The nochoice sibling string

My sister Meenakshi has written a blog on born this way. I read it and the issue she has focussed on has led me thinking of being born with siblings...good, bad, ugly, goodlooking, short, tall, intelligent, stupid...the traits and qualities are too many to enumerate...As a family it feels good to be born with many sisters and brothers. As children we just dont look at their virtues or vices. We are too innocent to even think of such wicked aspects.As we grow up, marry and have our own families, we have many more members added on to the family. Their influence is not minimal or to be ignored. It is after this that we begin to look at siblings in a different light and begin noticing the flaws and thereby spring misgivings, mistrust, misunderstandings and then we see the beginnings of many misses in our lives. We miss out on all good things because of the shadow of jealousy, anger, and lack of give and take has been cast over our lives.We have no choice over who we want as our sisters or brothers.They are there and we better accept them as they are. Siblings drift apart also because of fluctuating fortunes. One may be hard up,while another may thrive. One may go abroad and see the world whereas another may never get to go beyond their town or city or village. Sibling rivalry gets fanned later in life when their children settle down in life
One child of a sibling may move up the career ladder very fast and go places. Another may be struggling to make a career. This often leads to jealousy and bitterness.Have we a choice over who should be our childrens' cousins? Again its a NO..So how to find a solution to this problem. I agree we are all born the way we are. Our brother and or sister is ours no matter what. Do we disown a brother because he is not doing good? Or because he is shabbily clothed or has matted hair?Do we fail to recognize him on the streets just because he is not well dressed or because he is trudging home wearily?Now what I call strength od character is to be able to stand up for such siblings and say proudly to the world that he or she is my sibling, no matter what the world thinks of him/her.
Now coming to the matter of cousins...lets face it ...it is a thin string that binds them now....If all of the cousin siblings thought that neither position, power nor money is so important for a genuine freindly relationship , it would make matters easy for them to be in touch and helpful to each other. Its the EGO that comes with success that is in the way. It is also the  familyvalues and ties that have not been stressed enough in younger agewhen these cousins were in their respective homes. that is resposible for their going their separate ways.
Let us as a family remember that we have just one life to live and that we may not be born again as siblings. It is our duty to do our parents proud by vindicating the choice our parents have gives us and in turn our kids have to do the same. Wont it be a happeir world and a happier family???Sure will