Why Read History
Starting from the Yellow Emperor, China has a history of five thousand years. Based on the mutual verification of archaeology and ancient texts, we have at least three thousand years of credible history. History books often become bestsellers, as if history has become a belief for the Chinese people. I want to discuss a question that everyone might think is self-evident but is difficult to answer upon reflection: why should we read history?
Ancient people believed that history is a mirror. Li Shimin said to use history as a mirror, and the English title of "资治通鉴" is "Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance," a multifaceted mirror for governance methods. People often feel that there is nothing new under the sun. What happens now has happened in history, even many times, and future trends can also be traced in history. It seems that as long as we understand the past well, we can also predict the future well. Especially since Chinese civilization claims to be a continuous civilization for five thousand years, such a vast database must be very informative. If we add the history of the West since ancient Greece, it becomes even larger. This should be the reason why people read history.
However, reality often disappoints. No matter how we study the past trends of a stock, we cannot predict its future trends. The author of "明朝那些事儿", Mingyue, mentioned that humans cannot learn from history; otherwise, they would be transcending history. The Republican historian Lü Simian serialized a series of historical commentaries on the Three Kingdoms during the Republic, later compiled into "吕思勉说三国". In this book, Mr. Lü's viewpoints are incisive and his analyses are reasonable. However, in his "上下五千年" regarding contemporary history, he made numerous errors and lacked an objective understanding of the situation at that time, even believing that the victory in the Battle of Shanghai “should belong to our army.” I once also agreed with the idea of using history as a mirror, thinking that the inevitability of history is like a riverbed, while the randomness of history is merely the free-flowing waves within it. However, the author of "未来简史", Harari, stated that the inevitability of history is a football field, and the randomness of history is the players running around on the field. Interestingly, Mr. Lü also did not agree with using history as a mirror, saying, “When the Westerners advanced eastward, we used old methods to solve new problems, but what was the result?”
Given this, why should we still read history? Harari suggests that we read history to break free from its shackles. By understanding the origins of history and why the world is the way it is today, we can also realize that the world does not have to be this way. He gives the example of lawns. Lawns were once a way for European nobles to flaunt their wealth; only those with money and leisure could maintain a lawn, and the degree of wealth and leisure also reflected the hierarchy of nobility. Gradually, ordinary people began to want to maintain a lawn, but due to limited time and experience, only a few could show off. It wasn't until the invention of the lawnmower that middle-class American families could have lawns and barbecues in every household. Today, we see that football is played on lawns, and there are beautiful lawns next to museums, old castles, and parks. We can understand that history does not have to be this way. If the Austro-Hungarian heir had not coincidentally been assassinated, World War I might not have broken out. If Japan had not invaded China, the Jiang family's Republic might not have been overthrown.
Reading enough history allows us to see many current events as less surprising, which in turn brings us inner peace.