History, yes we need that!

It’s quite common that children in their school period doubt why historic education is needed and useful anyway. I’ve doubted myself as well as a youngster.

It’s not often people experience an unique, historic experience or moment. The reason is simple, once you experience something, it’s very difficult to realize that moment will be historic yes or no. If fact most of the historic moments are regarded as historic after a some period. Reviewing or looking back in time and putting facts in a greater context/perspective, are the determining and deciding factors.

One can question why I’m already now are quite sure that the fact I witnessed last Saturday will be regarded as historic. There is only one reason why facts can be qualified as historic right at the spot, the moment you are at the place of action. This reason is that one already knows the historic background of what is happening. Let me illustrate this is an example which happened exactly 20 years ago. The fall of the Berlin wall was and is a historic moment. No one will question that statement, because everyone knows the backgrounds of the wall and all what happened the months before in the Germen Democratic Republic. The fall of the wall was against everything the German authorities have said and done in the previous 40 years.

Now let me come back to what the moment was I witnessed. On Saturday November 7, 2009 the first people in my home town could get their vaccination for the Mexican flu. At 10:00 a drove in car and passed the doctor’s station I used to go myself. About 150, most 65+ people queued up to get there vaccination. Knowing that a equally flu type only comes every 50 – 70 years to the Western world, I knew instantly that this as a historic moment. Maybe you regard it as a small one, but it’s an occasion which will not happen next year or the year after again.

Eldery queuing up for Mexican flu vaccination

So I stopped my car, got out and looked over the situation. I even took pictures, knowing that I never, ever have seen a queue in front of the doctor’s station before. So I conclude that knowing history, helps individuals a lot to understand the present situations and events. It also leads to the conclusion that historic education at school and home is essential for our children to understand things in their future lives.

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