Why History Is Important

Why read about or study history? It just a bunch of old dates, places and, well, dead people after all. It's so boring and useless, right?

If this sounds familiar to you, perhaps you might be interested to know what the weather will be like tomorrow or perhaps if your job will be waiting for you at the dawning of a new day. History does, in fact, play a great part in our everyday lives whether we are able to see it or not. Statistical models of past events are utilized by a multitude of forecasters, whether it is within a business context or that of predicting weather patterns based upon past information.

The optimal strategist of warfare and finance alike are keen listeners to the advisors of historic facts.

There are of course the many traditional clichés that abound regarding the importance of remembering our history. Perhaps you have heard or read that "He who fails to learn from history is doomed to repeat it," or maybe even the famous parental colloquialism, "We learn from our mistakes." Both of these statements, and many others, are all part of an experienced reality, but they speak more to a negative connotation that tends to turn away would-be listeners.

What people mostly want to know is the who, when and where of their own future. Because we cannot yet climb aboard a highly polished contraption that could push us through various worm holes to the answers, we must look backwards to find evidence for the future. Of course there are difficulties with projecting the future from past events, but for now it is the best tool available.

In fact, many who outwardly oppose reading history actually do so more often than they realize. When a person announces their candidacy for a particular political office, most people will want to find out how the person operated in the past. Others may find themselves in the doctor's office with some troubling health condition and one of the first questions the patient must disclose is if there is evidence of the same malady in past members of the family.

While the study of deep history or other related topics may not pique the interests of some readers, there is usually some form of history that can capture just about any imagination. Be adventurous and read about some past event that has always intrigued the darkest recesses of your curiosity. There is a chance that boredom may be the result, but there is an even greater opportunity to expand your knowledge of the world, of which you are an historic part.