History is an important subject. It shows us where we have been as a civilization. It has shed light on important people who have shaped what has become our modern world. It is the story of what was and an indication of what will be. As the old saying goes, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. If that is the case and history does repeat itself, I’m getting a dinosaur!
Joking aside, I think it’s important we talk about history. There are many sayings about it. The one I put in the previous paragraph is one of the most famous but there is another that is equally true. History is written by the victors. And it truly is. What we see as moments of right and wrong in history are shaped by those presenting them.
When I was in high school, we were studying the Second World War in history class. The atrocities of the Holocaust were told to us, not in great detail but enough to make us understand how awful the events were. And they were awful. So many lost their lives simply because they were themselves and some dick head with a God complex decided he didn’t like them. However, when we studied the end of the war, particularly the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan, it was shown as a patriotic and humane way to bring the war to an end.
But…was it? Over 6 million people died during the Holocaust. Nearly 85 million people died in the entirety of the war. Almost 150,000 of those were from dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And yet, we as American school kids were supposed to see this as acceptable. I remember hearing about it and being horrified by such a loss of life in just 2 separate instances. I had to keep all that inside but the idea that we should glorify that mean people dying just seemed wrong.
I use this example for a reason. To show how those who write history can shape it to justify almost anything. I believe if the Nazis had won, the Holocaust would have been seen as a great and wonderful undertaking to make the world better. The horrors and lives lost during that would have been forgotten and even looked down upon. However, it’s not the only way to shape history.
History changes constantly. What we thought we knew back in the 80s and 90s isn’t necessarily true anymore. There is evidence that Vikings may have come to North America long before Christopher Columbus. There is evidence that some of the Inca civilization settled in parts of Florida. These new discoveries challenge what we thought we knew. But there is a more active erasing of history that is starting to take place in our world.
In recent years, we have seen a push by partisan lawmakers to ban certain subjects that really shed light on all of the different aspects of history. We have seen foreign political leaders deny horrific events, such as the Holocaust, even happened. We have seen religious zealots go out of their way to destroy ancient archaeological sites in war torn countries in the Middle East. The complete removing of statues of historical figures instead of correcting the monuments to show both the good and bad of these individuals.
This is not a new phenomenon in our modern culture. There is evidence in ancient Egypt of pharaohs erasing their predecessors from great temples and literature. The ancient Romans did the same when then conquered Alexandria and Greece. At some point, in every great culture and society throughout human existence, has tried to erase and rewrite the history of their civilizations.
This creates a paradox of sorts. Remember that old saying about repeating history? Well, it’s hard to not repeat it when there are active campaigns to erase it. That is why it’s important not to just preserve history but to teach it properly. That means both the good and bad. It’s important to teach that people we have put up on pedestals as heroes are not the valiant champions of right, we are told. An example of this is General Custer. In my school days he was seen as a revered individual who died while fighting the savages during the expansion of our great nation. Truth is Custer was kind of a bastard. He was a very flawed man. Those “savages” were fighting for their very existence. To them, Caucasians were invading their homes and destroying their culture.
History is filled with good and bad. Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world and is heralded as a great man but in order to reach that milestone, he did a lot of bad things. We were taught that the Great Pyramids were built by slave labor. This is a convenient twisting of history to fit a religious context but it’s not the actual truth. We have to acknowledge both sides in order to truly learn from history and grow.
Most people today have no idea how modern conflicts have started in some of the hot spots of the world. The current conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians stems from a long history that very few know and even fewer are taught. However, supporters of either side are quickly drawn into a right versus wrong debate. History is what helps us see beyond the absolutes and get a clear understanding of each other’s cultures.
With a rise in authoritarianism and current military conflicts on the rise, history is more important than ever. History keeps fascism in check. It prevents megalomaniacs from dominating the world. It prevents the extermination of people for being who they are. History matters. History leads to understanding. Understanding leads to peace. Peace leads to community. In the end, we are all on this planet together. Erasing history only serves to doom us all.
I will end this post with this thought. It’s up to all of us to learn from history. To question what we are taught as the truth and seek answers from all perspectives. Read everything. Not just what we are told to read but the things were are told not to. Knowledge is power and limiting access to knowledge is a weapon of the corrupt. It’s up to us to make sure this weapon isn’t used against us. It’s up to us to make sure we all have this power. History is the key to either a path to a golden age or to absolute destruction. History, in its complete context, matters.
-Robin Alura
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