How important is one's lineage?

I believe it's somewhat important, primarily from a health perspective. That is, it'd be great to know what genetic predispositions you have, if any, before starting a family of your own, and just in general. Defects and mutations can occur randomly (see here for my favorite site's description of a few of these: cracked.com/article_19161_the-6-creepie ), but there's definitely something to be said for heredity.

I often admire people who can trace their lineage a couple of generations back. For me personally, having come from another country, that is not even possible. I would like to think that l will make enough of a positive contribution that a few generations from now, the younger people would consider themselves proud to have me as an ancestor.

Not at all - unless you are a parasite, virus or bacterium. You should be you, be what you are and become what your abilities are. You should not rely on your lineage.Be happy with that which resides within your own body, spirit and should.

Be true to yourself. In that you will find strength, happiness and peace. Once you have these three, lineage does not matter at all.

Lineage is only a matter for a person with weak self esteem, not at peace with himself.

About as important as the invention of . . .. Whatchamakallits, or doodads of faded usage in the electronics age.

Who YOU are is what's important.

Very important....it makes you who you are! Having studied family history and the stories from my lineage, I find that I am more alike my ancestors than different. I also find STRENGTH in knowing their trials and how their lives affected my life.

The things that they suffered for makes my life a whole lot better. I love my ancestors and I'm thankful to them for all that they sacrificed so that I could have the blessings that I have.

I traced my ancestors back to 992 and have some very colorful characters; one was an absolute villain and languished in The Tower of London; another was a founding father of Jamestown - I'm proud of all of them, they are important to me and I think they all have some sort of impact on how I got to where I am today; not in terms of success but just the sequence of events.

I think it is more interesting than important. I am interested in learning about my family and where they came from and what experiences they had. I knew very little about one side of my family.

I have learned quite a bit about them through studying the family lineage.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.