the past..does it matter?

Question

people i hear, say that the past doesn't matter. it's a waste of time thinking abt the past, because the past is the past.. then can i know, why do we have an entire subject called "History" which teachers us ABOUT the past??

doesn make sense to me..

Answer 1

I believe it matters. It also (history) can be fun to learn.
The past teaches us, good or bad. If we did not know the past, our "now" lives would be completely changed, & not for the better.
Some people who have suffered brain damage, have lost their short term or long term memory (history). You can see the problems this would make, if e.g, each day you knew nothing of your surroundings and the people in your life.
Why study history?Again, it teaches us. It may be fun to know of your great, great, great grandparents.
We live in only the "present," the now. Past is only a memory; the Future,we can plan for what we hope will happen, but realistically, no one knows what the very next second will bring.
Our past gives us connections. We can bring those into the "now," and possibly apply them to our future. Without "history," we would not know what others have done: good or bad.
I play piano. I've studied with a teacher who was a student of a Rachmaninoff. From her, bringing forth her past, she can pass it on, and a student can learn how the composer wanted his music to be played.
To get excited about "history," and the past, find something you enjoy, then learn all you can about it--which means you will be studying history.
Yes, the past matters; but we can't dwell there. Time will pull us forward, without any effort on our part.
Don't let "bad" things that took place in the past, stop you from enjoying the present--either forget about it or use it as a tool to help your current state of being.
History is memories, either thought, written, or recorded in some other way.
While true, you can't change the past, you can use it to change yourself. Hopefully, knowing history, recent or ancient, will help your life be better.

Answer 2

You've already lost the Essenes of the history and the reasons for going to school when you say what's the sence of the past, to forget it.

A man coined a phrase a long time ago "Lest we forget" was used in the British landings of the English at Dunkirk and the almost total destruction of the British forces at that infamous landing now.

What Sir Winston Churchill meant was to build on the past, "don't forget the past and those that gave so much for so many" once you forget the past, it will rise up like the Thunder bird and come back for a vengeance.

Answer 3

The people who say the past doesn't matter are people who aren't happy with it. They either refuse to believe it, don't want to believe it or they try convince other people it didn't happen that way.
That's why we have to record history.
There's a guy on another question that's saying the history of America started when people sailed here from West Africa and that the American Indians are descendants from Africans and therefore America belongs to Africa. That guy knows that's not true., but it doesn't matter, he knows if he can convince enough people then it can become true.
That's why we record history as it happens.

Answer 4

People who say the past doesn't matter are morons, or children who think they don't like the subject in school -- and most of this dislike is caused by ineffectual teaching.

George Santayana said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it," and there are constant proofs of this -- even the idea behind phrase itself is not original, the phrase "there is nothing new under the sun" is credited to an ancient Roman, and before that, there was something similar in the Bible.

You really do have to understand the past to get a grasp on the present, and therefore the future.

On the other hand, we have phrases like, "what's past is past," which implies that the past does not matter... but what THAT one really means is that you can't change the past. It's true you can't change the past, but it's also true that what happened before DOES matter.

The past, and history, do matter. When people who don't understand that concept grow up and become president, they do foolish things like involve us in wars of personal vendetta like this morass in Iraq.

Answer 5

It is important to learn about the past as it gives us a perspective on the present. Learning about history is also learning about philosophy, science, medicine, literature etc. If you know the cause of something e.g. bubonic plague then you can take steps to ensure it does not happen again. In this way our past informs and shapes our future so it is essential that we know our history. The past is not just "the past". If you take your point to its extreme then why did you bother asking your question and making your point, because you will not read the answer as it is in the past.

Answer 6

We are all formed by our past history, whether it be world or family. Lessons have and will be learnt from what has been and what is to come. Our history is where we are from after all without a history we would not be here.

Its a great question and really does have many answers. Yes some do say its not important but I think its a shame they can't see the wonderful culture and stories the world has given us.

Answer 7

the past absolutely matters. the past is the only place where we have proven what can happen.

a person may say "i'm a good person, i mean no harm, things just happen," however their past is actual proof of what they are capable of, whether or not you actually think so.

however, there is more power in the future--the opportunity to change and make things better. but in order to do that, you must recognize and acknowledge the past, what led you there, so you will know it when it accosts you in the future. Only then can you avoid that obstacle and move to where you want to go. (individually and collectively)

Answer 8

Yes it matters.

It is said that if you don't learn from history, it is bound to repeat itself.

That means if you ignore situations that the country got into before you are bound to find yourself repeating a war gone bad (references to Vietnam and Iraq)

How do you know another country isn't going to repeat the Holocaust? History will tell you what led up to that event.

If a person wants to know if they are at risk for certain ailments, they will check their family medical history to see if their realitives died from similar diseases.

What are your rights as an American? It is contained in our history where those rights come from and what they meant when they were established.

History teaches us about our future because it shows us where we have come from, which means it shows too where we are going.



g-day!

Answer 9

The past has made up who you are now. But you can always make a fresh start.

Acceptance is better than trying to forget.

You need the past for time to exist.

Answer 10

i think it matters till some point. knowing the past is important as it allows you to know yourself and to understand why we live this way.
but getting attached to it is just ridiculous. you know, when older people say that there were better days before and so on can't let go of it and they keep on living in the past.
the past is important, but the present and the future are more important.