different cultures

i suppose that right now might be a good time to describe some differences between greek and american culture. the one that bothers paola the most has to do with the roles that men and women play. she noticed from the beginning how at dinner time, the men dont do anything but sit and wait for the table to be set and served for dinner. paola, of course, got mad at this, and expressed her disgust with me. i pointed out that while she was right, and the men looked like they were sitting around doing nothing, that the men had a job to attend to all day, while the women stayed home. certainly, there are more women at work than there used to be, but the role of stay-at-home housewife is still very prevalent throughout greece (as far as i can tell). i try not to defend this culture, nor attack paola’s feelings, but rather try to look at it without any culture. that is, one has to understand that there are roles in every society and culture, and that is just the way that it is played out. in america, the roles that are differentiated between women and men are more blurred than they are in greece. who is to say that one is better than the other. certainly my cousin dina proves that these roles are not set in stone, and are becoming more blurred in greece, as she has divorced her husband, and is still raising her daughter and son. i feel that as long as people accept their roles, and choose them freely, nobody should feel bad for anyone else. certainly the people here seem very happy, and however one might think that they are being treated, if they are happy, there is little that can be said against the culture. (in the brilliant words of my brother, everybody is just trying to live a happy life.) indeed, many people are not happy because they feel that they want more in life, that they have been cheated in some way. one philosophy of living that goes back to the ancient greeks (the stoics, in fact, and then developed into some prayer within the christian faith (let me accept things that i cannot change); and also taught independently in the east through buddhism and such) claims that there is very little in life that one can effect. that said, find happiness in what is with you, rather than wanting more (things, objects, love, freedom, whatever one might want).