Why Should We Study History?

Why should we bother with what has been, and not just what is or will be? For many people, history does not matter and is not a big part of an individual’s conscious day to day life. However, history is a big part of everyone’s life whether they know it or not and is a big part of the reason they have what they do today. If history had not aligned in that certain way, would you be here today? In that sense, everyone is involved. 

Without education of things like the atrocities of the Holocaust and the death of both World Wars, how could humans know what it is like and how to keep it from happening again? I know most people do not want another world war or holocaust,  but if we were uneducated of the events and steps leading to such events how could we prevent it? It is important to at least have basic knowledge of history and your countries history to better understand and appreciate the culture and events leading to where we all are today.

History skills can be used in a variety of careers, inlcuding but not limited to many Museum jobs, and Archaeologists. To get a career going with a History degree you really need to love what you do, because they are jobs that require a lot of knowledge, wisdom and love of the subject. It takes a lot of work to get into a career that uses a History degree but if you really enjoy it and are dedicated to it, it is possible.

History also helps with perspective on current media events, as you can connect it to the past and what was going on in that time or connect it to the events previous to have a better understanding of what may happen. You can make educated guesses on the events and more deeply connect to what is being told to you rather than just taking it in and walking away from it. For example, if Trump added a new policy that required Muslims to be publicly identified as Muslim instead of just a human being, you could relate that to the events leading up to the holocaust and attempted genocide of the Jewish people.

In conclusion, history is important to many people whether they acknowledge it in their lives, and can be used for a variety of things even if they are small and even big things such as a career.