We, Indians are losing our Indian culture and aping the west. Further, exposure to cable television has eroded our Indian values. Living together has become a norm in the west and this has also invaded our country. All this has resulted in loneliness and depression. We should get in touch with our culture so that we lead a happy and fulfilling life.As we turn more and more towards westernisation, its time to sit back and re-think our values. Youngsters today are exposed to western lifestyles to a much greater extent than the previous generation. Exposure to cable television has brought the typical American family into our living room, and slowly a new thought process starts invading our childrens minds. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, perhaps you should try and figure out what your priorities are. How important is your marriage and family to you? Does it take first preference, or do career and other such matters come first? In this articleThe west has shown a disturbing trend of late.Then there are those who feel there is nothing wrong in living together.Again, whats the harm?Why is marriage being taken increasingly more and more lightly? The west has shown a disturbing trend of late. The nuclear family no longer consists of the nuclear family as we know it. Stepparents, half-brothers and sisters, divorced couples and single parents are increasing in percentage to married couples with children living together - which makes up only 23.5 percent of all households! Then there are those who feel there is nothing wrong in living together. After all, you are not hurting anyone, you are not committing a crime, so the society which frowns upon such a lifestyle should just mind their own business. Couples live together for years and years without any plans of getting married. Why? Just in case someone better comes along? Remember, there will always be someone better looking. Someone richer. Someone more intelligent. Someone wittier. Dont be surprised if, by the time our children grow up, living together instead of marriage becomes the norm. Is that what we want? Again, whats the harm? Well, if living together culminates in marriage, everyone heaves a sigh of relief, but if it does not, and the couple has children and then part ways, thats not very nice is it? And if this becomes the norm, what will family life come to? Why is marriage being taken increasingly more and more lightly? There used to be a time when the only reason people would get divorced would be in extreme cases - if one partner was abusing the other, horrific in-law problems or other such extreme cases. True, there were moments of difficulty. It wasnt always smooth running. But at the end of the day when the couples sit back and look at their children and grand children, they can look at their family with a sense of pride. They dont die as lonely individuals in their beds. They remain loved and surrounded by family till they breath their last. Of course, there are always exceptions, but riding through the rough patches together and sticking with each other will reap untold dividends in the long run. So perhaps its time to get back in touch with our culture, values and roots. It will be well worth it.
We, Indians are losing our Indian culture and aping the west. Further, exposure to cable television has eroded our Indian values. Living together has become a norm in the west and this has also invaded our country. All this has resulted in loneliness and depression. We should get in touch with our culture so that we lead a happy and fulfilling life.
As we turn more and more towards westernisation, it's time to sit back and re-think our values. Youngsters today are exposed to western lifestyles to a much greater extent than the previous generation. Exposure to cable television has brought the typical American family into our living room, and slowly a new thought process starts invading our children's minds.
While this is not necessarily a bad thing, perhaps you should try and figure out what your priorities are. How important is your marriage and family to you? Does it take first preference, or do career and other such matters come first?
The nuclear family no longer consists of the nuclear family as we know it. Stepparents, half-brothers and sisters, divorced couples and single parents are increasing in percentage to married couples with children living together - which makes up only 23.5 percent of all households!
Then there are those who feel there is nothing wrong in living together.
After all, you are not hurting anyone, you are not committing a crime, so the 'society' which frowns upon such a lifestyle should just mind their own business. Couples live together for years and years without any plans of getting married. Why? Just in case someone better comes along?
Remember, there will always be someone better looking. Someone richer. Someone more intelligent. Someone wittier. Don't be surprised if, by the time our children grow up, living together instead of marriage becomes the norm. Is that what we want?
Again, what's the harm?
Well, if living together culminates in marriage, everyone heaves a sigh of relief, but if it does not, and the couple has children and then part ways, that's not very nice is it? And if this becomes the norm, what will family life come to?
Why is marriage being taken increasingly more and more lightly?
There used to be a time when the only reason people would get divorced would be in extreme cases - if one partner was abusing the other, horrific in-law problems or other such extreme cases.
True, there were moments of difficulty. It wasn't always smooth running. But at the end of the day when the couples sit back and look at their children and grand children, they can look at their family with a sense of pride. They don't die as lonely individuals in their beds. They remain loved and surrounded by family till they breath their last. Of course, there are always exceptions, but riding through the rough patches together and sticking with each other will reap untold dividends in the long run.
So perhaps it's time to get back in touch with our culture, values and roots. It will be well worth it.
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I cannot deny that the idea of "live-ins" as an alternative to marriage probably was of Western origin.
But besides stating this, I don't understand what the argument in this article is based on besides fear and hypothetical worst-case-scenarios in which most Western style relationships are doomed to failure and sad children. Instead it seems to me that when Indian culture begins to feature aspects borrowed from other cultures, it can never alter outright, instead those aspects can be inculcated into Indian values. It may not be an easy fit, but negotiating this is how change and progress occur.
Why does the author think live-ins are only resorted to while waiting for somebody better to come along? For some, myself included, an unmarried marriage-like relationship is simply an alternative to marriage. I do not wish to be married yet. It has nothing to do with how I feel about my partner or any need for rebellion against society, I simply don't think it's necessary, which may be a hard idea for some to grasp.
The fact that live-ins are already a popular idea in India suggest there is some need for it felt by those embracing it. Have some faith in your children to make a good decision for themselves, even if it isn't the one you would have made.
