The closest thing to our heart is family. Most of your “firsts” happen with your family. Naturally, this leads to the establishment of a tradition. Family and its traditions greatly influence a child. Most families pass on family values as a tradition, so that parents help their children become better individuals through them.

For parents, the teenage years of their child are a test. The values you have taught your kids are put to use. The values you put in your child in the early years keep your child from walking the wrong path even when times get tough.

Many families hold the tradition of having dinner together. The flavor(滋味) of love and togetherness makes you forget about your bad day. Merely a simple meal with your loved ones can lighten your shoulders like no other thing. Small traditions like sharing a meal or cooking on Sundays help you stay connected to your family.

Having traditions makes you feel special in your own space. When you have things in common, you’ll enjoy the company a little more, and no other company is better than family. Lastly, traditions may not necessarily be celebrated each year; they can be enjoyed in their own sweet way on the dining table, kitchen, or even at the door.

Daffnee Cohen told Healthy Cells Magazine in an article, “Tradition is one of the most beautiful beliefs we have created and experienced as living and loving humans.”

In the current fast-paced life, family traditions bring in moments you wish to keep for a lifetime. They shape you, comfort you, give you a sense of belonging, create unforgettable memories, and make you better and stronger individuals. So, instead of doubting their presence, treasure each moment.

We all need to feel understood, recognized and affirmed by our friends, family and romantic partners. We all need to find our tribe.

Research has shown that among the benefits that come with being in a relationship or group, feeling accepted is regarded as the most important driver of meaning. When other people think you matter and treat you as if you matter, you believe you matter, too.

Though we all share a need to belong, in the first decades of the 20th century, many influential psychologists and physicians did not acknowledge this fundamental aspect of human nature. The idea that children needed parental love and care to live a full and meaningful life was not only considered medically dangerous, but also dismissed as immoral and disgusting.

As behavioral psychology came into fashion and academic psychologists turned their attention to child- raising, this view shifted and they began to examine and affirm the vital importance of attachment in early life. They discovered that people, whatever their age, needed more than food and shelter to live full and healthy lives.

But, sadly, many of us lack close ties. At a time when we are more connected digitally than ever before, rates of social isolation are rising. The results of an Age UK poll published recently suggest that half a million people over the age of 60 usually spend each day alone, and it's not unusual for another half a million people to go without someone to speak to for five or six days. All these figures reveal more than a rise in loneliness — they reveal a lack of meaning in people's lives. In surveys, we list our close relationships as our most important sources of meaning. Research shows that people who are lonely and isolated feel their lives are less meaningful.

While close relationships are critical for living a meaningful life, they are not the only important social bonds we need to cultivate. Psychologists have also discovered the value of small moments of intimacy. “High-quality connections”, as one researcher calls them, are positive, short-term interactions between two people when a couple holds hands on a walk or when two strangers have an empathetic(移情作用的) conversation on a plane. High-quality connections have the potential to unlock meaning in our interactions with acquaintances, colleagues and strangers. We can't control whether someone will make a high-quality connection with us, but we can all choose to start one. We can say hello to a stranger on the street rather than look away. We can choose to value people rather than devalue them. We can invite people to belong.