History’s Vital Role in Shaping the Present and Determining the Future
On page 39 of Razor Bumps and Stretch Marks, there is a poem entitled “Little Bag of History.” I wrote it after listening to a friend tell me about her past and about how her life course had informed her worldview and her sense of what she wanted in her life.
This seems as true for the history of nations and civilizations as it is for individual people. The perennial battle over what appears in history textbooks seems like a perfect way to illustrate this point. If your agenda is to prettify history, then you want more of a “glamor shot” in the textbook. If your goal is to present a darker view, for whatever your reasons, then you want a “mug shot.” A glamor shot is not the way to go if you want to portray the horror of slavery in America, for example. Similarly, a mug shot is not suited for describing America’s role in modern science, up to and including taxpayer-funded research that gave us satellites, jet engines, and the internet.
Not only does learning and understanding history help improve society, it is also as important as science and engineering. It fosters innovation and develops critical thinking skills in people. In addition, history is always writing the next chapter.
The most accurate rendition of history has to be a sophisticated blend of mug shot, glamor shot, context, perspective, and an unwavering desire to make sure all that nuance survives from generation to generation. Personal history should probably be considered within a similar framework. The understanding of your own history changes as you mature and grow, and you are likely to tell the story differently depending on the audience or the context. The greatest challenge, in my experience, is that sometimes you need to give yourself room to own your mistakes in order to avoid a situation where regret becomes a taskmaster, rather than a humble servant. Similarly, there is an appropriate space for celebrating victories so you can build on them. Legacy beckons…
The famous Italian philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Well, sometimes we should repeat history, shouldn’t we?
Well said. History is often glossed over, omitting or adding the great, and dropping a veil over what we don’t want to admit. Grad school — one class — opened my eyes to history I didn’t know, hadn’t been taught… and I mourned.
Perhaps the best book I go to for truth (the good, the bad, the ugly) is the Bible. Nothing is swept away in purity. Sure, there are great histories there, but more important to me, is that the truth couldn’t be glossed over, even when I wanted to rush through those passages of outright bigotry, slavery, cruelty. Even when Jesus says ‘oh by the way, you’ll be persecuted for my name, probably beheaded, hated by everyone around you- but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world …’ say WHAT? I cannot read that without laughing. He’s speaking the truth. It ain’t pretty. But still.
Our society, our technology–what can we give to people in our nation and those around us who suffer the ills of poverty, bigotry, bitterness … not to mention clean air, water, food and housing? I have seen some amazing things, and hope we grow toward peace and prosperity. Not sure it will happen, but we strive to bring peace and healing to a hurting world. I hope the amazing things I’ve seen will be a legacy, one to last.