Are We Recording Accurate History for Future Generations?

Informal musings over a weekend thought I had...

As someone who has always had a very curious mind, and a love of exploring the past, I find that I am always asking myself a question. Am I recording history accurately for future generations? Because, probably like many who read this newsletter, I am often caught up examining the past, and recording my understanding of past events….But, what about my, and all of our, understanding of current events?

And one might first answer back at that by saying “Well, we have the news and that is being recorded and written down, etc.” And that is true, we do, and we are lucky to live in a time where we have it. But I would argue, that, rather than most of the world having access to news from a select group of television stations or publishers, I believe that we can do better. (After all, depending on each major news source, history could tell a completely different tale.) When looking at history, there are many generally accepted narratives. Queen Victoria being the “Grandmother of Europe” is a perfect example of this. Today, when people think of Queen Victoria, we almost solely think of her as that very thing. An old grandmother in melancholy black. We believe the generally accepted narrative of her life without question. And while we know she was a very prolific diarist, we also know that much of her diaries have been censored and edited. And while I personally wish they hadn’t been, I am not critical of those who did it, because I know they likely had their reasons and I also believe that Queen Victoria should have been allowed to have private thoughts stay private. Just because she was a Queen, doesn’t mean every intimate thought of hers needs to be made a spectacle of. I speak of the editing of her diaries however because, although it may have been done with noble intention, what it does do, is undoubtedly alter our view of history.

For a historian of any kind, one of the most fascinating finds is undoubtedly an account of what life was like for the common people of the day. Diaries of a Queen are wonderful, but the edited diary of one of the world’s most powerful figures is hardly an accurate portrait of the Victorian Era at large. And, because of course people were far less literate in the past, and technology then was not able to record like it is today, there are sadly many voices who have fallen silent as time has passed. This is why when a letter or relic from someone who was not part of the ruling classes is found it is such a treasure, because we lack them.

My hope is that now that literacy is widespread and access to media and technology is the norm in most of the world today, we don’t take for granted our chance to record our honest take on major events in our lifetime. Just as something like Queen Victoria’s diary can be edited and changed to fit a narrative, so can much of what history will record for events today. I speak not only of major news outlets framing stories to fit with their own interests, but also of us all. There is probably nobody online today who hasn’t self censored a social media post in one way or another. As much as we talk about “authenticity” the fact that what most people record today is shared with others online, rather than kept in a private journal, means, right or wrong, that there is likely to be some self censorship, which when looked back upon, will lead to a bias. I think the best way to combat that bias, and create the most accurate picture of a period in history is to have as many records from as many people as possible. Even if they are just saved for your descendants, wouldn’t you like to know how your ancestors felt about the first time they rode on a train? Or tried a new fruit? Or their thoughts on something big like a World War or a World’s Fair? Wouldn’t you like to carry the wisdom of their thoughtful reflections with you in your own life, whether you agree with them or not? And wouldn’t you like to be sure you are receiving the most accurate picture of a time period possible without the bias of the sparky headlines and the generally accepted narratives? I sure would!

So, let’s all keep discovering the past, while we also create history for the future!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this and I hope you don’t forget to jot down your thoughts every so often, even if just for yourself and your descendants!

Until Next Time,

McKenzie