Value of revisiting the past...

 

Growing up, reading History was boring to say the least. I failed to see the relevance of learning about the past. Also, there were hardly any bright job prospects with this subject.

But with time (inevitably) and better judgement (hopefully ;) I find that this view was myopic and flawed.

I think the retelling of an extreme event (like Nazi Holocaust, Hindu genocide of Kashmir etc) may evoke strong emotions. That is natural. But there is a logic to why History is taught in schools. So that we may LEARN FROM THE PAST and RESPOND TO THREATS / OPPORTUNITY better.

I see little harm in people encouraging each other to watch a movie based on publicly available incontrovertible historical facts.

At School level, Sir Francis taught us about Concertation camps' atrocities in Std 8. I thought it was crazy to shell shock 8th Graders to such inhumanity. But it also made us aware that the real world is not a fairy tale.

IF a bad event has happened, we must ensure it never happens again. If you are living with a menace (of religious extremism, brainwashed frenzied mobs, neglecting defence of nation etc), then it is right for the common people to know and understand the threat. No point in brushing it under the carpet and pretend "ALL IS WELL" till someday similar bad things happen to you.

The Jewish people of Europe never believed the spread of Nazism will impact them. They had always lived peacefully with their neighbours. Till it was too late.... and they ended up in Concentration camps.  

The Incas were happy in their prosperity, knowledge, city planning etc. till the Spanish invaders came ashore and eventually wiped them out. The Incas’ skewed expertise in religion, architecture (their network of roads through the region are famous) but deficient military wherewithal (no swords, horses etc) proved to be their Achilles’ heel. It is why I found “Guns Germs and steel” & “Collapse” by Jared Diamond to be eye opening must-reads.