It’s no secret that I love reading, learning about, researching, and watching history. In my lifetime, I witnessed the moon landing; the threat of nuclear war from Cuba; the Vietnam war; JKennedy, MLK, and RKennedy’s assassinations; the energy crisis of the 70s; the space shuttle explosion; the fall of the Berlin Wall; Oklahoma City bombing; 9/11; Desert Storm; Kuwait; the Covid pandemic; the war on Gaza; and the list goes on and on. Witnessing history is amazing. I know the emotions that go through the populations at times when something “big” is happening.
Lately, Hubby and I have been watching a lot of historical documentaries. Most of them were the life stories of presidents. We started one series about the presidents, started with Washington and went through Lincoln. They covered their political careers and issues they promoted or that dogged them during their terms. What amazes me is some of the issues they faced are similar to some of the issues we’ve faced in recent years. Seems not that much has changed, only the names and years and intensity.
That’s the thing about history. It’s written by the victor and not the defeated. I consider this when reading historical accounts. Whose perspective is it drawn from and what are their biases? The more interesting tales are the viewpoints of the latter group and sometimes provides a more truthful account of what really happened. I love reading about the good and bad parts of history because both have lessons to be learned. I can see what led to good times, how not to be, and where to be distrustful of what I’m being told. History is full of awful, terrible things humans did to each other. Knowing how we reached that point is very important to know so we don’t repeat it.
As I said in my blog about Historiography, “Search for the truth, not what you want to hear. Read for the truth, and not what you think. You can’t learn if you think you already know it all.” The truth likely lies in middle of the victor’s and loser’s accounts. Knowing both sides of a conflict or issue helps us understand the situations that were, are, or may be. History truly repeats itself. Learn, watch, and see.
I John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Ephesians 4:14 …that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting…