The Change

The Change

When you walk into a busy street, you'll see people driving to work, people talking on cell phones, using their laptops, and listening to music. People walk past each other with nothing more than a passing glance. Let's go to the same street in the past, children are playing, people saying hello and talking to each other. As we see, society has changed, and is still changing as our days continue. The very morals that world was built on, has been lost. The media and fashion send a message that lead to terrible behaviors among people. Is society really changing for the better?

Let's rewind a bit to the past. The average family has children who respect others, and honor is a value that is kept close. Dinners were eaten at the table as a family and time spent together was fun. Kids played with their imaginations and created entire worlds with something as simple as a cardboard box. People greet each other on the street, and shake each other’s hands. So, if that was the past, what are we today, right?

I'm glad you asked. In the present, we are almost the exact opposite. Family has lost most of its values. As today's society is consumed with technology, so is the entire family and in turn, threatens necessary family bonds. Instead of kids playing some fun and creative games they are stuck inside playing "Angry Birds" on their phones. People no longer greet each other as much on the street, but push their way through. It's terrible to think that so much has changed downwards rather than upwards.

And of course, "times have changed", and new generations bring new morals and values. But is this generation really doing that, or taking them away? Being a part of this current generation, I have experienced first-hand the things that go on. Teens are becoming more involved in drinking alcohol and smoking. Is it that "following the crowd makes you cool" making these statistics dangerously high? Or is it because of the message the media of today sends? Music revolves around drugs, drinking, partying all night, etc. Movies and TV shows glorify being arrested and drinking/smoking. Every four in five teens arrested are also high or drunk at the time. Is this the society that we want? 

What about the fashion? Where people used to walk around in professional suits, and teens in shirts and slacks, you now see pants exposing underwear and showy clothing. Fashion industry has designed a "perfect body" that everyone wants. This in turn gives a bad self-image on our teens and adolescents. Of course, companies like Dove have started "real people" ads which feature the "average" person. But that's only a few companies; we need all of them to make a point. We cannot stand for people walking about thinking that they have to be a size 0 or super "buff". This just leads to putting each other and ourselves down. It’s time that people not give all their priority to shit clothing.

Another issue of today's society is technology. Yes, it has brought upon great medical and security advancements, but it has also brought a new type of terror. Cyber-bullying is a major issue among today's people. Cyber-bullying is where someone terrorizes and bullies someone else online, where they can have an anonymous presence and won't get persecuted. More than one in every there teens have been bullied online. In the past, we wouldn't have to worry about people posting a picture of us online that is embarrassing. We didn't have to worry about rumors spreading at lightning speed through the Internet. Now, over half of the world’s teens have been bullied online, and about the same amount have bullied others online. How can society change in such of a harmful way? And why are we just standing by and letting it happen?

Society is changing rapidly, and it's sometimes difficult to keep up with. We need to ask ourselves, is it changing for the better? I say no. There are indeed, good things come from our ever-changing world, but with good comes bad. Mixed messages from the media, cyber-bullying, a loss of almost all morals and values, this society is getting worse every day. More and more people are trying to do better for society, but is it really enough that the statistics of today are so out of hand? Society changed, and it is still changing, and it will change again. Are we going to let the bad pass by like nothing but a grain of sand in the hour-glass of time? Or are we willing to do something and change for good? 

      

- Dhruvil Joshi