As the heat of the festivities dies down this year, one thought popped.
Year in and year out, we make that mad rush home, braving the traffic snarls and crawls. Some brave snows, others heat and rain. We make that journey simply to be home with Family.
Once the elders are gone, the younger ones will eventually scatter out and set up their own homing roosts for their children. So the pattern continues. Of course a new reverse pattern is emerging where the older ones gather at the homes of their children.
Parents depend on their children and vice versa. There is comfort in the thought that we can often find shelter when needed. Most of the time, values are imposed both ways. There are bound to be expectations and behaviors to follow. This is good, well, as far as can be seen.
Perhaps there is another way of looking at things. Consider the swallows or most other birds. They nurture their nestlings until they grow wings and are able to fly. Once the young are able to fend for themselves, they become free and live independent of their parents. Can we apply this same model on humans?
The young learn to be independent. They learn to forage for themselves. They learn strength. They develop their own thoughts, hone their social and interactive skills and hopefully develop wisdom. They become themselves.
On the reverse side, naturally, the warmth of the humanity may be lost in the process. This brings to mind a word of advice, ” Be like the pidgeon. Go forth and seek your self but return home when the day is done.”
I rant not so much as to say that the whole social structure is not good but as an exploration of ways to make us more positive, better human beings.
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This new year a sad scenario pinched me hard. At my sister’s house was an elderly friend of hers who came to stay with her over the new year. She has two sons who live across the causeway. They have put her up at an old folks home in Johore Bahru which does not speak very well of humanity. She has to endure yells and verbal abuse from the caretakers (or are they scare-takers?). Come CNY I am sure she would have looked forward to spending time with her sons and families but alas NO. She was not visited at all. In the end my sister invited her to spend the new year at her house.
One thing the birds dont learn – they keep slamming themselves against the glass windows at Holiness’ place.
That’s me.
Huh! you are lucky cos you are still ‘flying’. The other birds became food for Maxine
Trouble is I keep crashing stupidly into the reflections thinking they are real! Which is worse? Food for a cat or taking illusions as food?