As a first generation Canadian, the life path I choose to pursue is often littered with confusion. Most of the individuals that fall under this category, and even second and third generation, are often stretched quite thin. There are two major beliefs in this matter. One expresses that being stretched between the two worlds, that of your peers and that of your parents, only diminishes the point, which defines you. The opposing argument, however, states that this contribution of two sides may actually contribute to a more holistic and rounded human being. Yet what is the reality? “Are South Asian youth suffering from a loss of identity, or experiencing an influx of cultural diversity?”
Youth especially are constantly stuck between what their peers state about society and what their parents preach. Once a youth reaches their late teens, they are expected to define themselves in terms of these two, often opposing, ideals. The principles that create our general character find their pivotal foundation at this point. For South Asian youth, two major areas of focus are explored at this time: Education and Social Circles.
The pursuit of knowledge has always been a source of pride and an upheld tradition within the South Asian community. Providing your child with an elite education not only gives them stability in the future, but brings a positive name to one’s parenting abilities.
However, through my experiences in the education system, I have seen what this pressure can do to youth. Those South Asian youth that are deemed as successful by the community, normally occupy a small range of occupations. We have not been able to produce a substantial population of athletes, artists, poets, and philosophers in North America. It is certainly not for lack of talent, because anyone remotely versed in South Asian roots knows of its revolutionary contributions to these fields. It is the sad belief that these pursuits will not bring the required status into the future lives of these youth. I respect the nature of wishing for your offspring to pursue something that will bring them stability, however I simply long for the nature of education to be that which expands the mind and activates our spiritual capacities.
Social circles can have an immense impact on the life decisions of South Asian youth as well. Through observation, I have noticed that there are major populations of these youth that only associate with other South Asian youth. What I have unfortunately found, however, is that this causes youth to compromise their background, and in a sense, substitute their parents’ ideas for that of their South Asian friends.
Although not to be excessively generalized, most youth adopt a commercialized idea of what South Asian culture really is. That which is portrayed in movies, TV shows and popular music, has a colossal impact on communities that are geographically disconnected from their native state. As such, South Asian culture becomes “Bollywoodified”.
In an effort to integrate into Canadian society, we have isolated ourselves from our own culture. As migrants, the expression of our culture was achieved by packaging together the simplified aspects of South Asian culture so as to not overwhelm anyone. While potentially logical in its initial stages, it has caused for a complete commercialization and demeaning of where South Asian culture has been derived from. This miniature rant is to express the idea that every first generation migrant youth should be provided an actual understanding of their native country’s history, traditions, and global contributions. So as these youth surround themselves with South Asian social circles in an effort to uphold their background, they are really suffocating themselves into a delusional representation of what their culture is.
These two examples show us what blindly following either our parents or peers will do. South Asian youth must recognize their pivotal role in educating themselves about their backgrounds. Whether it is history, religion, or even South Asian cuisine, the globalized nature of this world will depend on the educated foundation that we create.
We can no longer depend on our parents or social circles to tell us what to believe and how to act. The future of the South Asian youth in Canada must be derived from personal and individual initiative. To answer the question stated above, “Are South Asian youth suffering from a loss of identity, or experiencing an influx of cultural diversity,” I believe that our community is at a crossroads between the two. The loss of identity is expressed by what I termed a “Bollywoodified” version of our culture, yet as this generation becomes independently interested in where they came from, we will achieve cultural diversity.
Once we know where we came from, no matter where we are or who we interact with, our identity will not be compromised.
Author: Myuri Komaragiri
