Families – the building block of any societies – are coming under an unprecedented attack on all fronts. The modern, hectic lifestyle common in cities, where more than half of the entire human population dwells, is increasingly asking for greater work commitment than ever before. As a result, urban dwellers feel increasingly pressed for time – and when forced to make a choice, many of them have chosen work over family. This preference has undermined the foundation of families all around the world, and brought about serious social consequences that are haunting many developed nations in the world.
The frantic and busy lifestyle, the telltale sign of a post-industrial society, is responsible for this development. Wage workers, whose schedule is from nine to five, whose employers are fastidious about punctuality, and whose residences may be hours away from work, find themselves sinking most of their waking time working and travelling to work. At work-obsessed cultures such as that of Japan, employees readily show commitment and dedication to their company by willingly working overtime without overtime pay in order to have the slightest chance at promotion. Needless to say, these people would not find enough quality time to spend with their family.
One ought not to look further than Japan, once heralded as an economic miracle of the 20th century, to see what debilitating effects the deterioration of families could have on society at large. Japanese parents, especially the father, who may have to work long shifts at the office, may go on for days without seeing their children’s faces. The family bond is thus weakened significantly, and, as a result, people no longer value families as much as they used to. Birthrate in Japan is among the lowest in the world. Coupled with better health care, and with it, longer lifespan, Japan has the fasting aging population in the world. Lonely deaths, the phenomenon in which geriatrics live and die by themselves, without any noticing for months on end, has become terrifyingly common in Japan. All of these and more could become a reality for any nations, should they choose to neglect one of the most grievous side effects of modernization: The erosion of the family unit.
In summary, the erosion of the family has been underway for quite some time now, and it has already taken its toll on many societies, of which Japan is an egregious example. We need to act now to restore the once strong and inseparable bond between family members, lest a Brave New World dystopia suddenly seem far-fetched no longer.
Families
–
the building block of any
societies
–
are coming under an unprecedented attack on all fronts. The modern, hectic lifestyle common in cities, where more than half of the entire human population dwells, is
increasingly
asking for greater
work
commitment than ever
before
.
As a result
, urban dwellers feel
increasingly
pressed for
time
–
and when forced to
make
a choice,
many
of them have chosen
work
over
family
. This preference has undermined the foundation of
families
all around the
world
, and brought about serious social consequences that are haunting
many
developed nations in the world.
The frantic and busy lifestyle, the telltale
sign
of a post-industrial
society
, is responsible for this development. Wage workers, whose schedule is from nine to five, whose employers are fastidious about punctuality, and whose residences may be hours away from
work
, find themselves sinking most of their waking
time
working and travelling to
work
. At work-obsessed cultures such as that of
Japan
, employees
readily
show
commitment and dedication to their
company
by
willingly
working overtime without overtime pay in order to have the slightest chance at promotion. Needless to say, these
people
would not find
enough
quality
time
to spend with their family.
One ought not to look
further
than
Japan
, once heralded as an economic miracle of the 20th century, to
see
what debilitating effects the deterioration of
families
could have on
society
at large. Japanese parents,
especially
the father, who may
have to
work
long shifts at the office, may go on for days without seeing their children’s faces. The
family
bond is
thus
weakened
significantly
, and,
as a result
,
people
no longer value
families
as much as they
used
to. Birthrate in
Japan
is among the lowest in the
world
. Coupled with better health care, and with it, longer lifespan,
Japan
has the fasting aging population in the
world
. Lonely deaths, the phenomenon in which geriatrics
live
and
die
by themselves, without any noticing for months on
end
, has become
terrifyingly
common in
Japan
. All of these and more could become a reality for any nations, should they choose to neglect one of the most grievous side effects of modernization: The erosion of the
family
unit.
In summary, the erosion of the
family
has been underway for quite
some
time
now
, and it has already taken its toll on
many
societies
, of which
Japan
is an egregious example. We need to act
now
to restore the once strong and inseparable bond between
family
members, lest a Brave New
World
dystopia
suddenly
seem far-fetched no longer.