Summary

The article reflects on how society learns from history, particularly in the context of social work issues like poverty, war, prejudice, and illness, and challenges readers to consider their role as students of history's lessons.

Abstract

The author, a teaching assistant at the University of Minnesota, presents a classroom assignment that involves researching social work issues over a 100-year period to understand if and how society has progressed in addressing poverty, war, prejudice, and illness. Students are tasked with creating presentations that analyze historical data and are evaluated based on peer feedback, the instructor's assessment, and their ability to engage with the material. The exercise aims to provoke critical thinking about the impact of history on contemporary social issues and whether we are effectively applying historical lessons to foster positive change. The article suggests that while history offers valuable insights, people often struggle to learn from the past, repeating mistakes and failing to embrace growth opportunities. It advocates for a more intuitive and less ego-driven approach to learning from history, emphasizing the importance of wisdom and the potential for history to be a powerful teacher in overcoming societal challenges.

Opinions

The author believes that history's role as a teacher is often undermined by society's tendency to repeat past mistakes, indicating a lack of effective learning from historical lessons.
There is a concern that people become desensitized to historical patterns of poverty, war, prejudice, and illness, potentially leading to a cycle of "analysis paralysis."
The article posits that memories can both serve and enslave us, with the potential to either provide a foundation for wisdom or trap us in repetitive, unproductive patterns.
It is suggested that society tends to respond to disasters and crises with temporary engagement rather than sustained effort to prevent future occurrences, highlighting a preference for comfort and familiarity over sustained change.
The author argues for a balance between tradition and innovation, advocating for the retirement of outdated traditions and routines that no longer serve society's progress.
The article emphasizes the value of intuition in learning and growth, suggesting that a more intuitive approach can lead to painless and joyful learning experiences.
It is implied that norming and rewarding pain can hinder society's ability to learn from history, and that a safe learning environment is crucial for positive development.
The author expresses a hopeful view that engaging with history as a teacher can inspire societal growth and the reduction of historical plagues such as hunger, homelessness, and hurtful actions.

If History Is Our Teacher What Kind of Students Are We?

What has history actually taught us?

Have you ever heard (or read) the cliché: “History is our teacher.”

Yes? Well then, here’s another question: What kind of students are we?

I posed this question to my class as a paid teaching assistant for undergrads of an Introduction to Social Work course at the University of Minnesota. (I completed both my undergraduate and masters program at the Twin Cities campus of the U of M centuries ago LOL.)

While exploring the origins of what we now label social work I was tasked to create and grade an assignment. My assignment? Select any 100-year time period that had some semblance of researchable media. Newspapers, magazines, books, entertainment, legislation (both proposed and passed), health and wellness advertisements — anything that you could actually read / research. Conduct research on these timely, familiar social work issues:

poverty (physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and financial)
war (within ourselves, families, friends, nations, nature)
prejudice (race, gender, orientation, ability)
illness (disease, pandemics, health care)

Your research need not take too much time. Spend a couple hours a day for a week to conduct your research. Review the issues of the day that show up for the time period you selected to research. From your research present your findings to your class to this question: have we changed levels of poverty, war, prejudice, or illness over the past 3000 years?

Class presentations are to be at least 10 minutes (no more than 20 minutes). Include as many compelling visuals as possible. (In 1995 death-by-PowerPoint was just beginning to take root.)

Presentation grading?

50% class member response(s) to a three-question feedback form.
25% evaluation on my part (based on class member responses).
25% evaluation from the class Professor.

Class question feedback form?

What (if any) success has social work shown in the reduction (or resolution) of any of the four researched issues: poverty, war, prejudice, and illness?
What are we (collectively) learning today based on what history shows us.
What did you learn from this presentation?

Presentation results often triggered feelings of despair, anxiety, and anger. Why these feelings?

History seems to show how we learn to be ever more detached based on feeling overwhelmed, helpless, or worse — worthless.
We learn how to ignore common sense while we witness (first hand) atrocities our parents and grandparents warned us about.
We get stuck in analysis paralysis based on trying to find solutions most people are willing to accept.

I wrap up my assignment with a presentation on the art of embracing the gift of perspective.

First? Explore how history weaves the warp of time with the weft of experience into a brilliant mosaic cloth of memories. Memories tend to romanticize reality by accepting socially sanctioned myths. Myths like: it was so much easier back when [insert nostalgic moment in time favored by the person making this statement]. I invited class members to explore their memories.

Just how does memory actually serve us? In some cases, memories bless us with teachings. Such blessings form the rock-solid foundations of our internal wisdom. For others, do memories enslave us to repetition? Do we repeat life lessons we know no longer serve us well?

History well documents our lessons in poverty, war, prejudice and illness. Do such lessons enslave or free us?
If history is our teacher in the forms of tradition or routine what lessons have we learned? What traditions or routines need to be retired?
What kind of (if any) student of history are you based on what you sensed you’ve learned?

Clearly, history provides us with many teachers, especially in extreme moments. We learn how important it is to rally to the cause when something drastic or unexpected happens. (Disasters, disease, death.) Why rally only when harsh reality slaps us? After disasters is our desire to return to comfort so overpowering that we once again fall asleep to how we begin to create the next drama? Think the holidays! When the spirit of the holidays inspires us to be more generous with our resources why do we historically become less generous post-holiday season? Possible answers to these questions include:

Limited resources? We do the best we can with what we have. Right? (Really?)
Law of diminishing returns (too much of a good thing diminishes its goodness)?
Fear of being beholding to the gift giver (gifts with unknown strings attached)?
Thermodynamics (systems striving to find an equilibrium pre/post imbalance)?

Or is it all about the comfort of known cycles? Clearly, what is known is far more comfortable than the unknown. True?

If we know a drama or disaster is temporary, do we enslave ourselves to repetition? Do we push through the drama or disaster so fast (to get back to normal) that we miss the lessons we’re supposed to learn (to avoid repeating similar wastes of human potential)?

True, repetition is helpful to learn something new. Repetition helps to create such familiarity that something becomes a norm. The question then turns to what is normal. A new normal of poverty? War? Prejudice? Illness? New norms to these historical dilemmas carry a high expense on multiple levels. Once new levels of the normal root itself via traditions and subsequent routines do we find ourselves ready for a new lesson? Or, do routines numb us back to sleep? Do we repeat life lessons until we finally wake up?

How do we ignite our desire to naturally learn and grow?

Suggestion: listen to our intuition more / egos less.

Intuition plants and nurtures seeds of growth when we allow it. We grow as we become more actively aware of each lesson as it’s taught. When we learn our lessons the first time we create wisdom equity. (Mortgage payments create home equity as we pay off the mortgage. Equity vanishes when we miss too many mortgage payments.) Wisdom naturally evolves as we become lively, engaged, and empowered students. As we wake up to facts (versus fiction) the more we know (learn) the more we realize there is so much more to learn.

The more we learn the more we retire historical plagues of hunger, homelessness, or hurtful actions.

While it’s true adversity is a teacher, it’s equally true a safe space/place inspires learning too! Those who practice a popular notion of no pain no gain seem to engage in an insidious cycle where joy is suspect and pain is normed (even rewarded)! When we norm and award pain how does that help or hinder our ability to learn from history?

Over time and experience (the two ingredients we mix together to make wisdom), just how much pain do we need before we tap into the lessons history readily teaches us?

May we allow the wisdom of the ages to inspire us to learn AND grow quickly, painlessly with a sense of awe.
May we engage teachers who balance traditions and routines with common sense, compassion, and grace.
May this post help you kick up your heels and enjoy a lively dance with the students within you.
May learn life lessons and nurture our bodies, minds, and souls — individually and collectively — to remind us how history is a powerful teacher.

So? What kind of student are you?

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