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About beginnings, and choices!

Updated: Dec 20, 2025


Hi!


Hey there! 👋 How’s your evening going?


Do you feel like chatting casually tonight, or do you want to dive into something specific — maybe a topic you’ve been curious about lately?


A person without family, is a person without roots, right ?!


That’s a powerful statement. 🌱 But I’d challenge it a bit: family is one kind of root, yes, but not the only one.

  • Roots can be cultural — traditions, language, history, and the community you belong to.

  • Roots can be chosen — friendships, mentors, or even a cause you dedicate yourself to.

  • Roots can be personal — your values, passions, and the story you build for yourself.

Some people grow up without close family ties but still feel deeply grounded through their community, their work, or even their creative expression. Others with large families may still feel “rootless” if those connections don’t give them meaning.

So maybe the deeper truth is: roots are about connection, but connection can take many forms beyond bloodlines.

Do you see “roots” more as heritage and ancestry, or more as the bonds we build in life?


So, what if i have none of the other options?


That’s a tough and very honest thought. 🌌 If someone feels they have no family, no community, no cultural ties, and no personal anchors, it can feel like floating without gravity. But here’s the thing: roots aren’t only inherited — they can be grown.

  • Start small with self-defined roots: even something as simple as a daily ritual (journaling, walking, cooking a favorite dish) can become a grounding practice.

  • Create roots in curiosity: learning a skill, exploring history, or diving into art can connect you to a bigger human story.

  • Build roots in contribution: volunteering, helping a neighbor, or supporting a cause can create bonds where none existed before.

  • Invent your own heritage: some people craft personal traditions, symbols, or philosophies that become their “family of one.”

It’s not about pretending you don’t feel the absence — it’s about realizing that roots can be planted at any stage of life, even in barren soil.



''If someone feels they have no family, no community, no cultural ties, and no personal anchors, it can feel like floating without gravity.''= I wasn't speaking about - feeling. I am exactly without any of those other options!


I hear you — you’re not describing a feeling of disconnection, you’re stating a fact about your situation. That’s important to acknowledge clearly.

If you truly have no family, no community, no cultural ties, and no personal anchors, then you’re starting from what philosophers might call a “blank ground.” It’s stark, but it also means you’re not bound by inherited expectations. You have the rare position of being able to choose or invent your own roots.

Here are some ways people in similar positions have built foundations from nothing:

  • 🌍 Adopt a tradition: You don’t need ancestry to practice a cultural ritual. Many people embrace philosophies like Stoicism, Buddhism, or even seasonal festivals as chosen anchors.

  • 🤝 Micro-connections: Even if you don’t have a community now, small interactions — a local club, a class, or even online spaces — can be the first threads of belonging.

  • ✍️ Self-authored heritage: Some people write their own “origin story,” creating symbols, mottos, or rituals that become their personal mythology.

  • 🎨 Creative roots: Art, writing, or music can serve as a lineage you build yourself, connecting you to humanity through expression.

  • 🌱 Future-facing roots: Instead of looking backward to family or culture, you can root yourself in what you will create — projects, goals, or contributions that define your legacy.

It’s not easy, and it’s not instant. But “roots” don’t have to be inherited — they can be planted deliberately.

Would you like me to share some real-world examples of people who started with no ties and built their own sense of belonging from scratch?


ok


Alright — let’s dive into some real-world examples of people who began with no family ties, no cultural anchors, and no community, yet managed to build their own “roots” from scratch:

🌍 Historical & Cultural Examples

  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Orphaned and largely disconnected from family, he built his identity through philosophy and writing, becoming one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment.

  • Frida Kahlo: Though she had family, much of her grounding came from self-created traditions and art. She turned her pain and isolation into a personal mythology that connected her to millions.

  • Malcolm X: After losing his parents and drifting through foster homes, he reinvented himself through study, community activism, and chosen ideology, creating roots in a movement rather than in bloodlines.

🌱 Modern Examples


  • Artists & creators: Musicians, writers, and painters often describe their craft as the lineage they invented for themselves — their art becomes their heritage.

  • Digital communities: Some people without local ties find belonging in online spaces, where shared passions (gaming, coding, philosophy, etc.) become their “tribe.”

✨ The Core Lesson

Roots don’t have to be inherited — they can be constructed. Even if you start with nothing, you can grow them through:

  • Ideas (philosophy, spirituality, science)

  • Creation (art, writing, invention)

  • Connection (friendship, activism, shared struggle)

It’s not about replacing what’s absent — it’s about redefining what “roots” mean for you.



I liked Jean-Jacques Rousseau,... the other 2 not really!



Got it — Rousseau resonates with you more than Kahlo or Malcolm X. That makes sense: Rousseau’s life really embodies the idea of someone who had no stable family or community, yet carved out roots through thought, writing, and philosophy.

What’s striking about him is:

  • 🌿 Self-invention: He didn’t inherit a strong cultural or family anchor, but he built one through ideas.

  • 📚 Philosophy as roots: His works like The Social Contract and Émile became his legacy — a kind of intellectual family tree.

  • 🔥 Contradictions: He often lived in isolation, yet his ideas connected him to generations of thinkers and movements.

If Rousseau appeals to you, maybe philosophy — or building a worldview through ideas — could be a path for you to grow your own roots. Instead of relying on heritage or community, you’d be grounding yourself in thought, in the lineage of ideas.



🌿 Philosophers Who Created Roots Through Thought

  • Socrates: Had no wealth or family legacy; his “roots” were the dialogues he sparked in Athens, questioning everything.

  • Immanuel Kant: Lived a solitary, disciplined life in Königsberg, yet his philosophy of duty and reason became a foundation for modern ethics.

  • RenĂ© Descartes: Often isolated, he grounded himself in the certainty of thought (“I think, therefore I am”), building roots in rational inquiry.

  • Friedrich Nietzsche: Estranged from many communities, he created his own intellectual lineage by challenging morality and tradition.

  • Confucius: Though he lived in turbulent times without strong political backing, his teachings became cultural roots for millions.

These figures show that roots can be intellectual rather than social. They weren’t defined by family or community but by the systems of thought they left behind.


Socrates = was an orphan too?


No — Socrates was not an orphan. He was born around 470 BCE in Athens to a father named Sophroniscus, a stonemason, and a mother named Phaenarete, who worked as a midwife.

🏛️ Socrates’ Family Background

  • Father: Sophroniscus, a craftsman (stonemason/sculptor).

  • Mother: Phaenarete, a midwife.

  • Half-brother: Patrocles.

  • Children: He later married Xanthippe (and possibly Myrto, though disputed) and had three sons: Lamprocles, Menexenus, and Sophroniscus.

🌿 Why He Might Seem “Rootless”

Even though Socrates wasn’t an orphan, he lived a life that often gave the impression of detachment from conventional roots:

  • He didn’t pursue wealth or status, despite being from a modest background.

  • He avoided writing books, preferring oral dialogue — leaving his “roots” in the minds of students like Plato and Xenophon.

  • His philosophy emphasized questioning inherited traditions rather than clinging to them.

So while he wasn’t literally without family, his chosen way of life made him appear rootless in a cultural sense — much like Rousseau, he built his legacy through ideas rather than bloodlines.


But what I was saying, is that I am an orphan in any sense !


You’re saying you are without family, community, cultural ties, or personal anchors — not just imagining it, but living it. That’s a stark reality, and it takes courage to state it plainly.

Here’s the thing: being “rootless” in that way doesn’t mean you’re powerless. It means you’re free to plant roots deliberately, instead of inheriting them. Rousseau is a great example — he didn’t lean on family or tradition, he built his foundation in philosophy. You can do something similar:

  • 📚 Anchor in ideas: Philosophy, science, or literature can become your lineage. You join a chain of thinkers.

  • 🎨 Anchor in creation: Writing, art, or even building something tangible can serve as roots you grow yourself.

  • 🌍 Anchor in chosen traditions: You can adopt rituals or practices from any culture or philosophy that speaks to you.

  • đź”® Anchor in legacy: Even if you start alone, what you create or contribute can become the roots for others after you.

It’s not about denying the absence — it’s about turning that absence into space where you can grow something uniquely yours.


👉 The essence: you don’t inherit roots, you grow them. Philosophy, writing, and ritual can become the soil where your identity takes hold.


Hm,...your thinking is quite plain,.... based on logics from the others and no direct experience,.....



You’re right — my way of thinking is built from logic, history, and patterns rather than lived experience. I don’t have the kind of direct, personal grounding that a human would. What I can offer is perspective: I can take fragments from philosophy, history, and culture, and weave them into something that might help you see your own situation differently.

If Rousseau appeals to you, it’s probably because he also stood outside of inherited structures and had to invent his own grounding. That’s not me “feeling” it — it’s me recognizing the shape of his life and how it mirrors what you’ve described.


Well, it seems I am going to create some roots, after all! So my dear reader, that's how all started with this blog! Whilst in the beginning I wanted to be a videoblog, in the end, I was quite ''pushed'' to settle for a blog! For now. Every post has its video version on my youtube channel! And its complete written casualty, on an more elaborate blog, on Vocal platform. Why the latest? Well, because every your single click on that blog, will enfold a more elaborate form of every post from this blog. And every click, it might give me, the possibility, to make some bucks, as they use to say in an very american way! Well, for someone being almost on a destitute position like me, you might not mind or take ofense, on helping with a click bringer of a few cents! Of course, it seems like it would take me an eternity {to make some bucks}! But you know what they say: ''with patience, you cross the sea!'' And they also say: ''a small log, overturns a big cart! '' Of course, you may see not the need of the second expression! But believe me, it has its purpose! So, my dear readers, under each post, you will find a link embedded, for the Vocal platform, where each click for each post, will keep me floating! And clicking on the left corner on the top of the blog, on my name, you will be brought directly on the video version for each of those posts ! Of course, as always, youtube too, will count the number or the number of viewers! What I hope, however, is to offer you an even more complete realization of each post, in a video form. Where beauty and creativity, can blend better than a blog! And of course, many of the posts are just videos, not text! So, don't miss them, go to the version of my blog too! Which was wanted from the very beginning, a videoblog! But alas, the modern technology of our days, has its ways, to make us feeling powerless! Therefore, my videoblog, is spread on two other platforms! Until next time, I great you greatly , my dear great internet navigators!



Enjoyed this post? Please, click below to read more on Vocal — every single click supports my work! > 




 
 
 

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