Remembering the Past

I was fortunate enough to visit the battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on a sweltering July afternoon this past summer. The map was a little off, the roads a bit tricky, but the battlefield itself still held the ghosts of the significance that historic event held for the men involved, and the nation. One miscue on the Federal side of the line, and the course of events might have been very different. Over 50,000 casualties were suffered by the assembled men, right or wrong, who hurled themselves at each other over the course of three days. I’ve always felt history has been given too much of a backseat in the pantheon of subject matter in secondary education. I also recall the number of professionals (doctors, lawyers, etc) who told me they wished they’d paid closer attention years after daydreaming their way through history classes in high school. It seemed to be reflected in the dynamics of the battlefield visitors I observed around me. Yes, many parents drug their kids to look at the statues, or took selfies by a cannon, but it was seniors that really seemed to stop and reflect, think about all the sacrifice involved in a conflict that witnessed the loss of 3% of our population. As I found myself at “The Angle”, the spot where Pickett’s Charge peaked, I pondered that history is never a given, and could have ended very differently for those who fail to pay attention. History is a lesson in context and will; walk through life numb, and you will find power will not sit still, but seize what it wants.