Forgetting History

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week, a splendid idea to recognize the often life-changing contributions of dedicated classroom mentors.  I haven’t been in a classroom in decades, but I haven’t forgotten a wonderful American History teacher I had in high school.  In this year of electioneering turmoil, I remember especially his series of lectures on the political process.  It is largely because of him that I developed a life-long interest in American history, although I’m sure he never intended for me to become a political junkie. 

It’s a shame that the students of today are rarely taught the relevance of history.  Our average teenager would be hard-pressed to describe the important roles played by the men whose faces appear on our currency, while the wildly enthusiastic young voters supporting Bernie Sanders demonstrate an abysmal ignorance of the dangers of Socialism or the history of its failures.  Didn’t someone say that those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it? 

What a pity!  History doesn’t need to be dull or boring.  There are many historians—David McCullough is my favorite-- who can make the past come alive, and skilled filmmakers who bring images of the past to those who prefer the screen to the printed page.  Ken Burns is one filmmaker who has shown an uncanny ability to present captivating historical studies of popular topics (more than two dozen so far).  If necessarily limited by the format, these films can motivate viewers to investigate the subjects further.  But how many do? 

Social media today is the prime means of communication for our young people.  Unfortunately, tweets and Facebook are not conducive to serious inquiry, just as thumbs cannot compare with a pen as a means of expressing complex ideas.  

Will future generations look back at this era as the one in which the importance of history was irrevocably dismissed?  Worse, will future generations lose their ability to look back at all?  The metaphor that comes to mind is a young man walking briskly along while thumbing his ipad until he steps off a curb and gets hit by a bus.