Mary Angelie J.

Aguipo
BA English - Language 1, 1st year.

History's Importance in Our Everyday Lives

History is an essential part of our existence. Several definitions of history have

been suggested by philosophers and historians throughout the ages; nevertheless, the
meaning of history may change from one person to another due to its complexity.
Schrag, (2021) defined history as “not about the past but rather about people; it is the
study of people and the choices they made.” History may have two meanings: it can
refer to the past (the event) or it can refer to a narrative or account of the event.
(Podkos.org, 2020). Furthermore, Conyers Read (as cited in Schrag, 2021) defines
history as "the memory, recorded or unrecorded, of past human experience."
Additionally, our very own Republic Act 10086, also known as the "Strengthening
Peoples' Nationalism Through Philippine History Act," defines history as the record of
people, places, and events in the past; it can also refer to the field including the study of
people, places, and events in the past. When we discuss history, we can see different
meanings from different viewpoints; what I know from all of these perspectives is that
history must be understood and recognized in the present because it is a lesson from
the past. It can tell the tale of who we are, where we came from, and what our future is
going to be. It is equally as essential as any other topic in any field, and as Robert
Heinlein remarked, "A generation that ignores history has no past and no future."

With our society's present technological progress, we can learn everything about
anything in no time, thanks to the Internet. Regardless, historical information available
on the internet is not always reliable. Historical revisionism is very common in today's
society; the Internet can be used as a tool for disinformation and lie propagation,
particularly with the use of social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Tiktok, and YouTube, where sharing your thoughts and opinions can be seen
by millions of people regardless of whether they are true or not.

Limpin (2021) suggested that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with rewriting
historical narratives since revision is an essential activity when new facts or witness
testimonies are discovered. Historians also engage in revisionism to provide the most
accurate accounts given all available knowledge, which is in notable difference to how
the term is commonly used today. The word historical revisionism refers to the distortion
of the past as accepted by a large portion of the population, particularly to meet a
personal or political aim. (Dr. Llanes, as cited in Limpin, 2021). One instance is the
historical revisionism occurring around the Marcoses, most notably in 2010 when
BongBong Marcos was elected senator while denying that his parents committed
atrocities during the dictatorship. According to Mendoza (2013, as quoted in Agular,
2019), the inability to correctly change history is the reason why the Marcoses do not
require rehabilitation. Those who participated in the anti-dictatorship campaign during
the dictatorship were unsuccessful because they did not go far enough to change the
historical image of the Marcoses. These factors may have resulted in the historical
revisionism we now criticize as a result of our collective incapacity to change and
rewrite history in the aftermath of Marcos' demise.

To avoid historical revisionism today and in the future, we must learn from the past,
citing an example earlier which is currently taking place with the Marcoses and their
false claims about their father's dictatorship. It is important to study History for us to
distinguish between what are facts and what are mere opinions. As the speed of
technological advancement threatens our national heritage and identity, education is
undoubtedly one of the methods for minimizing it. To gain historical awareness, learning
history is a must to gain values and know the significance of such an event. Historical
education is the most effective instructional medium for introducing people to the history
of the country. If we want to fully understand why anything happened, we must search
for variables that occurred previously. Only by studying history can we fully perceive and
comprehend the causes of these changes, and only by studying history can we realize
what aspects of an institution or society continue to function despite the constant
change.

Moreover, in applying our historical thinking skills in our daily life, we must learn
how to think like historians do, which may be formed by examining the facts and
educating ourselves properly. Historians have a set of principles called historian ethics,
which includes curiosity, accuracy, judgment, empathy, gratitude, and truth. This set of
principles can also help us in discerning what is historically accurate and what are the
distortions. Just as historians do, one must avoid confirmation bias, which is the
tendency to disregard data that contradict one's initial ideas while emphasizing evidence
that supports them. These steps may be in the process of formulating the question,
devising the study plan, taking notes, or writing up the results (Schrag, 2021).

To conclude, the advances in technology we are experiencing today may be a

powerful tool for disinformation; however, as citizens of our nation, it is our responsibility
to ensure that this ignorance does not go further and causes more damage. As citizens
of the Philippines, we are allowed to learn our history to better understand and critically
comprehend the cause and impact of previous events that occurred in our country so
that we do not make the same mistake. With principles like historians that we can follow
and the education in history that our law requires, we can spread true and correct news.
 References

Aguilar Jr., F. V. (2019). Political conjuncture and scholarly disjunctures: Reflections on

studies of the Philippine state under Marcos. Philippine Studies: Historical and
Ethnographic Viewpoints, 67(1), 3-30. Archīum Ateneo.
https://archium.ateneo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=history-faculty-pu
bs

Limpin, D. (2021, February 25). After EDSA: Historical revisionism and other factors that
led to the Marcoses’ return. Philippine Social Science Council.
https://pssc.org.ph/after-edsa/

Podkas.org. (2020, December). What is history, and what is not?. PODKAS:

Conversation on Philippine history, politics and society [Audio podcast episode].
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0HtefsE1YPyACUbgHDAqEu?si=tj2IGaj_R5CLOjI5otQ
t4g&dl_branch=1

Republic Act No. 10086. (n.d.). The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation, Inc.
https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2010/ra_10086_2010.html

Schrag, Z. (2021). The Princeton guide to historical research. Princeton University

Press.