Most children (sometimes even adults) have little knowledge of their roots. They are only concerned of living in the modern times, worrying about their future. When children are asked who they know in the family, they would only answer up to their grandparents, or sometimes their great grandparents. Only a few go beyond that. But why is there a need to know your roots? Why dig up the past?

The past has the ability to affect the present much as the present has the ability to affect the future. When people are asked of their past, they only go to the past in their lifetime – their childhood, college, past relationships, etc. They don’t go to the past beyond that past. How many of you know if his ancestor fought and became hero in a war? It’s always good to take a look back and discover your roots.

In doing so, not only do you learn about your ancestry but you also learn more about history. When teachers talk about history, the dates and the wars and all the colonization and achievements made, students have a hard time understanding because they always think of it as something unconnected to them. They only see it as a necessity to memorize these data and information for the sake of passing the exams and never because they think they are part of it. They become rigid of the past as separate from the present, not thinking that the present is a continuation of the past. If you ask students what their least favorite subject is, you’d likely hear history aside from the ever-dreaded math. If they realize how they are affecting history by studying it, no one would hate the subject.

In today’s world, only those born from renowned families know of their roots. Ordinary citizens give no importance to this. But what if you study your heritage and you discover that your great great great grandfather was a bestfriend of a president? Or that one of your ancestor fought valiantly in defending your town that made it hard for the foreigners to colonize? You never know what interesting facts you could unearth. There’s always something to be proud of when you look back.