Prohibition of a certain kind of behavior or speech or a custom followed is a taboo. This prohibition is sometimes baseless. It rests on the belief, that doing something or not doing it is either scary or has negative outcomes. Fear of peril surrounds the belief. Societal norms have put numerous taboos on people and people get eventually used to living each in a certain way. In this way, the monotony of life has set in. following a religious practice can also be a taboo. Not following may also be one. Social taboo is one aspect that slows down development. Conservative thinking stands as a reason for this. Let us gain an understanding of some of the societal taboos which are followed even in the present times.

Marriages are made in heaven; the taboo is enforced by humans.

The aspect of marriage has not been spared by societal beliefs. Love marriages are increasing. But, arranged marriages are more common. A wedding is a celebration with each person wanting to celebrate differently and make it unique. Some beliefs are passed on for generations without giving a thought as to why is a certain practice followed. Here, if a certain ritual is not followed as one does not believe in it, taunting starts concerning the success of the marriage. The marriage did not work out as a certain ritual was not completed. Arranged marriages still happen. There is a change in how traditional it was. One element of marriage is caste. The significance of caste is very much prevalent. Marrying out of the caste or lower is considered against the practices followed. Complete acceptance may be missing. In rare cases, getting ousted from the family happens. Honor killings come into the picture. As a love marriage faces many objections, such a marriage lasting long is rare. Love marriage can survive without a struggle if the persons involved have eloped breaking all ties from their respective families. Another belief or myth that requires a change is getting the girl married off at a young age. The higher she studies; she ends up becoming choosier and ends up rejecting every proposal. She will get older, and then who will look after her? This is a question that every parent goes through. Facing questions put up by people around is not easy unless supportiveness is there in the attitude.

Expecting a brilliant performance career-wise, how about the person concerned?

This happens in almost every family. It is a social stigma to which many families conform. In building up these expectations, the likes, dislikes, choices, or goals of the person concerned are not seen. Speaking up in front of elders is also considered taboo. Due to this, the younger generation remains silent and blindly follows what has been decided by the elders. The elders of the family have certain pre-defined career expectations set to followed by the younger generation. All hell breaks loose if these expectations are not met. It is hard to live up to these expectations if the heart and the mind do not support them. A child’s career preference may go disregarded due to societal beliefs. What will be the talk of the town among the society members? These expectations also lead to comparisons made to friends and relatives. This leads to mental stress and pressure.

Making a new beginning, start with the right or the left?

This is an issue that everybody goes through. When starting anything new, starting with the right is considered good. Starting with the left is not. Finding someone shaking hands with the left hand is not a common sight. This is due to the above-said belief. A left-handed person may eat or write with the left hand. That is the convenience of the person. It is not common to see someone giving something to another with the left. Any important event or any business usually begins with the right coming forward.

Choosing to marry at a young age to start the journey of parenthood; the earlier the better.

Getting married at a late age is considered taboo. This is irrespective of whether a boy or a girl. The question faced by the person concerned is when will the plan to start a family be put in place? This is because having children is considered to be a social norm. being childless is looked upon as something lacking. It is not necessary to get married just for the sake of starting a family. Financial settlement is an important element that gets missed in this discussion. With changes in the education system, youngsters are now able to make better career choices and want to be financially well off before deciding on marriage. The socio-economic changes have been in support of this. Settling at a late age implies parenthood is delayed due to career priorities. When parenthood is delayed, poking a person happens with questions concerning health. Will the health and capabilities of a person support parenthood which occurs lately? The question of fertility-related problems arises as infertility has a major effect on the psychological well-being of women as compared to that of men. For a lady, finding an infertility specialist is also governed by social taboos. Going to the doctor means some serious inability is there. This is a blind belief. It is due to these health reasons that a girl is still married off at a young age. She is rather advised to continue her studies post marriage.

Living and adjusting to social taboos

There is silence and secrecy which sometimes surrounds these social taboos. Being assertive in speech does not come to everybody. Speaking up for oneself is very important. But in speaking up, it has to be kept in mind not to hurt the sentiments of people around in particular the elders. Blindly following or not following is baseless. Following societal expectations is not always required. The ability to adjust comes with a positive attitude. There has to be logic and practical reasoning in support of an action or behavior. 

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