While I completely understand your view, it's more rational, but your ancestry is part of your identity, and people take pride in that.
Not really. Distant ancestors are not part of your identity. They had no influence on you. You don't need to know people of your ancestry-line except for your parents and grandparents if they are still alive. Everyone who is already dead when you are born, is irrelevant to your personality which is the only aspect of "identity" that matters.
This unjustified "pride" is one of the many cancers this world is suffering from. It insanely stupid to be proud of things you didn't have anything to do with.
If I were meeting you, I wouldn't care about your skin colour, your gender, your family. Your identity is the consciousness that sits in your brain between the ears. The only scenario where I would start to "care" about your family would be if I met them in person as individuals.
Why do you read a book?
Why do you close anything written spoilers?
Why do you watch documentaries?
Why do you meet a new person with enthusiasm?
Why are Archaeologist/Paleontologists digging bones?
Why do Egyptologists exist?
Why does your cat occasionally gets stuck in a vase?
Why is the dog always sniffing?
etc.
Because "curiosity" and it differs in levels with each person. To someone like me it is the most dominant trait as I study whatever I can get my hands on.
Sure, but curiosity doesn't make it less irrelevant. If you are fine with investing time in irrelevant stuff because it makes you feel better, fine. Do whatever pleases you. I just can't relate to it.
