The Successful Immigrant.

Submitted by Maura Collins (Canada), Jul 23, 2008 at 07:35

My Father had an expression many rears ago that I did not understand "From shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in 3 generations". He explained that a poor man leaves what comfort he has in life with his family and friends to go to an alien country and work like a dog so his family will never feel the edge of hunger or want. He emigrates and sacrifices his time for those he loves through excessive work.

In time, his children are ready for college and he pays their way so they may escape the crushing debt attached to such a venture, and when he dies he leaves his children his amassed fortune This immigrants children are successful in business and marriage and produce their own children. The grandchildren of the immigrant grow up with maids, are driven to school and have all the trapping of a wealthy life. They scrape through college, bang about Europe to find themselves and finally settle in to work in some meaningless way, and their parents finally die. And yes, they are the third generation with no holds barred, drugs on the weekend, no understanding of their countries political peril, and a bunch of spendthrifts to boot. The original immigrant's life work lay in tatters at their feet, the sacrifices he made long forgotten and his grandchildren facing eviction from their home. This is Israel today. With the release of a child killer like Kuntar, I fear for her future.

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