Unique. That's what we're always told. You're unique. There's no one else in the world like you. While that's true from a genetic standpoint, there are others who are exactly us - our siblings. Our brothers and sisters share the exact same lineage. Those people that we grew up with, fought hardest with, stood up for and miss every day of our adult lives share the same ancestors. I know, it seems so obvious, but think about it.
We're not just the sum total of our genetics. At the moment of our birth, that's what forms us. But from that moment forward, we start to become a person formed not only by the society around us, but also my the experiences that have formed our family unit. We learn the "pick yourself up from your bootstraps" ethic that was formed through our mothers family that had to fight for every thing they ever had. We learn that what we have today can be gone in an instant from our fathers family that lost it all and had to start all over.
These experiences that are the "genetics" of our family are so much more than DNA. They are what make us who we are and who we will become. They are what inform our parents of the lessons that we need to be taught. Even though other people may learn the same lessons that we and our siblings learn, they lessons weren't formed through the same life experiences. This combination of biology and heritage is what makes each of us truly unique.
