History is the knowledge that humans collectively possess and can use to own advantage. Unfortunately, people seem to ignore the past and strive to reach the future in the fastest way, forgetting the learned lessons and attention to details.
History is significant on several levels and the first is biology. People have always been questioning the origins of the universe and civilized species and biology, along with chemistry, are trying to find ways that prove where people have appeared from. One of the theories supposes that there was a “primordial soup” of chemicals and genetic information that eventually evolved into human beings. Another theory tries to explain the appearance of people as an evolution from primates. In reality, there could be a number of different theories but the question is not as significant as many others. The fact that humans and intelligent life forms exist, should be enough.
The fact that it is, proves that it must be and the question of what this intelligent life form must do is a more important question. Human brain and language, as well as the ability to write, have given a unique chance to record a lot of things that take place. There are many ancient historians who were also philosophers. History is key to understanding humanity and development of civilizations, as it is possible to trace the evolution of human thought and understanding.
It is also interesting to compare the ancient times to the way life is today. From ancient texts, it is possible to see that the economy was much different and people’s businesses had different criteria. Trading was prevalent and money was non-existent. People would be using precious metals and other valuable minerals for setting the worth of something. There are many things that shape history and human understanding, biology and economics are only a few of many.
Another aspect of history that is important for humanity is the geographical location of a certain nation. The environment determines the way people lead their lives and what they can offer to each other. Some nations are secluded and their history is not as specific. Not a lot of global events take place for them and so, recoding of historical texts is not as controlled. In comparison to a nation that has well-established cities and an intertwined network of several nations, there is much more development there. An important role is played by the accumulation or riches in certain geographical areas, which led to the conflict of powers.
People have always been looking for better conditions of living and greater ability to rule the land and be able to control the masses. The lands near rivers and large bodies of water were the ones to get developed first, as people need water for survival. As is obvious, there is not a significant amount of civilizations that developed in the deserts and thus, history revolves around lands that are abundant with life and conditions needed for human and animal survival. It is interesting to see the connection between physical and geographical conditions of the land to religion. In ancient times people very much believed in a number of Gods who would be responsible for a certain type of physical entity.
There was a God of water, earth, sky, wind and so on. People have always had a need to believe in a higher being, a form of force that governs all that is in the world. This creates a sense of purpose, as well as comfort that people will be supported and helped in case such need arises. History has been very much formed by people’s beliefs in God and modern religion is the proof of that. All nations in the world have some sort of God that they believe in.
For example, in the Christian religion, God is the central figure and the Bible has become a historical text that shapes civilization and demands obedience. People’s views grow according to what the higher force allows them to do, and this, in turn, sets up the events that take place. The Crusades have been a major event historically, and it is obvious to see that people in the past and present are greatly affected by it. In the old days, people believed that God would approve extermination of certain peoples and they were able to find historical and religious writings that gave them permission to do so. In modern days, people realize how wrong and selfish people were in committing such atrocities in the name of God. It is said that the Catholic Church has done some wrongs that have become the history and the Pope had to apologize for the horrors that were done in the name of God. Religion is a large part of history, just as history is a part of religion.
Great nations and people that represent the society also contribute to the way history is recorded and understood. The nation forms a certain reputation and understanding of reality. A powerful and wealthy nation will be able to have more say in global matters and have an influence on other countries. This will lead to an ability to control resources and matters in other places in the world. The history that is recorded is being affected by the nation’s power and global control. The famous people, scientists, and thinkers are the movers of progress, as they add something absolutely new, which changes the way people understand themselves and the world around them.
An example would be breakthroughs in physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy. There are many other branches of sciences that completely turn around the understanding of the world. Before, people thought that Earth rests on elephants or turtles, and then it was thought that it is flat or the center of the universe. The modern people, reading this history, think it is ridiculous and cannot even imagine and contemplate how people could think this way. The technology within the past several decades proves how little people know still and the future is expected with caution and awe. It is somewhat possible to predict what the future will bring but the amount of possibilities is endless, so what will happen specifically, is unknown. Some say that technology will take over the world and robots or cyborgs will rule humanity.
Popular movies often show experimentations with people and genetics that lead to something that cannot be controlled by humanity. The only sure thing that is possible to predict is that technology will become even more interconnected with people and where it will go from there is hard to guess. There is a great number of unforeseen conditions and forces that have a major contribution to the development of events and affecting recorded history.
It is extremely important to know history because people must learn from past mistakes so that the future does not bring the same horrific scenes from history books. One of the major setbacks is that there were cases in the past when history books were re-written by a dominant nation or power. This was done to show certain countries or people in a better light and hide secrets that would bring an unwanted reputation. The great leaders are also people and the mistakes that they have made do not display strength and intelligence. But the fact that they are in power, gives them an opportunity to hide their wrongs and deceive people.
Even today, there is a lot about the past and the present that is not known and kept secret by the authorities. The true matter of things is very grim, as it is almost impossible to know what really happened historically. No one is able to return to the moment in the past and see what transgressed. There are many cases when several sources describe the same event in different ways and this raises a lot of questions. Often, people who record history and events, add something from themselves, to make it more appealing to the future generations or to hide the faults of their time. It is important that everyone leads their own historical accounts of events so that they can rely on their own development and the connection to their relatives and communities.
The study of history entails an important concept that is meant to educate on how people behave and what rules their conscious and unconscious minds tend to adhere to. History is very much tied with sociology and psychology, as well as philosophy, as it describes the individual and the influences that one person was able to spread around them and own beliefs. History always revolves around a person and so, the understanding of human wants, needs, and desires is key to understating history and events that take place. It is very difficult to be impartial in teaching history, as every nation has a want to display itself in a better light.
Historical events that have left an undeniable trace cannot be doubted. The wars of the past and present are a clear example of something that must be taught and never forgotten. Even though there are many examples of the wrongs that people did in the past the present day events show that people have not learned from their mistakes. People still raise arms against each other in the fight for land and resources. This supposes a sad fact that people are not very well developed and civilized yet. If humans have to resort to wars without the want to share and make everyone equal, this means that human civilization is rather young.
The worlds that are described in science fiction books and movies give a glimpse into how it might be. A world without crime and illegal activities is the goal of every person and nation. History has proven that deceitful and criminal ways are not the avenue to be taken, as the only thing that increases progress is human kindness and dependence on each other.
Historical information is crucial to understanding people but it is important to not forget that some things might be skewed. Everyone who studies history tries to understand humanity and the self a little more and so, every person must use own clear judgment and logic in understanding the past and predicting the future.