Day 10 – Q 3.Can a person grow in a joint family? Critically examine.
3. Can a person grow in a joint family? Critically examine.
क्या एक व्यक्ति का संयुक्त परिवार में खुद का विकास हो सकता है? गंभीरता से जांच करें।
Approach:
This question asked to “critically examine” growth of an individual in a joint family. There are many pros and cons of growing in a joint family, but since this question is of ethics, our focus will be on ethical values that affects the growth of an individual positively or negatively in a joint family.
Introduction
- Family is the first school for an individual. While growing up, individual consciously or unconsciously learns from his environment and the people around him.
- In India, joint family system prevails since ancient times. With the advent of western culture, modernisation, changing values and principals, nuclear families are taking the place of traditional joint families.
- For an individual to grow with all possible virtues, family system plays an important role.
Body:
Advantages of growing in a joint family
- One of the main advantages of a joint family system is the strong bonding it creates among siblings and other members of the family even while providing a sense of security to the children.
- It is believed that children, who grow up in a joint family, will imbibe the qualities of sharing, caring, empathy and understanding.
- The bonding and bonhomie one finds in close knit joint families has a positive impact on the emotional quotient of children.
- Family values play an important role in shaping the outlook of people. Respect and care for elders are among the central principles in Indian family system.
- Children who grow up in an extended family not only imbibe qualities of tolerance, patience, democratic attitude of accepting others’ viewpoints, but also develop sportsman’s spirit while playing with siblings and cousins.
- Various age-old traditions, customs and ways of living are all products of family system. In fact, the family system lays the seeds for social cohesion and democratic thinking.
Challenges of growing in a joint family
- Patriarchal values, Conservatism and such other negative traits are passed on to generations mostly via joint families.
- Caste discriminations, subjugation of women are some of the examples which plagued the Indian family system.
- In such environment it is certainly not possible for an individual (including women) to grow in holistic manner.
- Families tend to do decision making on the basis of common good, therefore there is less space left for an individual to make his own choices.
- In joint families most of the important decisions are made by the head of the household. Since all the individuals within the family don’t get the opportunity to participate in the main decisions of the family, they often feel lost or develop a feeling of inferiority complex.
Conclusion
- Adopting our age-old philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which embodies the spirit of humanism, compassion, benevolence and tolerance, family becomes the basic building block of a harmonious, inclusive society.
- Family can shape the world view, foster and reinforce the value system of the individuals.
- The way some negative customs such as caste system and gender bias took roots due to joint families, we can start a new thread of good values and egalitarian traits via same joint family structures, need is of education and change in attitude.
Best Answer: Phoenix
