Tango and Family Values

I raise chickens in my backyard. In cold winter days like now, they huddle and tango together to keep themselves warm. Individualism is a luxury chickens couldn't afford. They rely on each other for survival, just like early human beings (see The Spirit of Tango).

Sometimes I wonder, are modern people really smarter than chickens? Why did they formulate such radical ideas as individualism and feminism to justify behaviors that are not in the best interests of mankind as a whole? Why are they so obsessed with self-interest and personal rights but apathetic to other people? Why do they mistreat, exploit, take advantage of, bully, rob, abuse, torture and slaughter their own kind? Why do they greedily accumulate wealth far exceeding their personal needs at the expense of their fellow human beings? Why, little by little, did they throw away all the values that held them together and made them strong as a species?

As history has shown, due to the despicable side of human nature, sometimes evil prevails over good and people are brainwashed to follow wrong ideas. Perhaps we come across such a time again (see Pluralism vs. Monism).

I am not giving up hope, though, because I still see goodness in people like firefighters, doctors without borders and tango dancers alike. I admire them because it takes a big heart to open your arms to others, to provide a supporting shoulder for those in need, and to be a good Samaritan. Tango is created by such people - immigrant men and women who are homeless, lonely, vulnerable, looking for a refuge in a strange land, yearning to be loved, and who have compassion for others like themselves. Like chickens, they huddle and tango together to keep themselves warm in a cold world (see Why People Dance Tango).

I also see hope in parents who teach their children to love each other, to take care of their little brothers and sisters, and to work as a team. When such children grow up, they will become responsible members of society. Evil prevails only when family is disintegrated, when family values are lost, when human bonds faded away, when everyone becomes egocentric, and when materialism, egoism, individualism, feminism, racism, hatred, divorce, single parent family, irresponsible sex and self-indulgence become the accepted norms in society.

But I don't think the world can go on like this for long. As a species we are part of nature and the law of nature overrules the law of men. The success of mankind depends on the solidarity and cooperation of its members, and we are endowed with this ability. As long as there are men and women, there will be love, children, family, family values, teamwork and cooperation, so radical ideologies like egoism, liberalism, individualism and feminism will fail. Family will always be the cornerstone of human civilization. Our collective desire to survive and our collective conscience reject what is bad for the species. After all, we must succeed not as individuals but as a species. That is why in times like now more and more people turn to tango, a dance that connects us, a dance that requires teamwork and cooperation, a dance that teaches people to love, and a dance that is consistent with family values (see Tango Is the Search for a Dream).