Family Legacy

What does family legacy mean?

A family legacy may be described as a set of habits, beliefs, way of doing life, forms of communication (cheerful, positive-minded, empathetic and caring) (gossip, slander, profanity), religion, rituals, customs, celebration styles, and so on, good or bad that are passed down and (sometimes) continued through the generations.

 

Some legacies are continued without a person even being aware it's happening.

 

Some legacies can be more easily seen when a person distances themselves from the family.  For instance, if you move away and only see your family on rare occasions, when you return to visit signs of legacy may be glaringly obvious.

 

In other words, when still enmeshed with the family, it's easy to stay stuck in the family legacy, either by default or design.  (not realizing it or choosing it).

 

The great news is you CAN break away from legacies that are negative.  You CAN stop some legacies from being passed down. 

 

You can choose which legacies to keep and which no longer work for you and your value system.

 

There can be legacies that are very dramatic:  alcoholism, addiction, abuse, poverty.

 

There can be legacies that are Pharisaical:  practicing religion by performance or rituals that Jesus already abolished.  (not that you do animal sacrifices, but practices that are often guilt-inducing if you don't follow them.)

 

There can be legacies that are more personal relations oriented:  the habit of gossip, negative thinking, criticizing others, martyr syndrome, etc.

 

There can be legacies in our life beliefs:  i.e.  No one in our family has ever gotten a degree so it isn't possible; my parents are poor, I will always be poor; I am not allowed to move away, our family belief is you stay together and support each other, moving away would break my parent's heart and disrupt the family; my family has always lived in assisted housing, I probably will too; I have always lived in an apartment, there's no way I could live in a house; my parents are divorced, I'll probably be too; everyone in my family is obese, I can't be the only thin one; we have to celebrate Christmas this way, my family has ALWAYS done it this way, etc.

 

• Did you see yourself in any of these legacies? 
• Are there any you would like to break free from?
• What legacies might not be serving you well?
• What would life feel/look like if you were to break free?
• Is it worth the cost?