The origins of nearly everything can be a
thrilling journey of investigation. If the knowledge has already been secured by
another in the past, an interactive lecture on transitional philosophy and
historic political motivation rapidly inspires the power of time over the
culture of humanity. However, if the path remains untrodden, the exploration
may be undertaken by any that wish to link current circumstance with the
fluctuating uncertainty of the mists of time.
The origin of words fascinates a great many people. English began its
descent from the Germanic tribes that gradually mixed Celtic and some Welsh
words into a comprehensive linguistic exchange. Several centuries later, the
French exerted their influence especially on the highest end of sophistication
with trade and food. A thousand years hence, modern speakers combine elements of
all these events and converse with merely the bones of its pure,
initial form.
The origin of nations and political alliances may also be an interesting
study. For a thousand years the British hated, opposed, and attacked the
French. With the advent of aggressive Germanic policies preceding World War I,
these two peoples allied together and remain cooperative even a hundred years
later. The complexity of circumstances that lead to this reversal has not
entirely affected the peoples as a whole since even after the second world war,
France resisted British membership in the newly formed European Community
(predecessor to the EU of Europe today and which the English are, for now, a
part).
The origin of history itself interests some as well. Herodotus, credited
with being the father, is the first recognized man to record events assimilated
from sources outside of mythology. While opinionated and poorly researched from
differently biased perspectives, the processes of gathering and sharing knowledge has powerful precedents. When Alexander the Great conquered the Persians less than a
hundred years later, he made sure to keep a historic recorder in his company to
ensure the victorious tale’s continuance. Napoleon, inspired himself by
Alexander, kept a historian within the camp of his army, and the French are
credited with the establishment of the modern form of historic research and
recording. Humans as a species seem fascinated with records. The Egyptians and
Sumerians meticulously recorded business transactions and religious ceremonies.
Their supposed predecessors even recorded their daily viewing of animals on
cave walls.
No one can
escape the past – whether it is forgotten or not. Influences all around us
began as miniscule ideas, no matter how long ago, and succeeded in embedding
and affecting generations through their establishment. The present is here to
influence the future just as the past has done for the present. To understand
the scope and progression (or regression) of any matter in life, one has but to
look to the past. The answers may not always be evident, but a close corollary
can almost always be found.
Subtly in daily
life and the gradualization of most changes dulls our notice. Just as you hardly
take note of the length of your hair until it is past your eyes, the hum drum
processes of life easily accumulate, twisted away from their original form, but
easily recognized by the steady watcher.
Part of the joy
of life is in comparison – with others, with our past, with the pasts of others.
Take notice, record the distinctions, and strive to inspire and influence the
future generations that look back at what was, long ago, the present.
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Agatha Tyche
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