Do you think free will man-made relations are stronger than blood relations??

[Shatakshi Gauriar]

Both the relationship has its own place. It is rather wrong to say which one is more stronger. It is true that sometimes, man-made relationship become so strong that the blood shrinks away but that doesn't mean blood relationship holds no power, it is by far one of the most strongest connected because it is so deep rooted. So, at last both relationships cannot be compared with one another.

[Muvokav]

In some cases I do believe man-made relations are stronger. Family are people we don't choose , so their beliefs and ideologies may vary from our own and thus a less stronger bond than that of people you met and got to know with intent and found out that you have things in common and can relate to

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

They are definitly stronger as you grow up, when your a child its more about nurture but as you grow up you obviously start to understand more things and that changes your mind about things, reaching more towards 'man made relationships'.

To some extent I agree with your statement. Children are prone to make judgements based on their parents opinion or habits. It is evident from Lena's complaints that it didn't matter how much she talked about good behavior. The twins were always huddled together wispering, planning, getting "smarter" about what they did, just as Joey had taught them.

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

It depends on personal experience. In some cases, blood relations can be very strong, but in most cases, the manmade relations are stronger. There are cases whereby friends will come in handy than family because in families, people tend to become too familiar with one another hence becoming apathetic towards one another.

I wouldn't attribute the weak bonds in families to being fond of each other. Instead, I think families have their own set up of rules and norms, which, if not followed, may lead to broken relationships like what happened to Maureen.

[nancy njoki]

As much as you would like to have a very strong relationships with blood siblings, sometimes the status,type of job, time among many other factors influence how this bond will be strong.The people you spend more time with the stronger the bond.For me it depends on the quality of time and the activities you are engaged and the experiences you share to create this bond.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Sometimes relations built by humans flourish far better than blood relations. It all depends on our experiences and how we connect to other people in order to build that relation with them, just like in this book.Some experiences bind us more closely. So its safe to say that man made relations are stronger.

Two characters of this book are blood relatives, mother and the daughter. A bond between a mother and a child is far stronger, since it is a blood relationship. Yet, the relationship with Lena was with the circumstances, and it grew strong. So this is a situation where it is shown both blood relationships as well as man made relationships can be equally strong

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think there are times they can be stronger, depending on a person's relationship with their family. I have had friends I made outside of family that have very strong bonds and lasted. However, I still believe blood will take precedence over man-made relationships in the long run.

A parent will never turn his/her back at his/her child, in any circumstance. Together with all the social issues, Kalayla and her mother were together. Man made relationships can be stronger. But this particular mother-child relationships which is depicted in the book is superior to everything else

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I am strong believer in found families. I am not sure how we grade what is stronger. But you know how you love some of your family members but don't like them sometimes, on the other hand, friends you chose you love and like. I don't know is that just me. I hope you understand my point.

You have a point. We cannot choose our blood relations, and sometimes we might not like them. And that can be same for the friends that we choose, because they may be changed, and we may not like that. The particular relationship in this book, in between mother and child is far superior though we don't get to choose it on our own

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Man-made relations can be very strong. I have a few such relations in my own life, from which I can say they are at least as strong as the blood relations. The problem (that is, if you want to see it as a problem) is that man-made relationships are easier to cut off. To my opinion, the bond with the blood can't really be cut off. In both types of relationships, it takes a bit of luck and a lot of hard work to create a strong relationship. Once it is there, it is a true blessing to one's life.

Just because one is your blood relation, it doesn't mean that it will last forever. The relationship will be there just for the sake of the 'name', but the interactions can be zero. The way you interact with them and help each other will determine the future of the relationships. It is depicted in this book very clearly

[Sushan Ekanayake]

It has been my experience that what you refer to as free will relationships are much stronger than ones based on blood ties. That may be unfortunate for me, but I find them more honesty based and steadfast. Free will relationships are based on some common thread, whether it be an interest or an experience. Blood relationships are built with peole you just happened to be thrown in a certain gene pool with. Sometimes that pool will drown you and the free will relationships are typically there to save you.

Yes, I agree. Free-will relationships are what we choose for us. An example is our friends. They can be closer to us even more than our family. But the particular relationship which is highlighted here, the mother-child relationship will be far superior and far too strong than any of those

[Sushan Ekanayake]

"I wish everyone knew the entire saying. It's not 'blood is thicker than water,' it's 'the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.' Meaning relationships built by choice are stronger than those built by birth."Only those relations are the one you should care which are true to you not because of need of you"

In old literature it says 'blood is thicker than water'. I don't know how it has been changed. Chosen relationships can be convenient as well as strong. It is shown by the relationship with Lena. Yet, how it can be stronger than a mother-child relationship?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I've heard it said that you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family. That being said, the relationships we choose can be greater than those we have no control over. A lot of how we bind ourselves to others as "family" is based on trust. If our blood relationships are based on a strong bond of trust then they are very strong. If they are not, then we tend to find others in our lives who provide that trust, thus produce a strong bond. I think this is what happened in the story with the three women. The "tie that binds" is stronger than anything, including blood.

With bad experiences with the family members,many tend to turn towards their friends. Some friends are life-long and they are much more than the close family, as Lena here. But the relationship that we get even before our birth, the mother-child relationship will be more persistent than any of these relationships, though it can be not very strong at times

[Cynthia Olyy]

I'm not really sure about how to do this grading because there are circumstances that surround relationship bonds. All Things being equal, there is no greater bond than one found in the family. No matter what happens, family is blood.

[Ashliicat]

I think any bond has to be worked at no matter if it's one which has been formed through blood or circumstance. I feel like the emphasise on the blood ties can get a bit messy, especially when the relationship isn't good and the connection through blood is used to get people to stay. I don't think either kind is necessarily stronger than the other, each has different elements to it.

[DyanaFl]

"I wish everyone knew the entire saying. It's not 'blood is thicker than water,' it's 'the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.' Meaning relationships built by choice are stronger than those built by birth."Only those relations are the one you should care which are true to you not because of need of you"

YES EXACTLY!!!! I love that saying.
It doesn't matter who you knew first or how you knew them. Its who make you feel more of a person and not demoralize you or your existence.