Everything Counts: 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results

Chapter 51. History Counts

"Those who came before us have shaped us and we will influence those who succeed us after we too descend into the deep of time."

History is the chronicle of the length and breadth of humankind's activities—the manuscript of the memory of life itself. Every citizen, regardless of race, religion, or gender, must know the history of the land to which they pledge allegiance. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people are historically illiterate, which results in a sorry ignorance of our great past.

History serves as the study and interpretation of the record of people, societies, and civilizations. The term history comes from the Greek historia, which means "an account of one's inquiries."

But, you might wonder—why study history? What's in it for me? Because history is all we have to make sense of the present. It's important to know that the world did not begin the moment we arrived. We have a past and a history that helps judge the present and prepare for the future. History exists in all of our lives, and we each make our own through our choices, actions, and relationships.

Knowledge of history extends our vision, enlarges our mind and imagination, and expands the range of our thinking. If we are to understand ourselves, our country and the world, we must know history and those who made it, for our past is theirs, and their future is ours. Where there is history, we can acquire the knowledge and wisdom of old age. Without an understanding and appreciation of ...