The Arab and Islamic nation celebrated Eid Al Fitr and all families lived in a religious atmosphere after our worshiping in the holy month of Ramadan ended.
People wait for these special days every year because of their religious and familial features that combine the spirit of harmony, love and compassion felt by all families and society as a whole.
It seems celebrating Eid in the past, despite the simplicity of life and limited income, had highlighted stronger social ties until the current economic and cultural openness.
In the past Eid fostered links among relatives and links between young people and elders in neighbourhoods. People used to travel to visit relatives and share happiness of Eid with their extended family members.
The extended family also played an important role in strengthening family ties, in addition to the traditional majlis where people came together and contributed significantly to bolstering relationships not only among relatives but also among people living in same areas.
In the past, everyone used to share the happiness of Eid. Visits were at their highest, as elder members in every family were keen to exchange visits, accompanied by young people and family members to instil authentic and rich traditions in them, because they were aware of the importance of families and their social role in preserving families.
Unfortunately, openness and technology now control relationships between families. Exchange of greetings is now being done “online”, via mobile phones, messaging apps such as Whatsapp or sending SMSs with greeting pictures, and that’s it.
Maybe, family gatherings and visits still exist, but not as much as we used to see in the past. Family members have become strangers, they would not even know they are related unless by chance.
Lack of communication has also affected relations between neighbours, as they do not know each other and no one bothers to greet another. Families which lived in the same neighbourhoods or villages mostly belonged to the same clan or were extended families.
Today, they live scattered in different areas and find it difficult to see each other.
Eid is one of the golden opportunities for people to see one other, but even this is not enough yet to strengthen ties as before because people are busy travelling abroad and spending time in the virtual world of technology.
This is in addition to quarrels and misunderstandings between family members over unworthy reasons, including financial issues, that affect relationships between brothers and sisters who stop communicating with each other for years. Social gaps and spaces are increasing as the electronic media controls every single detail in our social life. Maybe, the West, which experiences similar social lives and strong ties as we do, may consider such a situation normal but for us it is extremely difficult as it deprives us of the social atmospheres we used to experience.
We wish these ties become stronger than ever, especially in light of high incomes and well-being of individuals; however, many people feel these things are widening the gap between people and causing social alienation instead of fostering warm social relations.
I wish we all will start to grant concessions and dedicate some time to kinship and family visits to preserve ties and the future of the coming generations, especially in the light of technological developments that contribute to widening social gap instead of linking people.
I hope people become more aware about the importance of social ties and more attached to each other and committed to their culture and traditions.
