Family Breakdown—“A World Tragedy”
“OUR civilization is headed for absolute disaster if we fail to reverse the disintegration of the family as a functional unit.”
That statement was made by Dr. Lee Salk of the New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center in an article entitled “A World Tragedy,” published by Leaders magazine. Dr. Salk also observed: “Leaders in government and industry have offered little to repair the damages to the integrity of the family” to which such agencies have contributed.
The family is the key social unit. There individuals, especially impressionable children, learn social and other skills that can enable them to be useful members of society. The greater the damage to the family unit, the more disastrous the consequences to individuals and to society as a whole. History shows that the decay of family life even contributed heavily to the disintegration of great empires.
In this regard, Professor of History Albert Hyma wrote in An Outline of Ancient History: “The relation between father and children and between husband and wife, when properly functioning, formed the greatest pillar of prosperity and good government. When home life is sound, the nation will remain prosperous and secure. When home life is undermined by immoral teachings, by constant quarreling and by selfishness, the disorders in the home are magnified in the larger groups that make up society as a whole.”
In modern times, especially in the past few decades, family life has been severely damaged in many ways, and record numbers of marriages have broken up. Different philosophies have arisen that have undermined family integrity. Divorce has been made easy. Living together without marriage is a growing practice. The availability of drugs has turned many children (and parents) toward antisocial behavior. Sexual permissiveness is rampant: television shows, movies, magazines and other literature portray sexual immorality, including adulterous relationships, as acceptable, even desirable. Add to all of this the pressures of making a living in very unstable economic times.
These things, and more, have put a great strain on families. This makes it especially difficult for young men and women who are entering marriage and just beginning their family life. With winds of change battering at marriage, with so many different viewpoints on life, many couples are cast adrift at the start. They do not know why their marriage does not produce the happiness they anticipated; nor do they know what to do about it.
In all marriages, however long lasting, it takes real effort to gain the happiness that can come from such unions. But, for many, it is the first year of marriage that brings some of the greatest difficulties. This is a time of adjustment of two different personalities with two sets of likes and dislikes.
How, then, can couples not only “survive” the first year of marriage but find real happiness in it? How can they set their marriage on a course that will bring contentment not only now but later on as well?