Valuing Our Roots: A Way To Find Ourselves
Each of us takes different paths through life. However, the origin of all of them lies in our roots, which determine, in part, the course of our paths and the goals we set ourselves. Therefore, over time, valuing our roots can be of great help, as it will facilitate the process of self-knowledge and favor our personal growth.
Now, what does it mean to value our roots? It’s about investigating the place and the people we grew up with and learned from, while also delving into the key values and principles of our culture.
We recognize ourselves by valuing our roots
By valuing our culture, we accept and recognize an integral and significant part of ourselves, as belonging to a particular culture provides us with:
- Beliefs.
- Values and knowledge.
- Behaviors.
Gradually, these aspects take shape within us and determine part of our way of being as we grow and evolve.
Now, we don’t inherit absolutely everything from our native culture, even if we came from it. Therefore, to value it is to openly recognize our origin.
The people around us are also part of the universe of our roots. They teach us through their behavior and what they tell us. They show us the world and how to deal with it, although we also have our own strategies. So a part of what we live with them will also remain in us.
In this way, the way to solve the problems is also shown by our culture and by the people close to us. Everything we observed and what we received influenced us to be who we are now.
We learn from our roots
As already mentioned, the fact that we value the place we came from can alert us to the importance of our context of origin. However, the fact that we are open to valuing our origins does not mean that we should agree with all that this entails. Let’s not forget that each person sees life differently and that, as we grow up, we learn to choose what adds to us and what doesn’t.
If we want to get closer to our roots to find out what they say about us and how they influence us, we can start by focusing on the values and principles that are indispensable in our family and culture. From all this we will extract great lessons, for better or for worse, that can help us make decisions.
In fact, when we find ourselves in difficult times, we find it easier to remember what our roots taught us. Somehow, difficulties shake our emotional universe and this often leads us to those situations in the past where we felt welcomed, or those where something similar happened to us and we knew how to resolve it.
Knowing where to go when valuing our roots
The teachings that come from our roots can help us know where to go at various times in our lives. They also help us decide how we want to get to each destination.
Valuing our roots is a form of self-knowledge that can be very useful to achieve the goals we set ourselves. This is based on the fact that, knowing who we are, it can be easier to make decisions in difficult times because we know how we work.
Now, it’s important to keep in mind that not everything our roots teach us is necessarily good or valid. In each of us resides the ability to take advantage of positive and useful learnings and discard those that are negative and harm us.
Therefore, valuing our roots is a way in which we can certainly discover a lot about ourselves. After all, inquiring about our roots is also embarking on a personal quest. Our origins are part of us. Knowing them means being closer and closer to who we are today.