It is famously stated "forgetting of history means treachery". No
individual could live his own life neglecting his forefather, no country could survive regardless of its past and no society could continue without the effort of its predecessors. Thus we still remember that we had thrived in "Tang dynasty" and the dark era of last period of "Qing"; We commemorate the success that our antecessors achieved in WORLD WAR II. But the question arises: by remembering and studying of history, what can we learn from it and how can we use it?
In our daily life which has already been drenched with history, you
can learn a lot through books, TV shows, tales and legends which deduce our history in different ways. "Analects of Confucious", written by Confucious's pupils, is an excellent instruction for us nowadays to deal with relations with others. Ren, humanity in English which is the main spiritof Confucianism, still guides us in our daily lives, teaches us to show benevolence and be tolerant when we get along with others. Considering the Golden Rule of Confucianism:"do not do unto others when you do not want them to do unto you", we should always think twice before acting. In addition, the courage of defiance to authority of Giordano Bruno, the adventurous spirit to unknown world of Christopher Columbus and the attitude to science of Edison they all are the value of history from which we can learn and practice in our daily lives.
However, from a broader view beyond our daily lives, history exerts
its value at the same time in a different way. It puts human experience in
context, and allows us to understand ourselves as a people and a culture. how could we imagine a sudden advent of the modern society, without little knowledge about our past. Obviously, if the World War II had been eliminated from history, so would be "Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty".there would not be the women's liberation movement if no one care about the status of woman in...