Our Collective Story
I recently had the privilege of walking around the Mall (as in the spanse of park and monuments that memorialize key moments in our collective U.S. history, located in Washington, D.C.), with a friend from a different country. A bit of background: this friend is very well-travelled, and is also insightful, thoughtful, curious and wise. She has never been to D.C. but has visited the U.S. before. She has also worked at the U.S. Embassy so is familiar would our various stories and intricacies, and the whim of different administrations.
Back at the Mall, it was fascinating experiencing this as a tour guide of sorts. The joy of wandering around these beautiful grounds, reflecting on these moments in our history, I realized that many of us passively experience this history, rather than actively engage in it, think about it, consider how what happened before impacts us now or can offer learning moments to learn from, impact us, or maybe, guide us to go a different direction rather than trying to again fit the proverbial square peg into the round hole.
She asked good questions about, for example, what impact did our involvement in the Korean War have, why is it that so few non-tourists are wandering around these beautiful spaces, and how is it that our government sits in the District of Columbia but that itself is not a state? I think I did justice to a lot of the questions, but some really made me think, and illustrated for me that I too do need to learn more. I reflected a lot too, about why would someone from a different country care about lessons we gain from our own history. For example, from Abraham Lincoln's definition of a democracy, and why slavery should be abolished. The Gettysburg address is relevant, folks, and not just on that field more than 150 years ago, when the world was a much different place, and "global" felt huge; democratic freedoms and human equality are still topics up for debate.
Our history is as colorful as it is long. We've been through a lot. If I may, I would suggest finding different ways for you to get more insights into how our historical experiences are impacting us today. I subscribe to a couple of truly insightful blogs that offer numerous a-has per post. I link them below. Clearly, you may not agree with my political slant; please find others that you do find insightful and continue to learn about our story, and our wanderings. Continue to be curious about where we are today, where we've been, and how we can move forward, collectively, in a positive way. That is, after all, the premise upon which our country was founded, and it is the very least we can do.
What does this have to do with you, dear fellow parent? No judgement here, for sure, but ask yourself this: how do your kids experience our history? Passively? Or actively engaging in our collective experiences? I can see my kids' eyes glazing over as we (mostly my hubby) pontificate about one significant event or another, but here's the thing: if we want them to learn from our past experiences, and to be invested, and to hopefully care enough to be contributing members of our society, we have to keep talking to them about these important moments. We have to drag them around to these places. We have to wax on (and on) about why it is important that George Mason was a non-signer of the Declaration of Independence and how that resistance and discourse brought us our Bill of Rights and it is so relevant that new names are being added to our Memorial for the Vietnam War, and what we can learn from the changes that FDR enacted to bring about economic growth and recovery from the Great Depression was both a good and a bad thing, and civic (and civil) engagement is so important and to please go vote.
The inspiring part about our story is that it isn't just the big important people that made a difference. it isn't the elected officials that brought about positive change. Sure, sometimes, yes. But sometimes, too, it is that invested community member who notices something, and makes an effort to do something about it. Not because they will get their name in big shiny letters on a building or because they need attention, but because there is a point that needs attention and they noticed. There is so much to learn from our history, and having conversation about what it is we think we know. Our version may not necessarily agree with what our neighbor thinks, and having that discourse to understand different points of view is so so important.
So.
Learn more about the story. Inspire others to do the same. And, maybe, be curious enough to ask why and why not and that might just be your invitation to make a positive difference. And yes, go see Lincoln. If nothing else can, he can inspire you.
For further reading:
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