Reasons
- Whenever there is an industrial revolution people move away from their villages into the cities. The same pattern is still being repeated around the world as people search for a better life.
- After World War 1 and 2 people moved in huge numbers away from their families of origin. Many moved overseas. The extended family lost its power and stopped meeting together regularly.
- After World War 2 the nuclear family took over. Even this has been eroded by divorce, remarriage, unusual working hours, the need for family chauffeuring, television meals, takeaway food etc.
- A most recent blow to family life arrived with the electronic ‘blah blah’ age. Many people live and work in virtual reality, otherwise known as Cyberia.
- Although we gain wonderful tools and machinery to help us at home and at work, it reduces communication to a few finger moves, email or chat room.
- Children are stuck in front of screen instead of socialising with family, neighbour or peers. At work people email rather than walk a few steps. Friends text and misconstrue. Bullying is worse.
- With the advent of the Covid 9 pandemic family, work and social life have altered. Although it brought nuclear families closer together. Once again, many people are socially distanced, socially disconnected and socially isolated. This is bad for anyone’s mental wellbeing and research shows that social isolation changes the brain. It means that we have to work harder to remain socially connected, even during any type of stressful period.
- Although human being are social beings who need to connect daily, weekly and monthly to their support networks, for many people it means suffering a toxic two hours at Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving because many people are no longer accustomed to socialising regularly with family or close friends.