Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius said, "Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?"
One of the reasons why we study history is to understand the mistakes that were made in the past so that we do not repeat them. If we can truly learn the lessons of the past, we can make the world better. In order for this to happen, however, we need to develop the perspective of a historian. Historians look not only at what people did, they look at the way that they saw the world, what they thought and why they believed as they did. If we can take this perspective of objective observation, we can learn a great deal about our ancestors and a great deal about ourselves. When we draw hasty, judgmental conclusions, we miss out on valuable lessons.
Monuments and historical films, for example, often reveal important stories from our past but they have a tendency to gloss over important details. Unless we take the time to examine the facts more closely, we can end up with a sanitized view of history.
A good example of this is the story of William Wilberforce, the British Member of Parliament who spearheaded efforts to make the transatlantic slave trade illegal. Today there are several monuments in England built in his honour, including a statue at Westminster Abbey. There was even a movie made about him, Amazing Grace, released in 2006.
While the film is excellent and shares an important message of patience and persistence when working to make the world a better place, it is interesting to note that many liberties were taken in telling the story of abolition in Great Britain. In the words of historian Adam Hochschild, "This curious movie seeks to lionize Wilberforce by portraying him as something he decidedly was not: a modern liberal."
Wilberforce held views that many today would find unpalatable. For example, as a member of the wealthy ruling class, he believed that it was the responsibility of men (and only men) like himself to make the laws. Hochschild notes, "He did not support any of the various reform proposals that would have increased the less than five per cent of the population eligible to vote."
Does this mean that Wilberforce's statue should be removed from Westminster Abbey? Not at all. By remaining objective, we can see that some good men with property took their responsibility quite seriously and did all that they could to improve society. In addition, reforms that Wilburforce spearheaded, like changes to labour laws, improvements to the education system and the abolition of slavery actually helped to bring about the societal changes which resulted in improvements to the electoral system.
At other times, when we examine the story behind the statue we can develop empathy for the people who suffered. For example, one can only imagine the pain the Congolese people living in Brussels must feel when they walk past the large statue of King Leopold II, the man who is responsible for the often ignored genocide in their African homeland.
The bottom line is that it is vital to understand history. It is also important to participate in thought provoking, informed and empathic discussions of our past. We can then make informed and respectful decisions regarding who we choose to honour from our past and why we choose to do so.
When we can observe without judgment, we can see the triumphs as well as mistakes in our past, the strengths and the weaknesses in present practices, and most importantly, we can create the future that our descendants deserve.
- Gerry Chidiac is a champion for social enlightenment, inspiring others to find their greatness in making the world a better place. For more of his writings, go to www.gerrychidiac.com
