Family Values
What is the true role of the family in developed societies? Is family piety an outdated concept? Some feel that families are nothing but sources of toxic emotions. As soon as they are able to stand on their own two feet, they leave the nest and set out in the World alone. Is this Western value of Individualism actually rotting our society from the inside out?
To start, I consider culture a societies' response to dealing with making life livable given their environment. So it follows that many societies deeply engrained with strong family values often come from sustenance based living. The family is paramount for survival, because one cannot farm alone. Every society was once at this level. Enter the industrial revolution, grocery stores, pension plans and day cares. Family values have as a result deteriorated for western civilizations because dependence on the family is no longer paramount for survival, at least not the majority of your life.
But we forget the very young and the very old. I see increased examples of terrible parenting, emotionally neglected children, not to mention the increasing number of divorces that places children in single parent homes, along with all the negatives that comes from that. On average, children from single parent homes are at a disadvantage emotionally and financially. Children that are with both parents are still often raised by day care centers and learn most of their values through the school system. We outrage over abuses in the systems, children who are physically mistreated, emotionally neglected and sometimes even killed at the hands of caregivers who are just doing a job and at times have no emotional investment in these children’s' well-being. Adults must scrimp and save and invest in pensions and prepare for the future at the expense of their children because no one will be there when they themselves are old. So we've seen the rise of the nursing home industry and all the disgusting abuses that go along with that.
We are raising neglected children who in turn become self-centered adults and neglect the elderly. And as technology increases, so will the time that people are dependent on their families. It will require more and more schooling to succeed in the workforce, and advances in medicine will keep the elderly alive longer and longer. I can't help but wonder, what is going to happen to millions of elderly if all these pension plans continue to fail in today's economy. When the fat is in the fire, we go back to our roots, our family. But can Western families really handle the strain?
My thoughts are this. Family values are not just some antiquated or patriarchal cultures' viewpoints. They provide a strong foundation to society. I think if Asia can complete it self through development and the demographic transition with it's strong family values in tact, they will trump the West in every area. Hopefully the West will learn before it's too late.
To start, I consider culture a societies' response to dealing with making life livable given their environment. So it follows that many societies deeply engrained with strong family values often come from sustenance based living. The family is paramount for survival, because one cannot farm alone. Every society was once at this level. Enter the industrial revolution, grocery stores, pension plans and day cares. Family values have as a result deteriorated for western civilizations because dependence on the family is no longer paramount for survival, at least not the majority of your life.
But we forget the very young and the very old. I see increased examples of terrible parenting, emotionally neglected children, not to mention the increasing number of divorces that places children in single parent homes, along with all the negatives that comes from that. On average, children from single parent homes are at a disadvantage emotionally and financially. Children that are with both parents are still often raised by day care centers and learn most of their values through the school system. We outrage over abuses in the systems, children who are physically mistreated, emotionally neglected and sometimes even killed at the hands of caregivers who are just doing a job and at times have no emotional investment in these children’s' well-being. Adults must scrimp and save and invest in pensions and prepare for the future at the expense of their children because no one will be there when they themselves are old. So we've seen the rise of the nursing home industry and all the disgusting abuses that go along with that.
We are raising neglected children who in turn become self-centered adults and neglect the elderly. And as technology increases, so will the time that people are dependent on their families. It will require more and more schooling to succeed in the workforce, and advances in medicine will keep the elderly alive longer and longer. I can't help but wonder, what is going to happen to millions of elderly if all these pension plans continue to fail in today's economy. When the fat is in the fire, we go back to our roots, our family. But can Western families really handle the strain?
My thoughts are this. Family values are not just some antiquated or patriarchal cultures' viewpoints. They provide a strong foundation to society. I think if Asia can complete it self through development and the demographic transition with it's strong family values in tact, they will trump the West in every area. Hopefully the West will learn before it's too late.
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I hear you.
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