History Is Race Memory
History is “race memory”. Just as a man’s memory connects his past life to the present, so the history of a nation is its memory of its past. How could we live as person without having memory? There have been strange cases of complete failure or loss of memory? A man has suddenly forgotten his name and who he is. His past life becomes an absolute blank to him. In such a case, a man has to begin life all over again. He really loses his individuality, and has to learn to be another person.
In the same way, if a nation knows nothing of its history, it has lost his nations memory, and so its identity. It is practically a new nation, for all to learn. And if we know nothing of the history of our country, we cannot have the true feelings of nationhood, for we cannot enter into its traditions, its national feelings and ambitions. Knowledge about our own nation’s history gives us the key to spread the spirit of our nation.
The present has grown out of the past, as the flower has developed from the seed. We cannot understand properly our present national customs, thoughts and ideals and our present institutions, if we don’t know how these things have come to be what they are. As we know when a child is grown up in the atmosphere of home, with a family like mother, father, sisters & brothers. In this atmosphere he learns about the values, about the customs, about the religion, about his family past and about his nations past. Without a knowledge of history we cannot live the present, perfectly
If we are patriot or love our nation or country then we should know the past stories to our younger generation and must tell the sacrifices of our elders. That is how they achieved their goal, how they got this precious country. If the coming generation don’t know about their own history then how they will have the spirit of development for the nation, how they will develop their selves for the betterment of their great nation and how they will be able to save their nation committing the mistakes of the past , and guide it on right lines for the future.
The study of the history gives us pleasure and broadness of the mind. But, in addition, the study of the history can give us much delight and instructions too. There is much in the records of any country which is interesting and romantic, anything finding in novels and words of fiction. A study of history, moreover, broadness the mind, enlarges the sympathies and quickens the imagination. As we read, the great performance of our forefathers, and the achievements of other nations, our mind becomes familiar with many noble and great figures. We come to feel a deeper interest, not only for our own people, but for all mankind. We understand the noble words of the Roman poet, I am a man, and nothing human is unfamiliar to me.
By Rehana Khan
