by Donna Thacker

Created on: December 21, 2008

"Why should I care about what those dead people did a long time ago?" This is a question many children have asked over time. As children, they don't realize that they will someday be taking over the world as possible leaders and decision makers. How is one to go forward, if they have never looked backward?

As a child moves into adulthood, they will learn to care about their history, rather it be just their own family, or the history of the world. We are knowledge seekers, even if we don't believe that as a child. Just as one learns from mistakes, so does one learn from our past history.

If a child does not study history, how will he or she know, as an adult, where they came from, or even where to go forward from? Who will be the next teachers of the history of the land, if the children do not study it? Unfortunately, a wealth of knowledge will get lost in a vast library of dust and forgotten books.

By studying history, the child will begin to have an understanding of all of the different cultures and beliefs that he or she is surrounded with in their everyday life. History will even teach them all about how their ancestors lived and struggled through hardships far greater than the child can imagine.

Studying history may even teach them to respect this great planet on which they live, and to help restore her mighty resources so that she may once again be green and lush and pollution free. Only by looking back to the history that once was will the children be able to move forward to provide a better life for their children.

By studying history, and how the forefathers and children lived, perhaps our own children will grasp the concept that technology is not always better. Sometimes, it is better to rely on things we can only learn by looking back into our history. How did our ancestors live? How did they survive without television, microwaves and the newest video game machine? What did they do without electricity or furnaces to keep them warm?

Even young adults are left in dismay when there is a power outage. They have no concept of how to feed themselves, keep warm or wile away the hours until power is restored. Those children who study and learn how our forefathers lived and adapted to situations will be better able to cope as an adult.

They may even come to appreciate and respect the progress that has been made, if they compare their conveniences to those of perhaps a great, great grandfather. Perhaps if they studied what true hardships were, they wouldn't be so quick to accuse their parents of not providing them with the best of everything.

Children have always been our greatest resources to keep our lives moving forward. Just as we learn from past mistakes and accomplishments, so should they learn of past mistakes and accomplishments through out history.

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