A word transcends its physical dimensions. The insightful poet Emily Dickinson hinted at the independent existence of expressions or statements concerning our phenomenological existence.

Genes constitute the physical units of heredity, substrates in the genetic material of all cells. According to Webster's Dictionary, "Genealogy" is defined as an account or history of the descent of a person or family from an ancestor, a detailed account of ancestors and their children in the natural order of succession; a pedigree.

Family names constitute the "outspoken" units of heredity, polymers of antiquity. The monomers consist of individual accounts, generation upon generation of encounters, knowledge, and emotion.

An individual is a single gene in a long strand of preceding generations. The individual in search of meaning embarks on a fascinating genome journey, an expedition to the full ancestral sequence that constitutes one's essence.

Potential explorers should be conscious of mutations. An offspring may differ from its parents in some significant character or characters. Mutations are a natural process and account for fundamental variations among organisms. On the other hand, surname mutations are not random, but goal oriented.

You may ask, what is the importance of genealogy? I would say tradition! In Fiddler on the Roof the people of Anatevka, a small Jewish community in Tsarist Russia, kept their balance because of traditions. As Tevye the Milkman professed,

"Because of our traditions we've kept our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka we have traditions for everything: how to sleep, how to eat, how to work, how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered and always wear a little prayer shawl; this shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, how did this tradition get started? I'll tell you...I don't know. But it's a tradition, and because of our traditions everyone of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do."



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