Today many people spend less and less time in their homes. What are the reasons and what are the effects of this trend on individuals and society?
弊大于利
A common observation today is that many people spend much of their time outside their homes. Even on weekends, there is a tendency to go out with friends than stay at home. Though many have taken it for granted and regard this as the modern way of life, there may be some effects that are not so good.
Society’s drive for success is one reason why teens and working adults are always out of their homes. It is common now for people to regularly stay late at school or the office, provided that success is the goal.
The other reason why people are rarely at home is that family bonds are not strong anymore, probably because parents are so busy and never instilled the need for family members to always be around. Thus, teens spend more time outside with friends than family, and even working adults would rather dine with colleagues than go home for dinner.
Unfortunately, this trend does have consequences for individuals and society in general. For individuals, their hearts may drift farther away from family, further weakening family bonds. Consequently, many adults today are lonely and depressed because they do not have a family to lean on. For society, weakened family bonds can lead to more apathetic and selfish citizens. If people do not care about their family, why should they be expected to care about anybody else? Unfortunately, this attitude further widens the poverty gap and worsens other forms of social injustice.
Though there are valid reasons for why an individual needs to be out of the house regularly, this development has undesirable effects on individuals and society. Something must be done to entice people to go home so that the family bond stays strong.