Why do people have memory? There are probably many ways to answer this question, but if I want to put it really simply, it may be that remembering makes it possible to avoid mistakes that have already been made before. If I remember that I once had a problem, for example, my ear was burned in the hot sun, then next time I will prevent the problem and apply sunscreen before going to the beach. In fact, I can even do this based on the memory of someone else’s burnt ear, and thus avoid any sunburn. In practice, of course, not everything goes perfectly, and everyone forgets something from time to time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is worth to keep in mind when it comes to why anyone cares about human history, the events of ancient times and their legacy. History is memory, a kind of shared memory, and its purpose is to ensure that we do not repeat the past mistakes made by our ancestors \u2013 or others \u2013 here and now. At first glance, it may seem ridiculous that a postman from J\u00e1szber\u00e9ny in Hungary would make the same mistake today as a Parisian innkeeper during the French Revolution, or Captain Cook among the Polynesians, but the fact is that many human patterns are eternal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stories are powerful. They fundamentally shape human thinking, regardless of the level of technology included in them, the location and the time. This is true for all stories, including fictional ones, but the study of the past that actually took place is where everything starts. Writer’s fiction is an extremely powerful and effective tool in skilled hands, and it can even bring true beauty to the world, which is a characteristic of the great arts. Nonetheless, the raw material of all literature lies in everyday events and the previously recorded memories of them. A truly cynical debate partner might be able to brush aside Shakespeare’s plays if, for example, we want to convince him that he is making a mistake based on the example of Othello. After all, they are “just figments of the imagination”. It is more difficult to ignore events that actually happened, although it is certainly not impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n