Changing familyscape
I was travelling from Calcutta to New Delhi on a train when I came across an Irishman travelling on the same train. We struck a lively conversation and at one stage he asked me, “Why is it that people (in India) ask me if I am married?” I could not at first reckon what was wrong with the question. I, however, explained that it was customary in the East to ask about marriage, family, etc. The Irishman replied that in his society one wants to know if a person is married only when he or she wishes to marry the latter. The incident was amusing but it made me conscious of the different values that exist in the East and the West. While in the East, especially in the developing countries, the society and culture are mainly family based, in the developed countries of the West the concept of family is literally in bits and pieces.
2.The family marks essentially a social aspect and also the progress of civilization. In the urge of free life-style the developed countries of the world are losing family structures and values, yet though belated they have begun to assess the importance of families and are now campaigning so that young people enter wedlock and maintain the family culture. In the East, in developing countries the family is vital and they thrive as family-based societies.
3. It leads us to ponder what we will miss if we let the family diminish. Most young people have a feeling that family is a bondage and wish to be free from it. As we grow into adults we like to have independence. It is important to remember that the family we are born into plays a great role in moulding our values and life-style. It is very natural that when we take major decisions like buying a car or a house, we seek our parents' advice and counsel. This is more common when we are about to choose our life partner. Their advice and choice are very valuable in this respect. Although social values change with generation, the influences of parents on us work like miracles.
4.The family situation is a significant aspect of a family. It actually means how the members of a family are placed socially, economically and ethically. It also determines the life-style of the family its needs, affordability, education and moral values. The family situation is, however, dynamic. That is, the members of the family grow older, get jobs and get married. Very often the situation gives rise to major changes and some members may leave or disassociate from the nucleus family. This is known in sociological term as the 'changing familyscape.
5.Families break down into units according to needs and facilities. This again reflects a global aspect. Societies have begun to change and transform due to globalisation. It may seem unlikely but it is happening. Slowly but certainly the societies in which we live undergo transformations and established institutions become out of place. The family is one of them. Even 30 to 50 years ago one would not think of leaving their parents and live separately. Now, it has become very natural to form a separate unit of family. Families nowadays form multiple units due to rise of individualistic ideas, values and life-style.
6.'The family is collapsing'. This is a cry ringing in the modern Western world. The West is at present giving thought and more attention to recovering family ties and values. We in the East should be more careful about maintaining and upholding family culture and prevent the world from changing the traditional familyscape.
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