What is History to You?

History can, in many ways, be an expression of self. Indeed, that’s how my formation as a historian began. I used to be timid and much more introverted than I am now. As one of the first things I started to become passionate about, the history represented me this way so that I could kick myself into a more social representation of myself. However important history is to me, it still can be somewhat confusing, and the point of it can be lost on many. I think history is one of the most essential things that can be discussed. It is advantageous if we can look upon the past, duh, but using that information, that contextual evidence, and such to prepare ourselves for the future better is something that shouldn’t be lost on anyone. In my opinion, improving yourself, societal infrastructure, and something as simple as just a car is based on looking upon the past, and being fluent in it can offer several positive things. This is why history is essential; we cannot live in the present without using the past as a retrospective tool to improve our conditions in the future. It also just happens that it’s interesting – what’s not fun about looking back on the good or bad choices that others have made? There’s at least some satisfaction in that, at least for me, or in the idea of elevating the stories of the unrecognized, which is why I like history so much. Discovering the stories of people you and nobody you’ve ever talked to have heard of is such a fun exploration – and why I think history can be so compelling, especially if you can tell their story in a way that’s satisfactory to the listener or consumer of the information. That’s the primary usage of history, just the consumption of topics to inform others about. It’s a daily occurrence and allows for, albeit unintentionally, much information consumption. I think History can be used in other ways, though – I already spoke of retrospection, but utilizing it for any critical focus, whether it be societal, physical, to inform people on how to operate in specific fields, you name it, is also an excellent use of history. History can be such an endeavor of broad strokes that I think it’s sometimes hard for me to pick some form or part that is a favorite, but I do find that the most minor fun parts for me is when something just isn’t exciting and sure, that sounds obvious, but I typically will find the motivation to write, to talk, to do whatever about some historical topics, while on the flip side, there are occasions where I’m unable to find motivation to do anything. History can frequently offer reasons to be motivated, but when you’re not, it can be a real struggle. However, outside of that, most aspects or phases of history interest me – nothing is too out there.