Each one of us comes from long lines of ancestors.
And yet modern societies are losing touch with the very concept of ancestors. We are lucky if we even know the names of our great grandparents. Only the rare genealogy aficionados have any sense of more than 3 generations prior.
The wonders of easy genetic testing through saliva, are revealing to more of us that our genetic backgrounds are far more varied than we have been led to believe. That’s good for tolerance and reducing ignorant beliefs. We are truly more “one world family” than today’s bigots believe.
Joel “Jay” Solomon, Rosalind Solomon, Linda Solomon & Joel Solomon
We have lost touch with the “ancestor reverence” that more indigenous cultures have. These cultures have have kept awareness of and gratitude to those who made our lifetimes possible.
We have also lost focus on the long term future. Every decision and “how it will effect 7 generations into the future” and other concepts apparently once central to thriving resilient culture, are disappearing.
Today we focus heavily on ourselves, our desires, our impulses and our ego accomplishments. If we are lucky we have a shared community, be it close friends, a religious practice, a workplace, or a cause. We are more on our own, independent more than interdependent.
As capitalism – dominated by the few – ever widens the income gap between rich and poor, while lobbying for less fair taxation, offloading responsibility for and privatizing the commons, and pushing wealth to ever higher concentrations at the top, larger social structures are weakening.
It’s time to remember that we are all ancestors, bloodline procreators or not. We each have responsibility for how we live our lives, what we consume, who we disadvantage, how we participate as citizens, and how our actions contribute to a safer, more loving, more just future.
It’s time to step up to our ancestral responsibilities. The people of tomorrow are watching us. They want us to be smart, to remember we are part of the web of life. We are stewards of the future.
When we remember that truth, our capacity as healers/activists/leaders is 100 times more powerful.