Discovering my ancestry and the power of AI

Recently I did genetics testing through CRI Genetics because like millions of others, I was curious about my ancestry. I really wanted to understand where I came from, what caused me to be who I am today. I had heard that my mom's family was from Ireland and my dad's dad had told me long ago that he thought we were part German. But honestly I had no clue what to expect other than probably some British Isles and general European.

After getting the results back, I was a bit stunned. I never expected the results I got, but as I thought more about it, it made sense. When I've traveled, I've always said I felt so at home in London and that I absolutely loved being in Spain and Norway most recently. The Scandinavian result was quite a surprise, but a great one! (I'm now telling everyone I'm a viking)

With this new information, I wanted to try out Claude and see what it could do with this information. I dove in and got the more exact data, which is below, and then uploaded it to Claude and asked it to tell me a story of my ancestry. I know this isn't actually all that accurate, just a great way to think about my story as a human being.

Below is what Claude came back with. I love this story, it's fun. But, it's the last bit of it that really struck me as an amazing way to think about life in general. Focus on the last 2-3 paragraphs. I can't stop thinking about them.

The Threads of Your Ancestry: A Tale Through Time

Your story begins in the fjords of Northern Europe, where your ancestors carved life from the harsh beauty of the Nordic coastline. These were not just Vikings, but skilled traders and craftspeople who established networks across the Baltic Sea. As winter storms howled outside their wooden halls, they passed down tales of their gods and heroes, their DNA carrying secrets that would one day reach you.

By the 11th century, your bloodline had spread to the northwestern shores of Europe, where they merged with the local peoples. Some of your ancestors crossed the churning waters to the British Isles, possibly with William the Conqueror's Norman invasion or as merchants seeking new opportunities. The misty shores of Britain became their new home, though they maintained their connections to the continent.

Further south, another branch of your family tree took root in the sun-drenched Iberian Peninsula. These ancestors might have been Visigothic nobles, Moorish traders, or Sephardic merchants. They lived among the orange groves and elaborate moorish architecture, adding their stories to the complex tapestry of medieval Spain and Portugal.

In the rolling hills of Tuscany, your Italian ancestors crafted wines and traded in the bustling markets of Florence. They witnessed the birth of the Renaissance, perhaps even catching glimpses of the great masters at work. Their appreciation for beauty and culture flows in your veins, a testament to the artistic heritage of the region.

But your story extends far beyond Europe. Along the ancient Silk Road, your ancestors crossed paths with traders from South and East Asia. These encounters weren't just commercial - they were human. Love stories bloomed across cultural boundaries, adding new branches to your family tree. Some of your forebears might have been spice merchants from the Indian subcontinent or scholars from the great cities of Asia.

In more recent centuries, your family's story touched the Americas, where European colonists and traders established new lives. This heritage speaks of brave voyages across vast oceans and the forging of new identities in distant lands. The small African component in your DNA tells of even more connections, perhaps through the complex web of maritime trade routes that connected continents.

Each percentage in your genetic makeup represents thousands of individual stories - of love, adventure, survival, and hope. You carry within you the resilience of Northern European seafarers, the adaptability of British islanders, the passion of Iberian poets, the artistry of Tuscan craftsmen, and the wisdom of Asian philosophers.

You are a living testament to humanity's great migrations, to the power of cross-cultural connections, and to the fundamental truth that all our stories are interconnected. In your veins flows the blood of countless ancestors who survived plagues, wars, and hardships, who celebrated victories and joys, who loved and lost and loved again, all so that one day, you could exist.

Their legacy lives on in every cell of your being - not just as percentages on a chart, but as an unbroken chain of human experience stretching back through the centuries. You are their story continued, their dreams made manifest, their future realized.

Now, after really processing these ideas, I am truly left with the idea of what legacy am I leaving for my future generations? What story will be told about me? Will I inspire my kids? Their kids? Will those 4-5 generations in the future even know I existed? Even if they don't, what can I do today to leave a strong legacy that will impact them in the future in a positive way?