Generational Roads, Roles, and Curses.

A fact about us we often don’t realize is that a great deal of who we are is not in our control. We didn’t choose the people, places, or things which had a role in our conception, and much of our existence is thanks to someone else’s thoughts, feelings, and labors. The fact we exist is nothing less than a miracle when you think about it. When you think about all the right amount of wrong, the wrong amount of right, and all the little details that had to take place for you to even be reading this right now, it must break your brain as much as it does mine. So, if you’ve made it this far and feel like reflecting on the past, present, and future, and every little and big thing its made of, let’s get going.

One should never underestimate the power of the past, in all it’s pain and glory. The first image you likely get in your head when you hear the term ‘generational curses’ is associated with witchcraft I’d wager. However, it seems ‘curses’ is quite a subjective term. You can be cursed by the environment your born into by the air, location, opportunity, and cultural identity. Some people are born so broke they have to lie, cheat, and steal to survive, or some so wealthy they do the same because they’re bored and looking for something to spice up their life.

Sometimes the path of life is paved with things having nothing to do with you, and the roles one plays over the course of your life are absolutely forced upon you. Somethings just are what they are, and were what they were, but because the past still holds a strong grip over the present, and because of things sown into us in our past, there’s no way of knowing entirely what sway it has over what will be. Just like the putting a seed in the ground, you don't know if the crop will feed you, poison you, or not grow at all. You and I are still living off of the past, which accounts for a good base of what our present is. But what parts from our past are we still holding onto, feeding into, and allowing to define our lives?

What past people or events still shape your view of the world? Can any parent raise their children damage, brainwashing, or cost free? And assuming you have kids, will your past become theirs, if not just a little bit worse? Are we defining ourselves as 'products of our environment' so much, we loose sight of what that actually means? Thoughts become habits, and habits define culture; so what exactly are we allowing to play out from history and define our present and maybe the future?

What titles do we aspire to, why, and will our future be the better for it? Will that title or position be enough? What expectations are we still living up to, and will we like what we find if we got everything we wanted? What is the price for expecting the next generation to see the world as you do? We tend to romanticize and misremember the past, and we pay a high price for polishing over what shouldn't be forgotten, especially when personal or public history repeats itself in the present.

If we don't learn from our past it will be just as damaging as it was when we lived it, resembling something of a curse. If we try and polish it up and change it, or attempt to relive it again thinking somehow we'll get away with it this time, the karma might not necessarily affect us directly in the present. But it will effect the future.