Found Family
In 1993, the UN General Assembly declared May 15th as the International Day of Families. One of the common threads that ties different peoples of the world together is the concept and desire for family. Even those who tend to isolate themselves to practice mindfulness and create, such as Freidrich Neitzsche wrote on the importance of family as evidenced by his quote above.
While the literal definition has remained the same since the 1930s, the concept of family in our minds has changed. Individuals expand their interpretation of the word ‘family’ to meet the situation that gives them comfort. The unfortunate truth is, due to many circumstances and conditions, an overwhelming amount of people find that they are either without the traditional blood relations to call family or they do not feel ‘at home’ with their blood relatives. Regardless, it is a natural human tendency to either foster the blood relations they are blessed with or actively seek out connections with others to create a ‘found family.’ And most of the time this found family is discovered in the most unlikely of places.
In Adam’s homeland of Novana, the Plakerols, humanoid robots created to implement the control of artificial intelligence, have eradicated families. All humans are genetically engineered, wiping out the need for procreation by the humans. Before Adriella visits and enlightens him with knowledge, he has no concept of family. As he learns of human history, he witnesses the joy and comfort of family life and longs for such for himself. This longing, as well as the mourning for what humans lost under the domination of artificial intelligence, pushes Adam to the brink. In a moment of desperation, he leaves his homeland and discovers his own ‘found family.
No matter what our families look like, they carry the same meaning for all of us. Home is not a place, it’s a feeling and our family is those who make us feel the most at home. We celebrate families of all types, large or small, born of found. Today and every day, let us all rejoice in the love and togetherness that surrounds us.
