It was December 25 and I had just arrived from church in the company of my siblings. It was one of those moments the whole family had been waiting for -- a rare opportunity to have a taste of sumptuous food and an excuse to demand newly sown clothes from my parents.
In those days, Christmas brought the family together. It was not Irish cream or any exotic drink that brought us together, just a bottle of squash with plenty water to serve the entire family. Everyone was content with it, except on a few occasions when the accompanying Piccadilly biscuits had run out.
There can never be a Christmas without firecrackers, popularly known as “knockouts”. Much as the little explosions caused by the crackers were a nuisance at times, we loved it all the same. The eve of Christmas and December 31 were always special times to light these firecrackers.
Of course, this was in the late 80s and 90s. Getting the family together was always an inexpensive venture. Indeed, Christmas provided yet another opportunity to meet the family once more. Nowadays, everyone seems busy minding their own business.
With the passing of time, the mechanical solidarity of society -- the term sociologists use
to describe community bonding based on shared beliefs and activities -- has waned. The little things that connected the family now mean nothing. The surge in technology -- if not the cause of this rift -- can be said to have further compounded it.
If you leave two or more people in a room, don’t be surprised to come back and find them busy on their phones, either “tweeting”, “facebooking” or “whatsapping”; it tells you of the times we are in. In fact, this practice is pervasive.
The family’s (extended) segregation into smaller (nuclear) units is something sociologists have expressed worry about. Inasmuch as the mobile phones, the social media networks, video games and satellite TVs have become a crucial part of our lives, I believe the opportunity still exists for us to bring the family together again.
It’s never too late for us to go back to the little things that knitted the family together in the past. Being the basis of every society, the family system must be made to work once more. I believe we can improve the mechanical solidarity.
Of course the era of the squash and Piccadilly biscuits may not come back, but we can still recreate those special moments. We can still organise those little parties on Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, etc.
The society is a collection of families; without it the society will cease to exist. If we all contribute to the demise of the family, knowingly or not, we will all suffer from the consequences.
Even as we challenge ourselves to improve our families, let’s not also ignore the disadvantaged in the society. Christmas is a time to show love to those who need it most, not those who can return the love shown.
No gift is too small as long as it gets to needy hands. We should not make these orphans or needy persons feel left out of this years’ holiday celebrations. Not many can hold parties or make huge donations to orphanages or needy homes, but at least there would be someone in our community or in some other place who would appreciate a little kind gesture this Christmas.
For me, my Christmas will be spent with my family. I will try reliving those moments. It is not going to be easy but I will make an attempt, and I will urge you to do same. Let’s build bridges and not burn them. Life’s very short; make friends, enjoy with your family—they are all you have.
Being my last write-up for the year, I want to use it to wish all who have been reading my column the best of the season. I trust the good Lord will keep all of us safe as we approach the New Year. I pray the New Year brings us unprecedented favours and blessings.
I’m out!
No comments:
Post a Comment