As an outsider looking in, I am putting this thread up for some insight.
Abrahamic tradition does not hold one to be responsible for others’ deeds. Islam is no exception: one is not held responsible for the sins of one’s ancestors, but only one’s own.
However, it is also acknowledged that the cumulative actions of one’s forebears can lead to certain inborn tendencies, as shown in the dynamics of alcoholism among certain demographics.
Of course, there is a dispute as to the degree to which one’s actions can affect one’s genome, and the role of woo in distorting matters has not aided understanding.
Still, if one is born into a family with a “generational curse”—be it diabetes or addictions—even if one is not responsible for one’s ancestors’ behaviour, one can still feel stigmatised relative to people who did not belong to a lineage with the said “curse.”
One can, perhaps, better oneself, but remain at a disadvantage, in absolute terms, relative to others who were not born into one’s lineage and its attendant problems. In other words, one’s best would still be less than the worst (or best) of the others.
Has anyone grappled with this dilemma and its attendant, complicated emotions?