How We Inherit More Than We Realize

A few weeks ago, I was having one of those reflective conversations with a friend. It started casually, but soon turned into something that made me pause and think. We were talking about his dad. According to my friend, his dad had an incredible ability to strike up a conversation with anyone — literally anyone.

Picture this: A telemarketer calls. Most of us would either hang up or politely decline. Not his dad. He’d listen, ask smart questions, engage fully, and still not buy anything. At the end of the call, he’d chuckle and say, “Well, I don’t have money for this, but it’s always good to know what’s out there.”

This wasn’t a one-time event. His dad had a talent for making acquaintances wherever he went — at the bank, with government officials, or just random people on the street. It wasn’t for favors; it was just who he was.

After his dad passed away, my friend had to handle the inevitable paperwork and bureaucracy that comes with such things. Normally, closing bank accounts and dealing with government offices can be long and frustrating. But at nearly every place, the officials recognized his dad’s face in a photo. Not because he had done anything extraordinary, but simply because he left a memorable impression. What usually takes weeks was done in record time because people remembered him. He wasn’t just another file — they…