Do I have duty to love my family?

I think this can be a really tough question, and a hard one to answer for ourselves. Do you have a duty to love them? No, I don't think that you do. Being your family doesn't mean that they deserve your love, as selfish as that may sound. If your family is harming you or having a negative effect on you then it is our duty to take care of ourselves. For some people, that might mean not loving your family or not being there for them. I know from personal experience that withdrawing from your family isn't easy; it can be painful and cause more conflict. However, the only person you have a duty to love and take care of is yourself. Sometimes we love our families even though they have done bad things to us. Sometimes we can't help it. But that doesn't mean we have to love them.

Personally I say no. For the last ten years my family has been too hurtful, damaging and triggering for me - in the end I have had to totally cut myself off from them so I could live the kind of life I could be happy and healthy in. But at the same time, it's really hard and really painful. I'm better off without them, but it wasn't all bad, they aren't essentially bad/evil people. So I still really miss the good, I still think I love them. But do I have an obligation to do or be anything for them any more or to allow them in my life. No.

No everyone can love their family. That's perfectly fine. I have never loved my family but get along fine with them. No one has to love anyone, even your family.

You don't have the duty to love anyone. Love isn't anything you can decide upon. Love happens or it doesn't happen.

Philosophical answer: No, it is not your duty. This question involves morals: it's morally great to love your family. Morals were invented to give humans the illusion that they are not savage creatures - that they are above wild animals, yet it is complete nonsense. You have no duties in life. It's all up to how you feel and think. Do YOU think that it's your duty?

Personally, I say no. Your main duty is to take care of you. Since the death of my. Mother 16 years ago, my family have been extremely toxic towards each other, but mostly directed towards myself, as I was left the responsibility by my mother to ensure my sister with learning difficulties could remain in the house. Therefore, my siblings could not sell the property as they wanted. This has been a very painful experience and I have felt bullied and isolated in their presence, which has caused me a great deal of stress over the years and led to a heart condition and sometimes feeling suicidal at having to deal with the constant ganging up against me. For a long time I felt I had to put up with their behaviour out of some sense of duty to family. 3 years ago I decided to severe all links with them, except for my disabled sister. Although, this was extremely painful for me as it felt like another breavement for me, sometimes you just have to look after yourself and realise that your family are just not good to be around.

I dont think anybody has a duty to love anybody. There are so many factors when it comes to loving someone and sometimes blood connection is not enough. If you have a bad relationship with your family it may not be true or real for you to say you love them, and that is okay. The only thing you have duty to is to treat people with respect and humanity.

If you're family with someone who brings nothing but negativity into your life, then no - you have no obligation to love them.

You have no more duty to love your family than you do for anyone else. If someone in your family does something that hurts you you don't need to love them or keep them in your life. If you just don't connect with a family member you don't need to feel guilty. There is nothing wrong with not loving someone in your family. The reason people say all that family above all stuff is because they expect that there's never any reason to dislike a family member which simply isn't true.

You do not. Even if your family has spent your whole life giving you support, if this is conditional it is not true care. The hope is that support will be unconditional regardless of what path you've chosen, but if your family conditions that love and support on the choices you make or the qualities you embody, then you are under no obligation to return it. It certainly isn't easy, but it is possible. I am here for anybody struggling with this.