Sparagmos
Well-Known Member
- Oct 19, 2018
- 8,632
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- United States
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- Non-Denom
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- Married
The point is that what each person finds meaningful will be different and a healthy society allows both mothers AND fathers to focus on raising children during those developmental years. I agree wholeheartedly that materialism and “getting ahead” are destructive values. But that is a separate issue from gender roles. People have dreams, aspirations, and drives that have nothing to do with getting ahead or materialism. Scientists, pastors, social workers, artists, doctors, and inventors are often driven by natural desires to make the world better. I am all for reducing the hours people work but not for devaluing the pursuit of science or spirituality. And as we’ve seen in history, when a society deems childcare to be a woman’s “role,” it by default deems more public roles to be “male,” to the detriment of all.But maybe why many feel that way is because this is what we have been told becuase of the way society promotes the importance of getting work and buying things. Maybe there is just as much meaning in being with your child in the early years but as a society we have made this less important becuase of the pressure of having to work.
The thing is what we in the west regard as being the fulfilment of the meaning of life with pursuing careers, getting the best job and earning better-paid positions may not be the best for family and community wellbeing. It may not equate to the true meaning of life and we have been deluded into thinking that all meaning in life comes down to what career and job we get. I would say that in a western society that bases everything on capitalism we equate meaning with material gains which require people to have a good career and jobs.
In a collective society, they will not equate meaning with career and jobs but with supporting the family, group and community. So it depends on what you use as a measure of meaning and happiness. It seems to me that it is the western cultures who have the highest unhappiness and lack of meaning because we measure everything with materialism and individual happiness. I am not saying we should not get a career but rather what priority we put on getting that career and job to make that money to get that life.
What about all those who cannot get that good job and career. It seems the system is causing more unhappiness and we are being pushed into having to get better careers, higher paid jobs just to pay for the increasing cost of living. Years ago it took one wage to look after a family. Then it took a wage and a half. Now it's taking more than two wages. When does it stop? It is consuming all our time and we have little left for the family. It seems a bad way to measure success as there will never be enough for all. Maybe we should use something else to measure what can give meaning in life and to what is regarded as important.
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