History

“History is the sum total of things that could have been avoided.”-

Konrad Adenaur

Weighed down by the burden 

Of an unimaginative, rote-based curriculum

Learning historical facts appeared to me

The grandest exercise in futility-

Yesterday was dead; it did not make sense

To spend time on the past, in the presence

Of exciting events taking place everywhere

I looked to the future, why did I have to care

About the dark ages steeped in ignorance

I could not see the world through their lens..

I concentrated all my efforts and energy

On the future, that seemed a clever strategy..

I ignored the five thousand year old history

Of my people, little did I care for my ancestry…

**

As I grow older in a world with shrinking borders

I am exposed to political turmoil and disorder

I have realized all manifest conflicts today

Have their genesis in the pages of yesterday

With time I have realized that, inevitably

In my lifetime I have seen the creation of history

The past is inextricably intertwined

With the present, we humans are destined

To weave a new future on the tapestry

Of the past; thus the importance of history..

**

So I decided to get acquainted with the past

Was afraid my enthusiasm would not last-

I was so wrong; I ended up enthralled

By history of mankind, how we had evolved

The subject that had such a burden been

In school, was fascinating when with new eyes seen-

I see now how history can encourage and inspire

People to follow their ambitions and desires. 

(This photograph was taken at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington DC.)