Is Family Harmony Possible Without Conflict?

Is family harmony possible without conflict?

My father used to say: "you cannot dance a beautiful dance until, you have stepped on each others toes".

Anger, conflict and discord are things every family must painfully live through. However, when this seeming lack of harmony is experienced within the larger context of mutual aid and support, unity is the result.

Painful family experiences can be overwhelmed; by mutual support of personal growth, by valuing each others contribution, and by uniting around adversity and opportunity.

Most important, we must come to expect that some conflict will occur. It is only when we allow conflict to be destructive that we fail to achieve harmony.

It is my belief that we often have too great an expectation of harmony and lack an appreciation for the purpose of conflict. As a result, we view families as dysfunctional. We then build silos to protect our individual self. In order to avoid conflict ,we set too many boundaries. Family members should not behave like wall flowers. Harmony grows from the constructive use of conflict.