i asked @aweissman earlier this week “what is one framework you wish young people would stop using for decision-making?” he shared with me the concept of “ghosts and ancestors” which i havent been able to stop thinking about it he also wrote about it in 2019
A human life is nothing in itself; it is part of a family tree. We are continuously living the ancestral life, reaching back for centuries, we are satisfying the appetites of unknown ancestors, nursing instincts which we think are our own, but which are quite incompatible with our character; we are not living our own lives, we are paying the debts
... See moreAnxiety also transmits family sins. If a parent did not feel safe as a child and became distrusting of others, fearful of simple behaviors such as flying or driving, or unable to relax or sleep properly, her child is probably susceptible to this same anxiety. One woman, a highly successful screenwriter from Chicago, had so internalized her anxious
... See moreNevertheless, given how long we were exposed to them and at what formative stages, our parents may have left more of a mark on us than we normally recognize and may be constantly commenting on our lives from inside like a chorus of unhelpful marionettes.
This is why Jung observed that the greatest burden the child must bear is the unlived life of the parent.
