One of the weird side effects of genealogy for me is that it offers me an interesting perspective on my current life. When you continually think about people’s lives over hundreds of years, you realize what a blip in time your own life is. It’s hard to get worked up about the little stuff when you know it really doesn’t matter. You want an insightful perspective, talk with people at the end of their life. Hindsight is 20/20, folks, and since there is no way to achieve this wisdom without actually being there yourself, it’s good to sit up and listen. Amongst all the stories and facts that we collect from our family members, be vigilant for these moments of wisdom. These moments might be intangible themes, but listen for them.
Beyond moving past the things that aren’t going to matter in a few years, learning about your own place in history can offer a sense of gratefulness for what you DO have, what is special about our own time. I’m glad that my children are not being drafted. I’m grateful that modern medicine offers humane preventative care. (My mother’s descriptions of dentist visits in the 1940s are cringeworthy!) I am relieved that society is beginning to perceive the uniqueness of child development and how to nurture it in ways that aren’t short-term compliance at the expense of long-term issues. Compared to outhouses, or the open hole hanging above the ground/moat I saw at the Tower of London, my flushing commode seems really swanky. It’s all relative, but it’s worth considering.
Genealogy Love 