ravi,
good post #51.
i do not know if people in india, still think, that the average westerner jumps into marriage for sex only, and then jumps out at inconveniences faced during marriage.
i do not think it is true.
infact based on the time spent together before marriage, i am perplexed at the marriage failure rates. but it is, i think, the same people, who divorce once, divorce several times, thus skewing up the statistic.
all my white firends, about 20, only one is divorced. he has been divorced 4 times. the rest all have stayed with the same spouse. these are professionals.
this cannot be said of my wife's work, which is unionized labour working class. of 10 white girls she knew when she started, only one has remained with the same spouse.
personally, like women going for employment, relying on their income to lead a better life, divorce too, is a reality of today. while some divorces may be for flippant reasons, i think, in many cases, the wife is abused or beaten, as the men still live under the old paradigms. or worse, the men's families, and the man is caught in the middle.
also, not true to say that all elderly are lonely and abandoned in the west. it is true that there are homes, with different levels of services for the different ages and needs. but increasingly, there are people, who wish to share their home with their parents.
let us remember, the latter was the norm, till about the 1950s, when economic prosperity took off, and the fast paced life, along with mobility for work purposes became a reality.
such changes too are happening in india. work, education, socialization, friends and above all lifestyles, are being the goals that are being sought after, leaving behind parents, old values and traditons behind.
understanding this, would help us cope, and perhaps modify or do damage control. to deny it, is i think, is akin to banging our heads against a brick wall. we can have serious head injuries
thank you.
