The Power of Cousin Diversity

At a family party…
Gerard: We last met, oh, it must have been, what, 1965?
Louisa: When I was at junior high. I remember it.
Gerard: Now, your grandfather Louis was a brother of my grandfather Robert. That makes us second cousins.
Louisa: And your grandfather was a doctor whereas my grandfather was a journalist.
Gerard: And that’s where the family gets interesting. Because of the diversity. You became a pilot and I worked in academia.
Louisa: Interesting how many of the cousins went to work for big organizations rather than a small family firm like our great grandfather who was a bookseller.
________
Voice-over

Cousins by KC, 2020

Siblings may be different but cousins even more so. Family trees reveal diversity in occupation. Some follow a small family business. Others break out. Are there reasons? Are there patterns?