What
are the negatives of writing history?
1.
The
author will never die rich.
While it is highly unlikely I will die
wealthy, I have become all the more enriched because I have explored a topic
simply because it intrigues me and because it might sell well. Civil War
history is one of those areas which has a devoted following. Generally,
anything about generals, and Gettysburg will sell. But many of the Civil War
authors I know, generally (pun intended) explore a particular niche which
fascinates them because it FASCINATES them.
2.
It’s
boring.
No
problem. If you do not like history, do not read it unless you are forced to,
like in a high school or college course.
3.
It’s
about old dead people. Who cares?
You
had better, because one day you will be a dead person who decades later will be
a very old dead person. No one wants to die forgotten and alone, despite their
protestations to the contrary. From a negative perspective why do criminals
love to read newspaper articles or media coverage of their escapades?
From
a more positive aspect, historians preserve the past to, hopefully, provide us
with a better future. While I might be kicking against the goads and be rather
pessimistic, the historian in me honestly believes that without a knowledge of
the past we would not have those rare, magnetic individuals who spend their
lives trying to improve the lives of the people around them.
4.
There’s
nothing new to learn. It’s all been done before.
The
egotist in me just cannot accept that premise. While human nature never
changes, and wars, turmoil and troubles will always plague us, researching
history gives me a chance to explore and expand my knowledge base. New primary
material constantly resurfaces to provide a more honest picture of what has
gone before.
John
Toland, one of my favorite popular historians, allegedly, once said – in paraphrase -that
the topic he was writing about had not been written about until he wrote it.
And, I believe that is true. I research topics because I want to learn about
them. I do it to learn what I did not know and write to inform others who might
not have known about the material, either. If it is “new” to me then it is
“new.”
5.
Why
do you care? Life is happening now.
I
care because no one should ever be forgotten, good or bad. I care because I
want to leave a legacy for my children and grandchildren in which they can take
pride. I care because, as it is written “a people without a vision will
perish.”
Deep
inside, historians know that people matter, and that life has a purpose. They
know that honest history – warts and all – helps us deal with the problems and
challenges which we face today. It also allows us to preserve the memories of
those few, noble and selfless individuals, who despite their personal flaws,
positively touched someone’s life for the better.
P.S.:
by way of shameless self promotion, my article in No. 52 of Gettysburg Magazine
is downloadable at this site.
