I was inspired to title this piece after our cousin's group chat! Reminder to be grateful for your loved ones:)
Personally, I have always been a family-oriented individual in that I have always felt comfortable enough to share my thoughts with my parents or my grandparents.
One aspect to admire about the South-Asian community is how we respect our elders and follow through with their advice and traditions.
Even though they might have different viewpoints then our generation, and we might not agree with everything they have to say, we still respect their ideas and their advice.
Overall, as a generation we are becoming more independent, but still have appreciation for family values. Just as Tulsi Thakor said during our interview, her favorite aspect of our culture is family, just like many (check out our first Small Talk Interview!)
For example, over the summer, when I was taking my CNA courses, our advisor told us that the least amount of seniors they see in the nursing homes are South-Asian. This is because in the South-Asian community, families keep their elderly at home and take care of them on their own. When I heard this, it really touched me because it showed the amount of care our families have towards their elders. This is not to say that seniors are placed in the nursing home because no one cares for them or feel like they are a burden, but rather how our culture emphasizes taking good care of our elders at home like they did of us. I love that while growing up I was always taught to respect others because it has shaped me into the person I am today. I mean the first thing children do when they see their grandparents or other elders is seek their blessings by touching their feet. The significance of touching the feet is that once we seek blessings, the elderly in return bless you with knowledge, strength, fame and intellect. This small act goes a long way!
Conflicts and Compromises
Oftentimes we might disagree with our elders or parents and think that their viewpoints are wrong or outdated just because they don’t match our more progressive ones. I have personally been guilty of this because I don’t agree with their opinions, so this eventually leads to some arguments. However, in the end, we must remember that our elders are just looking out for us and want the best for us.
We can not necessarily change their viewpoints, but we can learn to compromise by using our modern thoughts while trying to maintain traditions as well.
No matter how many times we disagree, we know that our elders always have wise words of wisdom and lessons to share with us that we can hold with us for the rest of our lives. They teach us how to be humble, caring, and sympathetic individuals, while teaching us to overcome any challenges that we are faced with.
Fam (ILY)
In my life, family has always been an important part of the way I grew up. Every year we would have family events or gatherings where we would enjoy with our huge family and meet up. One thing we always look forward to are weddings. During weddings we love to see each other and be able to enjoy the festivities with one another. At all the events, I always get excited to meet my cousins along with my aunts, uncles, and grandparents. It’s great seeing generations of my family interacting with each other. It’s as simple as this: passing down tradition and knowledge within a family is the most beautiful thing about our culture, and we shouldn’t ever forget that.