  After outlining some of the issues surrounding the flavor problem, I present
three speculative ideas on the origin of families. In turn, families are
conjectured to arise from an underlying preon dynamics; from random dynamics at
very short distances; or as a result of compactification in higher-dimensional
theories. Examples and limitations of each of these speculative scenarios are
discussed. The twin roles that family symmetries and GUT's can have on the
spectrum of quarks and leptons is emphasized, along with the dominant role that
the top mass is likely to play in the dynamics of mass generation.
