IN our part of the world, the extended family tradition has suffered a heavy blow in recent decades as the idea of a nuclear family system is becoming increasingly popular.

This has not only altered relations between extended family members but also transformed the way immediate families function.

With times changing, parents are becoming more and more occupied, failing to keep the family unit financially strong and socially uplifted, and children are often left to fend for themselves.

Weakening of family ties results in the patriarch losing his/her position of pre-eminence in the family.

The family becomes a group of disparate individuals without an opportunity to imbibe traditional, social norms and mores.

Children today are left to be taken care of by institutions alone, where they tend to grow self-centred and egocentric. The nuclear family system is also leading to the disappearance of the family's role of protection of and care for the aged.

Younger members of the family are totally neglecting their moral and social responsibility of protecting and caring for the aged.

Individual-oriented families, personal freedom and individual happiness are preferred to collective happiness.

Social assimilation becomes difficult. It is said that there is a spark of danger in every individual that has to be quenched for social stability.

Therefore, changes in family setup bring forth changes in social setups. The best way to spread the culture of peace is by reviving traditional family values.

SANIA SIDDIQUI

Via email