In Confucius theory about family, the harmony and reunion of several generations is the phenomenon representing happiness of a big family. Relatives sitting at table enjoy excellent homemade cuisine and time being together. However, I support the notion that eating together regularly for family members is neither practical nor as important as in the old times.
Firstly, the form of habitation considerably affects family relationship and the living habits. At present, the social structure and people’s lifestyles have undergone dramatic changes. The traditional concept in China valued the union of family members. In the past, larger families used to be the major units of the social make-up. All the relatives in a family were supposed to eat together in a large dinning room. Today, such a situation no longer exists. In today’s Beijing, most of young people tend to live away from parent’s house and choose to eat in restaurants or ask for food-delivery service by their smartphone. To some degree, the different life style of generations lessens the importance of regular family meals.
Secondly, owing to the higher speed of life and unprecedented social pressure, seldom can people afford to spend time in staying with families frequently. An online survey showed that 56 percent of people in China constantly feel short of time. The negative effects are also exhibited in people’s family life. On weekdays, urban dwellers are busy at their workplaces. During the weekend, most white collar workers will make full use of their valuable leisure time to have a good rest so as to conserve enough energy for the coming week. Less time is left for young people to stay together with their parents and grandparents.
Finally, today’s social reality has made people become far more self-centered than previous generations. Normally, one’s circle of contacts tends to focus more on those who are useful to satisfy their personal interests. Attention is gradually diverted from family relationships toward creation and organization of profit groups. Such an abrupt change in people’s values has indeed resulted in their growing indifference to their relationships with family members.
In brief, the changes taking place in many aspects of people’s life are double-sided. On one hand, they have worked together to bring about unprecedented advancement of modern society. On the other hand, it is due to these changes that one’s relationship with the extended family is no longer as important as before. |