Why should you read history?

During my school days, I had favorite subjects and… well let’s just say not-so-favorite subjects. My linguistic brain craved to learn literature and hence they topped the list. Mathematics and History competed for the last place on the list. Math got in the race because it made me lose my sleep. History, because it made me slip into sweet slumber.

But I learned the usefulness of both through experience. As an engineer, I understood that there is nothing that works without math. I learned to respect the complexities of it. But I have to admit, the fear of navigating the tight corridors of logic without losing my way never left me.

History took more time. I was relieved that I didn’t have to remember the dates of important events once I was done with the subject in school. I vowed not to open another dusty book on history again.

But as fate would have it, I can’t get enough of reading history now. I cannot put a finger on what caused the change. But sometime in my life, I understood the dangers of historical ignorance.

What history can teach us?

History is a great teacher. A good student of history has so much to learn from it. These are some of the lessons that intrigued me:

Why we are where we are, also who we are

It is fascinating to learn the story of the human race. The struggles, wars, diseases, rise and fall of religions, and all that we went through to get to where we are in the 21st century. It opens us to a broader understanding of human nature.

Culture of a land

Learning the history of a land is imperative to know its culture. The twists, turns, and obstacles that shaped the nation help us understand its people better.

Ward off the propaganda

Many political and religious groups push their agendas in the guise of tradition. A student of history would develop the X-ray vision to see beyond these pretenses. Thus she would be able to escape their malicious grasp and keep herself free of biases.

Help us predict the future

Even though history is not an accurate forecaster, it does tend to repeat itself. Once we understand this fact, we can have an idea of what is going to happen.

For instance, the rise of ultra-nationalism in the past decade creates a pre-World War 2 climate. It takes no rocket scientist to predict that we are on the precipice of another violent era.

Lets us sidestep mistakes

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,”

George Santayana

If we study history intently, we will learn that there is a definite pattern to it. Once we grasp the pattern, we could be enlightened enough to stop the rise of Hitlers, choose peace over war, and prevent environmental damage by reducing carbon emissions.

Where to start?

Now the question is where to start. It is at once accurate and unfortunate that many books on history are sleep-inducing, even for a chronic insomniac. The fact that we were taught that history is a boring collection of important dates does not help either.

However, there are some historians like Will Durant who narrate the past with Harry Potterish brilliance. It is better to start with them. In my experience, one book leads to another and that to another, and so on and so forth. Some podcasts and blogs capsulize the events and sugarcoat them with humor.

Once we get going, it is easy to keep the momentum, even difficult to stop it, at least for me. Hope you enjoy reading history as much as I do.

Let us be educated about our past and learn the valuable lessons it can teach us.