The world has come really far. So many things have changed in the long march of time and from the look of things, I don’t think we’ll ever get them back. It seems that with every generation that comes, while they seem to have it better, things always seem to be so much worse.
When we look at the younger generation, we know that there is a lot they’re missing out on that many of us enjoyed as children. I bet that it’s the same way our parents would think of us missing out on things they also enjoyed. Then their parents would also feel the same way. And so it goes over and over, further back in time.
Seasons have come and gone, so many trends have come and gone as well. It’s just part of life, everything is improving with time and as people are getting wiser and the world keeps getting smaller, more and more people keep adapting new ways and eventually some things will fade into obscurity. That’s one of the harsh realities of the world we live in today.
For me, one thing I would love to bring back is the idea of ‘community’. There’s an adage that says that a parent is not the only one that raises a child, the community is. And for a long time, people used to take such things seriously. As a parent, you could allow your kids to go out and you won’t be worried as long as you know that there’s an adult there. Even then, one parent could discipline another parent’s child and it would be okay because it all came from a good heart.
Back then, when security wasn’t much of an issue, one could easily go to other houses to play or watch TV. And when there, the parents would feed them and even encourage them to sleep and relax. All this was when the world was still a bit good and had a bit of humanity swimming in it. But then, somewhere along the line things changed for the worst.
Adults stopped caring about other people’s kids and when they tried to ‘discipline’, they would do it so harshly in a way they would never do to their own children. Parents started being scared of other parents and warning their children to steer clear and not eat anything in their friend’s house. I think the worst of it was when children were dragged into adult beef they had nothing to do with.
Like two best friends would suddenly have to stop talking just because their parents no longer see eye to eye. Or two cousins can no longer hang out as they used to just because their fathers are fighting. None of these have anything to do with the children yet, the children suffer for it. And it’s just cruel. It happens to this day, and I’m speaking this from experience. That’s why I promised myself that no matter how bad things may get between myself and any of my siblings, it would never affect my relationship with my nephews and nieces. They will always have a home in my house.
I think this is one trait that we all need to take to heart. We need to start considering the younger generation in the choices we make these days. It’s sad that only the mother and father get to raise children but when the child becomes a celebrity or rich or famous, then everyone will be coming out of the woodwork talking about how they’re related through this and that. But then, if the child remains a nobody, everyone will continue with their lives.
Family doesn’t have to be only the nuclear one. It can be so much more. Family doesn’t have to be only blood relatives, we’ve come way too far to limit ourselves to something as pesky as blood ties. I wish we could go back to the time when people genuinely cared about each other. Not for the likes, not for the clicks, not to pretend, or for an endgame… people just loved and cared for each other because that was how they felt.
This is what I want to bring back. Maybe if we can get this back, half of our problems will be solved just like that. We need to be our brother’s keeper. We need that now more than ever.
