Learning about history provides us with two kinds of lessons, helping us to understand what has worked and what has not worked in the past, which is vital in decision-making about the present and the future. Furthermore, what and who we are, as individuals, families, communities, regions, and countries, is the sum total of our history.
One example of this is studying the aftermath of World War I. When Germany lost that war, the Allied powers imposed a peace upon Germany that took away some of its land, decimated its military power, and plunged it into economic distress with their demand for excessive reparations. The consequence of that "peace" was World War II.
On the other hand, after World War II, while we did occupy Japan, we rehabilitated the country, providing experts and money to set Japan on a better path to a capitalistic democracy. To this day, Japan is a strong ally to the United States.
The World War I example, with its dreadful consequences, served as a history lesson for the United States after World War II, such that, rather than rubbing a country's nose in its defeat, the United States aided the country to rise again in a more constructive, productive, and peaceful way. If we did not learn history, all of us, we would be very likely to repeat mistakes over and over again.
And we are our history, which means that if we don't know our history, we are not fully realized human beings. You see, history is not just the Battle of Hastings or Attila the Hun. History comprises everyday people and events, as well. Your ancestors are part of history. Your culture and religion are part of history. You are part of history and the sum total of what went before. If you don't learn this history, on some level, you are like a foundling left on someone's doorstep, not knowing where you are from and consequently, not knowing where you are going.
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