Talking about the past is important. Many historians and politicians (from Thucydides to Churchill) have emphasised the usefulness of the past due to its ability to teach us lessons for the future.
Establishing a dialogue with the past can help us to understand how we arrived at the present. It can allow us to see life differently, though the eyes of someone unlike ourselves. It can help us to make informed political decisions. It can pull us from a cycle of mistakes and help us to face future problems with some certainty.
While many lessons remain unlearned, we must not lose sight of the past, let it become obscured by ‘alternative facts’, or become used to turn people against each other under banners of racism, nationalism or sexism. To remain aware we must talk: about the past, to the past, about the future.
This blog looks to provoke dialogue, provide information contrary to ‘alternative facts’ which look to inform people along politically-directed lines, and to trace through modern history the essence of today.
Talking to the Past 