1. Why Does History Matter?

One of the common misconceptions of history is that it is merely a discipline that leads one to an unproductive past. Some think about it as some moribund discipline that is just about telling stories or a collection of memories. In an age of rapid technological advancement that seeks to focus more on the future and reinvent the world, the idea of studying history falls to the fringes of academic concerns or personal interests. This is even more challenging as different public institutions are gradually excluding the study of history from their curriculum and focusing on disciplines in the sciences. Then, the interrogative: Does history really matter? It becomes necessary to ask. But what does the lack of history tell us about our world, and why should the world return to the programmatic arrangement of placing history at the centre?

The dangers and gaps of a lack or loss of the sense of history narrow down to a few words: loss of ‘collective or individual identity,’ ‘loss of understanding, ’ and ‘lack of direction. ’ When a person, group of persons or an institution have no history or no knowledge of its history, it is challenging to be told lies about anything, and such a person or group becomes susceptible to errors. The title of one of Fulton J. Sheen’s books captures this well, ‘Old errors, new labels. The decline in learning history or lack of historical consciousness opens our generation to old mistakes in new labels. Contrary to what the postmodernist world pursues, which is a look into the future, if we lack a sense of history, we shall end up going back into the past rather than moving into the future. When we have no history or a clear idea of what our history is, we also risk the authenticity and sanctity of the truth. The flip side of a postmodernist world is that it has inaugurated a post-truth age. In this era, objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. The problems of post-truth are varied, but it makes anything pass for truth or what is correct, including half-truths, convoluted truths, politically correct narratives, and so on.

If truth matters, then issues of history. Do we really care about the truth? Knowing the truth about things gives meaning and purpose. If we wish to live a purpose-driven life, then we must be interested in where we are coming from; only then can we know where we are going clearly and be directed appropriately. If we seek meaning and understanding, then learning history is essential. Learning history is beyond the idea of a curriculum discipline. It is also for practical purposes. Learning history makes us place value on telling our own stories ourselves. We must be concerned about who is telling a story and the source of the story. When we do not tell our own stories, we leave others to say them for us, and sometimes, it becomes susceptible to errors. If we care about truth and meaning, then we need history. If we tell our stories, we are able to define our own identity. Anyone who cannot explain himself would fall for any definition offered to him. But for us to have a clear identity, we need to know our own history. This is also true of anything we seek its true identity; we must seek its history. This explains why most theoretical disciplines of any subject begin with the history of the idea or subject. This helps to define it and allows for an understanding. For instance, if you wish to have a clear identity of religious worship or belief, knowing its history is important.

History is not just about knowledge of the past; it gives understanding. Understanding is superior to knowledge. Understanding gives meaning to things. Value is built from finding meaning in something. For instance, an old art drawing may not make sense to you, but it could to some other people because of what it stands for. This is why an old artwork can be sold at an expensive price. The value of a thing is built from the meaning it holds, and its meaning is based on the history behind it. In religion, for instance, some things have been demystified because they hold no meaning for some people, and this is only due to the people’s lack of understanding of its history. The Cross of Christ is central to Catholicism because of its history of salvation. If we remove the history of salvation, a modern-day Christian may not know the value and meaning of the cross. To lack a sense of history is to risk having the meaning of things and the loss of value in those things, too. If we lack a sense of history, life can only become banal.

One of the dangers of our age is the lack of historical consciousness. This is the ability to think of the present in relation to the past and the future, to understand that our actions today are influenced by the events of yesterday and will shape the outcomes of tomorrow. When we lack historical consciousness, one can assume a new office and burn all the old papers without a filter because it means nothing to them. But, this may be cutting the individual from a rich historical past that could make him understand things in the organisation. This is a lack of historical consciousness. The loss of this sense always makes us start from ground zero when we should be building on a foundation. Failure always begins when a person does not build on the success of the past and learns from past errors. The temptation to break from the past or lack of this historical consciousness is what Pope Francis describes as a ‘cancel culture’. But the lack of historical consciousness is grave. It makes us shallow, hollow and parochial. We tend to revolve everything around ourselves. History makes us walk into the future equipped with a light. A lack of historical consciousness makes us walk into the future blind. The consequence is a trial-and-error approach to things. If we do not know things as they were, we may not be able to make meaningful or enduring changes.

The lack of historical consciousness has birthed one of the deadliest vices in our world today, and that is amnesia. We are a people who forget. When we forget, we fail to draw on the wisdom of experience, which is arguably the best teacher. To be detached from history is to be disarmed. To lose history is to be steeped in ignorance. When we lack historical consciousness and also suffer a great deal of amnesia, it could easily lead to a lack of creative imagination. Then, the future becomes bleak, or we navigate it with incredible difficulty. But, when we equip ourselves with history, we have a “sense of proportion and perspective”, as Pope Francis says in his Letter on the Renewal of the Study of Church History (21 November 2024).

In religious worship today, many of the errors we encounter are products of a lack of history. History helps us foster a proper understanding and appreciation of religious mysteries and teachings. Understanding our religious history helps us avoid old errors in modern garb. In a world steeped in revisionism, history helps us know what things are as they are and helps us avoid simulation and deceit. History keeps us afloat on the journey of life with meaning.