I always hated history in school. There were several reasons.
1. I have long suffered from the blackboard memory. In order to learn a date or name or event something else has to be erased. The actual content in memory banks does not seem accumulative but substitution in nature. I cite for evidence, the fact that I studied French for seven years without any success. Spent 10 years in Greece and remain bereft of the Greek language. In fact despite my love of writing the reason I chose science as a profession was largely due to my atrocious spelling in English. Anything requiring memorisation, I have always sought to avoid.
Or as in the words of George S McGovern
“I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.”
More impressive still when you know the background of George S McGovern.
- He was a pilot of World War II
- Holder of the Distinguished Flying Cross
- On one his missions as a pilot, his plane had 110 holes in the fuselage on its return
- Was a history professor
- Sought to end the Vietnam war
- Was instrumental in the creation of the United Nations World Food Bank program
- Was the First UN Global Ambassador of World Hunger
Not bad for someone who once was known as an average student, painfully shy and afraid to speak a word in school when young. On to my third reason to dislike history.
3. My history teacher was a vindictive woman who really should not have been left in charge of children or indeed sentient animals of any kind. In future, I think we should look at teachers and “ask would I trust this person with an ill hamster”. That sensitivity to see to the needs of vulnerable dependents, nurturing their well-being and their growth and well-being, free of any hurtful tendencies to those under their care should be the basic benchmark.
Having said all that I am a voracious reader even at school loved Edward Gibbon’s ‘The history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire’. It covers the period from 98 to 1590. In particular, I liked one of his lines of bitting comment,
“As long as mankind shall continue to bestow more liberal applause on their destroyers than on their benefactors, the thirst of military glory will ever be the voice of the most exalted characters.”
or rather more pessimistically still,
“history is indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.”
If you ever despair of today's morals and standards. Feel that they have reached levels of degradation beyond that ever encountered before. Read Gibbon’s book and be reassured that humanity has ever had the ability to sink to levels almost beyond our imagination in their grotesqueness and cruelty. In fact, it is our ability to sink to levels far below those of wild animals that almost defines us as a human species. Don't get me wrong. I believe humanity can rise to heights we cannot see in the shadows of the present valleys. But if we are to attain future summits we must never lose sight of the very real gorges and chasms that make up our historical landscape. We need to recognise the dark places and hateful deeds that make this world hell like. Register them for the decline they represent and turn away from such darkness.
Then, when we hear the hateful prejudices that have ever blighted mankind’s history we can make wiser choices. Or when nations flee from war or starvation to our borders we would realise our response is a test of our very humanity. When cities of civilians are bombed into oblivion does our silent acquiescence not speak volumes? For history always judges on what was actually done to our fellow humans and our role for better or worse in response to that. These heroes or villains are made, today and in history, by how are they responded to what went on around them. Hard choices in difficult days by heroic individuals, down through the ages, create lights that lead to better days for us all.
