(EN)
(ES)
(IT)
The Family: Every Human Being’s First Team
How to Apply the Mathematics of Love in the Family
Seeing how my great-nephews are developing a passion for football and choosing a favorite team, I wondered, what should be everyone’s first team? My brain’s answer was immediate and precise: everyone’s first team is their family . It is within the family that we develop all the constitutive aspects of our being. However, what I observe in today’s society, tainted by individualism, is that not all family members feel like active members of their first team. That is, they don’t wake up each morning thinking they are part of a shared project, they don’t feel committed to the team and willing to contribute their efforts to make it successful. (…) More specifically, each person should: contribute some of their time, have a helpful attitude, and contribute ideas so that everyone, ultimately, is happier and achieves their personal goals, without the shared project of that great team—their family—being neglected.
Certainly, the institution of the family is denigrated and has to swim against the current, but I believe that it is possible to live or acquire that team mentality, with which to achieve its happiness, not without difficulties, by transforming belonging to it into a gift of love.
I was mulling over the idea for this article when I came across one by José María Contreras on “ The Mathematics of Love , ” published in El Debate on February 9, 2025. I found it to be an ingenious and engaging article, and I recommend reading it. In this article, he explains how basic operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—when applied correctly, can improve romantic relationships.
I dare to project José María’s idea onto each of our primary teams. Starting with the operation of adding : this would encompass all “small acts of service for the good of the primary team,” or of the member who needs it most, always with affection and joy. Moving on to the second operation, that of subtracting : this could be summarized as “failing to do something” that affects the team. To prevent this from happening, we must be attentive to what other team members expect or need from us, such as: a word of encouragement before an exam, praise for the personal achievements of team members, expressing gratitude for help, (…).
Regarding the other two operations, multiplication and division, which are also interconnected, what can be said? The operation of multiplication makes us think that “when everyone pitches in, the team’s benefit increases,” meaning it’s about sharing time, space, and so on, for everyone’s enjoyment. The more generous and creative we are, the more we will enjoy it. Finally, division is closely linked to the individualism that pervades our lives and drives us to shut ourselves away in our own little world: our hobbies, our friends, social media, and so on, forgetting the greater good of the team.
Our main task will be to know which operation to apply in different family situations we might encounter, such as when we begin to solve math problems related to basic operations or their possible combinations. Undoubtedly, training and skill are needed to apply these four simple operations correctly in problem-solving. Similarly, we must achieve the correct application of these four operations for the benefit of our first team, which requires investing time, our intelligence, and our heart. This will provide an added sense of unity and happiness to the entire family—our first and greatest team .
Some other current difficulties families face include relativism, emotionalism, hedonism, and consumerism. However, as a mathematician, I believe in the power of basic mathematical operations, which can be the key to a family’s success and resilience.
Tomasa Calvo
Matemática y doctora en Informática. Defensora de la verdad, del bien y de lo bello y, cómo no, de la libertad, entendida como la facultad que nos ayuda a hacer el bien. Su espíritu inquieto le llevó a promover el evento cultural "Conversaciones con Luz Propia" en Teruel.
