The Balance of History

What is the opposite of history? Everyone knows (or at least should know) what history is. This field is more than the simple study of the past. Ultimately, history is the creation of meaning where there is only the raw and lived existence of the present. We can look back on the past, tell our stories, and give meaning to events. Among animals, this uncanny ability makes humans unique. Without the ability to remember and create meaning, we are nothing more than Nietzsche’s belly-oriented herd of goats grazing on a mountainside.

But what force stands in opposition to the historical records and interpretations? If history is meaning given to events that have already happened, then its opposite force cannot also be located in the past. The moment we live in –– the present –– has no meaning until it is over and we begin to tell stories and analyze our experiences. History can only come in retrospect. Therefore, whatever stands opposed to history must be neither in the past nor in the present. History’s opposition must be in the future. This conclusion seems the most logical.

The opposite of what happened in the past must invariably look to the future. History has already taken place and we mine its events and biographies to give meaning to the present world in which we live. But the future has not yet happened. The future offers untold variables and courses of action. It should be understood that the opposite of past is future. The former world of history is littered with skepticism and negative critique. Therefore the opposite must offer a different alternative and vision of the world in which we live.

This opposition of history must be positive. The chroniclers and critics of historical events speak of wars, politics gone astray, and the darker side of human nature. Simply stated, history is the record of the world in which we live. That world is most often recorded as harsh and brutal. It is littered with scores of names that evoke strong emotions: Caesars, The Terror, Waterloo, Solferino, Verdun, Auschwitz. Even our own individual experiences and stories tell us that life is hard and will eventually end. What, then, can be the opposite of such a bloody, raped, and cratered landscape?

Perhaps Hope is the single human force which stands in opposition to the events of the past. Hope is a world of the future tense. The events of the future have not yet transpired, and hope allows us to believe that anything is possible. There are two kinds of hopes that humans experience. The first is simple and fleeting. This is the hope that asks for puppies at Christmas and cakes on birthdays. It’s the second type of hope that counter-balances the historical experience. These are the hopes that are too big to fit into this world, the impossible hopes that may or (more likely) may not be realized in our lives. These are the Hopes which keep us looking to a future where the ever upsidedown world is turned on its head.

But why do we do it? Why do we hope when there is ample historical evidence which speaks to the failure of such hopes? Countless times throughout history the hopes of nations, peoples, and individuals have been utterly dashed against the stones of human reality. Perhaps hope is the necessary balance to the craziness of our world.

Let’s ponder these questions and thoughts until we’re old and wise grandmothers and grandfathers. Perhaps then we will have a better understanding of the mysteries of life, and we will be more qualified to offer answers to such questions.