I'm not a huge fan of the Bible --- a messy conglomeration that in the hands of Christians blends misinterpreted Hebrew scripture from what we call the "old testament" into the highly politicized "new." But I do like some bits, including Ecclesiastes 1:9: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."
And I do love me some King James version, too.
That came to mind this morning as I was reading Hugh Hewitt's think piece in today's Washington Post, "Despairing over today's divisions? Try reading some history." I've "gifted" this to my Facebook timeline in case the link here runs you headfirst into a pay wall.
Hewitt, in addition to teaching constitutional law at Chapman University, Orange, Calif., also is a syndicated radio host.
His point, in part: That a failure to absorb and understand history undercuts the ability to put current events into perspective. And a lack of perspective increases the probability that disasters will repeat themselves.
Hewitt suggests that reading history in various forms is part of the solution --- and I'd agree. But then I'm of a generation that looked upon reading as the principal means of becoming informed. And that's not necessarily the case in this digital age.
Illiteracy, of course, is nothing new. A strong commitment to public education lifted us out of that dark hole. But in Iowa, at least, the commitment to public education seems to be wavering. And it's not clear where that dangerous trend will take us in a day and age when innovative public education is more important that ever.
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