The ties that bind
By Justin Kan
CONFUCIUS said the basic unit in every society is the family. Truly, nothing comes even remotely close to having positive blood ties in the family unit.
It is so unfortunate that today, the notion of individuality has overshadowed the significance of family. We see this reality perpetuating itself repeatedly as family members fight among themselves for personal gains, as Singapore edges its way towards being an increasingly egotistical society.
I cannot help but ask: ‘Is this what we really want? What has happened to the basic need for family togetherness and love for each other?’
So I wrote Blood Ties, a play which tackles the million-dollar question: ‘What exactly holds a family together?’
It is choc-a-bloc with drama, not least, for one character – an uptight mother who finds it hard to impose her Indian traditions on her two daughters, who take a shine to Chinese opera and Chinese men.
In another of the three stories in the play, three squabbling siblings unite under unusual circumstances to keep their inheritance from an unwelcome outsider.
These stories echo tales I heard from my interviews with many families, who were forthcoming about their struggles with greed, money management and differing values.
I know first-hand of some of these difficulties – when I adopted a religion different to that of my family’s, it caused very tangible tension.
In creating the work for the SIM Film and Performing Arts Society, I hope to illuminate the deeper issues of family strife, and hopefully bring home the message (particularly to our youth) that cherishing your family is what really matters, immeasurably more than the endless, mindless and insatiable pursuit of personal gains.
The writer, 24, is a final-year student at the Singapore Institute of Management.
Tags: Justin Kan
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