The Study of History; a Waste of Time?
by Bae Min Soo
In the typical high school curriculum, we have the subject, 'History' -- European History, World History, and/or Korean history, for example. Someone might say that history is a waste of time, but actually it is not. We learn about history because knowing about the past is helpful to our navigating the future.
Through Studying history, we can learn about the various faults and many mistakes that were made. Then, we would not have to replay that kind of mistake again. During the 20th century, World War I and World War II happened because the disparate interests of the industrialized countries did not coincide. The great wars, however, resulted in great disasters wherein enemy powers massacred a lot of people. Since we, the youth of today, learn about the intricacies of these wars; when we grow up, we are likely to be careful, even in small conflicts .
History is humanity's past, present and future. By learning the history of one's own country, people the world over may come to have a modicum of pride in their own country and culture. Koreans, for example, have a stronger sense of identity, and a healthy measure of national pride since they have learned that their origin began with the legendary Dan-Geun ('�ܱ�') who is revered as the son of the King of Heaven. The Japanese believe that they descend from Izana-gi-no-kami (Deity "the Male-Who-Invites"), and his wife Izana-mi-no-kami (Deity "the Female-Who-Invites").
(a holy snake/serpent? called '���ڳ���"--Izana-gi and '���ڳ���'--Izana-mi).
http://www2.plala.or.jp/wani-san/kojiki.html
Not only the origin of a citizenry; but the matter of their having their own history is also a source of great pride to any people. By learning history, sincerely; we tend not to vainly use time for noneffective affairs. The history of nations and of the world also should be at the core of each individual's life. Thus, we must truly understand that history can never be a waste of time.
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