“Forgiveness is the final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
The books I have read this year have focused on the truth of history. It is not that all the history I have been taught over the years has been a lie, but many of the inconvenient parts have been left out. I also went to school in the Deep South, and the Civil War was called the “War of Northern Aggression.” One of my recent life goals has been to attempt to gain the correct perspective on history. Earlier this year, I read a book about Lewis and Clark’s journey to the West. We compliment how amazing it was that they took this adventure, but they caused a lot of friction with the Native American community that became an issue later for the United States. I recently finished a book on Christopher Columbus. Great timing, because Columbus Day was this week. We really should rethink that holiday. Right now, I am reading a book called “Lies My Teacher Taught Me.” While I am not a fan of the title, I love the content so far. The author does not blame teachers, but he blames textbook companies. Much of what they write leaves out key details.
When it comes to knowing the truth, it is also important to share the truth. Too often we keep our thoughts in our heads, and we do not share who we really are with others. Recently, we moved out of our house of 14 years. This was the longest I had ever lived in one residence; however, it was time for us to move. Our neighborhood was changing, our house needed a lot of work, and we had an offer from a developer that we could not refuse. We took it. Now we live in a much larger and nicer house. Do I miss my old house? Yes. There were so many great memories in that house; my kids grew up there. Am I happy to be where I am now? Yes. Sometimes being honest means sharing both sides of the story, something we should do more of when studying history.
