The Making of History

How can we better understand the happenings of today within the annals of history?

Many people I know seemly have the ability to view their lives, the comings and goings, the planning and outcomes, at a macroscopic scale.  They have their lives planned and there are few surprises.  Everything that happens appears to be solidly within the framework of a well-oiled life-plan established early in their lives.  Personally, I am a microscopic guy with no clue what is coming next.

When I hear, read or watch stories about geniuses such as the the Einsteins, Monets, Hawkings, Tolkiens, and Gates of history, I am always awestruck at their ability to capture the essence of something greater than their own particular life-story.  In all cases, their genius lifts them above the maddening crowd to a viewpoint overlooking humanity, Creation, and a timeless future.  They provide us “Micros” with a glimpse from God as to what is and what can be.  It is a perspective that we rarely experience within the constraints of a thing called “today.”

Jennifer and I watched “Tolkien” last night, an HBO movie about the creator of the Fellowship of the Ring trilogy.  It was a series of books that captured my imagination in the late 60s and early 70s.  When the stories moved to cinema in the 1990s the genius of Tolkien became universally acclaimed.  The part that struck me most was that the foundations of the book came from Tokien’s life experiences in the early 20-century including the time he spent in the trenches in World War 1.  The Hobbit was published in 1937.  How can an individual create something that reaches across generations of time and touch the hearts and souls of people in societies far removed from their own?  To me this is a true measurement of genius.

This article, however, is not about the arts or physics or any other “genius” medium.  It is more about today and the issues of a democracy that is under attack.  How can we (I) lift ourselves out of the quagmire of modern partisan politics and develop a true understanding of how this moment will be viewed within the annals of history? Is the current political situation we are facing a lightning-bolt moment in history, where the actions we take today will have long lasting ramifications or is it merely one of many speed bumps of history that has no lasting effect or bearing on history’s path?

Registering your place in history was a common theme among Senator’s closing statements during the Trump Impeachment trial.  The statement that stuck out to me most, that rose to the heights of a potential lightning-bolt moment, were those closing comments of Senator Romney.  He is the one Senator throughout all impeachment trials in U.S. history to cross party lines to vote for the removal of a president of his own party.  That is big news.  However, is it history altering news?  Is it the evidence of one man having an out-of-the-confines-of-today perspective to provide everyone a glimpse of how the moment will be viewed in history?  Or, was it only momentous because it was a perspective that I agree with?  Is Senator Romney a genius of history or are we both “Micros” with history simply passing us by in the long run?

Does it matter?

E.H. Carr, an English historian, pointed out “the contemporary need to understand elements of the past is not only catalysed (sic) by the pressing need to untangle current complexities. With this comes a concomitant impermanence with which the past is rendered useful.” (Carr, E.H. (1987) What is History?)

My interpretation then is that we not only need to rise above the moment in order to establish today in its future place in human history but also to be able to understand it in the context of yesterday. Geniuses have the God-given ability to do this in our behalf.  From their perspective of today, they secure this moment to firmly establish it in history so that future generations can learn from the wisdom of the past.

But how do we discern to which voice to listen?  Are Romney and Schiff the voices of history we should pay attention to or is Rush Limbaugh?  Is the constant noise of political rancoring drowning out the meaningful voices of change and historical importance or are there clear voices from today’s geniuses that we are simply ignoring? 

I would like to know for sure. – Gary

A crowing good morning to you all.

In his usual convoluted style, I think my farmer is on to something.  Personally, I step out of the hen-house every morning with something meaningful to say and I want everyone to hear it.  In my world, it is very simply the longest and loudest crower in the neighborhood who makes the biggest impact on the day.  If I can be the first one to state my case to the all the other chickens in the region early in the morning, then I have set the standard for the entire day.  I have established that I am still alive and a force to be reckoned with.  As long as I’m making my case, then I’m affecting history.

Now this approach may not work for humans but honestly, it clearly seems that this is your methodology.  Does anyone stop talking?  How many “Talking Heads” are there crowing out their opinions for everyone to hear?  How important is it to you humans to have your opinion heard in the course of a normal conversation?  I’ve been told that no one truly listens anymore. Instead, if you are not currently talking you are concentrating on what you will say next.

Perhaps the true genius of your time is the person who actually takes time to reflect and listen to what is going on around them before they utter a single word.  In my world, I’m going to crow and crow and crow until I can crow no more... but perhaps, in the human world, there is too much crowing and not enough listening.  That’s just my humble opinion.  After all, I am only 24-inches tall.   

Peace - Ollie