Marriages are bigger and more expensive nowadays than in the past. Why is this the case? Is it a negative or positive development?

There is an obvious fact that marriages today are held in a larger scale and more costly in compared to those weddings celebrated in the past. This trend can be seen as both negative and positive development which is affected by several reasons ranging from internal to external factors.

Coming to the reason why wedding ceremony are bigger and pricey, we can commence first with internal causes which people tend to have a larger wedding this day. People tend to be more generous in this one in the life time occasion especially when having a large number of friends in their circle. Inviting friends, relatives and beloved ones to a luxurious and well organized wedding in a well known restaurant, for example, would fulfill the hosts' satisfaction as they would like to show their hospitality and perhaps to parade their family's wealth. For the external factors, as a matter of fact, marriage services have become better over the time. Marriage industry is growing fast and offering full and professional services which would satisfy their customers and of course it helps add up to the total cost of the ceremony. Lastly, with the aid of the internet, media medium and modern transportation, people feel more connected and easy to travel to the wedding party and have fun together.

The impact of this trend on our life can be both positive and negative. One the one hand, as the purpose of weddings is to express good wishes to a "new connection," the happier the bride and broom might feel whenever more people join the party. Besides, having many friends and beloved one come to the ceremony also is a chance to improve the relationship between them and to expand their network which can be valuable for someone doing business. On the other hand, this can be a big waste of money when people try to empty their pockets for the marriages then try hard to earn them back. Also, this tendency of spending large on weddings can urge the rest of population to follow. Looking at this in a big picture, it could be dangerous for the development of a nation and highly affect the middle and low classes.

In conclusion, marriages are larger and cost more people's money than the past. This fact can be caused by internal or external factor and this affects our life and society in different dimensions. 

When a country develops its technology, the traditional skills and ways of life die out. It is pointless to try and keep them alive. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Living in a fast moving world we are affected vastly by the changing technologies that we encounter or use on a daily basic. While agree that these things are killing our traditional skills and changing our life styles I  think that there should be alternative ways to help old and new technologies grow cooperatively.

Advanced technology has changed completely the way we communicate with others, produce goods, and live as well. The industrial revolution in the 1900's, for instance, introduced machines that changed the workforce and the way we live to what we know. Today, we would rather write an email or pick up a phone call to communicate with our friends or business partners than to write a letter and send them via pigeons in order to save time. Besides, by developing new technologies we no longer have to use lagging skills to produce products on small scales and we can make fine products instead on large scales.

Apart from the obvious facts above, I also believe that if we invest in traditional crafts properly we can still keep them thriving. Traditional crafts at a certain degree represent our culture; if we can develop these skills parallel with cultural development it will certainly give traditional skills a place to stand. By this, not only would it benefits the economy but it would also keep the tradition alive and help educate the younger generations on the culture and history of the nation. Craftsmen producing silk products with the aid of of the government may thrive in introducing their expertise through several cultural festivals and fairs or classes helping children to understand the national culture.

In conclusion, I agree that with the effects of modern technology on our life is huge. However, if we try to find effective ways to support old crafts they can still thrive.