Please try reading some history

 

                In recent months there has been a drastic increase in the talk about race. Unfortunately, the discussion hasn’t been about how to improve things. Instead the discussion has been about whether or not we should teach history. That’s it, are we allowed to teach history? Apparently simple history can cause harm to people. They are going to assume that they, in the here and now with no say in the past are evil, they aren’t going to be able to differentiate the evils of the past with who they should be now.

                The argument that is most prominent, is that our kids are so fragile that they aren’t capable of understanding that things in the past were horrific. There is this belief that our kids are destined to either continue the hate, or feel that they are responsible for the hate. If they are responsible for the hate then that is a burden that they shouldn’t bear.

                I grew up learning history, my grades may not back it up, but I’ve always been fascinated by history. Nothing has made me more who I am than history. Learning about history has not made me feel evil, quite the contrary, it has made me feel empowered. I can be the change, I can ensure that everyone has the rights that I take for granted. I can ensure that people feel comfortable with their station. I can ensure that all are treated the same in the court of law. I can do my best to ensure that no one is judged by just walking their dog down the street.

                America has a lot to answer for. You cannot deny it. We need to do better, we need to figure out and understand the people around us. We all make up this country, if we can’t understand each other we are doomed. We are going to be destroyed. If we cannot teach the past no matter how horrific it can be, we will never learn. We will be destined to repeat ourselves. We will continue to ignore what made us…us….we will repeat the past and cause a huge amount of pain and death.