It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from

“It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand.” Thus spoke Sonia Sotomayor, the wise daughter of the Bronx and the first Latina Justice of the United States Supreme Court. In these words, she reminds us of an eternal truth: that we are not born from nothing, and we do not walk this earth alone. Behind every soul stands the unseen history of generations — their struggles, their sacrifices, their dreams. Whether we know it or not, their footsteps echo beneath our own. To forget where we come from is to wander without compass; to remember is to walk with the strength of a thousand ancestors.

Sotomayor herself is a living testament to her words. Born to Puerto Rican parents who came to the mainland seeking a better life, she grew up in the shadow of hardship — in a small apartment, guided by a mother’s fierce will and the legacy of a people who endured centuries of displacement and resilience. Her rise to the highest court in the land was not an act of isolation, but the flowering of a seed planted by those who came before her. Her history shaped her: the language of her culture, the rhythm of her neighborhood, the lessons of her mother’s perseverance. All of these became the foundation of her character — her sense of justice, empathy, and discipline. When she speaks of appreciating where we come from, she speaks not only from knowledge, but from the deep well of lived truth.

The ancients, too, understood this wisdom. In the temples of Greece, it was written, “Know thyself.” But to know oneself fully is not merely to know one’s desires or thoughts — it is to know one’s origins. It is to ask, Who were my forebears? What struggles built the ground beneath me? The warrior who forgets the land of his birth loses his courage; the scholar who forgets his teachers loses his wisdom; the people who forget their history lose their soul. Sotomayor’s teaching is a call to remembrance — not of nostalgia, but of understanding. The past is not a chain to hold us back, but a root that gives life to our becoming.

Consider the story of the Civil Rights Movement in America. The leaders who marched — Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, John Lewis — did not emerge from the void. They were shaped by centuries of struggle, by the pain of slavery and segregation, and by the hope carried in the songs of their ancestors. Their courage came not only from their own hearts, but from the memory of a people who had endured. When Dr. King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he invoked the founding promises of the nation — not to repeat them blindly, but to fulfill them. He understood what Sotomayor teaches: that the past must not be forgotten, for it gives meaning to our fight for justice in the present.

Yet this wisdom does not belong to the great alone. Every person, no matter how humble, carries within them the history of countless lives. The farmer who tills the soil inherits the rhythm of generations who worked with their hands; the child who learns to speak carries the language of centuries in their mouth. Even our fears and hopes are shaped by the experiences of those who came before us. We may not always understand this influence, but it lives in us nonetheless — in our traditions, in our family stories, in the values that guide our choices. To reject our history is to reject a part of ourselves; to embrace it is to find peace with who we are.

There is, however, a deeper layer to Sotomayor’s words — one of gratitude and humility. To appreciate where we come from is to recognize that we are the product of others’ labor and love. It is to bow, in the heart, before those who paved the way. This does not mean idealizing the past, for history is also filled with pain and injustice. But even in that pain, there is wisdom — for it shows us what must never be repeated. Our ancestors’ failures are as instructive as their triumphs, for they reveal the paths we must not take again. In this way, to appreciate history is also to transform it — to take what was and turn it into something better.

So, my child of the future, remember what Justice Sotomayor teaches. Do not rush through life as though you were self-made. Stand still, sometimes, and listen for the voices of those who came before you. Ask yourself what they endured, and how their struggles flow through your veins. Write down their stories, cherish their lessons, and carry their spirit with pride. But also look forward — for your actions today will one day be history, shaping those who come after you. Walk wisely, then, knowing that you are both the result of the past and the author of the future.

For this is the eternal rhythm of humanity: the past shaping the present, and the present shaping the future. Those who understand this harmony live with strength and purpose; those who forget it are lost in the noise of time. As Sonia Sotomayor reminds us, our origins are not merely memories — they are living forces, guiding us quietly toward who we are meant to become. Therefore, honor your history. Let it humble you, let it strengthen you, and let it teach you how to build a world worthy of those whose dreams you now carry.