Selective Modernisation

Nishtha Shrestha

It is said that the only constant thing is change. It is proven by the development we witness in different areas. A walk in the market gives us a clue of the current trends and there are enough and more avenues to satisfy our needs. Sometimes the change is so rapid that people fail to enjoy the marvel fully before a new one takes its place. Considering the ease of living, modernisation has been a boon, but the sad reality is that people have limited their progress to the external spheres of their life.

Behaviour defines a person. Despite the possibility of choosing a positive environment and thereby altering negative behaviours, we are quick to adopt only the momentary pleasures of a new environment created by modernisation. It would be wrong to generalise, but the fashion of modernisation has failed to change behaviours that are more conducive to society at large. An instance, which can be observed easily is the lack of respect for elders in a crowded bus. The attire, gadgets and speech of the group reflect modernity. Yet the effect of modernisation ends there as it is very rare to see people voluntarily offering seats to the older generation. It appears then that we have modernised our looks but our manners continue to remain outdated.

A step deeper into the human personality is our thoughts. Modernisation has improved our knowledge and has helped us break social stigmas and bring about change in society. A promising sign of social change brought by modernisation is the rising participation of women in the labour force. The current generation of women is earning on a par with their male counterparts. However, the resistance of the people to change their thoughts in line with this development has curbed its positive impact. While women have shouldered the responsibility of income generation, males have failed to do the same in the domestic sphere.

 Women are still expected to cook, clean and take care of kids despite a hectic schedule at work. Ultimately, the growth of women at work is restricted and the unfair distribution of work takes a toll on their physical as well as mental health. The innermost part of our personality is our emotions. Our negative bias predisposes us to focus on negative stimuli. While in ancient times this bias ensured our survival, at present people have utilised it to promote negative emotions in society. Social media is a good example of how this bias is used for increasing the number of followers and earning the title of a viral celebrity. 

Social media was created to build communication but people blindly sharing fake information leads to fear and panic in the masses. Despite the numerous developments in this century, we continue to fall short in fostering healthy emotions and promoting compassion among each other. The adaptation to the new lifestyle requires a balance of learning and unlearning information. At present, we are forgetting to do the latter and trying to hold on to habits that yield no benefit. Modernisation has brought a new hope in mankind. It would be folly if we fail to evolve our behaviour, thoughts and emotions to increase our possibility of creating a better society for the generations to come.