Life today is very different from what it used to be half a century ago. Smoking is literally banned in most of the developed world. Others are not far behind. It was not long ago when we came to think of it as Sherlock Holmes would light up a cigarette as he talked to a client. Marlborough was the macho man loved by women.
I remember having a fierce fight with my six-year-old daughter, back in those restriction-free days, as she was not allowed to puff as I did. Her argument was very logical. She was entitled to the same privileges as I had since we shared milk from the same pitcher.
Today there are inhibitions on many such pleasures of life. That is because of knowledge gained not known earlier. Compared to the two periods of time it would be akin to the mythical bird that buried head in the sand when chased. The sand in this case is the veil of ignorance.
It is amazing how the world advanced in the last half century. Armed with the new found knowledge doctors are mini gods of life today. They tell us what can and cannot be done. They decide if an organ of the body needs replacement to prolong life. They know how long a person will live. Of course, the choice is up to the person - to do as told or hide the head in the sand.
On my visit to the graveyard of my parents I rarely see a tombstone where a person lived to be sixty. That was the average lifespan of a person in those days. With the advances in medical science a person now lives longer. Medical science has two distinct branches namely, Medicine and Surgery. It is surgery where we see most of the wonders as the ailing body parts are replaced. I have a friend who breathes with a pig's heart. Many of the body parts are replaceable. Comparatively Medicine has trailed behind. The processes are slow and judgemental. For example, we have not been able to treat Alzheimer's as yet. The reason is inability to understand function of the brain, with trillion of cells, that connect in ways not yet understood. Minus the brain there is no person. On the other hand, minus body components a person is even stronger such as Batman's nemesis.
My young daughter was very jealous of my white hair. She wanted white hair. How could I tell her that when she starts getting them, she would want to hide. While a student at London my barber was a good friend with whom I could open my mind, talking about all sorts of things other than hair. Many a time I would go for a hair trim even if I did not need one. That was mainly due to loneliness as I needed to talk to someone. He was a local and a very friendly person. He was perplexed why I dyed my hair. I guess that is cultural difference, just like us being rice eaters unlike them living on potatoes. Interestingly it was a potato famine in Northern Ireland that led to migration of the Irish to the USA. In parts of the world where similar options were not available, people died. Life in London was different though stressful at times. The weather, the food, the pressing urge of studies, together made life different as well as stressful. Yet it was a gainful experience when put together. At the end I was a different person and perhaps a better person.
My daughter always wanted a pet. The main reason is her friends at the school constantly talking about their pets in the house, mostly dogs and cats. Unfortunately, we are not great lovers of animals. The maximum we do is to have a bird in a cage or fish in a glass tank with water. Dogs are mostly kept out of the house and cats abhorred. This is different in the western world where dogs and cats are almost family members, even allowed to share bed. A further advantage of having such intimate members in the house is the company they provide to children. In this super busy world where both mums and dads have busy work life such pets provide relief for both parents and children. Besides, this is how children are kept away from excessive exposure to cell phones or engagement in Facebook, TikTok and the like. But there can be problems. When I visited houses of our local friends their enthusiastic pets would jump on us expecting cuddle. Not to disappoint our hosts we had to cuddle these animals even if with reluctance.
These are some of the behavioural differences between nations that goes beyond looks. Even within the same country we have such differences. I had a teacher in my school who would not eat anything other than fruits when he visited our house. Apparently, fruits are touch-free unlike cooked items. Maybe, it is the reason why banana leaves are used to serve food in some restaurants that ensures that one does not eat on a plate that has been used earlier. And then there are differences in the eating habits as well, from vegans to omnivores. This is a long way from the time when the whole planet will speak one language and possibly have the same habits. It all has changed as God decided to intervene, not sure if it was to help or teach a lesson.
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