Whoa. More people care about this topic than I ever would have expected.
On one of my History teacher's rants, an important point was brought to light: not only do human beings have a tendency to forget to look behind them and ahead of them, but we don't even look around us. We know so little about the past; and part of that can't be remedied, especially in cases of truth being distorted or only certain people recording events, and thus recording them from their own point of view (ie American vs. British or Canadian views on the War of 1812), but mostly from apathy or lack of interest. We cannot know the future, but at least we can look around us and see the present. As my teacher said, we don't even know who we are. We have forgotten our past; and without it, how can we have a future? It was sad to realize that some people don't even know important facts about their own country, their own culture or the people in it.
The education system has been a recipent of my exasperation ever since I was in it. History has been lumped together with Geography to form Social Studies, which I previously believed was an entirely different subject (the study of societies and cultures). But sometimes (and this is a rather painful truth) it is not the system that needs reform but the people in it.
How can we teach anyone anything if they won't listen? Ignorance can be credited to feelings such as apathy, stupidity, and (in my generation's case) the pressure from peers to appear cool: thus, not caring. What we need is someoen to show them that not only is it very cool to care, caring also defines our existence.
Whoa. Rather long rant, thanks for sitting here and listening to me babble.
[ June 01, 2002: Message edited by: Aosama, the Wandering Star ]
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