Do You Ever Wonder Why We Had to Study History?

History. Why bother with it? Is it merely to delight in and be inspired by true-to-life stories or be disgusted by past practices and ideas? Studying history for amusement is fine. But can or should it be more?

Into my third decade as a lay historian, I am much better able to contextualize my life. Along with my values, when making a decision history gives me insight into the possible outcome of my choice.

Viewed in this way, learning about momentous events turns out to be less important. But understanding people and the way they lived their day-to-day lives becomes a valuable tool for self-improvement. An excellent resource is ABC-Clio/Greenwood’s series of books that examine daily life in many countries and time periods.

One of my goals with these posts is to discuss historic events or aspects of life and relate them to contemporary life. Knowing from where we came can only improve our choices of where we want to go.

Question – In what areas of your life would you like to know if history has some guidance?
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