The Past Is Never Past

Faulkner said it: The past is never past. We’ve seen so much evidence of this truth in the past few weeks. Statues of Confederate leaders coming down. Centuries of oppression acknowledged and protested against.

Some people think, “History? Why study history? Why even care? I mean, history is so over!” Well, no it’s not, as anyone who enjoys history can tell you. It tends to push its way into our minds when we’re in turmoil, but it’s always there: affecting where we are allowed to live, what kind of jobs we are able to get, what healthcare we benefit from or will never have access to, even what friends we’re going to meet and keep.

History is all around us. Past history affects what goes on now. Present history will become the history of the future. In my volunteer work at a local historical society, I tell students, “Look at the posters on your wall, of Beyonce or some athlete. Yes, they’re super-famous now. But years from now, kids your age won’t know who these people are. These stars will be part of our future history.”

It’s a trivial example, I know, but it grabs students’ attention. Just as interesting, our history of the past, which so many people think is chiseled in stone, keeps changing. Why? Because historians keep finding new accounts, new writings from people who lived in earlier times, which give us new insight into events from the earliest years of this nation, 250 years ago.

For all these reasons and more, history is fascinating and worth paying attention to, not only when our world seems in turmoil, but also when things seem quiet and peaceful. Either way, history is working and changing and affecting all of our lives.