What helpful insights do we learn by studying history?
By Anish Asokan
@RevivedWarrior (2209)
India
October 6, 2024 10:55am CST
We all had our history classes while we are in School/college. We are expected to understand the world better and guide our actions accordingly.
We learn about successful empires and failed ones, wars, economic policies. We learn the dangers of absolute power as well as the challenges in democracy. We learnt of different conflicts, their origins and peace treaties.
However, it seems not all has appreciated the insights and rather goes on repeating the same mistakes. Every genocide, makes remember the importance of human lives and importance to safeguard human rights. Peace is what allows a country to prosper and a war just impacts every aspect of life in that country, perhaps never to be the same.
There are many insights and lessons we can derive from history. The most important one according to me as a dynasty lasts only as long as the ruler is competent and is adapting to new changes of the world around them. Many a time, political or non-political dynasties did not last because a proper protocol was not established or equality were assured within the heirs. Hence, it is important to be ahead in skills and be competent in our chosen area.
So, what helpful insights did you learn from history?
9 people like this
6 responses
@TheHorse (218741)
• Walnut Creek, California
6 Oct
Queen Isablla did not care for Jewish people. Hitler was scary. Socrates was willing to die for his beliefs. Many people thought the sun went around the earth until 1600 or so. Martin Luther translated the Bible into (I think) German, so regular people could read it. There were active civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt well before the time of Christ. '70s Saturday Night Live is still funny today.
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (46943)
• India
8 Oct
@TheHorse
And Horse as the unofficial Indian President is a big achievement !!
2 people like this
@TheHorse (218741)
• Walnut Creek, California
7 Oct
@RevivedWarrior I think Key and Peele may have come from MAD TV. I'm not sure.
1 person likes this
@RevivedWarrior (2209)
• India
7 Oct
Wow! All of them accurate including saturday night live. I was a big fan of Madtv though. Thanks for sharing!
@vandana7 (100280)
• India
9 Oct
People do not know how to keep things in perspective. So history repeats itself. There is this penchant for the lost glory, which results in destruction of today's peace....yeah...so....I prefer only scholars learn History, and the rest of us be spared.
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (46943)
• India
9 Oct
@vandana7
And reading unexplained or half explained history is even worse !!
2 people like this
@vandana7 (100280)
• India
10 Oct
@RevivedWarrior Do not agree with that. There are two sides to the story. Both seem right. Depends upon whose writing you come across...and from which community's angle you are viewing.
I have done a lot of deposition work...legal stuff. Let me tell you, the job of judges is not easy at all. There is a lot of thinking process constantly on because both sides seem right in many cases. There is just one tiny bit of truth hidden somewhere, which needs to be brought to the surface, and which decides the outcome.
As I said, perspectives differ too. Judges are as human as we are. Our experiences in life often make us conclude somethings, which, in different context, may not always be right...and history kinda makes us all judges of the past, as if we have that much of knowledge, experience, and maturity to look at things. Hell, we don't have that much time to think. If I can, I would spend watching ATP matches, rather than watching history channels.
Added to that is half baked audio visual media fantasizing about history and changing the perspective...blurring the truth....the Sanjay Leela Bhansalis, and what nots of our historic serial creators...
To understand something to be right or wrong, we have to travel back in time, know the conditions...and then take a call.
For example, there is a temple in Maharashtra, where Shivaji's mother used to worship. Today, it is abandoned. Rarely do people go and worship there.
Why do people move away from temples? Back then there were reasons....like cholera, small pox, plague, yellow fever.......what we don't grapple with today's world.
There were other issues too, like famines, floods, earthquakes (series of them...and ignorance leading...to statements that gods are angry because of whatever be the reason that has to be examined closely...it could be as simple as the daughter of the king choosing to wed somebody from other caste and so there is no record to decide).
Its also true that there were wars and plundering....but we are happy concluding that only one community resorted to it.
Didn't Hindus fight the Hindus before arrival of Muslims? Ravana was a Hindu and so was Rama. Duryodhana (actual name Suyodhana), was a Hindu, and so was Yudhishtir.
I could write a passage and completely change the way you look at Duryodhan.
So my friend, what we don't know, we should stop getting biased about....historians cannot ..even with best intentions clarify all your doubts...
1 person likes this
@RevivedWarrior (2209)
• India
10 Oct
Scholars explained the historical as it happened would be better as it would be less or not biased. Thanks for sharing!
@snowy22315 (180630)
• United States
6 Oct
Many of the ones you described. However, there seem to be a penchant for repeating these mistakes over and over.
1 person likes this
@RevivedWarrior (2209)
• India
7 Oct
Correct- We humans somehow has the penchant to keep repating the same mistakes again and again. Have never understood the reasons behind the same . Thanks for sharing!
@TheHorse (218741)
• Walnut Creek, California
9 Oct
@RevivedWarrior I think that some humans do not allow themselves to be well-educated. If they have never even TRIED to understand the past, they are more likely to be victims of those who might want to repeat it.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (136294)
• India
7 Oct
Going by the way the present government is making changes in the written history I wonder ifthat was the same story in the early days too which would mea we really do not know facts.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (136294)
• India
8 Oct
@RevivedWarrior Example. History said Godse killed Gandhi and that is be refuted now.
1 person likes this
@RevivedWarrior (2209)
• India
7 Oct
Facts and truth can never be hidden by long no matter how cleverly we can mask things. Thanks for sharing!
@luisadannointed (6157)
• Philippines
6 Oct
Do not repeat the same mistake as you mention also.
But if you really look at the history, you will really wonder who are stating facts, who are truthful and who are deceptive leaders... by seeing not only their legacy, but the kind of life that the people have under their governance. One of the biggest deception and debates are still being dispute for decades now in our country, but as I am studying an issue for a school paper, I can't believe how prosperous our country was and how powerful are country was, once a first world country and tag as the little newyork in asia under the governance of a president who was marked by his rivalry in power as traitor and a dictator.
But those who thrived to shoo him away from his position as a president, made our country the worst, leaving us with debts, stop all the government projects and leaving no work for the poor people, made us a third world country, as they made fortune, and protect their own wealth.
1 person likes this
@RevivedWarrior (2209)
• India
7 Oct
Well, thats an interesting insight. the interpretation of historical facts largely depends on the author. Well, sometimes facts could be misinterpreted as well. Thanks for sharing!
@luisadannointed (6157)
• Philippines
13 Oct
@RevivedWarrior its not just an interesting insight but it is true. I can't really believe how evil people are, specially some of the leaders of our country, by looking like a saint but killing their own people with poverty, they are really evil. Specially during pandemic, some people take advantages of selling medicine at high price, and how some of the doctors prescribing unnecessary injections and meds just to gain more money. that is really terrible.
1 person likes this
@RevivedWarrior (2209)
• India
10 Oct
Unbiased history can teach us lot of valuable insights and lessons. Good to know you were an economics student. Thanks for sharing!
