Why the past should not be glorified

We are living in the modern era, where people are practical and realistic, optimistic that new inventions and discoveries will improve their lives. For most, it would be plain foolishness if one were to be so mindful about the past, when instead, one should invest his time and thought into building a better and more meaningful life in the future. Ironically, in the midst of their “pragmatic” judgement of keeping the past alive, these people have failed to recognize that preserving the past could well be beneficial in social and economic aspects, and even pertinent issues such as political decision making, and therefore, preserving the past has no less value than building the future.

Winston Churchill once said “Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it”. The past teaches us many valuable lessons in life, for our time and many future generations to come. We learn from our past mistakes, taking extra precaution in subsequent similar situations so as to avoid repeating the same mistake.

Through the course of history, humanity witness reoccurrences of events over and over again, as if time is bounded by a fate which acts like a motor, running and running till fuel runs out. However, was it the doing by the hand of fate, or rather a vague attempt of the humankind, taking cover in the shadows, repeating the over-glorified past. Psychologically humans are bounded to fear. Fear is not simply the absence of courage, rather the absence of knowledge. Humankind throughout time has shown fear in developing thoughts, bringing new ideologies and philosophies due to the burden of their past. This further strengthens the thought that the future ceases to exist, as we never venture far from the present itself.

It is arguable that the humankind manages to break free from the many constraints of technology, yet the greater purpose of human existence varies much from technological advances. In term of sociology and politics, we never ventured far. We have failed to challenge ideologies and philosophies, in which would generate radical thoughts to mobilize the present towards the future. Architecture is a sheer example where history repeats itself. From the classical period to the neo-classicists, from Bauhaus battle towards a new age of modernism