Some words from David McCullough (LINK)

[Tigers2B1]

Linked is an abridged transcript of an excellent speech given at Hillsdale College by the prize winning historian David McCullough. His speech was a focus on history, our place in history, and of history in our lives – and our related duties. Just begin reading and for those inclined, McCullough’s style should take you the rest of the way.

Harry Truman once said the only new thing in the world is the history you don’t know. Lord Bolingbroke, who was an 18th century political philosopher, said that history is philosophy taught with examples. An old friend, the late Daniel Boorstin, who was a very good historian and Librarian of Congress, said that trying to plan for the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers. We’re raising a lot of cut flowers and trying to plant them, and that’s much of what I want to talk about tonight…

Click to read the rest of the abridged speech -
http://hillsdale.edu/imprimis/

[Polycarp]

Thank you so much for linking to that, Tigers. I personally would read the phone book in one sitting if I knew that McCullough had written it. But what he has to say there is something that is extremely meaningful, and hopeful, to me.