Smizzy Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 do you believe this to be true? Are we destined to be what are parents are? Or is it in us to be able to recognize and break the cycle on our own? Just curious as to what you think.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boozer76 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 do you believe this to be true? Are we destined to be what are parents are? Or is it in us to be able to recognize and break the cycle on our own? Just curious as to what you think.... No. I believe ancestry is like a river. No matter what you do (or don't do), you will have a profound effect on the way the river twists and turns and flows, just as your past ancestors did. I think that we are strongly made up of what our ancestors were, but we have a very profound ability to change ourselves and our offspring, in other words changing the way the river flows. My grandparents ruled with an iron fist, literally. So did their parents and generations before that. My father did everything in his power to end that trend. It was a battle he fought tooth and nail, and he struggled mightily at times. But he succeeded and laid the path for me to continue to change the direction of our river for my children and eventually their children and so on. Hopefully this kind of makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Vader Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Sometimes I think that I am a grape and my parents are raisins. So, yeah, sometimes it's true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugeater Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 No, my dad was a deadbeat who threw his kids to the wolves. I would never do that to my son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFlaJets Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 do you believe this to be true? Are we destined to be what are parents are? Or is it in us to be able to recognize and break the cycle on our own? Just curious as to what you think.... one example; I grew up in an all-white little town in Jersey where every racial slur was used about every ethnic group every single day-it was part of the fabric of life. Well we got out of that town and built a life of our own down here and those words and thoughts are NOT tolerated to a point where now my daughters and son never measure a person by their race. color or creed...we can progress as humans-thank God Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFlaJets Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S22/60/95O56/index.xml?section=topstories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borgoguy Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I am about as far from the world of my parents than you can imagine. I came to this country when I was three from a place in Italy that was still recovering from the ravages of World War II. I was the first person in my family to complete high school, college, and graduate school. Back in the "old country", most kids--unless you were wealthy--had to go to work after getting the basics in grade school. Like SFJ, I grew up in a homogeneous community where racism, sexism, and religious intolerance were the norm. I have said this to my wife on many occasions: As a kid, there was a point where I truly thought the "N-Word" was the correct term for a black person. You would not believe the garbage that was spewed "up at the park" playing basketball, baseball, etc. Maybe because I went away to school and was exposed to individuals outside of this microcosm, but I went completely in the other direction, and have worked over the years to change these perceptions, especially for my son. I truly believe that we can only ever progress to the next level as a species if we all see each other as equals. Further, learn the basics in genetics and microbiology and you will see that the more we diversify the species, the stronger we become. Okay, I'll get off the soapbox and quit pontificating. I just wanted to show that one can effect change in one's self and others if you just open your mind and make an effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFlaJets Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 good stuff guys-for me it almost felt like detoxing my soul from the effects of a poison-it took me getting out of New Jersey and that town's mindset to do it though. I'll say this, everyone always figured the South was racist I saw more intolerance up there than I ever see down here. I too, will now exit the soapbox.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsis Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Well I'm not strung out on heroine and crack 24/7 so I'm off to a good start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.