In our modern life, with all the distractions of technology, the latest app, the "next best thing" . . . it can be easy to dismiss history as irrelevant. Uncool. Students are more likely to see the necessity for a computer class than a history course. If the New York Times' bestseller list is any indication, adults pay more attention to current events (Nelson Mandela's memoirs, or Orange is the New Black) than to historical happenings. But this is a mistake.
History is our story. History is part of the very fabric of our beings. It has shaped us, who we are, and where we are going -- both collectively and individually.
Try this exercise, just for a moment. I give this to students who are particularly stubborn about learning history. Answer the question "who am I?" without any reference to anything that happened before today. No mention of your previous schooling, your parents or family, any event from your childhood or young adulthood. Describe yourself as though you just came into existence this morning.
Now try that again. Answer the same question: "who am I?" But this time, put in as much as you can of your own personal and family history. Where did you come from? What past experiences have shaped your identity?
Which of the two answers gives a more complete picture of who you are? Most people say, the second one. This answer allows them to tell their whole story, where they are coming from, how it's shaped their present identity, where they want to go. It's the same way with history on a broader scale. National politics today are shaped by our national history. International trends hearken back to the history of the world. In order to better understand the world around us, we have to know its history. We have to be able to tell the stories of the past, in order to write the story of the future.
