My Journey from Hater to Curious

I admit that history was my nemesis during my school years. When the professor entered the classroom and started talking about dates, battles and rulers, I felt lost. It all seemed so boring and distant from my reality. I couldn’t perceive the value of that knowledge: why on earth would I be interested in what had happened centuries ago?

Over the years, however, something changed. I began to realize my gaps, feeling ashamed of how little I knew about our past (not with others but with myself). I understood that ignoring history was not only an academic shortcoming, but a real limitation in understanding the world around me.

Discovering the Value of History

What once seemed useless to me, today appears as a precious resource. Why? Because history is cyclical. Events of the past, in different forms, are still repeated today. If we look carefully, we can find surprising analogies between what happened in the past centuries and what is happening in the world today. Economic crises, social tensions, international conflicts: it seems that humanity is condemned to continually relive the same mistakes (and this makes me think a lot).

Understanding history has given me an additional tool to interpret the present. The more I study past events, the more I realize that it is not just a matter of memorizing dates and names, but of recognizing patterns, dynamics and cycles that recur.

Learning from the mistakes of others

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is that history is not just a book of past facts, but a practical guide for the present and above all for the future. Observing how leaders of the past have moved, what decisions they have made (and what mistakes they have made), allows me to draw lessons that I can also apply in my life. I am not just talking about political or economic decisions, but also about how to deal with difficult or unexpected situations.

In a way, knowing history is like having a map of the territory: it helps you orient yourself, avoid obstacles and not repeat the same mistakes made by those who came before us. Learning from the mistakes of others is a way to save time and pain, taking advantage of the wisdom accumulated over the centuries.

My commitment to improving

Today, I try to make up for lost time, also because nowadays ignorance is a choice given that you can watch documentaries for free, listen to podcasts that delve into historical events and many other contents are available to everyone. I can’t change my school past, but I can certainly enrich my present.

It’s not an easy process: there are still times when I feel overwhelmed by all the information I don’t know. But I don’t let myself get discouraged. Every day that passes, I discover something new that helps me better understand the world I live in.

“Those who don’t know history are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana

And with this quote, I want to remind myself (and whoever reads) that the past is not just a lesson for historians, but an opportunity for each of us to grow and improve.