all descendants of Ancient Rus, which was the largest state in Europe. Slavic and other tribes across the vast territory – from Ladoga, Novgorod, and Pskov to Kiev and Chernigov – were bound together by one language (which we now refer to as Old Russian), economic ties, the rule of the princes of the Rurik dynasty, and – after the baptism of Rus – the Orthodox faith. The spiritual choice made by St. Vladimir, who was both Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Kiev, still largely determines our affinity today.

The throne of Kiev held a dominant position in Ancient Rus. This had been the custom since the late 9th century. The Tale of Bygone Years captured for posterity the words of Oleg the Prophet about Kiev, “Let it be the mother of all Russian cities.“

Later, like other European states of that time, Ancient Rus faced a decline of central rule and fragmentation. At the same time, both the nobility and the common people perceived Rus as a common territory, as their homeland.

The fragmentation intensified after Batu Khan’s devastating invasion, which ravaged many cities, including Kiev. The northeastern part of Rus fell under the control of the Golden Horde but retained limited sovereignty. The southern and western Russian lands largely became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which – most significantly – was referred to in historical records as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia.

Members of the princely and “boyar” clans would change service from one prince to another, feuding with each other but also making friendships and alliances. Voivode Bobrok of Volyn and the sons of Grand Duke of Lithuania Algirdas – Andrey of Polotsk and Dmitry of Bryansk – fought next to Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow on the Kulikovo field. At the same time, Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila – son of the Princess of Tver – led his troops to join with Mamai. These are all pages of our shared history, reflecting its complex and multi-dimensional nature.

Most importantly, people both in the western and eastern Russian lands spoke the same language. Their faith was Orthodox. Up to the middle of the 15th century, the unified church government remained in place.

At a new stage of historical development, both Lithuanian Rus and Moscow Rus could have become the points of attraction and consolidation of the territories of Ancient Rus. It so happened that Moscow became the center of reunification, continuing the tradition of ancient Russian statehood. Moscow princes – the descendants of Prince Alexander Nevsky – cast off the foreign yoke and began gathering the Russian lands.

In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, other processes were unfolding. In the 14th century, Lithuania’s ruling elite converted to Catholicism. In the 16th century, it signed the Union of Lublin with the Kingdom of Poland to form the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Polish Catholic nobility received considerable land holdings and privileges in the territory of Rus. In accordance with the 1596 Union of Brest, part of the western Russian Orthodox clergy submitted to the authority of the Pope. The process of Polonization and Latinization began, ousting Orthodoxy.

As a consequence, in the 16–17th centuries, the liberation movement of the Orthodox population was gaining strength in the Dnieper region. The events during the times of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky became a turning point. His supporters struggled for autonomy from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

In its 1649 appeal to the king of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Zaporizhian Host demanded that the rights of the Russian Orthodox population be respected, that the voivode of Kiev be Russian and of Greek faith, and that the persecution of the churches of God be stopped. But the Cossacks were not heard.

Bohdan Khmelnytsky then made appeals to Moscow, which were considered by the Zemsky Sobor. On 1 October 1653, members of the supreme representative body of the Russian state decided to support their brothers in faith and take them under patronage. In January 1654, the Pereyaslav Council confirmed that decision. Subsequently, the ambassadors of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and Moscow visited dozens of cities, including Kiev, whose populations swore allegiance to the Russian tsar. Incidentally, nothing of the kind happened at the conclusion of the Union of Lublin.

In a letter to Moscow in 1654, Bohdan Khmelnytsky thanked Tsar Aleksey Mikhaylovich for taking “the whole Zaporizhian Host and the whole Russian Orthodox world under the strong and high hand of the Tsar”. It means that, in their appeals to both the Polish king and the Russian tsar, the Cossacks referred to and defined themselves as Russian Orthodox people.

Over the course of the protracted war between the Russian state and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, some of the hetmans, successors of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, would “detach themselves” from Moscow or seek support from Sweden, Poland, or Turkey. But, again, for the people, that was a war of liberation. It ended with the Truce of Andrusovo in 1667. The final outcome was sealed by the Treaty of Perpetual Peace in 1686. The Russian state incorporated the city of Kiev and the lands on the left bank of the Dnieper River, including Poltava region, Chernigov region, and Zaporozhye. Their inhabitants were reunited with the main part of the Russian Orthodox people. These territories were referred to as “Malorossia” (Little Russia).

The name “Ukraine” was used more often in the meaning of the Old Russian word “okraina” (periphery), which is found in written sources from the 12th century, referring to various border territories. And the word “Ukrainian”, judging by archival documents, originally referred to frontier guards who protected the external borders.

On the right bank, which remained under the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the old orders were restored, and social and religious oppression intensified. On the contrary, the lands on the left bank, taken under the protection of the unified state, saw rapid development. People from the other bank of the Dnieper moved here en masse. They sought support from people who spoke the same language and had the same faith.

During the Great Northern War with Sweden, the people in Malorossia were not faced with a choice of whom to side with. Only a small portion of the Cossacks supported Mazepa’s rebellion. People of all orders and degrees considered themselves Russian and Orthodox.

Cossack senior officers belonging to the nobility would reach the heights of political, diplomatic, and military careers in Russia. Graduates of Kiev-Mohyla Academy played a leading role in church life. This was also the case during the Hetmanate – an essentially autonomous state formation with a special internal structure – and later in the Russian Empire. Malorussians in many ways helped build a big common country – its statehood, culture, and science. They participated in the exploration and development of the Urals, Siberia, the Caucasus, and the Far East. Incidentally, during the Soviet period, natives of Ukraine held major, including the highest, posts in the leadership of the unified state. Suffice it to say that Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev, whose party biography was most closely associated with Ukraine, led the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) for almost 30 years.

In the second half of the 18th century, following the wars with the Ottoman Empire, Russia incorporated Crimea and the lands of the Black Sea region, which became known as Novorossiya. They were populated by people from all of the Russian provinces. After the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Russian Empire regained the western Old Russian lands, with the exception of Galicia and Transcarpathia, which became part of the Austrian – and later Austro-Hungarian – Empire.

The incorporation of the western Russian lands into the single state was not merely the result of political and diplomatic decisions. It was underlain by the common faith, shared cultural traditions, and – I would like to emphasize it once again – language similarity. Thus, as early as the beginning of the 17th century, one of the hierarchs of the Uniate Church, Joseph Rutsky, communicated to Rome that people in Moscovia called Russians from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth their brothers, that their written language was absolutely identical, and differences in the vernacular were insignificant. He drew an analogy with the residents of Rome and Bergamo. These are, as we know, the center and the north of modern Italy.

Many centuries of fragmentation and living within different states naturally brought about regional language peculiarities, resulting in the emergence of dialects. The vernacular enriched the literary language. Ivan Kotlyarevsky, Grigory Skovoroda, and Taras Shevchenko played a huge role here. Their works are our common literary and cultural heritage. Taras Shevchenko wrote poetry in the Ukrainian language, and prose mainly in Russian. The books of Nikolay Gogol, a Russian patriot and native of Poltavshchyna, are written in Russian, bristling with Malorussian folk sayings and motifs. How can this heritage be divided between Russia and Ukraine? And why do it?

The south-western lands of the Russian Empire, Malorussia and Novorossiya, and the Crimea developed as ethnically and religiously diverse entities. Crimean Tatars, Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Karaites, Krymchaks, Bulgarians, Poles, Serbs, Germans, and other peoples lived here. They all preserved their faith, traditions, and customs.

I am not going to idealise anything. We do know there were the Valuev Circular of 1863 an then the Ems Ukaz of 1876, which restricted the publication and importation of religious and socio-political literature in the Ukrainian language. But it is important to be mindful of the historical context. These decisions were taken against the backdrop of dramatic events in Poland and the desire of the leaders of the Polish national movement to exploit the “Ukrainian issue” to their own advantage. I should add that works of fiction, books of Ukrainian poetry and folk songs continued to be published. There is objective evidence that the Russian Empire was witnessing an active process of development of the Malorussian cultural identity within the greater Russian nation, which united the Velikorussians, the Malorussians and the Belorussians.

At the same time, the idea of Ukrainian people as a nation separate from the Russians started to form and gain ground among the Polish elite and a part of the Malorussian intelligentsia. Since there was no historical basis – and could not have been any, conclusions were substantiated by all sorts of concoctions, which went as far as to claim that the Ukrainians are the true Slavs and the Russians, the Muscovites, are not. Such “hypotheses” became increasingly used for political purposes as a tool of rivalry between European states.

Since the late 19th century, the Austro-Hungarian authorities had latched onto this narrative, using it as a counterbalance to the Polish national movement and pro-Muscovite sentiments in Galicia. During World War I, Vienna played a role in the formation of the so-called Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen. Galicians suspected of sympathies with Orthodox Christianity and Russia were subjected to brutal repression and thrown into the concentration camps of Thalerhof and Terezin.

Further developments had to do with the collapse of European empires, the fierce civil war that broke out across the vast territory of the former Russian Empire, and foreign intervention.

After the February Revolution, in March 1917, the Central Rada was established in Kiev, intended to become the organ of supreme power. In November 1917, in its Third Universal, it declared the creation of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) as part of Russia.

In December 1917, UPR representatives arrived in Brest-Litovsk, where Soviet Russia was negotiating with Germany and its allies. At a meeting on 10 January 1918, the head of the Ukrainian delegation read out a note proclaiming the independence of Ukraine. Subsequently, the Central Rada proclaimed Ukraine independent in its Fourth Universal.

The declared sovereignty did not last long. Just a few weeks later, Rada delegates signed a separate treaty with the German bloc countries. Germany and Austria-Hungary were at the time in a dire situation and needed Ukrainian bread and raw materials. In order to secure large-scale supplies, they obtained consent for sending their troops and technical staff to the UPR. In fact, this was used as a pretext for occupation.

For those who have today given up the full control of Ukraine to external forces, it would be instructive to remember that, back in 1918, such a decision proved fatal for the ruling regime in Kiev. With the direct involvement of the occupying forces, the Central Rada was overthrown and Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi was brought to power, proclaiming instead of the UPR the Ukrainian State, which was essentially under German protectorate.

In November 1918 – following the revolutionary events in Germany and Austria-Hungary – Pavlo Skoropadskyi, who had lost the support of German bayonets, took a different course, declaring that “Ukraine is to take the lead in the formation of an All-Russian Federation”. However, the regime was soon changed again. It was now the time of the so-called Directorate.

In autumn 1918, Ukrainian nationalists proclaimed the West Ukrainian People's Republic (WUPR) and, in January 1919, announced its unification with the Ukrainian People's Republic. In July 1919, Ukrainian forces were crushed by Polish troops, and the territory of the former WUPR came under the Polish rule.

In April 1920, Symon Petliura (portrayed as one of the “heroes” in today's Ukraine) concluded secret conventions on behalf of the UPR Directorate, giving up – in exchange for military support – Galicia and Western Volhynia lands to Poland. In May 1920, Petliurites entered Kiev in a convoy of Polish military units. But not for long. As early as November 1920, following a truce between Poland and Soviet Russia, the remnants of Petliura's forces surrendered to those same Poles.

The example of the UPR shows that different kinds of quasi-state formations that emerged across the former Russian Empire at the time of the Civil War and turbulence were inherently unstable. Nationalists sought to create their own independent states, while leaders of the White movement advocated indivisible Russia. Many of the republics established by the Bolsheviks' supporters did not see themselves outside Russia either. Nevertheless, Bolshevik Party leaders sometimes basically drove them out of Soviet Russia for various reasons.

Thus, in early 1918, the Donetsk-Krivoy Rog Soviet Republic was proclaimed and asked Moscow to incorporate it into Soviet Russia. This was met with a refusal. During a meeting with the republic's leaders, Vladimir Lenin insisted that they act as part of Soviet Ukraine. On 15 March 1918, the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) directly ordered that delegates be sent to the Ukrainian Congress of Soviets, including from the Donetsk Basin, and that “one government for all of Ukraine” be created at the congress. The territories of the Donetsk-Krivoy Rog Soviet Republic later formed most of the regions of south-eastern Ukraine.

Under the 1921 Treaty of Riga, concluded between the Russian SFSR, the Ukrainian SSR and Poland, the western lands of the former Russian Empire were ceded to Poland. In the interwar period, the Polish government pursued an active resettlement policy, seeking to change the ethnic composition of the Eastern Borderlands – the Polish name for what is now Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and parts of Lithuania. The areas were subjected to harsh Polonisation, local culture and traditions suppressed. Later, during World War II, radical groups of Ukrainian nationalists used this as a pretext for terror not only against Polish, but also against Jewish and Russian populations.

In 1922, when the USSR was created, with the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic becoming one of its founders, a rather fierce debate among the Bolshevik leaders resulted in the implementation of Lenin's plan to form a union state as a federation of equal republics. The right for the republics to freely secede from the Union was included in the text of the Declaration on the Creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and, subsequently, in the 1924 USSR Constitution. By doing so, the authors planted in the foundation of our statehood the most dangerous time bomb, which exploded the moment the safety mechanism provided by the leading role of the CPSU was gone, the party itself collapsing from within. A “parade of sovereignties” followed. On 8 December 1991, the so-called Belovezh Agreement on the Creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States was signed, stating that “the USSR as a subject of international law and a geopolitical reality no longer existed.” By the way, Ukraine never signed or ratified the CIS Charter adopted back in 1993.

In the 1920's-1930's, the Bolsheviks actively promoted the “localization policy”, which took the form of Ukrainization in the Ukrainian SSR. Symbolically, as part of this policy and with consent of the Soviet authorities, Mikhail Grushevskiy, former chairman of Central Rada, one of the ideologists of Ukrainian nationalism, who at a certain period of time had been supported by Austria-Hungary, was returned to the USSR and was elected member of the Academy of Sciences.

The localization policy undoubtedly played a major role in the development and consolidation of the Ukrainian culture, language and identity. At the same time, under the guise of combating the so-called Russian great-power chauvinism, Ukrainization was often imposed on those who did not see themselves as Ukrainians. This Soviet national policy secured at the state level the provision on three separate Slavic peoples: Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian, instead of the large Russian nation, a triune people comprising Velikorussians, Malorussians and Belorussians.

In 1939, the USSR regained the lands earlier seized by Poland. A major portion of these became part of the Soviet Ukraine. In 1940, the Ukrainian SSR incorporated part of Bessarabia, which had been occupied by Romania since 1918, as well as Northern Bukovina. In 1948, Zmeyiniy Island (Snake Island) in the Black Sea became part of Ukraine. In 1954, the Crimean Region of the RSFSR was given to the Ukrainian SSR, in gross violation of legal norms that were in force at the time.

I would like to dwell on the destiny of Carpathian Ruthenia, which became part of Czechoslovakia following the breakup of Austria-Hungary. Rusins made up a considerable share of local population. While this is hardly mentioned any longer, after the liberation of Transcarpathia by Soviet troops the congress of the Orthodox population of the region voted for the inclusion of Carpathian Ruthenia in the RSFSR or, as a separate Carpathian republic, in the USSR proper. Yet the choice of people was ignored. In summer 1945, the historical act of the reunification of Carpathian Ukraine “with its ancient motherland, Ukraine” – as The Pravda newspaper put it – was announced.

Therefore, modern Ukraine is entirely the product of the Soviet era. We know and remember well that it was shaped – for a significant part – on the lands of historical Russia. To make sure of that, it is enough to look at the boundaries of the lands reunited with the Russian state in the 17th century and the territory of the Ukrainian SSR when it left the Soviet Union.

The Bolsheviks treated the Russian people as inexhaustible material for their social experiments. They dreamt of a world revolution that would wipe out national states. That is why they were so generous in drawing borders and bestowing territorial gifts. It is no longer important what exactly the idea of the Bolshevik leaders who were chopping the country into pieces was. We can disagree about minor details, background and logics behind certain decisions. One fact is crystal clear: Russia was robbed, indeed.

When working on this article, I relied on open-source documents that contain well-known facts rather than on some secret records. The leaders of modern Ukraine and their external “patrons” prefer to overlook these facts. They do not miss a chance, however, both inside the country and abroad, to condemn “the crimes of the Soviet regime,” listing among them events with which neither the CPSU, nor the USSR, let alone modern Russia, have anything to do. At the same time, the Bolsheviks' efforts to detach from Russia its historical territories are not considered a crime. And we know why: if they brought about the weakening of Russia, our ill-wishes are happy with that.

Of course, inside the USSR, borders between republics were never seen as state borders; they were nominal within a single country, which, while featuring all the attributes of a federation, was highly centralized – this, again, was secured by the CPSU's leading role. But in 1991, all those territories, and, which is more important, people, found themselves abroad overnight, taken away, this time indeed, from their historical motherland.

What can be said to this? Things change: countries and communities are no exception. Of course, some part of a people in the process of its development, influenced by a number of reasons and historical circumstances, can become aware of itself as a separate nation at a certain moment. How should we treat that? There is only one answer: with respect!

You want to establish a state of your own: you are welcome! But what are the terms? I will recall the assessment given by one of the most prominent political figures of new Russia, first mayor of Saint Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak. As a legal expert who believed that every decision must be legitimate, in 1992, he shared the following opinion: the republics that were founders of the Union, having denounced the 1922 Union Treaty, must return to the boundaries they had had before joining the Soviet Union. All other territorial acquisitions are subject to discussion, negotiations, given that the ground has been revoked.

In other words, when you leave, take what you brought with you. This logic is hard to refute. I will just say that the Bolsheviks had embarked on reshaping boundaries even before the Soviet Union, manipulating with territories to their liking, in disregard of people's views.

The Russian Federation recognized the new geopolitical realities: and not only recognized, but, indeed, did a lot for Ukraine to establish itself as an independent country. Throughout the difficult 1990's and in the new millennium, we have provided considerable support to Ukraine. Whatever “political arithmetic” of its own Kiev may wish to apply, in 1991–2013, Ukraine's budget savings amounted to more than USD 82 billion, while today, it holds on to the mere USD 1.5 billion of Russian payments for gas transit to Europe. If economic ties between our countries had been retained, Ukraine would enjoy the benefit of tens of billions of dollars.

Ukraine and Russia have developed as a single economic system over decades and centuries. The profound cooperation we had 30 years ago is an example for the European Union to look up to. We are natural complementary economic partners. Such a close relationship can strengthen competitive advantages, increasing the potential of both countries.

Ukraine used to possess great potential, which included powerful infrastructure, gas transportation system, advanced shipbuilding, aviation, rocket and instrument engineering industries, as well as world-class scientific, design and engineering schools. Taking over this legacy and declaring independence, Ukrainian leaders promised that the Ukrainian economy would be one of the leading ones and the standard of living would be among the best in Europe.

Today, high-tech industrial giants that were once the pride of Ukraine and the entire Union, are sinking. Engineering output has dropped by 42 per cent over ten years. The scale of deindustrialization and overall economic degradation is visible in Ukraine's electricity production, which has seen a nearly two-time decrease in 30 years. Finally, according to IMF reports, in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic broke out, Ukraine's GDP per capita had been below USD 4 thousand. This is less than in the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Moldova, or unrecognized Kosovo. Nowadays, Ukraine is Europe's poorest country.

Who is to blame for this? Is it the people of Ukraine's fault? Certainly not. It was the Ukrainian authorities who wasted and frittered away the achievements of many generations. We know how hardworking and talented the people of Ukraine are. They can achieve success and outstanding results with perseverance and determination. And these qualities, as well as their openness, innate optimism and hospitality have not gone. The feelings of millions of people who treat Russia not just well but with great affection, just as we feel about Ukraine, remain the same.

Until 2014, hundreds of agreements and joint projects were aimed at developing our economies, business and cultural ties, strengthening security, and solving common social and environmental problems. They brought tangible benefits to people – both in Russia and Ukraine. This is what we believed to be most important. And that is why we had a fruitful interaction with all, I emphasize, with all the leaders of Ukraine.

Even after the events in Kiev of 2014, I charged the Russian government to elaborate options for preserving and maintaining our economic ties within relevant ministries and agencies. However, there was and is still no mutual will to do the same. Nevertheless, Russia is still one of Ukraine's top three trading partners, and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are coming to us to work, and they find a welcome reception and support. So that is what the “aggressor state” is.

When the USSR collapsed, many people in Russia and Ukraine sincerely believed and assumed that our close cultural, spiritual and economic ties would certainly last, as would the commonality of our people, who had always had a sense of unity at their core. However, events – at first gradually, and then more rapidly – started to move in a different direction.

In essence, Ukraine's ruling circles decided to justify their country's independence through the denial of its past, however, except for border issues. They began to mythologize and rewrite history, edit out everything that united us, and refer to the period when Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union as an occupation. The common tragedy of collectivization and famine of the early 1930s was portrayed as the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

Radicals and neo-Nazis were open and more and more insolent about their ambitions. They were indulged by both the official authorities and local oligarchs, who robbed the people of Ukraine and kept their stolen money in Western banks, ready to sell their motherland for the sake of preserving their capital. To this should be added the persistent weakness of state institutions and the position of a willing hostage to someone else's geopolitical will.

I recall that long ago, well before 2014, the U.S. and EU countries systematically and consistently pushed Ukraine to curtail and limit economic cooperation with Russia. We, as the largest trade and economic partner of Ukraine, suggested discussing the emerging problems in the Ukraine-Russia-EU format. But every time we were told that Russia had nothing to do with it and that the issue concerned only the EU and Ukraine. De facto Western countries rejected Russia's repeated calls for dialogue.

Step by step, Ukraine was dragged into a dangerous geopolitical game aimed at turning Ukraine into a barrier between Europe and Russia, a springboard against Russia. Inevitably, there came a time when the concept of “Ukraine is not Russia” was no longer an option. There was a need for the “anti-Russia” concept which we will never accept.

The owners of this project took as a basis the old groundwork of the Polish-Austrian ideologists to create an “anti-Moscow Russia”. And there is no need to deceive anyone that this is being done in the interests of the people of Ukraine. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth never needed Ukrainian culture, much less Cossack autonomy. In Austria-Hungary, historical Russian lands were mercilessly exploited and remained the poorest. The Nazis, abetted by collaborators from the OUN-UPA, did not need Ukraine, but a living space and slaves for Aryan overlords.

Nor were the interests of the Ukrainian people thought of in February 2014. The legitimate public discontent, caused by acute socio-economic problems, mistakes, and inconsistent actions of the authorities of the time, was simply cynically exploited. Western countries directly interfered in Ukraine's internal affairs and supported the coup. Radical nationalist groups served as its battering ram. Their slogans, ideology, and blatant aggressive Russophobia have to a large extent become defining elements of state policy in Ukraine.

All the things that united us and bring us together so far came under attack. First and foremost, the Russian language. Let me remind you that the new “Maidan” authorities first tried to repeal the law on state language policy. Then there was the law on the “purification of power”, the law on education that virtually cut the Russian language out of the educational process.

Lastly, as early as May of this year, the current president introduced a bill on “indigenous peoples” to the Rada. Only those who constitute an ethnic minority and do not have their own state entity outside Ukraine are recognized as indigenous. The law has been passed. New seeds of discord have been sown. And this is happening in a country, as I have already noted, that is very complex in terms of its territorial, national and linguistic composition, and its history of formation.

There may be an argument: if you are talking about a single large nation, a triune nation, then what difference does it make who people consider themselves to be – Russians, Ukrainians, or Belarusians. I completely agree with this. Especially since the determination of nationality, particularly in mixed families, is the right of every individual, free to make his or her own choice.

But the fact is that the situation in Ukraine today is completely different because it involves a forced change of identity. And the most despicable thing is that the Russians in Ukraine are being forced not only to deny their roots, generations of their ancestors but also to believe that Russia is their enemy. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the path of forced assimilation, the formation of an ethnically pure Ukrainian state, aggressive towards Russia, is comparable in its consequences to the use of weapons of mass destruction against us. As a result of such a harsh and artificial division of Russians and Ukrainians, the Russian people in all may decrease by hundreds of thousands or even millions.

Our spiritual unity has also been attacked. As in the days of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a new ecclesiastical has been initiated. The secular authorities, making no secret of their political aims, have blatantly interfered in church life and brought things to a split, to the seizure of churches, the beating of priests and monks. Even extensive autonomy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church while maintaining spiritual unity with the Moscow Patriarchate strongly displeases them. They have to destroy this prominent and centuries-old symbol of our kinship at all costs.

I think it is also natural that the representatives of Ukraine over and over again vote against the UN General Assembly resolution condemning the glorification of Nazism. Marches and torchlit processions in honor of remaining war criminals from the SS units take place under the protection of the official authorities. Mazepa, who betrayed everyone, Petliura, who paid for Polish patronage with Ukrainian lands, and Bandera, who collaborated with the Nazis, are ranked as national heroes. Everything is being done to erase from the memory of young generations the names of genuine patriots and victors, who have always been the pride of Ukraine.

For the Ukrainians who fought in the Red Army, in partisan units, the Great Patriotic War was indeed a patriotic war because they were defending their home, their great common Motherland. Over two thousand soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Among them are legendary pilot Ivan Kozhedub, fearless sniper, defender of Odessa and Sevastopol Lyudmila Pavlichenko, valiant guerrilla commander Sidor Kovpak. This indomitable generation fought, those people gave their lives for our future, for us. To forget their feat is to betray our grandfathers, mothers and fathers.

The anti-Russia project has been rejected by millions of Ukrainians. The people of Crimea and residents of Sevastopol made their historic choice. And people in the southeast peacefully tried to defend their stance. Yet, all of them, including children, were labeled as separatists and terrorists. They were threatened with ethnic cleansing and the use of military force. And the residents of Donetsk and Lugansk took up arms to defend their home, their language and their lives. Were they left any other choice after the riots that swept through the cities of Ukraine, after the horror and tragedy of 2 May 2014 in Odessa where Ukrainian neo-Nazis burned people alive making a new Khatyn out of it? The same massacre was ready to be carried out by the followers of Bandera in Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk and Lugansk. Even now they do not abandon such plans. They are biding their time. But their time will not come.

The coup d'état and the subsequent actions of the Kiev authorities inevitably provoked confrontation and civil war. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates that the total number of victims in the conflict in Donbas has exceeded 13,000. Among them are the elderly and children. These are terrible, irreparable losses.

Russia has done everything to stop fratricide. The Minsk agreements aimed at a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbas have been concluded. I am convinced that they still have no alternative. In any case, no one has withdrawn their signatures from the Minsk Package of Measures or from the relevant statements by the leaders of the Normandy format countries. No one has initiated a review of the United Nations Security Council resolution of 17 February 2015.

During official negotiations, especially after being reined in by Western partners, Ukraine's representatives regularly declare their “full adherence” to the Minsk agreements, but are in fact guided by a position of “unacceptability”. They do not intend to seriously discuss either the special status of Donbas or safeguards for the people living there. They prefer to exploit the image of the “victim of external aggression” and peddle Russophobia. They arrange bloody provocations in Donbas. In short, they attract the attention of external patrons and masters by all means.

Apparently, and I am becoming more and more convinced of this: Kiev simply does not need Donbas. Why? Because, firstly, the inhabitants of these regions will never accept the order that they have tried and are trying to impose by force, blockade and threats. And secondly, the outcome of both Minsk‑1 and Minsk‑2 which give a real chance to peacefully restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine by coming to an agreement directly with the DPR and LPR with Russia, Germany and France as mediators, contradicts the entire logic of the anti-Russia project. And it can only be sustained by the constant cultivation of the image of an internal and external enemy. And I would add – under the protection and control of the Western powers.

This is what is actually happening. First of all, we are facing the creation of a climate of fear in Ukrainian society, aggressive rhetoric, indulging neo-Nazis and militarising the country. Along with that we are witnessing not just complete dependence but direct external control, including the supervision of the Ukrainian authorities, security services and armed forces by foreign advisers, military “development” of the territory of Ukraine and deployment of NATO infrastructure. It is no coincidence that the aforementioned flagrant law on “indigenous peoples” was adopted under the cover of large-scale NATO exercises in Ukraine.

This is also a disguise for the takeover of the rest of the Ukrainian economy and the exploitation of its natural resources. The sale of agricultural land is not far off, and it is obvious who will buy it up. From time to time, Ukraine is indeed given financial resources and loans, but under their own conditions and pursuing their own interests, with preferences and benefits for Western companies. By the way, who will pay these debts back? Apparently, it is assumed that this will have to be done not only by today's generation of Ukrainians but also by their children, grandchildren and probably great-grandchildren.

The Western authors of the anti-Russia project set up the Ukrainian political system in such a way that presidents, members of parliament and ministers would change but the attitude of separation from and enmity with Russia would remain. Reaching peace was the main election slogan of the incumbent president. He came to power with this. The promises turned out to be lies. Nothing has changed. And in some ways the situation in Ukraine and around Donbas has even degenerated.

In the anti-Russia project, there is no place either for a sovereign Ukraine or for the political forces that are trying to defend its real independence. Those who talk about reconciliation in Ukrainian society, about dialogue, about finding a way out of the current impasse are labelled as “pro-Russian” agents.

Again, for many people in Ukraine, the anti-Russia project is simply unacceptable. And there are millions of such people. But they are not allowed to raise their heads. They have had their legal opportunity to defend their point of view in fact taken away from them. They are intimidated, driven underground. Not only are they persecuted for their convictions, for the spoken word, for the open expression of their position, but they are also killed. Murderers, as a rule, go unpunished.

Today, the “right” patriot of Ukraine is only the one who hates Russia. Moreover, the entire Ukrainian statehood, as we understand it, is proposed to be further built exclusively on this idea. Hate and anger, as world history has repeatedly proved this, are a very shaky foundation for sovereignty, fraught with many serious risks and dire consequences.

All the subterfuges associated with the anti-Russia project are clear to us. And we will never allow our historical territories and people close to us living there to be used against Russia. And to those who will undertake such an attempt, I would like to say that this way they will destroy their own country.

The incumbent authorities in Ukraine like to refer to Western experience, seeing it as a model to follow. Just have a look at how Austria and Germany, the USA and Canada live next to each other. Close in ethnic composition, culture, in fact sharing one language, they remain sovereign states with their own interests, with their own foreign policy. But this does not prevent them from the closest integration or allied relations. They have very conditional, transparent borders. And when crossing them the citizens feel at home. They create families, study, work, do business. Incidentally, so do millions of those born in Ukraine who now live in Russia. We see them as our own close people.

Russia is open to dialogue with Ukraine and ready to discuss the most complex issues. But it is important for us to understand that our partner is defending its national interests but not serving someone else's, and is not a tool in someone else's hands to fight against us.

We respect the Ukrainian language and traditions. We respect Ukrainians' desire to see their country free, safe and prosperous.

I am confident that true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia. Our spiritual, human and civilizational ties formed for centuries and have their origins in the same sources, they have been hardened by common trials, achievements and victories. Our kinship has been transmitted from generation to generation. It is in the hearts and the memory of people living in modern Russia and Ukraine, in the blood ties that unite millions of our families. Together we have always been and will be many times stronger and more successful. For we are one people.

Today, these words may be perceived by some people with hostility. They can be interpreted in many possible ways. Yet, many people will hear me. And I will say one thing – Russia has never been and will never be “anti-Ukraine”. And what Ukraine will be – it is up to its citizens to decide.

This work is from the website of the President of the Russian Federation and is copyrighted. It is licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. In short: you are free to distribute and modify this work as long as you attribute www.kremlin.ru.

The permission letter from the Press Secretary for the President of the Russian Federation is available as Kremlin authorisation-English.pdf .

Public domain Public domain false false

• CC attribution 4.0

Navigation menu