On History
The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and plunges them into utter darkness, both deeds of no account and deeds which are mighty and worthy of commemoration; as the playwright [Sophocles] says, it “brings to light that which was unseen and shrouds from us that which was manifest.”
Nevertheless, the science of History is a great bulwark against this stream of Time; in a way it checks this irresistible flood, it holds in a tight grasp whatever it can seize floating on the surface and will not allow it to slip away into the depths of Oblivion….
-Anna Comnena, The Alexiad.
This account, written by a princess of the Eastern Roman Empire almost 900 years ago, is still, in my opinion, the best description of what history is, and what it should be. However, that quote does not tell the most important thing of all: why? Why preserve “both deeds of no account and deeds which are mighty and worthy of commemoration?” After all did not a prominent American industrialist once declare that “history is more or less bunk?”
One morning in June, a Serbian student, motivated by a study of history, walked up to an open car and shot and killed the two passengers inside; and in doing so completely remade the world (and caused the deaths of some 150 million people). Yet how many today know his name, much less what drove him to this act? Some years later, as a direct result of this action, a group of men, who have read far too much bad history books, decided to name their country the Third Reich, and proceeded to invade their neighbors. Yet does anyone wonder what the first two Reichs stood for? More recently, in the first year of the new Millennium, 19 men, also motivated by the study of history, decided to turn airplanes into guided missiles (another indirect consequence of the act of the Serbian student). In all three cases, the people in question based the decision to act on their understanding of history. There were other people, the majority. To them, these, and other events do not happen for a reason, they simply happen. Their reaction to them was shock, or surprise, or apathy, but never understanding. Many of those did not live to see the New Year, their misunderstanding of the situation leading directly to their demise.
Other people have realized this. They have tried to manipulate history to serve their ends, or to make their actions seem justified. Howard Zinn is right, your history teacher HAS lied to you (of course, his version of the “truth” is not much better). To know what is true, and what was invented to keep you in line, is the prerogative of the historian.
This Blog
Of course, not all of history is quite so profound. However, the underlying principle remains the same. Every day, things happen to people, things they cannot explain because of their ignorance. Most of the time, it does not affect them in a negative way. Yet, their lives would be enriched by history, if only they learned to recognize it. Every day, things happen that are directly caused by some other things happening before. This is what this blog is here for. Remembering that much of the history taught today has been modified one way or the other, this blog will try to present an unbiased picture of the past. Recognizing that to many, history is associated with meaningless names and dates, this blog will attempt to make the past seem interesting.
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I have to say that the quote from The Alexiad made the beginning to this blog pretty boring. But as I read more into the blog I actually became interested in what you had to say. At times I became confused with certain references such as names and the way you wrote the blog. But overall it looks like you put a lot of work and thought into it.
I agree that the majority of people do not understand the historical motivations of the people who enact these percipitating events. However, you need to be careful not to paint that misunderstanding as less virtuous than the the acts of the people who shot Archduke Ferdinand, killed millions of jews and toppled the World Trade Center. A good understanding of history does not excuse immoral acts. The ignorant pacifist is preferable to the well educated murderer.
dude this is a string of mindless quotes.
and i want the two minutes of my life back that it took to read it
“I agree that the majority of people do not understand the historical motivations of the people who enact these percipitating events. However, you need to be careful not to paint that misunderstanding as less virtuous than the the acts of the people who shot Archduke Ferdinand, killed millions of jews and toppled the World Trade Center. A good understanding of history does not excuse immoral acts. The ignorant pacifist is preferable to the well educated murderer”
I am not arguing that the knowledge of history gives people the right to do evil things, only that it is a great power that drives them to acts of great importance. The ignorant pacifist IS better than a well-educated murderer, but the well-educated pacifist is still the best, because their descisions are knowledgeable and appropriate to the situation.