Daily Prompt 1/10/2016 | Modern Families
“If one of your late ancestors were to come back from the dead and join you for dinner, what things about your family would this person find the most shocking?”
I think the most shocking thing for someone coming back from the dead to experience is culture shock, especially if it is occurring in the country that they were born and raised. Technology is always changing, and I feel like if I were to introduce my great-great-great-great-auntie to a television, or a computer, or a phone… they would be more accepting of the new technology. The existence of new technology is easy to explain, as I’m sure there were new breakthroughs in science, medicine, and technology happening in whatever time period they are from.
No, I think the biggest shock, at least regarding my family (and, well, a good chunk of the population), is how liberal we are.
And we are liberal.
I’m not talking politics, per se, but more our lifestyle, beliefs, and values. It’s pretty well-known that back in the day, people weren’t so accepting of people who chose to live outside the norm, those who diverted from the path that most people considered righteous and moral. Many are still very unaccepting…
But we’ve come a long way.
Women wear pants now. They have big, important jobs, that take them away from their children. Women are more independent, and are fighting for their rights to equality. And we’ve come such a long way, but are still facing issues that plagued women over 60 years ago.
Our country is filled with beautiful diversity, where people of different races, cultures, and religions can be found in just about every town on the map.
And speaking of religion… people aren’t being burned for not believing, or believing differently than the norm anymore. That was a thing! Sure, we still have our issues regarding religion, but choosing what you want to believe, or not believe, is more widely accepted now. People are more free thinking.
Same-sex couples (and couples of differing ethnicity!) are now able to legally marry in every state in the United States, and in many countries in the world. Despite this being a wonderful thing, many people still frown upon this topic (for whatever reason), but the fact that over 62% of the United States are pro-equality and same-sex marriage, says a lot about how far we’ve come.
I could go on, but you get the idea.
I think my ancestor would be shocked that I chose to have a baby with a man to whom I was not married. They may also be shocked that my household chooses not to believe in any particular religion. I’m sure things like this won’t go over well at the dinner table… I mean, just look at how people are still reacting today to these issues. Heck, me grandmother disowned me in 2005 at 15 when I casually brought up being Agnostic. It is still a big deal to some.
Why my family and I do believe in is equality, acceptance, and love.
There have been many religions since ancient times, but quite a few haven’t really evolved to fit modern society, despite the fact that the human race has evolved immensely. I’m not saying religion is wrong or bad, but the fact that so much of what goes on in our society, and what is deemed as good and bad, revolves around writings in ancient books, and it shouldn’t be that way. It is an issue, and it has set us back as a country, and as a planet. Things that should be progressing (science and medicine, etc.), aren’t progressing like they could be, because people are clinging onto certain things that are no longer relevant in today’s world. We could have already colonized other planets by now, or reversed the damage done to this planet, thus saving future generations from having to wear hazmat suits when they go outdoors! You never know!
I also think modern politicians, selfish corporations, and disgustingly low wages would also come as quite a shock.
But anyway. Yeah. Culture shock.
I can sit my ancestor down at the computer, and show her the internet, and all that it connects us to, at every corner of the world, and all the amazing things that have come into existence in recent years, and she will be amazed… until she sees a photo of two men kissing. *shrug*
That’s my two cents on the topic.
Thanks for reading!
Jan
My Life as Jan 