"If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development."
-Aristotle
I didn't think the assignment was going to be very difficult. "Tell me about your family history. Where were your ancestors from, where did they settle when they first arrived in America, and what did they do for a living." Basic information, straightforward, easily shared, right? Wrong.
A disturbing number of students couldn't even tell me much about their grandparents' pasts, let alone foremothers and forefathers from three or four generations back. "We don't really talk about the past." "How would I know?" "What does that have to do with me?"
It got me wondering how many of today’s teenagers are a-historical: unaware and/or unconcerned about their roots, their family histories. And what the cost is.
“If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.”
We cannot know ourselves, understand ourselves, simply by looking at ourselves. This is simplistic at best, and runs the real risk of feeding a culture that is already startlingly shallow and narcissistic.
Knowing the stories of those who came before us…appreciating the sacrifice, the courage, and the perseverance of our ancestors…is a crucial part of knowing our own stories. A generation that is not meaningfully rooted in its history, and grateful for a foundation to build on, cannot grow to full maturity.
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About Me
- Ross Porter
- Dr. Ross Porter received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his Master of Divinity (Theology) and Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology) degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he first became interested in the integration of psychology and spirituality. He is a teacher, author, counselor, and consultant, specializing in integrative psychology, virtue ethics and family systems. He has taught at the high school, college, and graduate school levels. Ross is also the Founder and Executive Director of Stillpoint Family Resources, a non-profit organization that offers counseling services to individuals, couples, and families in crisis, with nine different office locations throughout Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties (specific office locations can be found at www.stillpointfamilyresources.org). In 2009, Dr. Porter was named an “Outstanding Angeleno” by the Los Angeles Daily News. Ross and his wife Jennifer have been married for 21 years, and have four beautiful children. John Michael, their son who has Down Syndrome is their first born.
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