One of the most contentious issues today is that of privacy which is considered to be a universal right. In essence, privacy is the right to be undisturbed in one's private life. Translated this means that a person should be free to do whatever they like in their private capacities as long as they are not breaking any laws and/or directly and to the maximum extent possible indirectly not causing harm to anyone else.
The concept of privacy differs between culture. The particular concept of privacy highlighted above springs from a Western concept of the uniqueness and importance of the individual. The idea of the family is restricted to one's immediate family: parents and siblings. There is no larger concept of the family. Even in this context, there is an emphasis on the individual and his or her right to choose any course of action. Thus parents can help a child but have no right to dictate the latter's decisions. The bonds of the family get looser with time and for many if not most individuals they eventually disappear. Thus the phenomenon of old people's homes in which some children visit (regularly or not) while others do not do so. This particular emphasis on privacy and the resultant concept of individualism is also responsible atleast partially for the periodic stories that emerge of old people dying alone in their apartments or homes and no one realizing it sometimes for several years.
Paradoxically, the Western emphasis on the individual and his or her right to privacy results in a strong sense of community. Humans are social animals and will always seek to become part of a large group. Since the larger family plays little role in the lives of individuals, the community in which they live in takes on that role: community in this context includes both neighbors and friends. This sense of community also translates into a strong identification with the nation which in this context can be regarded as a community of communities living within a particular geographic boundary.
Other societies have a different concept of the role of the individual. Asian societies place a far greater importance on family. Here the individual is not so important but the larger family is. In this context, family goes beyond parents and siblings and includes aunts, uncles, cousins and sundry other relatives. There is no right to privacy as the concept is understood in the West in such societies. Other individuals can and do interject themselves in important personal decisions. Thus for example, in South Asian societies when a marriage is to be considered, it is not just a matter between the two individuals concerned. The larger families of both parties get involved and start giving their input which cannot be discounted. This particular concept of the role and rights of the individual generally translates into a strong sense of family and clan but not into a strong sense of community. So we see that the particular Western concern about privacy does not hold much resonance in other parts of the world.
Western societies have considered their systems and concepts to be superior to those of other societies. This view was articulated and bolstered in the 18th and 19th centuries when Western rule and influence extended over the globe. This view is held with strong conviction in the West till today.
Which conception is better? Both have their strong and weak points. The Western concept of the individual and their rights allow for a high degree of personal experimentation. This has also necessitated a high tolerance for failure. Part of the dynamism of Western societies comes from this ability to experiment without strongly negative social repercussions on the individual. On the other hand, family bonds are weaker and continue to decline over time. Individuals are thus deprived of the experience and counsel of their elders and so similar types of mistakes are made by successive generations. Another consequence is felt in old age when many individuals find themselves largely abandoned at a stage in their lives when their ability to look after themselves is severely diminished.
The Eastern emphasis on the family means that individuals benefit from the experience and counsel of older generations. They can thus obtain valuable help and guidance in their personal decision making and other aspects of their lives such as rearing children. In return, individuals tend to be cared for by their families in old age. However, there is a much lower degree of personal experimentation and a vastly lower tolerance for failure. Important issues like career or marriage are not decided by the individual alone but via a consensus within the larger family structure.
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