Why Do History?

      As I concluded my study of history for the year, my history book spent the last few chapters discussing an overall look at history, the past, and what it means for us. So, in honor of Independence Day yesterday, here are my concluding thoughts on why history is important to study.

   

It was harder than I expected to draw fireworks with colored pencils...

Dates, many of which we probably won't remember long. Rulers and kings, whose names will slowly drift away without much grief on our part. Places, some small, obscure, and possibly "irrelevant" and "unimportant" to us, aren't likely to linger in our memories. (Unless you have a really, really good memory, or memorize bits of history trivia for fun.) Math is useful in our day-to-day lives, so even if you don't enjoy it (sigh...) it's important to study. English is also important; knowing how to use accurate vocabulary and proper grammar is valuable. Science explains, mostly, how our world works. But why should we study history? Dates, kings, places, etc., most of which we may not remember and all of which has already happened. 
       Here are the questions I hope to answer in this essay/article: Isn't there any other reason for teenagers to study history? Why is it important?
        Well, first of all, not remembering it is sort of a problem. While of course you're not expected to remember every single thing you ever learned in history, knowing a basic timeline and some key dates and historical figures would probably be good. If you don't know a basic summary of the world's history by the time you graduate, that's not going to do you any favors later on. It doesn't create a good impression not to know about at least your own country's history.
        But why should we study what has already happened?
        Simply, to learn from it. People say you learn from your mistakes. I would say you can also learn from other people's mistakes. Which means that by studying mistakes that have been made in the past you can avoid them in the future. Unfortunately, up till now, much of history has been repeating itself. While new inventions and technology have arisen with each new century, many struggles and conflicts are the same. Man struggles to gain power and more specifically, to make a name for himself. Centuries upon centuries ago, a group of individuals decided to build a tower that would reach to heaven, boasting that they would attain the level of God their Creator. You know the rest of the story: utter confusion, conflict, and the tower labeled by the never-to-be-forgotten name The Tower of Babel. Kings constantly have taken power from each other over the centuries. Violence has been chosen over diplomacy and reason as a way to settle matters. War shadows the centuries. The choices of history repeat, many of them poor. To sum this up, we learn the mistakes of the past from history to avoid them in the future. 
       We don't only have poor examples from history. Many people stand out as examples worthy of modeling. We can learn from the past what to imitate in the future. George Washington's famous example of truthfulness, and Abraham Lincoln's strict honesty. The courage of Queen Esther, Joshua, Caleb, the ten Boom family, Nate Saint, David Livingstone, countless other missionaries, Clara Barton, the Pilgrims, everyone who gave their lives for their country, and many, many others. The loyalty of Jonathan to David. There are so many other examples to look at, to study, and to imitate. So not only do we learn what not to repeat from the past, but we learn what we can and ought to repeat. With discernment. We really don't need anyone to repeat the poor examples. 
      In conclusion, we study history not just to store away layers of trivia. We study history to understand mankind, to learn what to repeat, and what not to repeat. Knowing history will show you how and how not to create your own. We study history so that we may live with the instructive past in mind and the future ahead. Throughout history, we've seen generations influence generations. How will our generation influence the next? With the world's history in mind, may this generation set a better example for future centuries to come.