Yet Another Timepass Thesis

I was listening to our houseguests about Marriage Melas in Maithil, Bihar. Representatives from the prospective groom all gathered at a central location, while the bride's folks would swing by and select. Today, the same Melas happen, with price-tags attached to the groom, and so, the Mela's are looked down upon as bazaars. Thus another useful social structure/event is lost.

Now, let me further analyse the above. Capitalism rules. You, I, we're all sitting on our pile of capital. That capital gives us independence etc. Now instead of seeking support from and contributing back to the family/community/society structure like the one described above, we want to do things only for ourselves, and get things done for us with our capital. Hence, there is a market for everything. Whatever product/service, that would otherwise have been provided by a social support structure, is now being purchased. Thus, if performing death rites was something the entire community chipped in before, now people buy services from professionals. Each product/service thus has a price associated with it and we pay with currency. Previously, transactions had multiple parties involved and were complex in nature, now they're simple, 2-way transactions with the product/service going one way and money flowing the opposite.

Thus we see social support structures of the past break down. To this sad realization, there is an upside: you cannot have individual performers excel without giving the individual independence. How do you have a Bill Gates or a an Einstein emerge if the person has social commitments he is bound by and responsibilities he has to fulfill his entire life?