Prompt: In some parts of the world it is becoming popular to research the history of one's own family. Why might people want to do this? Is it a positive or negative development?

Nowadays, people in some countries of the world, show a keen interest in studying their family history. This development has an overall positive impact. Some of the reasons why people do this research are discussed in this essay. Ċ Firstly, knowing one's family background is extremely important from the medical perspective, as there are certain diseases which run in families. For instance, the neurological disorders like Huntington's chorea and Friedrich's ataxia are hereditary diseases. If we know about our family history, we can easily avoid cousin marriages and protect our offsprings from these debilitating illnesses. Secondly, the research about one's family helps to clarify the reasons of conflicts between the family members. This provides an opportunity for the younger generation to avoid the mistakes made by their ancestors and live peacefully. Ċ There are many ways by which, knowing one's past, proves to be beneficial. First of all, when we get the idea of the diseases running in the families, we get a chance to stay away from family marriages and stop the transfer of those genes. For example, the transfer of blood disorders like Thalessemia could be stopped, if people avoid marrying their relatives known to carry the defected genes. Similarly, the positive traits of our grandparents and great grandparents could be adopted to lead a successful life, if we know our past. Such as, the way they enforced their children to stick together against all the odds, would serve as a light to enlighten our paths and help us teach our children to follow the same. Ċ To conclude, indulging into the research of our past could be a blessing for the families, because they can be saved from being handicapped and dependant on others. Moreover, one can learn from the horrible mistakes of our forefathers, that ended up in the break up of the families and could modify oneself and live at peace.