Tracing the roots

It is a difficult task finding out about one’s roots, tracing one’s family history, especially if generations had moved to different lands, inhabited most distant places. It becomes even more difficult if subsequent generations had changed the family name. Many a times, people try to find out their family history to lay claim to some past glory. Often this is just a general desire to know about one’s origin. And sometimes it has to do with one’s pride. But one question invariably comes to mind, what if the family past is not something that would make us proud? What if our ancestors did acts that will make us try to cover up our history from the world? There have been many instances where a curiosity to find out family history has turned into a costly affair, with huge money spent in cover-up.

Maybe what is required from us is that we accept who we are. Instead of trying to find pride in our ancestors’ past, we should work so that people are proud of us. What we are is not determined by who our forefathers were but what we do. It is not the past, nor the future; it is the present that matters. It is this moment that determines our worth. We are the choices we make. We are the tree nourished by our deeds. Our roots are our self worth.