Family gatherings feel dreadful because relatives are strangers we didn't choose, unlike friends. The speaker connects this to the biblical command to love the stranger, arguing that learning to love difficult family members builds character and resilience.
Are you dreading in some way your Thanksgiving meal with family? It's very sad. It's not quite the Norman Rockwell painting, is it, of the happy family and mom bringing the turkey to the table? Family is where people are tested a great deal. You pick your friends, so there's not much testing, but you're given relatives. And as a result, you have to learn how to deal with people you wouldn't normally choose to be with. That's the— I have a funny take on the biblical law, love the stranger. And that it really applies to your family. So many— in so many ways, family, immediate or extended, consists of strangers, people that are very different from us. And so it actually helps you develop your character. Mm-hmm.
Life, Legacy, and a Dangerous Mission in the Soviet Union | Sunday Fireside Chat
