WHAT SHOULD HISTORY BE LIKE?

official source: A Few Problems Solved Part 4

cross-references: also published in Prout in a Nutshell Part 8

this version: is the printed A Few Problems Solved Part 4, 1st edition, version  	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most  	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

      Yesterday I said something about history; I said that modern history usually deals with certain very common events such as when a certain king succeeded to the throne, or plundered a neighbouring country, or perpetrated atrocities on his subjects, or died, and so on. What benefit could common people possibly derive from studying such useless information? This is why they have no interest to study this sort of history at all. True history should be a faithful record of the entire human life.

      The recognised definition of history is,

	"Iti hasati ityarthe itiha'sah."

	That is, history is a resplendent reflection of collective life, whose study will be of immense inspiration for future generations. "Iti hasati" literally means, "the glowing example of glorious human dignity."

      Human beings should not be compared to individual flowers, but to an entire flower garden. A flower garden is made up of innumerable varieties of flowers, each with its own fragrance and colours. Human history is like this : the beauty of history lies in its kaleidoscopic variations in spatial, temporal and personal factors. We cannot afford to spoil its characteristics; nor can we forcibly impose a particular type of history on a certain community.

      Every individual or community will advance by virtue of its own inner vitality and assist in the collective fulfilment of the entire humanity. This is the true spirit of history. While writing history we will have to consider the various spheres of human life and ensure that proper directions are given for the development of each sphere. For instance, history should focus upon the prevalent educational system, cultural standards, thoughts and ideas, dress, the social condition of women, the role of women in the social and economic spheres, and the socio-economic conditions of the weak and backward communities of the society of a particular age, etc. If any of these aspects are omitted while writing history, it will be incomplete.

      There is yet another popular definition of history:

      Dharma'rtha ka'ma moks'a'rtham
	Niiti va'kya samanvitam'
	Pura'vrta katha'yuktam'itiha'sah pracaks'ate

      That is, only that treatise which increases human beings' arena of spiritual awareness and thus renders the intellect more subtle, which enhances the knowledge of various branches of art and science -- such as literature, fine art, pure science, technology, social science, etc -- and which places human beings on a firm foundation, deserves to be called genuine history.

	Let us see how people write history or get it written. In most cases history is written in the interest of a particular vested interest. History books are selected in order to establish the glory of a particular era. For example, the heroic tales of the chivalry of the Ks'attriyas era, their war-strategies, etc., form the main basis for the writing of the history of the Ks'attriya era. History books are filled with eulogies of the bravery and chivalry of the Ks'attriyan rulers. Similarly, the history of the Vipra era is full of praises for the glorious deeds of the Vipra leaders, and the history of the Vaeshya era contains an abundance of stories about the glories of the Vaeshyas. While studying such biased history, the readers lose both interest and patience. Besides that, the study of this sort of so-called history injects some kind of dogma in the readers mind, and consequently chokes the development of a spontaneous human intellect.

      There should be proper arrangements for the study of history. But that history must be real history, not the history of a particular class, king or minister.

      Unfortunately, the biased history is always written according to the dictates of the ruling class of different countries. The study of this biased history is detrimental to society. It should not occur.

      You people of today are more enlightened. Your intellectual capacity is no less than anyone else's. That is why you should write a new history of the human race by your collective endeavour. The history that you will write in future must unequivocally reflect such important factors as how human society has evolved through trials and tribulations; what difficulties were confronted and how human beings overcame them and moved towards their goal with firm steps; and how even today they are advancing by solving numerous problems.

28 February 1980