6. Social Interactions
On retirement, the common knowledge that man is a social animal became my personal realization. As the opportunity for daily interaction with people declined, I began to eagerly look forward to social occasions where I meet people. Returning from these events, in reflective mood I could see four distinct types of interaction that dominated different stages of human life.
- Need-based or Clannish– Born in a family, a baby’s first interactions are with family members based on family norms and values built on love. As the basic social unit changes from joint families to nuclear families and individuals, the extent and duration of family interaction where love is the primary currency reduces with these changes.
- Interest centric or Community based- Growing up, the child enters the community, where interactions are based on interest groups like sports, arts or education. Here the strength of the relationship is based on interest levels exhibited by individuals.
- Need based or Bureaucratic –Entering adolescence the child encounters social institutions, which are formal rule-based organizations run by individuals authorized to impose the rules. These institutions are impersonal as their rules governing them.
- Self-centered or Markets based -in most if not all societies commercial contracts can be entered into only by an adult. This ushers in the commercial world of markets. In markets, only self-interest prevails as money talks in the language of commerce.
The child gradually moves from personal interactions based on love, to love supplemented by common interests, to impersonal rule-based organization and finally the markets, where only self-interest prevails. I am now able to appreciate the view why senior citizens are considered more like children as their interactions recede back to their childhood state. To lead a happy life, we need to use the right glue in our interaction. Do you agree?
Social Profiles