Your Most Disturbing Realizations

[ChiTownScion]

My dad's uncle had served in the cavalry prior to the First World War and later joined the Navy when the US declared war in 1917. Dad served in the Army in WWII, as did three of my uncles. I was too young for Nam: had I been drafted I supposed I'd have gone. Enlisting in peacetime seemed like the course of last resort, and while I was a student I figured that if war were actually declared I'd take a shot at OCS.

I wanted to do my time as a Judge Advocate General officer after law school, but I was pretty damned starry eyed- maybe too much so, in a ridiculous sort of way. At the time the Army was pretty much begging for attorneys, and I could have gotten a direct commission and then attended, as an officer, an "officer orientation program" with other lawyers, chaplains, physicians, etc. Didn't care for that idea: thought that I needed to "earn" my bars, and that by doing so I'd better understand the pressures my clients in uniform were facing. So, at nearly 28 years of age, I reported to Marine Corps OCS, Quantico.

Big mistake. Blood pressure was too high, and I was given an honorable discharge after 2 weeks of fairly easy duty. I get mail occasionally from the VA.. but I assure you that I do NOT consider myself a veteran- let alone a Marine- in any sense of the word, my DD 214 notwithstanding But, I gave earning a commission an honest shot, and went on with my life from there. And it's been a great life! The kicker being, had I reported a few months later for officer training and served as little as one DAY, I'd be eligible for membership in the American Legion. The US got involved in a military action in Lebanon at that time, and anyone who was in then was deemed by the Legion as having been a "war time vet." Doubt that I would have joined- but it's an interesting What If scenario.

 

[Zombie_61]

Estimates are that less than 7 per cent of all the human beings who have ever lived are alive now. Humanity's common grave contains about a hundred billion people.

That's an interesting notion, particularly if you extend it to the thought that as time passes and generations come and go that number will continue to get smaller.

 

[MisterCairo]

Estimates are that less than 7 per cent of all the human beings who have ever lived are alive now. Humanity's common grave contains about a hundred billion people.

If you consider modern humans have been around for at least 50,000 years, that is actually an incredibly high percentage. That nearly seven percent of the TOTAL of humanity is alive at this moment means there are A LOT of humans alive at this moment.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"The dead vastly outnumber the living." That's a premise for a very good horror movie.

 

[Siggmund]

If the Cubs had won the World Series at their current rate, their last win before 1908 would have been in 1800 (if organized baseball had existed).

 

[Harp]

If the Cubs had won the World Series at their current rate, their last win before 1908 would have been in 1800 (if organized baseball had existed).

...and at today's going rate the Cubs will win again next year. However, Merlin Joe will need to be restrained occasionally from walking to the mound.

 

[Zombie_61]

"The dead vastly outnumber the living." That's a premise for a very good horror movie.

And maybe a television series; something about the dead walking.

 

[ChrisB]

That's an interesting notion, particularly if you extend it to the thought that as time passes and generations come and go that number will continue to get smaller.

Also consider that as you go back in time, the number of your ancestors increases exponentially, while the total world population decreases. At some point, the lines intersect, leading to the conclusion that we are all inbred and/or that we are all related.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

leading to the conclusion that we are all inbred and/or that we are all related.

Indeed, are we not all descended from the Mitochondrial Eve ?

 

[HudsonHawk]

Also consider that as you go back in time, the number of your ancestors increases exponentially, while the total world population decreases. At some point, the lines intersect, leading to the conclusion that we are all inbred and/or that we are all related.

I've done a little genealogy, and most peoples' in the US verifiable ancestry ends somewhere around 1700 or later. However, there are many speculations and people like to extrapolate, based on evidence, but not definitive. One that I've pointed out to my mother is that I have traced her extrapolated ancestry back to William the Conqueror. She thought that was pretty significant until I pointed out that there is about a 0.000000008% chance that anyone of any European ancestry is *not* descended from William the Conqueror. It's pretty much mathematically impossible not to be.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Indeed, are we not all descended from the Mitochondrial Eve ?

If you're alive today, the number of your ancestors exceeds the total population of the earth beginning around the year 1400. Not only are we all related, but it doesn't even go all that far back.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've done a little genealogy, and most peoples' in the US verifiable ancestry ends somewhere around 1700 or later. However, there are many speculations and people like to extrapolate, based on evidence, but not definitive. One that I've pointed out to my mother is that I have traced her extrapolated ancestry back to William the Conqueror. She thought that was pretty significant until I pointed out that there is about a 0.000000008% chance that anyone of any European ancestry is *not* descended from William the Conqueror. It's pretty much mathematically impossible not to be.

Not only are we all traceable back to William the Conqueror, we're also traceable back to the serf who cleaned William the Conqueror's stable. Food for thought for those who like to crow about their Noble Roots.

Furthest back I've been able to trace in my own family is one Mary Eastey, who was hung for witchcraft in Salem as one of Cotton Mather's "eight firebrands of hell" on September 22, 1692, and of whom I'm a direct descendant. Not quite a DAR or Mayflower Society pedigree, but much more my style.

 

[Fading Fast]

⇧ As you take pride in being a descendent of a persecuted "witch," someone else takes pride in being descendent of William the Conqueror and someone else takes pride in being descended from an original Mayflower passenger.

I think that is all cool if it works for you. I have no idea about my family much before my great grandparents one one side and grandparents on the other and, sincerely, don't care.

If it turned out my grandmother - an old CT Yankee - descended from the Mayflower or was the ba***rd child of someone who "popped" up in a respectable family (before well-documented adoption, families that couldn't have but wanted children found a way) - how could that matter to me - I'm still just me.

If you told me I descended from William the Conquerer, I'd think, oh that's cool and go on about my day. If you told me I descended from the guy who cleaned up William the Conquerer's stable, I'd think, oh, that makes sense and go on about my day.

If you take pride in your ancestry, I sincerely, truly respect that. It just doesn't ring a bell for me at all.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

My favorite reductio ad absurdam is an extrapolation made by a scientist a few years ago that, if the increase in the human population keeps increasing as in the past decades, by the year 4000 or something the entire known universe will consist of a ball of human flesh expanding outward at the speed of light.

 

[HudsonHawk]

⇧ As you take pride in being a descendent of a persecuted "witch," someone else takes pride in being descendent of William the Conqueror and someone else takes pride in being descended from an original Mayflower passenger.

I think that is all cool if it works for you. I have no idea about my family much before my great grandparents one one side and grandparents on the other and, sincerely, don't care.

If it turned out my grandmother - an old CT Yankee - descended from the Mayflower or was the ba***rd child of someone who "popped" up in a respectable family (before well-documented adoption, families that couldn't have but wanted children found a way) - how could that matter to me - I'm still just me.

If you told me I descended from William the Conquerer, I'd think, oh that's cool and go on about my day. If you told me I descended from the guy who cleaned up William the Conquerer's stable, I'd think, oh, that makes sense and go on about my day.

If you take pride in your ancestry, I sincerely, truly respect that. It just doesn't ring a bell for me at all.

I don't take pride in it as much as I find the stories interesting, from a historical perspective. Who you *think* are your ancestors pretty much goes out the window within five generations for most people anyway. Adultery and pre-marital sex didn't begin in the 20th Century.

 

[Fading Fast]

I don't take pride in it as much as I find the stories interesting, from a historical perspective. Who you *think* are your ancestors pretty much goes out the window within five generations for most people anyway. Adultery and pre-marital sex didn't begin in the 20th Century.

Once again, despite genuinely trying to be careful, one word can unintentionally skew an entire post. I wasn't using "pride" in the Biblical sense of arrogance but more in a modern sense of "cool" or something neat to point to. But even re-reading my post, I agree it isn't clear.

So, my apologies, because I wasn't accusing your or others of Biblical pride, but of a modern pride just like I'm proud when a New York sports team does well even though it is, at best, a tangential connect, nothing I had anything to do with and just a fun, by the way.

For some reason, I don't even find genealogy remotely interesting - I, one, doubt its accuracy for a number of reasons (record keeping was slipshod at best and, as noted in an earlier post, a lot of things happened "off the books.") and, two, I just don't see it as meaningful. I guess it would be cool if I descended from Lincoln (no chance that I did), but since two brother can be incredibly different despite having a very direct connect to the same parents, what having Lincoln as a great-great-great grandfather would truly mean I don't know - other than as a cocktail story.

 

[2jakes]

One of my ancestors (James L.Trueheart) was captured by forces under
the command by General Santa Anna during the Texas rebellion in the
mid 1800s.
I have a diary that he kept of his ordeal when he was taken back to Mexico
and prison.
Interesting are the words and expressions that were used then and are now
considered obsolete or no longer in use.
It’s good to know about past events that are in history books and also with
someone from the family.

He later went on to become postmaster-general for the city where I grew up.

Edit: I thought the surname Trueheart to be of indian descent.
But have found documents that support it to be of British origin.

 

[LizzieMaine]

What I find interesting about geneology is the skeletons it tends to rattle in the old family closets. Pretty much everyone here can go back a few generations and find all kinds of unexpected stuff going on in their family trees, stuff which will throw a lot of long-cultivated family mythology into the garbage can.

My favorite discovery was the fact that one of my great-great grandfathers was killed by a can of clams. Some families have war heroes. I have a guy who was racked up by mollusks.

 

[2jakes]

My favorite discovery was the fact that one of my great-great grandfathers was killed by a can of clams. Some families have war heroes. I have a guy who was racked up by mollusks.

Sorry Lizzie but the way you express yourself is very funny
at times.
Please know that I think very highly of you.
Not that it means anything to you of what I think.
But I cherish every time you post on any subject.

 

[ChrisB]

What I find interesting about geneology is the skeletons it tends to rattle in the old family closets. Pretty much everyone here can go back a few generations and find all kinds of unexpected stuff going on in their family trees, stuff which will throw a lot of long-cultivated family mythology into the garbage can.

My favorite discovery was the fact that one of my great-great grandfathers was killed by a can of clams. Some families have war heroes. I have a guy who was racked up by mollusks.

People look into their genealogy hoping to find someone illustrious or even royalty. They are more likely to find peasants, which to me is more honorable.