Some believe that younger family members should be legally responsible for supporting older family members when they become physically, mentally and financially unable to look after themselves. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

 Some believe that younger family members should be legally responsible for supporting older family members when they become physically, mentally and financially unable to look after themselves.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Nowadays, a perception seems to be emerging that young people should be bound by law to take care of their aging family members. However, there are some voices of dissent on this issue.  

To start with, most of the aging members of the family spend their entire life making sure that their younger ones get proper education, eventually affording the latter successful careers. Moreover,  it is seen that the older people spend the most important time of their life saving money for their wards, relinquishing their own dreams, for the sake of the better future of their offspring. Thus, it becomes imperative for them to be reciprocated by their children in the same way, but that is rarely happening so today, making it quite plausible to suggest creating a law that binds the young members to this task. It is only the fear of punishment that will push children to fulfill their moral and ethical duties in the world dominated by consumerism. 

However, others, although quite few in numbers, are up in arms against this proposal, for this section considers such a move as an encroachment of private lives of citizens. The state can only act as a medium of spreading awareness among citizens about their obligations, rather than acting as a tool to guide people about how to deal with their family members. Similarly, as these critics suggest, many households may not be in a condition to support their elderly family members due to poor economic conditions, and making a statute in this regard could exacerbate their conditions and woes.   

Overall, I vehemently support this move: young people should be legally bound to support their aging parents. This seems to be the only way to  coax them into honoring their moral and ethical responsibilities. 

Some people think that criminal behavior can have genetic reasons, while others believe that only circumstances can lead some people to crime. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Some people think that criminal behavior can have genetic reasons, while others believe that only circumstances can lead some people to crime. Discuss both views and give your opinion.  

Why do some people feel crime may have genetic connection 

·         It has been seen that there are some races that have survived on activities like hunting 

·         There have been people who have hailed from regions that faced extreme scarcity of resources, their ancestors relied on looting the travelers

·         Natural animal instincts  

Why do some people feel crime is driven by circumstances 

·         Poverty and destitution, and  on top of that lack of education is keeping people poor, and hence they go in for unlawful means 

·         Many are swayed by the desire possess everything that consumer society can afford 

·         Lack of proper upbringing 

·         Coercion is a means that cannot be overlooked 

·         Self defence 

Unlawful activities have been a part and parcel of life ever since humans appeared on this planet. This has persuaded many to explore and discover the source of this menace, and different schools of thought have arrived at contrasting conclusions, with some blaming criminal activities to be stemming from conditions and surroundings, while others linking it to inherited practices. 

To embark upon discussion, several criminologists claim that most illegal activities are an outcome of these animal instincts that are deeply encoded in the human genes, and it needs  only a slight provocation for an individual to become aggressive and resort to violent and illegal ways. This innate propensity also pushes people to react aggressively and take laws into their own hands. This has been supported by several studies carried out to determine the motivation behind partaking in an unlawful endeavor, which revealed that most incidents took place due to impulsive action and reactions of people involved. There were also some cases where perpetrators enjoyed inflicting pain on others. 

Nevertheless, there is another lobby that differs from the former perception: they feel that no one is born a criminal and it is the situation that compels them to opt for anti-social behaviour. The prevailing economic disparities and the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots is the primary source of unlawful acts. To worsen/exacerbate the consumerist attitude the setting its foot firmly in, which  is fueling desires and pushing the deprived to choose the shortest possible method to gain those materialistic possessions, through deviant ways.

Overall, after assessing both the viewpoints, I arrive at a conclusion that both opinions are justified since sometimes, criminal activities are the outcome of the inbred attitude, and at others driven by several factors like money.  

 

The shortage of housing in big cities can cause severe consequences. Only government action can solve this problem. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

 The shortage of housing in big cities can cause severe consequences. Only government action can solve this problem.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The shortage of housing in big cities can cause severe consequences.

 

I agree 

• The state has the jurisdiction to bring laws to change the use of land within boundaries of cities. 

• They also enjoy the privilege of taking decisions about expansion of the residential areas to suburbs 

• They have the resources - monetary and logistical - to see such programs through 

I disagree 

• Citizens can also play a part in this; converting their single storeyed houses into multiple floors by taking permissions. 

• They can form forums and form public opinion to force authorities to   spring into action 

• The corporate - builders and other organization - can also take part in this, and develop residential areas. 

 

There is a common perception that only policy makers are having the capability of finding solutions to the crisis caused by paucity(shortage) of residential units in urban locales. This notion, however, is challenged by several quarters.

Undeniably,  governments are vested with the powers to enact laws to afford benefits to citizens. On a similar note, they can create provisions to affect changes in bye-laws governing the land use. For example, in cities like Delhi, when the authorities realized that inhabitants were facing a steep scarcity of residential units, and prices and rents of property were spiraling out of control, they sprang into the action and responded by dismantling old low-rise housing units and converting certain commercial areas with derelict buildings into the residential ones. Such undertakings helped in mitigating the issue upto a certain level.

Similarly, regimes also enjoy the jurisdiction of developing residential areas on the outer fringes and in suburbs that can help ease the burden of population on urban areas. This task requires involvement of multitude of infrastructural development and expertise that can exclusively be arranged by the state. Sub-cities like Gurugram, Dubai, Goyang and Montpellier, to name a few, are some of the successful examples of initiatives taken by the local governing bodies.

Nevertheless, although not supported by a strong rationale, some suggest that this task is not the lone responsibility of politicians, even citizens can play a role by forming forums to foster public opinion and force urban planners to create policies that can aid in arranging more and more accommodations for urbanites.  

To recap, controversies apart, only the state machinery has the competence to provide efficient and bespoke solutions for this monumental challenge as  piecemeal efforts and initiatives are likely to culminate into a chaos. ‘