Decadence!

Change is but a fact of life.... Those who flow with the change remain most content... And any resistance to change is futile!- Some of the given facts of life... As the world today moves towards Americanization and increased acceptance of alien western values, We must accordingly stay abreast with the times and accept this change as a part and parcel of life.... But How much is too much change? Will this acceptance of change culminate in us become another Western nation, with western value systems, culture etc etc, or should we make a possibly futile resistance to this change and stand up for what is possibly our own identity, our own culture, our own existence?

Our traditional values whittle away, slowly and gradually. Our children can't converse in their own mother tongue. They need the crutches of English to talk. They do not relate to the grand monuments that were built by their ancestors. They can't understand the reasons why a needless war was waged against the British, when all the English wanted to do was to modernize the country and pull it out of centuries of darkness.They guffaw at our rich past calling them a collection of caves and dens!

We do not understand why is it necessary to show respect to elders. We can not possibly relate to the deference and the so called suffocating atmosphere of a joint family. We'd rather 'hang out' with our girl friends and boy friends than look after an ill relative!

All this has been rationalized by saying that it is wisest to accept change. But once again, how much change is too much change? No body supports confining women to the kitchen behind the veils, or crushing children's ambitions under the expectations of the family. But there must be a fine line between remaining Indian or becoming stooges of the western powers. We ought to accept and appreciate our unique place in the history of the world. We ought to develop an understanding of our own culture, our similarities and our differences. For, there is only so far that we can blindly mimic others, and only so little time to assert our true selves!