NOT THE END OF THE FAMILY, BUT WE NEED TO REACH OUT
Obviously, this is not the end of the family unit, although there will always be a small section of society wringing its hands bemoaning the loss of “traditional” values.
I am now old enough to realise that values, ideals, and even what constitutes “family” can and do change - sometimes for the better, sometimes not.
What is important though, is how Singapore as a whole needs to keep reaching beyond our comfortable social bubbles (both physical and online), to interact in ways that encourage and acknowledge diverse opinions.
Too often we are encouraged to “cut out toxic people” in our lives, which to me, feels more like the easy way out of discussing your feelings. Not comfortable with a connection? Unalive it, as the young people like to say. Yet such a knee-jerk action can become a shortcut to polarising views and retreating further into one’s social bubbles.
Festivals like Chinese New Year or Christmas, however, force us to socialise in circles we are not used to - family, friends, and sometimes those we don’t see eye to eye with.
Social media often goads us into wanting immediate conflict and/or resolution, as if everything could be settled in 280 characters, 30 seconds of video, or a snarky comment on Reddit.
I think we can do more and do better. We don’t have to demonstrate solidarity with every opinion or value we encounter, and we shouldn’t, but we should at least try to understand where people are coming from.
And if it all fails, at least there will be bak kwa at the gatherings?
Terence Heng is Reader in Sociology at the University of Liverpool.
Continue reading...