History
To lead a nation one must possess a depth of knowledge about what happened before they were born. Knowledge of the past and the people that brought our world into the conditions that exist today. How many of our servants in Washington have studied, in any depth, US and International history? Not just the white washed kind offered in public and private school text books; those mostly abridged versions churned out by textbook publishers. I’m talking about history written by scholars who have conducted deep dives into the lives of the people who are responsible for our world then and now.
Historians who dive deep into documentation to understand the people of the past and how their decisions became the foundation of their time, and subsequently our own. Documenting all their greatness, their foibles, their wars, their drive for freedoms or oppression; uncovering their contributions to the world of art, music, and the sciences. While referenced, this level of depth is not covered by the likes of Scholastic, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill Education and other publishers who dominate the school book publishing business. A single textbook and basic courses in history, the humanities, and civics (if civics exists anymore) cannot possibly help individuals form a complete understanding of how the world became what it is.
I am referring to the type of historical documentation that enables people, especially people who wield great power, to connect the dots between peoples and the leadership of their countries to our own history. I fear that many who wield great power feel they own a get-out-of-jail-free card to bypass the need — the necessity — of understanding what happened in the past to help them evaluate, then make critical decisions pertinent to the world today.
Am I correct that too many in Washington, or our state governments, skip over or pay little attention to the understanding of history? Cicero was correct when he wrote, “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?”
Our servants in government undoubtedly had history classes in their elementary, middle and high school years. When they decided to have a career in politics they probably (hopefully) had university and college level courses offering some sort of historical context. That is if they paid attention and didn’t snore their way through those classes. Or if they were lucky and had teachers (and there are many) who help encourage students to develop a love of history and its relevance to the world.
But my greatest fear is not about a politicians understanding of history, or lack of, but rather what’s handed to them in the form of greenbacks. In my mind I often see this as wads of cash given to them by lobbyists who tell them how things are, and how to write legislation (if the lobbyist orgs haven’t written the legislation which in all likelihood they have). Our servant puppets deposit the cash while smiling and lying to the public as they go about conducting the business of corporations. History and its relevance to the real world are wholly ignored. The past has little, if any, influence on their decisions as we bear witness to history in the making: as of this writing that history will be the folding of our democracy and our way of life.
Actually, all this isn’t so much a fear as it is an acknowledgement of reality. A reality that goes far beyond the current occupant of the White House. I wonder, will those book publishers accurately record this time in our history? Or merely gloss over the lies and blunders of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, the entirety of the GOP, the corporate Democrats, our institutions filling up with sycophants, or our former enemies and combatants now referred to as allies?
Without a radical shift in the way we conduct the business of the country it will be the latter.
