Learning a new proverb "Blood is thicker than water"

Nice proverb. I completely am with the meaning conveyed by it. I have been living away from my family in a different city for the past 9 years and been able to visit them once or twice a year. So all this while I've been with my friends who have become a very integral part of my life. But if I am to compare the bond I share with them and my family, then the answer will be that my ties with my family are stronger.

hi kingparker, this proverb figuratively describes that at the end of the day, your family whether immediate or extended shares more kinship than friends. Not sure if you feel this kinship at this stage but this will become more apparent especially when you are looking for organ donations and the likelihood is that it will probably come from your family.

In Phil. culture it is widely applied. blood is thicker than water. whatever issues you have with your family members.. at the end of the day your relationship with your family member still remain strong. Filipinos are family oriented and very much attached to their family.

Hi king, I think the proverb is used in extreme cases. We might not be close to our kin but if a situation arises where our relatives are being maltreated or condescended, then come to their aid and stand by their side... You have a good notion about friends. They are actually God's excuse for giving us the relatives we are bound by blood forevermore. But friendship comes two ways. That means that the friendship was built because you allowed it to develop. So, kudos to you for being a good friend.

The phrase is often cited in some Phil. movies so I'm quite familiar with it. Blood represents family and in most cases it is our top priority among other things. And in a situation like you have to choose between a member of the family and the other people, family comes first. It is inappropriate to use the phrase if you choose otherwise.

Sometimes my therapist calls those who are close to you but not necessarily your blood relatives your "spiritual family." If you have people who are concerned for your welfare and willing to do anything for you and you for them, then you can consider those people your "family," especially if your real family mistreats you. The people who have been with you through thick and thin and who you can really count on are the most important in life. We still have to give honor and respect sometimes to our family even if they are not good to us, but we don't have to let them walk all over us or disrespect us or make us turn our backs on those who really respect and care about us.

I am also closer to my friends than my family. However, I consider them my family even though we don't technically share blood. I believe you are right that people can take the proverb differently depending on where they are coming from. The way I see it, we all bleed red.