Why We Need to Study History

Why should I care about something that happened involving some people who died way before I was born? It's a fair question to ask, honestly. Some may dismiss it as an ignorant point of view; however, I would not. When you think of History, odds are you think about that one teacher you had. You remember, the one who spouted random facts in the least engaging way possible. You wrote down every date or event mentioned out of terror that you must answer multiple-choice questions about. Or that dreadful one where you must draw that crooked line to the correct date. It's no wonder many of us have a bad taste when we think about History. But for Generations Z and Alpha, and even millennials, I suggest revisiting why History is essential for all of us. In times that seem so uncertain and anxiety-ridden, you can learn that we have gotten through challenging times ever since the beginning of humankind. Hence is the nature of History. Repeating the same mistakes as before, History will repeat itself forever, stopping us from ever-evolving if we do not learn how to identify and prevent these patterns. These are some examples of the aspects of History that may give us insight into the best way to improve as we move forward.

Humankind's mightiest ancient empires and civilization conquered their lands and ruled them for hundreds of years. The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. All of which felt as though they could never fall. The Societies were all dismantled by issues that are just common in human nature. The Greek Isles were the mightiest empire in the world for nearly 600 years. The Ancient Greeks were divided into city-states based on each isle. None of them could agree on the issues to address or how to govern, so within their own country, they were divided as a nation on opposing ideologies that refused to budge. The Greeks continued to wage war against those who opposed their own democratic values. The Greeks weakened and divided, could not fight against the strength and might of the Roman Empire, and fell. As did Egypt and most of the known world. After another 500 years of the Roman Empire ruling the world. Division and infighting found their way into Roman society, eventually leading to their fall. Too weak to unite against the threat of Barbarians who charged over the northern Italian mountains to conquer the empire. They could not put aside their ideologies even to unite against the threat of their destruction. It almost sounds unbelievable when you phrase it that way. But that also sounds sadly all too familiar. We may not have an army of thousands marching over the mountains on elephant back to topple us. But we have fires burning the world around us, while some argue that this is nothing to worry about. Politicians start wars that end the lives of hundreds of thousands of people to maintain their power or ideals over others. There is a problematic pattern in human behavior that vibrates throughout all of History. One that I believe might destroy us as a species if we do not learn to work against it.

The thing most history haters might not realize is that they associate History with facts and dates about topics they find boring. When in reality, there is History to everything on earth. Everything that somebody created and exists now. Even if it doesn't exist anymore, it still Is all History. Let's make this easy for ourselves. Think about the one thing you love and dork out about more than anything else. For me, it is comedy. For some people, it is cars. With others, it may be high or thrift fashion. With every unique interest, there is the story of those who made it what it is now. These visionaries we admire saw an idea come to fruition from nothing. People who love cars can speak passionately about the details and features of a vehicle made 40 years before they were born. That is History. Learn everything you can about the stuff you love. Teach yourself how it got to be in your everyday life. I can guarantee you will not become bored.

Similar to my previous point. But referring more specifically to the people you idolize and look up to. If you can, take the time to learn about them and how they came to be. It gives you a path to try to emulate. Let's say you idolize the writing of a specific journalist; look how they began. How did they make the opportunities come to them when they first started? Copy that path, and you might not be them, but you will do what you idolize when you learn about those who worked to create something that means so much to you. You realize how similar they are to you. You recognize that the simplicity of creating comes down to simply doing. For entrepreneurs, you learn that these people saw a need that was not there and worked as hard as they could to create something to fill it. Steve Jobs saw that the computer could be a personal tool for everyone to improve their everyday lives. Greg Daniels, creator of The US Office, noticed the lack of single-camera-style American sitcoms. Using the wildly innovative format of the UK Office, he added a dash of American sensibility and sappiness. As we know, It has become a lot of people's comfort show ever since. We can learn from those who have been through the same place in their lives as we have. They will teach you from the experience of someone who has already lived that experience. We must listen. We can even improve on what they missed or what they regret.

Historically, most large-scale technological advancements happen due to opposing sides' accelerated development of new technologies in warfare. In the First World War, planes had to develop into weapons of war quickly after their creation. They were crafting designs to decrease the clunky size and increase the aircraft's maneuverability. After the war, all planes had developed to something drastically new and improved in an accelerated time that couldn’t have come without a battle. The Second World War brought some staples of modern increased-comfort technology. The most remarkable minds of both sides of the war turned their efforts towards the public's way of life and outer space. The car changed from simple transportation to a symbol of status, luxury and personal freedom. So much of the world seems constantly at war, and so much is changing. But I propose an alternative to change rather than war: knowledge. Learning from these mistakes previously can help us. As the new generations take on the reins, we can do so with a wise and nuanced-thinking approach to running the world. We can study what went wrong and admit our mistakes when we slip up. We can try and reach for a more peaceful planet. I may sound too optimistic, but isn't that a goal worth trying? Knowledge is power, after all. Maybe that power of knowledge can make that goal change possible.

This idea might seem a little preachy or like something your Parent or Aunt Linda would say to you. But the advantage that knowledge of History gives us is beyond valuable. It is a walkthrough guide to many of life's problematic complexities. The nice thing about being a species alive and evolving for so long is the breadth of knowledge we have collected and passed down through the years. We can gain intelligent foresight and perspective from the countless lives lived before. We can learn equally from the good and the bad. The lessons and wisdom we can use daily might be the key to positive change. So often, History repeats itself. It is time for us to learn how to identify and stop the same mistakes before they can happen again.