As a parent, I already see the impact I am having on my children. I am revealed in their genes, as well as in their personalities. I already worry about the extent to which I am “messing them up”. When faults or challenges reveal themselves, I ask myself: “Did I do that?” I worry about doing more damage than good, but, in the end, I have to trust that I am doing the best that I can and that they are on the path to becoming who they are supposed to be.
We screw up from time to time, as parents. Every parent has and will. Likewise, we will somehow manage to have a positive influence from time to time. Every well-meaning parent struggles with self-assessment and thinks he/she is failing as a parent.
We are the product of our parents, grandparents, and everyone who crosses our path. So, if you question your path, the question can be asked: “How many generations would you have to go back to ‘fix’ yourself?”
It is a tempting proposition. It is easy to say “If only I….” An extension of this, then, would be to say, “If only my father/mother….” or “if only my grandparents….” Because, certainly, if our parents or grandparents or great-grandparents were better off or made “better” decisions we would be in a better place, right? Wishful thinking. The reality is: we are who we are because of those who brought us into the world and all who have affected us to date. To go back and “fix” yourself would mean you would cease to be you.
I am fascinated by the interconnectedness of all that exists. I find the propositions of “collective consciousness” and “epigenetics” intriguing. I believe that at the very foundation of our existence the Spiritual and the Physical are inseparable. Thus, I believe that all of existence has brought me to where I am today. I believe that life is not without Purpose and we are precisely where we are supposed to be on our path. Thus, I believe that changing anything of my past and ancestral path will cause the “me” who exists today to no longer exist.
We can’t “fix” ourselves by going backward. We can only fix ourselves (if, indeed, we need “fixing”) by going forward.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow. (Nowhere is that statement is there any suggestion that we change yesterday.)
Carpe momento!