What is History - Really?

This place and what it suggests, is history even as each word hits the screen.

Suggesting, as some have, that history is an accurate, objective recording of events in the distant or very recent past is credible only, when there is an event which has a time and date recorded against it. Or heaven forbid, when someone erects a statue.

In reality compiling such a record impossible of course and in most cases it's not even attempted, and neither is it attempted here. Who would put themselves through the mill of gathering information and trying to get it right from every eye that saw it, ear that heard it, whispers that inferred it and every point of view built from what could only possibly be a personal interpretation?

Voltaire was right in this attributed to him: “Indeed, history is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.” ....Voltaire

There are many concepts of history, and each who have information declare and argue they are correct. Much like religion, there is only one religion and yet there are many who propose theirs is the one, even though different from the others. History is tales of the past of even recorded events that are interpreted and told differently by each individual. We are fortunate to be so blessed.

Various versions of events even from their own lives from observers with photographs, means that there is nothing that can be cast in iron and set in stone. Different angles and interpretation of major events and general occurrences are the norm and the meat of those who would like to know more. So what of accuracy one might ask? There is a saying attributed to Erich Fromm: “The quest for certainty blocks the quest for meaning.” The quest for objective accuracy is for the court of law, in life it may be a hindrance and an opportunity lost for interesting speculation and extrapolation.

However, a general idea which is the only possible result and usually achievable and adequate for us to fill any gaps with imagination. Accurate history is an assortment of stories about the same thing from different people. Each story/experience biased in some way by the teller of the tale, even about what many call “important” events.

Milestone events do exist. The miles themselves are the stories of everyday life from people, and the stones are how an event was seen or experienced by them and their telling, and of course what audience feedback is forthcoming. Milestones like fame and notoriety are manufactured by people who find other things more interesting than those of their own lives. Not everyone remembers the moon landing or the rise of communism. These markers are created by the interested prejudiced audience.

As we know, if more than one person sees an event being played out, each will see something different, tell the tale with a different slant and be amazed when hearing others tell of the same event and discover how different it was from their own experience or wonder how they missed something another noted. Then above and beyond all that, there is the interpretation of events and what was seen, as well as the passing of time and the way memory erodes or embellishes and highlights what has been observed or felt, changed by that factor alone.

Quoting The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906) of Ambrose Beirce:

HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.

Possibly the above is all that needs to be said about history, about life within and outside our own milieu upon which each individual places a certain importance. There are many who say Australia was built by the mining and agricultural industry. Exporting what others wanted and bringing in monetary wealth into the country. It is also good to consider how Australia would have been built had it been settled by people who were not so obsessed with monetary wealth and were more caring of their environment? Much like our first nation people.

However, the time has slipped away to make history like that.