Have individual freedom and choice conquered collective good? I would like to think so because over time the extended family has been replaced by the nuclear family.
In more recent years the nuclear family is under threat not only by the rapidly increasing single parent family type but also by same sex couples and the list goes own.
Today demographers are expressing alarm on the declining population in much of the developed world. They noted that young couples are not having children and if they do it is below the replacement level of 2.1. This trend is manifested in declining birthrate, aging population, shrinking workforce, delayed marriage and a cultural preference for smaller families.
Another trend is that many young professional women are refusing to marry, more so to have children. In fact, there is increasing social pressure on women to put career before family.
The wife in one young family walked out of the marriage with her two kids. The husband has been unemployed for more than two years. Presently on dialysis, he is in and out of the hospital. Without their own home, the property they live in is under dispute, thus retraining them from making much needed repairs.
What is driving this type of behavior? It is certainly selfishness and nothing more. Self preservation comes first and in any relation the natural instinct would be survival.
The failure of marriages is mainly because of this fundamental problem. This selfishness is reflected in the unwillingness of people to serve in any social groups. Most persons just wish to walk into a program and enjoy all there are available without making any meaningful contribution.
In a mandir in NY meals averaging $5 per plate are served after the Sunday morning devotion. The pandit noted that the money collected in the arti was not covering the cost of food and appealed to the devotees for a minimum contribution of $5.00 in the arti. The following week the attendance dropped significantly. Some devotees felt that it was wrong for the pandit to appeal for increased contributions.
Selfishness, the core of human problem, is rooted in insecurity. In the West and now adopted in the developing world material success and all the paraphernalia that go with it have come to represent success. It is most unfortunate that others have to set the standard or bench mark for what is a good life.
May be the answer to our dilemma lies in Sanatan Dharma. Today much of the world is coming round to this solution as exemplified by the increasing popularity of Hindu thoughts across the globe.
Simple living and high thinking should be our way of life. Unfortunately we have joined the rat race where accumulation of wealth and indulging in sensual pleasure are highly sought after. Back to God head is certainly the answer to our social challenges both within the family and outside.