Family
Family
Family values are deservedly praised. A well-functioning family is a microcosm of society as it should work. Many problems faced by individuals had their origin in unhealthy family life.
Although the picture is changing, until quite recently most North Americans of our era considered the nuclear family as the norm, indeed, as the ideal. To not be in such a unit was to be insufficient. Men and women were expected to marry and raise children. The children, upon reaching adulthood, were to leaves and follow their parents' example.
The study of anthropology and history makes it apparent that in many other societies and ages, familial relations differ from ours. Sometimes units are small, sometimes large and extended. Work is divided variously among sexes, and curiously, in at least a few cultures women dominate either economically or in terms of reverence and spiritual significance.
In almost every society, aged members are treated with a great deal more respect than in our modern, fast-paced, industrial society. It seems logical that those among us with the most experience have the most importance as guides and leaders, of teachers and guardians of our collective learning and traditions. Yet old people are usually given appalling treatment by today's young. This scares me. It is stupid and disrespectful -- worst of all it is alarming. A culture fixated on youth, or rather young adulthood, is not likely to endure in a long, sustainable, healthy way.
One way to strengthen family units may be to encourage households in which three generations coexist: grandparents, parents, and children. This would mean, in theory, 4 adults instead of two, helping raise children. It would mean more sharing, more communication, and less privacy. There would be fewer housing units needed if more people lived per house. What is more crazy than the numerous empty large mansions on Capitol Hill, inhabited by lonely widows? ...
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