History is all about the past and how the past informs us today. In the modern world we often act as a people without a past or a story, we are just so obsessed with what is new, and innovative. I constantly hear advertisement's saying "challenge the past" and similar catchphrases. However, despite being fixated on the newest things and all the innovation going on, many people are lost, depressed, lonely and isolated from community. I would propose to them that they should look to the good things that people did in the past, not simply for nostalgia, but to see how they can improve their lives.
People in the past were far more reliant on their community, and upon God because they did not have all the benefits of modern medicine and technology, they knew that community was important whether that be in the church or in their families, they saw life as meaningful. By studying the past, we get insights on how to live in the here and now. This is for me the primary reason to study history, but there are many other reasons to learn from our forebears.
A great example is military leaders, it has been said by many people that the reason countries lose wars, is because they do not learn from past conflicts, this does not just apply to war, but to sports. If a Boxer for instance does not know the great fighters of the past, what can he base his style of fighting upon? Nothing. What i just said applies ultimately to life as well. It is vitally important that we know our history because without it we have nothing to build a foundation upon.
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