Destroying History / Self Destruction
For the past couple of weeks we have witnessed terrible examples of statues and monuments commemorating past leaders and events desecrated or destroyed by mobs, many of whom think they are delivering blows against white supremacy or advancing social justice while our hapless leaders sit idly by.
These mobs are not destroying history, history is past, it can’t be destroyed but it can be hidden, obscured or lied about. These mobs, righteous as some may believe they are, are in fact destroying us and themselves. These leaders and great moments captured in stone and bronze are reminders and markers of our past, much of it glorious and good and portions of it not so good, even shameful, but together these past events form our culture and are the foundation for continuous learning and improvement.
Here are a few examples: Christopher Columbus, now much reviled as the man who brought so much suffering and disease to indigenous people in the West had no such intentions. He was merely looking for more efficient trade routes to Asia and, since he correctly believed the earth to be round, figured he could end up East by sailing West having no idea the American continent was in the way. If Christopher had not done it, some other European was going to – the economics of the time and the advancing technology made it inevitable.
Thomas Jefferson, much reviled because he was a slave owner and may have had sexual relations with one or more slaves. Never mind that in his time slavery was as common owning farm tractors today. Never mind as well that his authorship of the Declaration of Independence is one of the greatest writings and gifts to all mankind – the document that audaciously stated that rights come from God not government and as such provided the very foundation of freedom that eventually helped end slavery.
These mobs refuse to acknowledge the contributions of great but imperfect leaders, focusing only on their flaws and judged with contemporary standards, not the standards of the times when they lived. In so doing, they miss the great lessons – good and sometimes evil, these leader’s lives teach us so we can do better. The old cliché that “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it” is certainly true when you have destroyed the very past you could have learned from.
Larry Wiwi
Franklin County