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Do
We Blindly Ape The West?
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 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. 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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