In some parts of the world, it is becoming increasingly popular to try to find out about the history of your family. Why do people do this? Is this a negative or positive development?
Also seen 12/2/22 India
ESSAY #286 FROM OUR BOOK
The study of family history or genealogy has become very popular especially after the coming of the Internet. People are indulging in this study for various reasons. Although there are a few drawbacks of this development, I believe that it is largely a positive development.
The most popular reason for studying the family history is that people want to know their roots. Learning about their cultural background helps people develop a sense of identity and belonging. Another reason for studying family history is that it helps to predict risk for a range of health concerns and diseases, including heart disease, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. Once a person’s family medical history has been established, it is far easier for physicians to advise patients on how to keep healthy. Thus, people who know their family history are more aware of their identity and better prepared to deal with genetic diseases.
Along with the benefits mentioned above, knowing family history creates a resilience among people. Learning about stories of how their ancestors faced challenges and overcame them, makes people stronger. They learn that things do not always work out easily and despite challenges, they can still triumph and succeed.
On the other hand, there are some disadvantages of tracking family history. Firstly, genealogy begins as a curiosity, which becomes a hobby and then may become an obsession. That leads to people wasting too much time and money on it. One should not forget that it is the present, which influences the future more and not the past. Often knowledge of family history is disastrous, leading people to keep old enmities alive. It may also reveal unpleasant facts that one would regret knowing.
In conclusion, studying family history may come at the expense of some time and money but advantages like the feeling of belonging and knowledge about one’s genetic health certainly outweigh them.
