Author: satchitananda

When relationships become problematic, one is often tempted to share them with friends or family.  Which up to an extent is good for reasons of healing as well as for bonding through sharing pain?  There are many people who feel relieved when they share their pain with others.  Personally I think this may be possible up to an extent.  However, when the pain is deep-rooted and chronic, repeatedly venting may not produce the same results. Think of a situation which is not changing.  No matter what advice others offer, it may or may not work for the person in...

The past few years have seen a huge change in our social structure.  We have youngsters moving off to greener pastures in droves, looking for a better life.  We are thus faced with an entirely new phenomenon of parents who have children, but no one to look after them. We also have parents whose children are very much in India and may even be in the same city, who are either unwilling to look after their parents or are unable to do so because of various constraints. We as a society are still unable to come to grips with...

Indian society lays a lot of emphasis on “respect for elders”.  The question is what do we mean by the term “respect”?  Generally speaking it is used to mean deference to the opinions of elders, being subservient to their needs and expectations, consulting them for every decision – big and small – that one has to take in life. Is this really a healthy trend?  Respect and love for elders is certainly healthy and necessary.  Looking after their needs, loving and cherishing them are the hallmark of an emotionally healthy society.  They make for happy senior citizens. The problem...