Sui sentieri di «Amoris laetitia». Svolte, traguardi e prospettive

This article provides food for thought on the radical changes that have affected society and the family in the last fifty years. It explores the reciprocal relationship between family and society, highlighting the profound implications and new cohabitation models that arise from it. The author analyzes the acceleration of changes from the perspective of Jean Francois Lyotard, emphasizing how stability has become transient and how we are confronted with unknown social and cultural configurations. It examines the environment in which individuals face the challenges of surpassing themselves, mastering time, and governing space, considering both physical and virtual spaces. It observes that contemporary humans seem to reject stability, and their relationship with institutions becomes increasingly conflictual. As part of this process, the family is gradually witnessing the erosion of its dimension of certainty. The changes in marriage models over the years are explored, highlighting the decline of religious marriages and the increase in civil marriages and cohabitation. The author emphasizes that change is an ordinary fact in the history of societies and that we need to coexist with it, seeking to guide the cultural path. The impact of these changes on the family and society is analyzed, including the reduction in the number of children and the demographic and economic implications. The article explores contemporary hyper-individualism and the effect of social fragmentation on the construction of identity and relationships. The importance of proposing alternative perspectives and continuing to discuss meaningful narratives to address the concerns and questions of contemporary humans is discussed. Despite the possible drifts, it is stated that the family remains a fundamental and irreplaceable pillar of society, playing an educational and generational nurturing role.