Selective amnesia is really a boon granted by God to mankind! I can cite an example to substantiate this statement. Krishnan chides his son who is always playful. And, to be supportive of his own words, he says that his own father would kick him if he had been playing all the time like him without any responsibility. But the fact of the matter would be that Krishnan would have been more mischievous and playful in his boyish age. Krishnan’s son does mischief only inside his own house. But, Krishnan would have played pranks like stealing mangoes from the neighbor’s tree, hitting the mirror of the neighbor with his ball, etc. But, these things wouldn’t come to his memory to suit his convenience! At the same time, thrashings from his father would remain fresh in his memory! Krishnan would imagine himself a ‘mahaan’ unlike his father in his being liberal to his son! This is selective amnesia.

There’s another kind of mindset too. Last year, Ajith greeted his wife Sharmila in the morning on her birthday with a bouquet, kissed her and took her to a movie in the evening and took her out for dinner too. Men are very strategic while dealing with their wife. They would stun their wife with love and affection on special days but would spend all the other days in office work and in chatting with friends. If they spot any shade of disappointment on the face of their wife, they know how to handle the situation. They would bring about a sudden light in her eyes by suggesting that they could go out for dinner. And, they would pepper their words with a wink of the eye and a broad smile on their lips. Now, let us come to Ajith again. Ajith had been denied elevation in his job by his boss who quoted some of his failures as the reason. The boss conveniently pushed Ajith’s achievements to the backseat and denied him what he richly deserved. Ajith was totally upset over this and forgot that it was his wife’s birthday. But his wife refused to understand the situation and accused him of lack of love for her. She substantiated her stand by pointing out occasions when he had forgotten to act and she conveniently preferred to forget the occasions when he had reaffirmed his love for her. Here, Sharmila exhibited ‘selective amnesia’!

Today, joint family system is waning. In the fast life, selfishness reigns, the importance of relationships is not realized. This situation might even lead to a condition where faith in the institution of marriage itself might start disappearing. We should think about the next generation children. Elders should come forward to rectify this situation. The society progresses when families remain united on a strong bond. There’ll be peace and love in any family that believes in relationships.

The duty of the parents doesn’t end with just giving good food and good education to their children. They should see that their children grow as good citizens and good humans. The world will become a beautiful place to live in if all the parents realize this truth. When the children are adults, we should allow them freedom to pursue their own goals and ambitions. Parents should not keep them in their grip till last. This attitude would only harm the beautiful relationship between the parents and the children. Mutual help should be done wholeheartedly.