History?!?!?

bonitaboricua: History?!?!?
Why is it important to know the history of one’s country and other countries?

Answers and Views:

Answer by GreenGasp Bubblegum
so we can learn from them and not make mistakes

Answer by GoOnOwen
To understand yourself and others.

Answer by M D
If those in the Bush Administration had bothered to learn anything about the history of the Middle East, then they might not have gotten the U.S. involved in a bloody, never-ending quagmire of a war that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people and cost trillions of dollars.

History can save lives.

Answer by adeg_1992
history is amazing, but thats a good question,…
aren’t u curious about how ur country got its independence and all that stuff?

Answer by annabellleigh3
Hate to sound bitchy, but DUH.
You learn from history. It helps you not to make the same mistakes twice.
To know the history of one’s country is a source of pride- you can’t find one that wasn’t built on the backs of thousands, sometimes millions of hard workers that built the foundations of today.
To know the history of other countries is important, for it fascilitates relations between the diverse populations of the world.

Honestly, why do you think history isn’t important. Perhaps that will help you realize the ways it truly IS important.

Think about it.

Answer by J. S.
Let me answer your question with a question:

Why would a person choose to be ignorant about the History of his/her own country and those of other countries?

Answer by grobianischus
Another reason is to find out what really happened, not just the story “they” want you to believe. It would be nice to think that the native Americans just welcomed the Pilgrims, Conquisadors, and fur traders onto thier lands set up a big dinner and just started moving west. Or that Christmas is a real christian holiday and not some amalgam of pagan dates and rituals coopted together to celebrate the birth of Jesus. There are many other examples, it’s not just all dates, there are people and whys and hows that make it interesting and worthwhile. History can be like on big scanadlous tabloid if you are interested.

Answer by emv
History is what has brought us to where we are today, and without looking backwards, it’s hard to fully understand current events. Understanding the “why” of something through history broadens your knowledge about today’s problems. Everything is intertwined, and once you learn about the roots of something, it might change your opinion.

Answer by unitedcats2004
It depends.

If you have no curiosity about the land around you, you don’t need to know your own country’s history.

If you are curious about the news and what our leaders are doing, especially their foreign policy, you need to know at least some basic facts and history about other nations so you can make up your own mind what to think.

If you plan to visit other lands, or interact with their people on a personal or business level here in the USA, a little knowledge will go a long way. I catered or groups of Japanese technical students in CA for years, learning just a smidgen about Japanese culture helped make the whole thing go much more smoothly. Which meant $ $ $ for the company and $ $ $ for me, enlightened self interest here.

However if you never talk about foreign policy or your country’s history (or don’t care if people roll their eyes and ignore you when you do) and never interact with anyone from other lands…then yes, history is of little use to you. Never to late to learn though. 🙂

Personally I love history, but it is often taught badly. I blog about it regularly.

Answer by Percy
You ARE your history.
We can’t learn from either our mistakes or our achievements if we don’t know our History.
Knowing the History of others is important to understand where they’re coming from. Perhaps if more people took the time to do this, there would be less strife, anger and hatred in the World.

Hooray, J.S.!!

Answer by childofhistory1
In order to make intelligent decisions about ANYTHING, one really must understand the history behind it. Whether that is a country, a people, or what to eat for breakfast. If one wants to be a “sheep” and let others make their decisions by herding them in the direction that’s most beneficial to someone elses agenda, then I suppose there would be no need at all. Personally, I don’t want to be a sheep. I like to make my own choices.