No Ancestors, No Self; Know Ancestors, Know Self

Continuations of Our Ancestors

In body, mind and spirit we are continuations of our ancestors. The blood of our ancestors flows in our veins. Their DNA makes our DNA. Their bodies show in ours. Much of what we learned from our parents, our parents learned from their parents who learned from their parents and so on back into the forgotten past. Their spirits spirit us. The condition of their spirits condition ours. We are the culmination of our ancestors. Because of our ancestors we are here.

Favoring of Religious, National, and Economic-Entertainment Icons

For too long we have neglected our ancestors. Instead of remembering, valuing, honoring, telling their stories, and singing their songs we have worshipped religious, national, and economic-entertainment icons.

Such worship denies and devalues our own lives. Since most of us do not rise to the level of religious, national, or economic-entertainment idols, we're less. We live less valued, less valuable lives- or so we might be led to believe.

We are tempted to feel ashamed for either not doing the work or not having the luck our idols had. Either way we fall short of the glory of our idols and have to settle for being mere consumers of their success. At best we live vicariously through them.

Revaluing Our Ancestors and Ourselves

However, when we opt out of icon adoration and choose instead to remember, honor, tell the stories, and sing the songs of our ancestors, we affirm and value not only their lives but ours as well. We see humanity more clearly. We see ourselves more clearly. We know where we came from. We're aware of the characteristics of our ancestors that manifest and live on in us. 

We see how we all have important roles to play. Everyone contributes in creating the world in which we live. Everyone is valuable and valued.

The better we know our ancestors, the better we know ourselves.