How does the past connect to the present?

History matters because it helps us as individuals and as societies to understand why our societies are the way they are and what they value. The answer is that History is inescapable. It studies the past and the legacies of the past in the present.

What is the importance of past in present and future?

In our past we see our failures and our enemies, our victories and our defeats. The past allows the people of the present and the future to learn without having to endure. We can see how others coped, we can see that others survived hard times. The past gives us courage and it protects us.

How is the past important?

History is important because WE ARE the past: we are the sum of all the events–good, bad, and indifferent–that have happened to us. The only way we can understand who we are and how we got to be that way is by studying the past. Similarly, the only way we can understand others is by studying their past.

Why do we need to know the past?

Studying history is important because it allows us to understand our past, which in turn allows us to understand our present. Studying history can provide us with insight into our cultures of origin as well as cultures with which we might be less familiar, thereby increasing cross-cultural awareness and understanding.