There’s an old saying from the East to
“Honor your ancestors.” It’s good advice, and one that few people follow today.
After all, our heritage – who our ancestors our and where they come from –tells
us much about who we are today.
Quite literally, if not for our
ancestors, we would not be here today. Biologically speaking, we owe them our
lives. Further, where they settled and worked determined where we grew up and
in what economic class and with what religious beliefs. Think deeply about the
kind of person you are and the values you hold dear…they most likely match
those of your ancestors.
Of course, if you’re angry about your
current condition, you might very well blame our ancestors for it. Maybe it is
because of them that you grew up in poverty or suffered great tragedies. But
perhaps they were victims themselves. That does not excuse them from their
actions, but it may explain why they made the choices they did. In any case, we
are captains of our own fate. Each of us can decide how we will navigate the
landscape we find ourselves in.
And where our ancestors are
concerned, we are more alike than different. Our drives and interests, whether
inherited genetically or taught to us in the culture of family, probably are
very similar to your parents, aunts and uncles, great-grandparents and even
great-great-great grandparents. Like our country, we may not always agree with
everyone in it or every decision that our government makes, but we still are
proud of our nation and its achievements through history. So it should be with
family.
How can we go about honoring our
ancestors? One way is to learn about their lives through genealogy. Many of
them faced incredible hardships yet persevered to achieve what they did. Another
way is to think about who you are and how you became that person through your
ancestors. Often we’re not “just like dad” but also “just like grandma” and “just
like “great-grandpa” and even “just like “great-great-grandma.” Finally, honor
your ancestors by always doing the best you can, by making your family name one
that is recognized, whether it be for its altruism, its discoveries, or its
building of a community. Make your descendants proud of who their ancestors
are!
You can learn about many of your ancestors at a special website I have built for you, Kieran's Family Tree.
