Kid: what is your take on Indian History?? what do you think abt it?
Stupid fella: I don't have any view on any history... All are stories telling us about the past of that place or event... I always think the important question is 'what information do you want to derive out of your study of history?', and, 'how do you intend to use the information, i.e. the purpose of study?'
That is my approach.. What do you think of Indian history?
Kid: Pretty high opinions.
My approach however is to look for the ways to improve our present situation by learnin about our past. I think that is the aim of history, to tell you where have we gone wrong earlier. About what today as a nation we have lost or are losing.
Stupid fella: That's like deep philosophy... Even I do read it for similar reasons but not always, perhaps not even most of the time.. There is a simple reason for my stand...
The human nature has not changed in over centuries. The only thing that has changed is means to achieve it either because of technology or environment. People are still greedy, they still take steps out of pure ego rather than sensibilities and ratinality. Only those few who have managed to over come these natural problem are the ones who have managed to out do history.
So at a very simple level history does repeat itself and will so even in future. At a complex level, history never repeats itself, because there are many factors that affect any given situation and hence change it every time.
You must have read many times question in maths and other science subjects which start as "assuming everything constant, how does X affect Y?" We can make these assumptions in question papers and in academia but in real life, one can never be sure of what to assume. One will just have to take the decisions in the given situation be it on mere instincts or based on historic lessons. But either way you will come to know of the result after it has happened.
Kid: Two things of all that you said stood out to me, 'the world is greedy' and 'we can never know what to assume, in real life.'
Regarding the first, I couldn't have agreed more, the world, which includes all of us is greedy. I distinctly remember a quote which says 'never assume' because you will make an 'fool' outta 'you' and 'me'.
