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Comment by hutzlibu | Hacker News Reader

Are you sure about that?

Family history sure does have influence, but tracing (and blaming) personal issues to postgenerational trauma sounds like a cheap excuse. Unless you just use it to understand where you came from and move on from there. But I doubt focussing on historic traumas are helpful to overcome "issues".

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Do you speak from personal experience or are you trying to correct the experience of others based on your mental image of how it should be?

Both. I experienced too many people clinging to past unbill and using it as a excuse to not go forward. As I said, finding out about it, can be helpful, but not if it is focused too much. The OP reminded me of it, so I saw a pattern and replied to it.

Epigenetics for example show that certain gene switches are passed on between generations. Rat mothers that experience anxiety pass this on to their offspring. There is this whole lecture on behavioral biology by Stanford Prof Robert Sapolsky which I highly recommend: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD7E21BF91F3F9683 Anyway I think having a clear understanding on where you are coming from, with acceptance, is a requirement for moving into the future with the best of your abilities.

"Anyway I think having a clear understanding on where you are coming from, with acceptance, is a requirement for moving into the future with the best of your abilities."

Yes I believe I agreed with that. I just gave my input that I would not focus on the past too much.

"Unless you just use it to understand where you came from and move on from there. "

understanding and accepting is empowering.

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