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The Further Education (Part Two)

© Shaun Michael Jex

Malcolm X once stated in a speech, that it was impossible to separate a tree from its roots, and therefore, in order to help the tree in any way, one must be familiar not only with the branches and the fruit, but the roots as well. In the continuing series that I began several weeks ago, I would like to continue by stressing the importance of a vast and detailed knowledge of history, learned from as many angles as possible. It is obvious how this ties into literature, the writer in both fiction and non-fiction being either literally or figuratively a type of historian for the age that he is living in.

The learning of history has many facets, which is to say, not only do we need to learn the generalized history that is presented in the general education system, but is also important to examine other sections of history. It is essential for us to know our own roots and history, the struggles that have brought us to where we are, the mistakes that held us back, and the potential to solve these mistakes in the future. Intentionally or not, the generalized history that is presented in the education system, present only a small and often times highly biased view of history that can at times place an unfavorable light on the histories of the marginalized people of the community, no matter who they are. If this is the only faction of history that is studied, it can result in many people, if they believe it, finding themselves in a position where they are completely disconnected from their own past and at its worst, hating their past, and thus filled with a vicious kind of self hatred. Again, if you cannot appreciate and love your own culture, your own past, it is almost impossible to love another person's culture and to communicate with that culture.

Another facet of learning history is learning the history from an alternative viewpoint, or from the point of view of the marginalized people of the world. As noted historian and professor Howard Zinn has noted, there tends to be one form of history that is passed down from generation to generation, and becomes generally accepted. The problem with this is, at times it tends to lose something, or to ignore various other aspects that are worthy of study. This is not to take away from the legitimacy and necessity of understanding the popular history, but does present the problem of gaining a fuller knowledge of history. In this way it is necessary to find and study the history books that are not just written from the 'center' of the empire, or whatever you may call it, but by the minorities and the smaller factions as well. To truly understand the history of the Americas, Europe, Asia or the Middle East, one cannot merely read one book, and consider it definitive. As with all things, there is always learning to be done, and one must look at the object, the lives, from as many angles and view points as possible.