Importance of History

Studying historical facts allows us to obtain a series of knowledge in order to establish: 1) the maximum possible veracity of the events; 2) a coherent narrative succession of the phenomena that caused the historical processes with the greatest sociocultural impact; 3) understanding of the relevant contextual elements; 4) the errors and successes in the decisions of human action; 5) the processes of cultural, ideological and dogmatic transformation of humanity; 6) the link between natural phenomena as processes of the planet and the human being, as well as the consequences of his actions; and 7) the continuity of the time line in the development of humanity for its future orientation.

We live in the present, and it seems that the only thing that really worries us is the future. This being the case, what is the point of bothering to study our past? We understand history as that science whose object of study is the past of human societies. History is considered one of the humanistic sciences that has given the most utility to the human being, not only to know the cultural heritage of the different civilizations, but also to allow them to build their own identity, searching for and taking data from past times that make it easier for them to create their own identity. idiosyncrasy.

For many, history plays a fundamental role as a body of knowledge, legacies, complex historical realities of the human being throughout time and across regions. Knowing not only one's own history, but the history of other civilizations, cultures and societies (however distant they may be) contributes to our growth as people capable of knowing, understanding, rationalizing information and taking that data to continue building a new reality.

Historians do not discover cures for deadly diseases, improve the design of cities, or arrest criminals. In our society people expect education to serve a useful purpose like medicine or engineering, not history whose functions are apparently more difficult to define, since the results it presents are not very tangible and sometimes less immediate than those derived from other disciplines.

So why study history?

To carry out any historical study it is necessary to carry out investigations or analyzes of different types of material: written documents, already published works on various topics, photos or images, works of art, songs or folk tales, etc All these elements allow us to build various historical aspects of a society such as daily life, the type of clothing, the feeding, the traditions, the economic activities, the cultural legacy of that society, the historical events that happened at a certain time and the result that they had in the conformation of that society, etc.

History must be studied because it is essential for individuals and for society. There are many ways to discuss the functions of this field of study, since it can be interpreted in different ways, the usefulness of history, however, is based on two fundamental facts:

1. Helps to understand people and society

All human beings are living stories. To mention some examples that may seem obvious: we use technologies that we did not invent ourselves and we speak languages ​​that are inherited from the past; we live in societies with complex cultures, traditions and religions that have not been created at the time.

The study of the past is essential to locate people in time; we need to know where we come from, to know where we are going. Knowing the history is essential to understand the condition of the human being, this allows you to build, move forward and if necessary change. None of these options can be undertaken without understanding the context and starting points. We live in the here and now but there is a long history behind it that developed to be what we are TODAY.

2. History helps us understand the world we live in

A look at what happened in the past gives us a complete picture of why the world is the way it is, not only ours in reality, but the global context, including other cultures and of course, the nature. Learning about the causes and effects of events in human history gives us better tools to deal with conflicts between nations and individuals. Studying the history of environmental changes gives us the opportunity to improve our lifestyle and prevent the extinction of plants and animals that can alter our ecosystems.

Being able to analyze and understand history makes it easier for us to be able to assume the nature of the circumstances that make us what we are as a society, this has allowed over time the vindication of the struggles to obtain rights and the recognition of some questionable actions in the past, as is the case for example of the violent conquest by the Spanish in the American continent, for which King Juan Carlos I apologized 500 years later in 1992, the same fact by the which Pope Francis asked for forgiveness in 2015, recalling the apologies of his predecessor John Paul II, who repeatedly recognized the injustice of that stage history and the process of the Holy Inquisition, against the native peoples of the new continent and other nations subjugated by the power of kingdoms and the Catholic Church.

Although it is true that such acts of clemency cannot change the past at all, they can become key actions for the transformation of the future, in Regarding the vision and mentality with which the different creeds and political guidelines can converge, for the achievement of a greater harmony among all humans. Analyzing then the errors in the thought that was held until just a couple of centuries ago, has currently allowed a more tolerant action towards the changes in society and the existing differences between people, through less and less prolonged and violent struggles for their acceptance, as as has been evidenced in recent years with the recognition of gender diversity and the attribution of the particular rights they deserve, thanks to the fact that history has provided the necessary elements to understand how far cruelty is capable of reaching after intolerance and how little is win with it.

Remember to self-recognize

The historical heritage of a nation is not only the conservation of museum assets for tourism purposes, but the entire set of material and immaterial that narrate the events that have shaped the personality of its inhabitants over time, through the inheritance of behaviors and values ​​whose reason of being is more than justified according to the history that each nation attests to, and even more so, through the marks by which they end up being recognized in one way or another. way as victims or perpetrators of their own past, such as the existing wounds between Nazi Germany and the Jewish people persecuted by it during World War II. World War.

However, the way in which history is used to reconstruct the moral foundations of the nation itself can achieve profound transformations such as those achieved by present-day Germany and the State of Israel, between whom relations as productive as healthy are maintained for the sake of the progress of both nations, This is a consequence of learning from the mistakes of the shared Holocaust and overcoming the traumas generated in its citizens through their self-recognition historical.

About the story itself

Already in a more personal way, being aware of one's own life story. Knowing who our direct ancestors are, what are the cultural aspects that have shaped family behavior, and where customs and customs come from values ​​taught at home, makes us aware of the positive and negative patterns that have left their mark on our lives, allowing us in the same way, as it happens on a large scale with universal history, accept the mistakes of others as a good example of what we should not repeat if we want to obtain different and better results in in favor of a future that contextually also becomes increasingly different due to the change generated through the progress and advances of the rest of humanity and the technology.

On the other hand, the phenomenon of transformations of the new digital and technological era has just made it impossible for a past generation to continue witnessing the events in the same way as future generations, with an exacerbated acceleration in the time line of the history of humanity that had no precedents, and of which we will not know when its speed will slow down, nor how this will affect the handling of the story, especially due to the apparent deformation of the own conception of time, being that now a fact of barely more than three years is already considered as old, also becoming fragile its relevance for the I remember among all the important events that occur daily, knowing then which ones will be of authentic importance, is something that only history tells us. you can clarify it.

It goes beyond “when” and “where”

In addition to locating the facts at a specific time and place, this discipline teaches us to think. Contemplating the experiences that happened before us invites us to reflect on WHY they happened, allows humanity to look at its own reflection, good or bad, and learn from it. This perspective It gives us the possibility of surviving over time. Understanding the cause and effect of certain actions helps us to learn from mistakes of our ancestors and of ourselves in order to transform the world into a better place to live.

There are different ways of creating or analyzing history and this will obviously depend on the ideology, position or knowledge that the historian in question have in advance. In any case, whatever that position may be, any form of history will contribute to continue building the past and our vision of it in a thousand different ways but just as useful and interesting.

Human behavior can be unpredictable at times, but a better understanding, through from the study of history can provide valuable information for future generations. The analysis of our past leaves us very valuable lessons that serve to predict somehow way, the consequences of our actions in the future, without having to pay a very high price for it.

References

Carr, E. H., Maura, J. R., & Rial, H. v. (2010). What is the story? (p. 11). Barcelona: Ariel.

Hobsbawm, E. J., & Garrayo, M. F. (1991). From social history to the history of society. Social History, 5-25.

Koselleck, R., & Gadamer, H. g. (1997). History and hermeneutics. Paidos.

Le Goff, J., & Vasallo, M. (1995). Think the story. Altaya.

Levinas, E. (2006). The contingencies of history. Salamanca: Follow me.

Vainfas, R., & Rodríguez, P. (1996). From the history of mentalities to cultural history. Colombian Yearbook of Social and Cultural History, (23), 219-233.

Photos: iStock – selimaksan / Pamela Moore