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I readily admit it. I am a self-professed history geek.

I read a lot of history and thoroughly enjoy visiting places steeped in historical value. One of my degrees is in history. I taught high school history for a number of years. I thoroughly enjoy a good discussion about a variety of historical topics.

We might try to run from our own personal histories on occasion. However, I would argue that we’ll never be able to hide from those histories.

Sure, history can be “boring” when approached as a subject that simply involves memorizing dates, events and people. However, history can be incredibly thought-provoking and stimulating when approached the right way.

I would argue that history “matters” in a few different senses of the word. It matters because it is an important field of study. Saying history matters might also reference the problems and difficulties that it so often poses. History matters might also refer to the endless variety of topics the subject covers.

I’m sure most of us have heard the overused phrase “history repeats itself” on numerous occasions. Some even like to claim that if we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. I would argue that the main benefit that comes from studying history is the opportunity to brush up on critical thinking skills.

When I taught history, I typically took an “off the beaten path” approach to the subject. We might read excerpts regarding the same topic - say the way Germans were regarded/treated here in the U.S. during both WWI and WWII - from several different textbooks. After sorting out the many differences from our examined sources, we would have discussions regarding which sources seemed most credible, how we choose what to believe, why so many different accounts of the same/similar event exist… History is not simply a set of “cut-and-dry” facts and figures sitting there waiting to be memorized and spewed back out. History requires serious contemplation and investigation.

Another of my favorite activities as a teacher was to share excerpts from books and quotes from individuals without prior explanation. I would then have students speculate who they think might have said it or when they think the excerpt appeared.

Here’s an example:
“There are in government individuals that occasionally vote with the opposition - rather than their party - supporting or opposing measures as their conscience dictates. It is a most unfortunate fact, that in congress the number of members in this description is very small…members too frequently vote in solid columns. Indiscriminate adherence to the party encourages the leaders to proceed to extremities. The nation is divided into two hostile parties, whose animosity towards each other is daily increased by inflammatory publications.”

Sound familiar? I think most of us would agree that the above could have been written today.

It was actually penned by Mathew Carey in 1815 (Philadelphia) in his work titled: The Olive Branch: OR, Faults on Both Sides, Federal and Democratic. A Serious Appeal on the Necessity of Mutual Forgiveness and Harmony. In it, he stressed the importance of compromise and that accepting “errors are mutual” is necessary for individuals “to open their ears to the voice of reason.” By the way, the two parties at the time were the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans relentlessly and violently squabbling over the potential benefits and drawbacks of the War of 1812.

As just a small part of my history “geekiness”, I discovered Carey’s book when recently doing inventory at the Bartholomew County Historical Society. My volunteer time there has only reinforced my belief that - at first glance - it is often hard to separate the past from the present.

History is both objective and subjective. It is part art and part science. History is not just an accumulation of distant facts and figures. It actively shapes and influences how we live NOW!

In their 1998 publication, The Presence of the Past: Popular Uses of History in American Life, historians R. Rosenzweig and D. Thelen conducted a survey to see how Americans view their connections to the past, how they might see history as an influential part of their lives and the role it plays in their hopes for the future. What they found is that the vast majority of Americans don’t relate to history or use it in a school-related, academic sense. They relate to it on a more personal level by rehashing stories at reunions, looking through photo albums, examining their own past decisions/choices…

I, too, enjoy looking back at my personal history on a fairly regular basis. It explains a lot in regards to where I’m at today. As is the case with more academic related history, it should be approached in a rational, open-minded, and investigative way in order to acquire lessons learned from it.

Psychologists use the term “rosy retrospection” to describe a cognitive bias many of us fall victim to when examining our own personal histories. Because memory does not work like a recording, memories are malleable. Rosy retrospection involves remembering past events/time periods in our lives as much more positive than they really were. Yes - it can be fun to recollect the past. It can be made even funner when it is positive. Having fun and feeling good certainly serve their purpose. However, in more serious matters, that perspective could also prove to be destructive when there are important lessons to be learned. There are times when a more rational, realistic approach is what is needed.

As stated in the best-selling book of all-time - The Bible - “Don’t long for the good old days. That is not wise” (Ecclesiastes 7:10). There’s no doubt that getting stuck in the past can pose a fair share of difficulties. Too frequently wishing for the “good old days” robs us of the ability to deal with the here and now. Looking back on occasion can help us find meaning and provide valuable lessons. Be it for positive or negative reasons - we should embrace our history without living in the past.

As 19th century Danish philosopher S. Kierkegaard so eloquently stated - “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”