2a:
Durkheim helps us understand "global interdependence" (page 11) and explains that people's
choices are bound by a compelling need to survive where: "social ties remain strong because
(we) need one another to survive" (page 13). This idea of interdependency and the need to
survive in the competitive world also applies to smaller structures.
Both of my parents are employed and run their local independent businesses. My parents had to
endure unprecedented economic challenges because they had to make sustainable financial
choices while my elder sisters and I grew up. My parents were of limited means, which meant
they could not get their children quality education. Their situation meant they had to make
choices where only I could go to a premier academic institution that, at least for them,
guaranteed a more stable profession and a better livelihood. Naturally, my parent's decisions
stemmed from their own experiences, which had taught them that their line of work was
financially unreliable due to the "rising demands" of the world noted by Durkheim (page 11).
This idea of: " demand (which) stimulates people to develop more efficient methods for
producing goods and services." (page 11) is illustrated with my parent's active decision to invest
in my education. My parents realized that there should be "specialized tasks" (page 11) that my
siblings and I were obligated to perform. I was responsible for financial sustenance while my
sisters would fulfill their roles in a conservative Pakistani family. If all of us were to have equal
opportunities, then we would not be able to advance as per my parents' expectations because of
the "growing demands" of the world (page 11) and the competition which exists. Consequently,
bringing out the division of labor at a micro-level seen with my family.
On a second level, this idea where:" we are involved in ... obligations from which we have no
right to free ourselves" (page 13) is seen with my professional ambitions. Naturally, I am
obligated to choose more lucrative careers to handle my family's affairs rather than pursue what I
want because there is no demand for it.
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2b: