Where'd you come from?

A few days ago in my American Politics class, we were discussing an essay by the Frenchman Alexis De Tocqueville entitled "Democracy in America".  He stated that America was the only country that was young enough to see exactly where it came from, and by being able to see this, one could also find out where it's going.  Which made me think.  Can we just look at each other, find out where we came from, and suddenly know where we are all going?

I feel it's a loaded question, "Where'd you come from?"  The witty ones may reply "It's a dirty story, you really want me to get into it?"  in which case my answer would be "No, I'd rather you wouldn't."  But in all seriousness, would asking such a thing be useful tool in finding out more about our futures?

And what exactly are the key facts that matter in this?  Does it matter what city I came from?  Or perhaps my state?  Maybe it was the time I was born, or the date.  Many people set store by the Zodiac or by astrology.  My astrological sign is Scorpio, and I find reading up on that stuff fun.  My daily horoscope is as follows:  Tonight is a good time to complete ongoing projects--cleaning, mending, sorting through clothes, cooking, etc.  By etc. I'm sure the great astrology gods mean blog entries as well.

Personally, this "Where you'd come from?" question is a lot more than that.  It's about the diversity of the area in which you grew up, the influence of your parents, what you have been exposed to, what you have experienced.  For the sake of not getting into some sociological-economical explanation here I think De Tocqueville was talking about how America was brought about, under what principles and values.  However, I don't think it's easy as that.  I don't think I can look at the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, or the Declaration of Independence and know where we are going as a country.

I, like everyone else, can just hope it's somewhere good.