Abnormally Normal

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It's Time Society Addressed the Pervasive Shame of Estrangement
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It's Time Society Addressed the Pervasive Shame of Estrangement

Estrangement is more common than you think

Ali Hall's avatar
Ali Hall
Apr 30, 2023
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Abnormally Normal
Abnormally Normal
It's Time Society Addressed the Pervasive Shame of Estrangement
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group of people standing on green grass field during daytime
Photo by CDC on Unsplash

People say blood is thicker than water, but the funny thing is this sentence has a very different meaning from how it is used in conversation. The full saying is:

“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

Some covenants of the ancient world used blood to connect two people who weren’t already related. Blood-sharing ceremonies involved people who were seeking to connect. They cut their hands and then shook hands with each other, merging their blood together.

So you see, the true meaning of the saying “blood is thicker than water” is actually that chosen bonds are stronger than family bonds.

Truth be told, we all develop our relationships according to our individual circumstances and experiences. You may have a close relationship with your family of origin, and that’s great; not everyone does, and there should be no shame in that.

I don’t believe our families of origin are necessarily more important than our chosen families - the people we …

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