by Irene C. Dasalla

Created on: January 20, 2009

Learning From History

History did not mean anything to me other than just dates and names to remember. I studied Philippine history in elementary and high school, but as I reflect now, as embarrassing as it may sound, I do not have a good recollection of the history of my country. The history class was a part of the school curriculum and I did not have a choice but to take it. I know bits and pieces of it, and I know that it will be a challenge for me to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

I left my county 12 years ago, and now I have been living in the greatest nation of the world, United States of America ever since, and I have carried with me the "do not care" attitude when it comes to history. I did not care who the President of the United States is at any given time. I have always believed that the President will not have anything to do with my life. Politics was never been an interest to me like many others. When election comes and people are very enthusiastic talking about whose platform is better, I did not pay attention or participated to any of these at all. I knew that my life will continue to revolve no matter who is in office.

My father, on the other hand, was very keen on history and current events. I remember when I was a child that I used to sulk in one corner of our house if he watched the news for hours. This only means one thing; no one will have the chance to watch anything at all other than news. This was the time when remote control television was not around yet, at least where I was from; having a television set in a home is considered a luxury. He wished that my sister and I would be more interested in the current events like he was, however, being a child; we had different interests of our own.

January 18, 2009, a day before the Martin Luther King Day, while I was flipping through the channels on my television, I caught glimpse of the program titled, "King". It was a movie based on the life of one of the greatest civil rights leader of America, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I watched the remaining of the movie and I was glued to my seat until the program was over. As I listened to the speeches that Dr. King made when he was alive, I had a sudden feeling of interest and compassion to what he believed in. The famous "I Have a Dream" speech tugs a string in my heart. I felt connected to his speeches though he spoke years before I was born. He had such a charisma that when he speaks, the world seemed to stop turning just to listen to his

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>