History doesn’t repeat itself but it does rhyme
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When your youngest daughter asks over dinner why we should study history, you know you’re about to have a wonderful family conversation. Does history repeat itself? Can we predict the future? These are great questions that are worth talking about.
My oldest daughter started learning about World War 1 in school yesterday. She told us over dinner how interesting and confusing it all sounded. My youngest daughter eventually said: “Why is it important that we learn about history?”
I asked her what she thinks might be helpful about studying history. She immediately answered: “So that we don’t do it again?”
Bingo. We ended up having a wonderful family conversation.
We talked about how we can’t see the future but we can see the past. We said this is powerful because although history doesn’t exactly repeat itself, it sure does rhyme.
We compared the Spanish flu pandemic to our current situation and spoke about how understanding the past helps us make sense of the present.
My personal history is full of lessons, and my yesterday full of treasures. Strong coffee. Writing. Running. Some meditation. Collaborating with my colleagues. My wife’s beautiful voice as she teaches piano via WhatsApp. Hugs from my children. Laughing at Modern Family together. Bedtime stories. Drifting off to sleep.
I’m writing this as the sun is beginning to peak out over the horizon. The stars have been replaced by a beautiful pink-purple sky. I don’t know exactly what today will hold, but I hope it rhymes with yesterday.
I asked her what she thinks might be helpful about studying history. She immediately answered: “So that we don’t do it again?”
Bingo. We ended up having a wonderful family conversation.
We talked about how we can’t see the future but we can see the past. We said this is powerful because although history doesn’t exactly repeat itself, it sure does rhyme.
We compared the Spanish flu pandemic to our current situation and spoke about how understanding the past helps us make sense of the present.
My personal history is full of lessons, and my yesterday full of treasures. Strong coffee. Writing. Running. Some meditation. Collaborating with my colleagues. My wife’s beautiful voice as she teaches piano via WhatsApp. Hugs from my children. Laughing at Modern Family together. Bedtime stories. Drifting off to sleep.
I’m writing this as the sun is beginning to peak out over the horizon. The stars have been replaced by a beautiful pink-purple sky. I don’t know exactly what today will hold, but I hope it rhymes with yesterday.