3 ms·

There are certain things that you can’t fully appreciate until you have experienced life enough for the material to be relateable. When I was in high school and

There are certain things that you can’t fully appreciate until you have experienced life enough for the material to be relateable. When I was in high school and college I hated history. I classified it as a “memorize and regurgitate” busywork subject. Now I read history for recreation and can’t get enough, largely because now that I’m older and understand enough of how society works that I can understand the chain of events better. Reading history is almost like applied psychology.

RajuVarghese 8y ago
My experience entirely! As a science and engineering student I was drawn to the rules, laws and preciseness (precision?) of the STEM subjects. As I got into the 50's I began to take delight in European history and now I can't get enough of it. Yes, it takes a while to realize that we should exult in the 'crooked timber of humanity'.
- secfirstmd 8y ago
  I would add classical music and also traditional ("trad") Irish music to this. Parents would have had it on a lot when younger but not really in an annoying way. It was just there. Used to hate as a teenager but somewhere around the 20s it just all clicked and I love it. Probably listen to more of it than anything else.
jwdunne 8y ago
Oh yeah. I always liked history but it's now a favourite pastime. The best explanation I give for my growing interest is that you learn from mistakes and history is full of them. In more so, the greater the power, the bigger the mistakes and the harsher the consequences. But really I think that's just a rationalisation for a burgeoning fascination that I can approach with greater maturity. My wife is the niece of a history professor too. It's interesting that the more I learn the less I want to talk to him about it - perhaps because I'm always learning there's a hell of a lot I don't know. Intimidating.

RajuVarghese 8y ago

My experience entirely! As a science and engineering student I was drawn to the rules, laws and preciseness (precision?) of the STEM subjects. As I got into the 50's I began to take delight in European history and now I can't get enough of it. Yes, it takes a while to realize that we should exult in the 'crooked timber of humanity'.

secfirstmd 8y ago
I would add classical music and also traditional ("trad") Irish music to this. Parents would have had it on a lot when younger but not really in an annoying way. It was just there. Used to hate as a teenager but somewhere around the 20s it just all clicked and I love it. Probably listen to more of it than anything else.

jwdunne 8y ago

Oh yeah. I always liked history but it's now a favourite pastime. The best explanation I give for my growing interest is that you learn from mistakes and history is full of them. In more so, the greater the power, the bigger the mistakes and the harsher the consequences. But really I think that's just a rationalisation for a burgeoning fascination that I can approach with greater maturity. My wife is the niece of a history professor too. It's interesting that the more I learn the less I want to talk to him about it - perhaps because I'm always learning there's a hell of a lot I don't know. Intimidating.