The Family Then and Now
Things were never easy within the family. But at a time
when the family was oriented toward the production of goods,
which alone made the survival of its members possible there
was an obvious necessity and a rational base for their living 【M1】______
and working together. Dire necessity did not permit putting into
question the very existence of the family, despite of the great 【M2】______
emotional demands living together made to each of its 【M3】______
members.
Today the main economic activities of the family are in
the nature of consumption—how productive may be what some 【M4】______
of its members do in society. And from an early age on, each
member of the family could survive without its support—since
society at large is ready to provide support. Also, it is quite 【M5】______
easy to put the existence of the family into question. This
happens very frequent, not just as families separate or fail to be 【M6】______
formed, but also within families which in all outer appearance 【M7】______
are still intact. But once the family needs seriously to justify its
existence, it is no longer intact like a family in the old sense. 【M8】______
The modern family, deprived of its ancient and firm basis
in economic need, now tries to justify its existence through the 【M9】______
emotional ties within it. These always were present,
but they were a superstructure, good or bad, over the solid
foundation of necessity. With the foundation of necessity
moved, the emotions either tend to run rampant or to wither 【M10】______
away.
The more a family tries to justify itself by means of the
feelings existing within it, the stronger these are aroused, and
the more easily and severely do they get hurt.
【M1】
