“History then is the story of those things which have to be told because at one time they appeared to be impossible.” Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy
Barak Obama may be a student of politics, but he has been unconvincing as a student of history. He seems out of his depth and only marginally aware of many essentially prominent forerunners and events that paved the way to this historic hour, whether for good or ill. Perhaps it’s his age, but his spin often seems contrived and slick. We all have a spin. But, of course, tele-prompters would never lie. Though he can be a charismatic speechmaker, one wonders a little uncomfortably how he would fair, one on one, with seasoned veterans of the past century like Gandhi, Churchill, Solzhenitsyn, or Martin Luther King, Jr, much less a Stalin. The President’s visionary youthfulness is refreshing and engaging, and we might wish him well, but only as long as we are not trading the currency of proven-life experience for political naiveté or media narcissism.
Obama seems a little too close to a reincarnation of the 60s activist. The 60s were both wonderfully idealistic and pathetically childish for those of us old enough to remember. We now have aging Congressional hippies in 3-piece, tie-dye making a last grasp for the grail of government redistribution of wealth, in order to right the injustices of Camelot gone wrong. This does not quite fill the dream of the audacity of hope - perhaps the audacity of a well-organized lobbying machine. The Summer of Love has gradually turned into the Winter of Our Discontent.
A profoundly original but unfortunately largely unknown German thinker from the last generation, Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, defined history as our collective memory, and warned lovingly that we were in danger of losing it as a civilization. I doubt he coined the phrase, but among key intellectual contemporaries, his writing and teaching certainly gave weight to his may-day. True history has little to do with dead facts of the past, but is the engagement with the lessons and the spirit of those heroes and battles that carry us successfully into the present and future. “...the past is still ahead of us,” as Rosenstock-Hussey would say, that is, if we learn the proper lessons from it. As the philosopher George Santayana has often been quoted, “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” The Twentieth Century is a litany of repetitive memory loss, at the cost of millions upon millions of lives. The question is, “Have we learned anything from those mistakes?”
Without being unfair to Obama, who among our recent Presidents seemed to have a real grasp of the historic hour in which he found himself. Obama seems to have a profound sense of himself on the stage of world history, but that’s not the same as saying he understands the true significance and opportunity of the moment. Certainly the gravity and stress of world events can eat the lunch of most Presidents. Who among them consciously stood firm and perhaps even gained high-ground by their understanding and wisdom as addressed to the times they inherited and influenced? The greatest Presidents and world leaders are often those who steer through the greatest crisis. It is either with rash partisan prejudice or with cautious and humble reluctance that we identify great leaders. One can even respect leaders with personal or political weaknesses when they are transcended by courage and other outstanding leadership skills.
Learning from history through discernment and the recognition of those leaders, movements, and battles seems to make the greatest difference for the good of mankind and its future. It also means pinpointing and avoiding the mistakes of the past at all costs. This takes prophetic courage rather than partisan pledges. May President Obama dig deep and honestly from the examples of the past to provide transformative change that will lead us into our future.
The importance of history is in telling the story that will transfer the truths, values, and lessons to prepare us for the future without repeating the mistakes of the past.
Kayla Roberts
said:
 |
The Past is the Key I wholeheartedly agree with the underlying message of this article. In my high school Current World Affairs class, I have been learning the importance of being a prophetic statesman in my country. While my generation is seemingly living only for the present, I must be one who interprets the past to decide the best course of action in the present to better the future. Now, whether our President is doing that is another topic entirely. I agree that our nation needs someone who makes choices not just to better the present situations but to propel us into a stable future. Winston Churchill is an obviously good example of a man like this. While the rest of his country was living with blinders to the threat looming in Germany post World War I, Churchill understood his times and knew what his country must do. President Obama must see with the same eyes. However, if he is focused too much on the future and the past is forgotten, he may make the same mistakes as past leaders without even knowing it. My generation's lack of knowledge of the past is dangerous, and I hope to be one who can help turn the tide toward valuing history so much more. Honestly, the way I can think of to best do this is through the media. I have learned so much history watching movies made about the past. Because of my generations' draw toward the theater, this is a practical way to shift a "living-only-for-present" generation. In summary, President Obama, as well as all of us, must value the past to execute the right decisions in the present to foresee and change the future. |
Kayla Roberts
said:
|
...in addition... For more information about Chuchill's whole political career and life, look at this short article by BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/h...ston.shtml Also, for more information about media and this generation, I found this study located here: http://74.125.95.132/search?q=...ent=safari |
MacKenna Unger
said:
 |
... We must begin as a nation, and President Obama, to look to the past in order to define and discern the future. Jesus Christ is the same God he was in the past, and thus we can discern what the future could hold. We must become true historians who are prophets that look backwards to take steps forward. After reading the comment posted above on Churchill, I must affirm that example. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/h...ston.shtml) Even as we research men, such as Churchill, and women in the past and the steps they have taken, we can see what we must do today. As well, Anna Quindlen in her article, Hope Springs Eternal, says that "Barack Obama is an incremental man... Our government works in inches." I believe that it is good to take things step by step, but as long as we are not just concerned with the inch that is in front of us. Now is the time for America to look back to past increments in order to see what to do and what not to do with that increment that is in front of us. To look deeper into the article by Anna Quindlen: http://www.newsweek.com/id/219371 |
Jessica Rankin
said:
 |
... This article is so true! In his book "The World if Flat," Thomas Friedman, a NY Times Foreign Affairs columnist, states that the 21st century is still up for grabs from the standpoint that no single country has central power (like Britain had in the 19th century and America in the 20th). President Obama is in a critical position right now to further define the 21st century and the history of our nation/world. Obama's seeming ignorance of the past has been one that has worried me since his election to President. The past carries a powerful message that, if understood correctly, can propel us into a stable future (as Kayla stated above). By looking at powerful world leaders like Winston Churchhill, George Kennan, Margaret Thatcher, Martin Luther King Jr, etc, we see leaders who studied the past in order to understand the present and help interpret the future. President Obama seems to be one who is thinking about the moment and what he can accomplish right now, rather than looking at the big picture of history. He in fact should be viewing himself as a statesman, one who stewards a region of the world with a view towards continuity of that region(see Koerber article below). The lessons that he can learn from the history of America, the mistakes leaders have made and the paths to success are what is going help Obama in making decisions now for the future. His whole campaign was based on "Hope for the future!" I think that he can find the greatest hope for the future by looking to the past and learning from it. I really enjoyed this article a lot! Thank you Mr. Jackson. For more information on Thomas Friedman and his works, see http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/ To read Bruce Koerber's article, see http://divineeconomyconsulting...n-and.html |
Jessica Rankin
said:
|
... Correction to my above comment, the Thomas Friedman book I was referencing is titled, "The World Is Flat, 3.0." =) |
Ashley McCuen
said:
 |
All About Change I would completely agree with this article! It seems that from the very beginning, President Obama was concerned about the future and change and what can be done in the upcoming times. There was never much talk of history or learning from the past. I believe that we cannot just look ahead, we must also look back, because like this article states, “History repeats itself.” If we have no knowledge of the past, how are we to discern the future?? Even as President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, it was not for what he had already done or accomplished, but it was for his great ideas and efforts for the future. Looking at the presidential election of last year, we can see this trend unfolding. From Obama’s very slogans to his platform concerns, he is all about change and future. Some slogans I found were—“Change vs More of the Same,” “A leader who can deliver change,” and “Stand for Change.” (http://www.afriprov.org/index....he-us.html). It was all about getting rid of the past in order to make way for the future. There was no sense of learning or discovering of the past in order to prepare for the future. In January of 2008, Obama made a speech entitled, “The Past vs the Future.” In it, he discussed changes he wanted to make if elected president and what it would take to enact this change. He said, “It is about the past verses the future. And when I am the nominee, the Republicans wont be able to make this election about the past because you will have already chosen the future.” (http://www.barackobama.com/200...bam_45.php). Wow, I couldn’t have said it better myself—President Obama has devalued history and made the future the priority. I only hope the rest of the American people will realize this before it is too late. |
Jeremiah Surface
said:
 |
Obama on the past These days the stories of the past seem to be resurfacing in the problems America know faces internationally. President Obama is facing opportunities to learn from the past in regards to Afghanistan and the ties to Vietnam. Afghanistan has been nicknamed the "Graveyard of Empires" because of its unconquerable people. Russia suffered defeat there at the hands of the Muhajideen, even with their brutal tactics. Even Alexander the Great almost lost there, but he found the key to success in Afghanistan was through the people. He only saved himself from a military embarrassment by marrying many of his captains with the daughters of the Afghan warlords. The key in Afghanistan is through building trust with the people. Obama has to come to the same realization, if he is to be successful. He needs to see the wisdom of the past and incorporate it with the opportunities of today. He could also use the wisdom of the past in deciding whether or not to send more troops to Afghanistan. Recently many have compared Afghanistan with Vietnam and have drawn the conclusion that we should not send any more troops. Yet If you look at what is truly happening, the two situations are very different. Vietnam we did not have the whole country under our control, here we do. This is not an issue of attacking, but securing, which requires the right amount of troops to build an atmosphere of safety. We need to build a situation of trust between us and the Afghan's and this is an opportunity to show that we will not give up on them. President Obama has showed to savvy needed to be elected, but know we need a President who can be politically wise, both nationally and internationally. The question remains if Obama will truly look to past in order to solve pressing issues like Afghanistan, Iran, Health care, and terrorism abroad. This is his pivotal point in history, what will he do? |
Jeremiah Surface
said:
|
... If you would like to read about the Afghanistan issue and where we are making ground you can look at these websites I found today: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/...ndex.html http://www.theweeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/017/059wcvib.asp?pg=2 Thanx for reading. |
Erin Oostra
said:
 |
Living for the Future There is no doubt that President Obama is an excellent speaker and motivator. There is no doubt that he will make his mark in history. He was the first African-American president and he even won the Nobel Peace Prize during his first year of office. President Obama knows how to inspire and how to drum up excitement for the future of the lower working classes, and maybe also for the upper classes as well. My question is: What lessons has he taken from the past that he can apply to the future so that the same mistakes are not made? “True history has little to do with dead facts of the past, but is the engagement with the lessons and the spirit of those heroes and battles that carry us successfully into the present and future.” Has our President studied great men of the past? Has he learned the lessons they did? How about: have we been battling for him in the spirit? This man is able to make a great difference in the world; will it be for man or for God? “The greatest Presidents and world leaders are often those who steer through the greatest crisis.” This is so true. Look at the life of Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King Jr., who also won the Nobel Peace Prize. These people were in the midst of world crisis. Have we as Christian prayed success over Obama? Will we release the testimony of those who have gone before him over him? This is our call. Obama’s job in office “takes prophetic courage rather than partisan pledges.” Well, I am here to say that I will stand in the gap and pray. I will release the testimony of the victorious battles of the past. We must engage the lessons learned of those who have gone before us. We must pray. That is how the Lord will win the day. That is living for the future. |
