Came across this interesting article in TOI. Reminded me of a discussion I recently had on how quickly people have started growing up, and how there are at least a couple of generations that have passed in the 6 years it's been since we left school. I mean seriously, people in your early/mid 20s, have you felt how quickly life has changed for those only 4-5 years younger (even less!). When I passed out of school, having a girlfriend in class was newsworthy and relatively rare; only three years later, anyone who didn't have one was almost an outcast. My brother is only 4.5 yrs younger than me, and in his lifetime has went through (at least) 4 relationships, while me, sadly, is still stuck stuck on the first!
What just happened?
A lot of things have gone from being super-tabboo to super-normal in the last decade, and some of us (maybe not us, but someone a few years older) are caught in between the two worlds where pre-marital sex was a huge NO and love was a pure romantic illusory notion, to the other where 15 yr olds regularly buy morning-after pills.
The world has opened really quickly for India in the last 15 years, and globalisation has started to make not only markets but even cultures more uniform in east and west. Not surprisingly, extreme fascism and intolerance has also suddenly grown in India in this period, as sudden changes become inpalatable for some and they react violently.
When (if at all) and how will we strike a sustainable balance?
What will happen to this generation of today's school-goers?
And if people start having "relationships" as early as Std 5, with no maturity to handle them and most of them unsupervised and stealth without parental guidance, where are we going?
In west, dating, esp in the first few years, is permitted and controlled by parents and guardians, making it easier for people to handle the floods of emotions and stay safe.
Our society does not have that safety net yet as most parents have not woken up to the world their kids reside in, and strict oppressive rules no longer work - it's almost like a free market capitalistic bubble waiting to bust.
It's worrying, and damn, I already feel old!!!
What just happened?
A lot of things have gone from being super-tabboo to super-normal in the last decade, and some of us (maybe not us, but someone a few years older) are caught in between the two worlds where pre-marital sex was a huge NO and love was a pure romantic illusory notion, to the other where 15 yr olds regularly buy morning-after pills.
The world has opened really quickly for India in the last 15 years, and globalisation has started to make not only markets but even cultures more uniform in east and west. Not surprisingly, extreme fascism and intolerance has also suddenly grown in India in this period, as sudden changes become inpalatable for some and they react violently.
When (if at all) and how will we strike a sustainable balance?
What will happen to this generation of today's school-goers?
And if people start having "relationships" as early as Std 5, with no maturity to handle them and most of them unsupervised and stealth without parental guidance, where are we going?
In west, dating, esp in the first few years, is permitted and controlled by parents and guardians, making it easier for people to handle the floods of emotions and stay safe.
Our society does not have that safety net yet as most parents have not woken up to the world their kids reside in, and strict oppressive rules no longer work - it's almost like a free market capitalistic bubble waiting to bust.
It's worrying, and damn, I already feel old!!!
4 comments:
I sort of had a clue that things are moving fast, but didn't really realize that they are moving *this* fast.
I wonder if it is only the big cities or have the smaller towns been also hit by this.
Anyhow, it is dangerous..
So true. Though don't completely agree about the parental guidance bit. Its helpful for a teen to have such support but the the societal mindset has to change.
Having supportive parents won't change much in sad cases like this ( http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/27/california.gang.rape.investigation/index.html ). Difference being, the girl didn't kill herself later.
Also small town doesn't differ from a bigger city in this respect, esp with Internet and TV omnipresent. I am myself from one, and can vouch that I found my small town more liberal than Chennai.
Well at least you're back.
It is normal.. was bound to happen
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