Generational Evolution

Being born and raised in America has given me so many opportunities. That is why my family migrated to America in the 1960s, to ensure our future had options. My parents and grandparents were all born in a small country off the Adriatic Sea in Europe. They didn't have grocery stores, electricity or running water and their lives were very labor intensive. They built their homes with their own hands, raised many animals and grew a variety of crops.

In those times, land meant wealth, security and respect. Most of the families had many children, who would work the lands and contribute to the family compound. Having many children was also important in terms of securing the family name. Every family wanted boys and as many as possible. The boys would grow up and assume responsibility of the family lands and carry on their ancestral legacy. As grown men, they had a lot of pressure from the culture to be tough and protect their families at all costs.

As for the girls, they were raised to be obedient and submissive to their parents. This was taught early, to ensure they would behave the same way to their future spouse and his family. One day the girls would be promised to a man that their family chose for them (having an arranged marriage was the custom then). There was no dating or courting, just the men of two families deciding the fate of their sons and daughters. Sometimes these arrangements worked out beautifully the couples thrived and others stayed the course regardless of their happiness. But still, divorce was extremely rare and marriages were long lasting overall.

Coming to America changed everything for our people. Arranged marriages came to and end and women found a voice in their home. Life became easier in terms of physical labor, as farming lands was no longer necessary when they settled into cities. Though the opportunities are endless here, they still come with a price. Everyone is spread out thin between work, school, and extracurricular activities and the family unit is not as tight knit as it once was. Some things may have been extreme, old fashioned, or physically harder in the past, but the quality of life was different. With all the changes and progression in the world today, it doesn't seem as if the quality of life has improved along the way.

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