Love, Family and Blood Ties

I am interested to know about how people feel towards their family, whether they genuinely love people just because they share the same bloodlines?
Maybe I am alone here, but I will not be obligated to love family members because of these reasons. I love my parents, because of they have been good to me, and I consider them my friends.
I love my partner because I respect who he is as a person and because we live life well together. Honestly, I feel kind of ambivalent to everyone else. I have very few friends, and those who I consider friends, I love and respect them more than I do my numerous aunts, uncles, cousins... Everyone else comes under the people I can't be bothered with list. I certainly don't love them. I wouldn't be upset if they died. I wouldn't even notice.

Am I the only one that feels this way? What makes you love the people in your family?

reply to post by syntheticbutterfly

I am interested to know about how people feel towards their family, whether they genuinely love people just because they share the same bloodlines?

I don't give a # if they share my blood, it's my relationship with them that matters. I love my mum/mom and dad so much because I've spent most of my life with them, same goes for my sisters. I do have people in my family that I've never even met, should I feel love for them? Pfffttt...

I'm glad it's not only me then. I was starting to think I was mentally ill or something.

its kinda of like this.......the more contact you have to people, the closer you become whether its family,co-workers,friends.....EX. your best friend as a child dies but you havent seen or talked to them in 20 years and you dont go to the funeral but a coworker who you've known for 2 years works right beside you day in and day out dies and you go their funeral.With that being said .....most people have very strong emotions for people in their live past and present, some do not.