September 4, 2025
History can sometimes feel like a dusty shelf in the corner of the classroom. Old maps, timelines, and stories of people who seem far removed from our lives today. But the truth is, history isn’t just something that happened—it’s something that keeps happening. And the way we remember it (or fail to remember it) determines how well we navigate today.
When I think about why we teach history, the answer seems simple: so we don’t repeat our mistakes. But anyone who’s lived long enough knows it’s not that simple. Wars still erupt, prejudices still fester, greed still drives people to make terrible choices. Remembering alone doesn’t guarantee we’ll act differently.
The real point of teaching history is that second half of the thought: to do better. That’s where things get personal.
Doing better doesn’t mean you’ll never fall into the same traps again—it means you recognize the warning signs sooner. Think about your own life. Maybe you’ve touched a hot stove once and learned not to do it again. Or maybe, like me, you’ve made the same boneheaded mistake three or four times before it really sank in. History works the same way. We can learn on the first try or keep circling back until we finally decide enough is enough.
Sometimes, the “history” we need to remember isn’t centuries old, it’s from last week. I think about times I’ve lost my temper with my kids. I remember the looks on their faces, the way the room went quiet, and the guilt that followed. That’s my personal history. Teaching it to myself means holding up the mirror and saying: You don’t want to repeat this. Doing better means choosing patience next time, even when it’s hard.
And there’s the magic of this thought. History isn’t just about the grand sweep of nations and battles. It’s about each of us, choosing whether we’ll carry our past mistakes forward or put them down and grow from them.
One of my favorite posts I’ve written was about what it means to stop pulling people out of the river and go upstream to see why they’re falling in. History is our upstream. If we don’t look back and ask why, we’ll keep rescuing people without ever solving the real problem.
So maybe the next time you find yourself in a frustrating cycle—at work, in a relationship, even just with your morning routine—ask yourself: what’s the history here? And more importantly: how can I remember it in a way that pushes me to do better?
Because if history teaches us anything, it’s that forgetting is easy. But remembering, and then choosing to act differently—that’s where the real growth happens.
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