The Past is the Past, and I Study the Past

Once when I was in high school, I was studying history with a friend when he boldly stands up and announces that history is stupid. He begins declaring with all the angst of a lazy pubescent teenager that we shouldn't have to study history, and how it doesn't really affect our future. After all, he wanted to be an accountant, not a historian. I however found his words revolting yet paralyzing. I could not find the words to defend history, but I did find my passion for history that day.

Later that year, I had the pleasure of taking a Catholic Moral Foundations class where we watched the movie Everything is Illuminated. It is a film about an American Jew who goes to Ukraine to discover what happened to his ancestors during the Holocaust. The film was surprisingly historical, but one line sticks with me:

"I have reflected many times upon our rigid search. It has shown me that everything is illuminated in the light of the past. It is always along the side of us, on the inside, looking out. Like you say, inside out. Jonathan, in this way, I will always be along the side of your life. And you will always be along the side of mine."

If you have the opportunity to see it, do it!

Upon hearing these words, I knew why I love history. Everything is illuminated by the light of the past! By its light, the present makes sense, and with historical interpretation, I can discern what the past can teach us today. Hence the name of this blog, The Illuminated Lighthouse.

Come on! Those flowers! Check out this movie.