IMO, Western Societies ought Encourage a return to Extended Families

I can't relate to the example of mentally ill old women in Japan. And they are mentally ill. Not saying loneliness didn't drive them there, but they are mentally ill.
 
gruntlabor said:
Then do so, by all means. What on earth is to stop you?? What would we do without single-minded characters like Edison and van Gogh and Shakespeare?
There are results good and evil, consequences, wrinkles, innuendos, karma to all our actions and decisions.
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I have taken care of more people than most. I helped my mom take care of my dad for 14 years. Some years I used every single day of vacation and sick leave flying home to help my mom through cancer treatments.

I took care of a friend’s child every morning for 4 years while she got a college degree so she could support her kids. I have 3 friends that I helped take care of until they died. All of these were a choice and not required by society and expectations.

Right now I have been taking a friend to all her doctor appointments and cleaned out her apartment because she only had paths through it.

I have helped a friend in the building through 3 surgeries this year. After each one she can’t bend for months. I do everything that requires bending. Who have you helped through the years?
 
From the OP'S post
Quote
" for employment, available residences, "

I think those two factors are the underlying cause of dispersal of family units.


As for villages.

Jones & Laughlin Steel once employed thousands of mill workers in Aliquippa, but as those jobs faded in the 1970s and '80s, so, too, did the city’s tax base. From 1970 to 2000, the city lost nearly half of its population. Storefronts sat vacant, homes deteriorated and the structural deficit mushroomed.

Aliquippa sheds ‘financially distressed’ status after 36 years.

It's a nice concept to have family close but the days of 8 or 10 children staying in place of birth to care for & support aging parents went away. Just not economically possible. The same scenario in Alliquippa Pa. has happened in other places.
 
Knight said:
It's a nice concept to have family close but the days of 8 or 10 children staying in place of birth to care for & support aging parents went away. Just not economically possible. The same scenario in Alliquippa Pa. has happened in other places.
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Good point.

But to me it is implicit that we need to prepare the path first. One of the things needed is to reverse the destruction caused by NAFTA and other globalist measures that destroyed communities and produced growing income inequality. Ross Perot warned us of this during his 1992 campaign.
 
The following concise essay addresses several aspects of extended families, an obviously complex social issue, some of which members mentioned. The list below are its addressed headings:

Exploring the Cultural and Historical Contexts of Extended Families - WeChronicle
  • The Evolution of Extended Families Across Cultures and Time Periods
  • Understanding the Role of Kinship Systems in Extended Families
  • How Economic and Social Factors Shaped Extended Family Structures
  • Examining the Benefits and Challenges of Living in an Extended Family
  • Navigating Conflicts and Boundaries within Extended Families
  • The Importance of Communication in Maintaining Strong Extended Family Ties
  • How Immigration Patterns Have Affected Extended Families in Different Countries
  • Exploring the Interplay Between Individualism and Collectivism in Extended Families
  • The Significance of Rituals and Traditions in Strengthening Extended Family Bonds
  • The Future of Extended Families: Trends and Predictions
  • The Role of Gender and Generational Differences within Extended Families
  • Examining the Psychological Benefits of Belonging to an Extended Family
  • Addressing Stigma Related to Non-Nuclear Family Structures through Education and Advocacy
 
Having lived in an "extended family," or "intentional community " for 40 years I have had a lot of experience with the different benefits and challenges. We had a vetting process for wanna be members. They had to live for one year in the community. Then we meet and decide if they stay or not.

The life style of the community is very important for people. If it is too different, it won't work. If it is similar then it is possible. To find people of like mind you can go online to ic.org and look for a community in the area of your choice. Usually there are several that exist or are forming. We had several people contact us, and some of them stayed.

IMO there will be a growing need for us to learn to live together like this. I would suggest visiting
Ic.org and look it over to find out all the possibilities. I have found that communities that are forming are experimenting with new and creative ways to form.
 
Paco Dennis said:
Having lived in an "extended family," or "intentional community " for 40 years I have had a lot of experience with the different benefits and challenges. We had a vetting process for wanna be members. They had to live for one year in the community. Then we meet and decide if they stay or not.

The life style of the community is very important for people. If it is too different, it won't work. If it is similar then it is possible. To find people of like mind you can go online to ic.org and look for a community in the area of your choice. Usually there are several that exist or are forming. We had several people contact us, and some of them stayed.

IMO there will be a growing need for us to learn to live together like this. I would suggest visiting
Ic.org and look it over to find out all the possibilities. I have found that communities that are forming are experimenting with new and creative ways to form.
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I searched for "misanthrope" and got "No communities were found that match your search." :unsure:
 
CNN just did an interview on these otherwise lonely, ignored women that purposely chose to commit a minor crime in order to live with others. Obviously not mentally ill but indeed with mental anguish.

Meet the elderly Japanese women who keep committing crimes to stay in jail

I commend Japan one of our most densely populated human countries for actively addressing this mental health crisis that is growing world wide.

Japan: 'Minister of loneliness' tackles mental health crisis

Japan: 'Minister of loneliness' tackles mental health crisis – DW – 04/23/2021
 
David777 said:
CNN just did an interview on these otherwise lonely, ignored women that purposely chose to commit a minor crime in order to live with others. Obviously not mentally ill but indeed with mental anguish.

Meet the elderly Japanese women who keep committing crimes to stay in jail

I commend Japan one of our most densely populated human countries for actively addressing this mental health crisis that is growing world wide.

Japan: 'Minister of loneliness' tackles mental health crisis

Japan: 'Minister of loneliness' tackles mental health crisis – DW – 04/23/2021
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AI will help with this problem with mechanical people and pets
 
I am only 70 this year, 100% healthy and active.

All our kids will be 74, 70, 64, 62, and 58 when we are in our late 90s.
Don't know who is going to be needing who!
Will revisit this subject in 20 years or so.
 
I think the time when the majority of the world was agricultural and generations lived near each other is long gone.

My business model is to coordinate care for next generations' parents as so few people live near dear old mom and dad any longer.
 
My mother was an immigrant so none of her relatives here. My stepfather had a large family who appeared to me, as a young child, kind and accepting of me. I was isolated from them and so was my stepfather. The idiot let it be done to him. I had no choice or control over it. So much for extended family.
 

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