Greetings one, greetings all.
Forgive the ramble. When I am writing this, it is late and I had a long day.
Lately, history seems to be coming back in the spotlight. On one hand, you have groups of people fighting over whether a Confederate statue coming down changes history or corrects it. On the other side of the world, you have North Korea who is firing missiles at neighbors. Nuclear missiles. Then much closer to home you have groups of people who 1) Never witnessed 9-11. And/or 2) Believe that it was a setup by our own government.
The best part is the mob mentality that is in high gear on social media.
Oh, you state an opinion that conflicts with their opinion? Boom, attacks on the individual and insults run free and wild. And of course, they are innocent and what not.
Or maybe that is just me going from one social media page to the next.
But that did get me to thinking: how much are we changing history?
Is removing a statue going to make people forget it? That it will no longer honor a system of slavery? What do we lose if we stop talking about the Holocaust? Or the known facts of 9-11? Will that make a difference? I remember what I was doing on 9-11. I was sitting in front of the TV playing with Legos. Yellow thin ones were in my hands when I looked up and saw the two buildings with smoke pouring out of their sides. Of people jumping. I remember the camera capturing the first one to fall. Then the second one. Hearing about the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. I remember the shock and fear on my mother’s face. Watching our military force repaint their vehicles from the forest green to the desert brown.
But there are generations that did not witness 9-11.
They don’t remember a time when we were not in the East. Or that our military hardware was painted dark green, not light brown. Or that bombs exploding in industrial countries were unheard of.
To them, this is the norm. Everything my generation grew up with is in the past. History. A bit sobering to think that your childhood memories of watching old cartoons are weird and outdated. Makes me want to go to my parents and apologize for making fun of their childhood shows.
And have them wonder what in the world is dial up. Or that at one point in time, mailing a letter was the fastest a text message could go. Or that you couldn’t talk to someone six time zones away on your cell phone. If we wanted to do that, we better have sixty dollars worth of quarters, no one else waiting to use the booth, and a real friendly telephone operator.
If you know what I’m talking about, smile. If you don’t, then you are illustrating a point of mine: lost history.
How much of history have we lost simply because no one is teaching the whole of it? We know the Christians Knights of the Middle Age marched off on crusades and invaded lands. But how many people know that it was in response to the Muslim Moors invading from the East? Let’s try something closer. Japanese internment at the beginning of World War II. That was not the best move but it was understandable. Why? Because the government of that time just got surprised attacked by Japan. They feared a Fifth Column, their own citizens rebelling and aiding the enemy. A fear that Germany came close to making true except one of their recruits came to our side. Yes, I like military history.
We remember history to learn from our past, both the failures and the success. But if we forget the circumstances of that time, the information available only then, then we lose part of our history. No. History isn’t always fun or pleasant. But we can’t hide away the parts we don’t like. Or change the parts that hurt. We, as a civilization, must face the past and learn from it in its entirety if we want to stop repeating mistakes.
Which brings me back around to social media. If a photo with some words pops up. Doubt it. Check it. Demand sources. Check for yourself. And if you find your assumption to be wrong. Either keep digging or accept that you are wrong. Don’t let others do your thinking for you or you’ll become a puppet.
Thank you for reading my rambles!
Poetria 1839 