How many generations

[A.K.L.]

How many generations of your family do you know about?  Is your family history interesting and important to you? Do you know some interesting facts from your history family?

I know only about my parents' grandfathers and grandmothers.
And I know for example that my father's grandmother didn't change her surname, because her fiance had the same one.

[An.net]

My family history is interesting and important for me. I know my parents' grandfothers and grandmothers too. I know that my fother's grandfother has received a wound in his head and became blind but he worked as joiner to his dying day.

[dyadya zu]

I know a lot about the grandfathers and grandmothers of my parents. But I know nothing about their parents or relatives. I think we usually know about our grandmothers and grandfathers. May be we know something about their parents. But we know nothing about our ancestors. I think it's a normal situation if we don't belong to the famous family. We must remember our nation, our motherland, not our family.
Do you agree?

[asil]

We must remember our nation, our motherland, not our family.
Do you agree?

No. Our family is our nation, our motherland (whatever it is - I can't figure this out ) and our past and our future. By erasing the memory about who we are and what we are (and this is what family is about) we are turned into machines belonging to the 'motherland' and 'nation' which assumes the role of the parents and grandparents.

Besides, the notion of the motherland and nation (what is it, BTW, from your point of view) is variable and changeable. Consequently, to the deligt of the dictators and the tyrans of this world (and nationalists and right-wing conservatives), we yet again become Иван-не-помнящий родства.

I'm sorry but I resist this. (no more political rambling, I promise!)

Back to the topic 
Thanks to my mother's brother who put our family tree together I know a fair bit about my family. As much as it was possible to find, considering the fact that a big part of my family perished during the war, and the archives were destroyed. This is on my maternal side of the family.
The paternal is too complicated even to start piecing it together; however, there are some 'urban legends' that give me a chance to peak into the life of my great great grandfather.

[dyadya zu]

asil,
I agree with you if we mean the possible manipulations of tyrants or political leaders. But I meant another thing. I think the word "family" has two meanings. On the one hand it means our relatives, on the other hand our nation.  To my mind family is something we belong to, we proud of and we responsible for. It's very important for Russia. For example Russian can say "brother" or "father" to an unknown man. As I know this form is impossible in England or USA. So it’s a great problem what meaning of “family” is more important for us. It’s very difficult to answer what is more important: to know something about your ancestors or to feel that the most outstanding people of Russia are your relatives. I think if we feel our reasonability to the honest Russian poets and artists, to dead soldiers, to our traditions and customs, we would have a family.   

[asil]

asil,
I agree with you if we mean the possible manipulations of tyrants or political leaders. But I meant another thing. I think the word "family" has two meanings. On the one hand it means our relatives, on the other hand our nation.  To my mind family is something we belong to, we proud of and we responsible for. It's very important for Russia. For example Russian can say "brother" or "father" to an unknown man. As I know this form is impossible in England or USA. So it’s a great problem what meaning of “family” is more important for us. It’s very difficult to answer what is more important: to know something about your ancestors or to feel that the most outstanding people of Russia are your relatives. I think if we feel our reasonability to the honest Russian poets and artists, to dead soldiers, to our traditions and customs, we would have a family. 

First of all, in China they use the words 'uncle' and 'auntie' exactly in the same way that we use in Russian. This doesn't mean nothing, right

Also, you keep using the word Russian, e.g. Russian poets, Russian soldiers - but they were not only Russians. Pushkin, for example, felt very strongly about his 'арап' ancestry. Many great 'Russians' were not Russians at all (e.g. Багратион), Lermontov insisted on his Scottish ancestry (though it's not even proven, to the best of my knowledge), etc, etc During the war people didn't defend their country (this is what the Party wanted us to believe) but their home and their families. That's why we had Vlasov. And how many Ukranians, Georgians, Chechens, etc were fighting in the same war? Did they consider themselves Russians or Ukranians, Georgians, Chechens, etc?

Now, I live in Australia. My younger son was born here. His home country (notice how the words 'motherland' and 'fatherland' are only used in the third-world countries- ever wondered why?). He's been to Russia only once. If we keep pushing the notion of 'motherland' then this will divide out family. My older son was born in Russia, my husband - in one of the former republics (a different 'motherland'?) my mother and father yet again from different places. To the best of our knowledge, my mother's mother was born in Cyprus (of course no one would've dared to mention this during the Stalin's rule, so the evidence is circumstantial). How does this idea of 'motherland' unite the family?

Next. At one stage my older son seriously considered marrying an Australian girl of South American background (nation? motherland?). The parents of my younger son’s current girlfriend are immigrants from Singapore, of Chinese decent. Motherland? Nation?

What keeps are all together - we are a family!

Anyway, this is my IMHO on the subject. I would never have started on it if it handn't been for your 'Do you agree'

[dyadya zu]

asil, you don't understand me. I'm not a nationalist; my grandfather was a Pole, my son lives in the USA from his childhood and so on... I wanted to say that the word "family" is very complicated. We have a "little" family and it's very important. The majority of us have a "large" family, our nation, out culture, our history.  And we have a "largest" family: our mankind. Everyone decides for himself what meaning is more important for him. 

[asil]

asil, you don't understand me. I'm not a nationalist; my grandfather was a Pole, my son lives in the USA from his childhood and so on... I wanted to say that the word "family" is very complicated. We have a "little" family and it's very important. The majority of us have a "large" family, our nation, out culture, our history.  And we have a "largest" family: our mankind. Everyone decides for himself what meaning is more important for him.  

I obviously misunderstood you. Sorry for that. My only excuse is your use of the words 'nation' and 'motherland' that seriously put me off.

[dyadya zu]

Asil, no problem.  I hope now we understand each other better. I am closely linked  with  Russian history and Russian culture and literature. It is my profession and my position. But I don’t want to say it is the only one possible position. Everyone needs something important, may be more important then himself. Our family (relatives or nation or mankind) is such value