MANILA, Philippines — For the questions that the family has raised under each of such key facets as family culture, life-long learning, resource management, and social outreach, answers need to be put forward in view of the family vision and indeed of the other elements – the mission and core values – included in the family governance charter.

As a family puts forward its answers, there is need to forge a consensus. This means that even the kids, who already have the capacity to contribute their own ideas and suggestions, should be encouraged to participate. Indeed, it is essential that they get involved in the process; and as they grow up, their participation should correspondingly grow.

In the process of putting forward the family’s answers, it is useful to keep everyone’s feet grounded. There has to be a realistic assessment of the real circumstances the family finds itself in, while allowing for grace and the work of the Spirit to help the family soar beyond its obvious limitations.

In this regard, the family takes note of the following as it tries to put forward its answers to the questions already posed:

* The family’s strengths. No matter how dire the circumstances the family may find itself in, it can always bank upon certain strengths, and in particular upon the strengths of its individual members, who can contribute those strengths to promote the over-all welfare and progress of the entire family.

* The family’s weaknesses. This list may be short or long, depending upon real facts as well as the attitudes the members of the family take in relation to the many challenges the family faces. It is useful to note that attitudes can have as much weight as reality.

* The family’s opportunities. Simply because the family lives in an open, dynamic world, a number of opportunities lie open in the wider world for the family to exploit. But the members of the family need to have the conviction and commitment to seize whatever grand opportunities may lie in wait for the family out there in the external environment.

* The threats to the family. Whether we like them to be out there or not, the fact is that they exist. We just have to be fully conscious of them and of the risks they bear against the unity, harmony, and progress of the family.

* Black swans. Each family has no total control of the things that may happen to it. Life is after all full of events that are impossible to foresee and foretell. Moreover, the unexpected may occur. Some provision, therefore, has to be made for grace and the work of the Spirit to enable the family to cope with any eventuality.

In applying the open SWOT analysis to one’s specific, unique circumstances, a family comes up with an initial set of “tentative” answers to the questions raised earlier. By being open to each other and by carefully listening to the views of other members of the family, each one in the family can contribute towards a set of “consensus” answers that everyone can adopt.

Before finalizing the “consensus” answers, the family may wish to consider the following best-practice guidelines: a) for each of the four facets, under which questions were posed, it is advisable to come up with only two (at most three) answers; and b) by thinking through the inner and close relationship between the different answers, a family can write a story or a script for its journey towards realizing its vision.