Post copyright 2016 by Doris McCraw
The opinions in this post are that of the author. I make this statement in advance of the topic of this post.
If you wish to take over a civilization and its people, destroy their history. When you stop to think about what we as a people believe, what would we be without it. Our history goes back not only to the beginning of this country, but back to ancient Sumeria, Greece, and Rome to name a few. The myths and legends we have in our collective conscious are many and varied. Some of us want to make trips to the Holy Land, others to see the Parthenon. These are the stories we grew up with.
More recently, the founding fathers, the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. The myth of the cowboy. What would we be without those stories?
Now let’s move on to Women’s history. Elizabeth Blackwell, Betsy Ross, Cynthia Parker are some of the more well known. There are not as many women represented in this collective history of our civilization. Is this on purpose, or just an oversight of the early historians? Perhaps a bit of both.
My point is, without those ‘heroes’, without the stories of their lives, we can be left to struggle even harder to find our place in the world. Each generation finds their own ‘idols’ to look up to. As someone who has always been fascinated by the stories of both the men and women who came before, I’ve had many who helped guide me through the maze that is called life. I’ve learned from great grandparents along with other family members. As an avid reader, “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse along with the stories of the Olmec and Toltec made a substantial impression on me. Simon & Garfunkle’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” helped as I navigated high school. (Simon & Garfunkle’s “Bridge…” https://youtu.be/H_a46WJ1viA) These stories helped to define who I became and am still becoming. I’m sure all my past influenced my desire to share the stories of the ‘lost’ people, especially women, from our collective past.
The point is, without our history, without the stories, what would our Civilization be? Who were your influences and what difference did they make in who you became? What do you think our world would look like if all our past was destroyed?
The next time someone says, that’s old, we don’t need it anymore, pause to make sure it really won’t be needed. Our elders are our treasures, treasure them, we are treasures, treasure them and our children are our treasures, treasure them.
Angela Raines is the pen name for Doris McCraw. Originally from the mid-west, Doris now calls the Rocky Mountains her home. Doris is a writer, historian, actor,and teacher. An avid reader Doris loves to spend time in history archives looking for the small, unknown pieces of history. Many times these pieces end up in her stories or poems.
“One Christmas Knight” Medieval Anthology
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“Angel of Salvation Valley”
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“A COWBOY CELEBRATION”
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HOME FOR HIS HEART
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Doris Gardner-McCraw
Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women’s History
Photo and Poem: http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com
Every step you take should be a prayer.
And if every step you take is a prayer then you will always be walking in a sacred manner.
Oglala Lakota Holyman.
Writing Wranglers and Warriors 
I agree with you about knowing our history and the benefit of that. I think humans are prone to think of themselves as the most important at the time they exist and that what they do or accomplish is of greatest impact. And certainly, that is important too, as we will be history someday! However, when learning institutions quit imparting historical events accurately to students, they are robbing those students and future generations of wisdom and inspiration. Each generation should be able to build on the mistakes and successes of the past, and increase their comprehension of how to reach for perfect.
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Beautifully said, Neva. Thank you. Doris
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I agree completely. We need our history to guide us in what is important as well as to caution us against making the same mistakes over and over again.
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Thank you, Joe. It is something I’ve been thinking about quite a lot lately. Yes, I know I’m passionate about history, especially women’s history, but I’ve felt others should at least know where they came from. Doris
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This is interesting. You made some good points, and I enjoyed “Bridge Over Troubled Water” which has always been one of my favorite songs.
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It is a great song, isn’t it Abbie? Thank you for your kind words. Doris
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Wonderful post, Doris! I’ve loved American history since I was a teen, and moving from Iowa to Wyoming at age 17, well, I felt almost “pioneer-like!” Working at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center gave me such great education on the trails that run through Casper as well as a more intimate look at Native American history and culture. I loved reading the dairies of the emigrants, a great many of which were written by women — so we can thank them for their stories and for keeping that history alive. Thank you as well! 🙂
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Than you Gayle. I’m a it envious of the time you had with all those diaries and history. Still, I believe we all get the chance to experience what made us who we are. It’s just making sure we take it to heart. Best to you. Doris
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Beautiful blog. Made me definitely reflect on my life and the history I am glad to know. I too love discovering new pieces of the past unravelled. Thanks for sharing this.
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You are ore than welcome. It is something that has been on my mind for a long time. Women’s History, the destruction of the historic icons in the Middle East, historic buildings/lands and the teaching of history, all conspired to bring this post to fruition. Doris
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Thank you for putting my thoughts into words, Doris. I’ve preached the love of history since I was a little boy. It was the biographies of our heroes, real or myth, that I wanted read to me. I played with toy soldiers because I wanted to re-enact the battles of old. I became a Civil War re-enactor so I could get a faint taste of what it was to live as one back then, camping and drilling. Now, I love researching the Civil War era for my WIP because it again ignites my love of history.
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Thank you MIke. If we lose our history, we lose who we are. Like you, living it as best one can helps to make it real. It’s the love of the story that keeps it alive. Keep on with that desire, and our history can live on. Best on the new story. Doris
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Your post is just as lovely as yoi are. You have a caring heart and a caring mind. My Mom was my biggest enfluence. She told me stories of her Mother, and my Aunts. They made history. Everyone knew who they were. In fact my Grandma had delivered and/or raised most of the people in the neighborhood/countryside where I grew up. She was a legend. A Super-woman raising 8 children mostly on her own. Cher’ley
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Cher’ley, you had such a wonderful gift and I appreciate your sharing it. What amazing ancestors you had. It shows in who you are. Here’s to the history we have and the one we are making. Doris
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I am guilty of being one of those people who didn’t appreciate history growing up, but as I grow older I’m learning the value of it more and more, especially learning about my own history from my parents. I fear that as we become a more impatient and instantaneous society, we won’t value classics, tradition, old buildings, landmarks, etc. the way we should. I also think different cultures appreciate elders differently, like the Chinese. I’m realizing when I go back to Taiwan to visit my dad’s side of the family, elders are respected more than here back home in LA. Thanks for an insightful post, Doris.
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You are welcome Sarah. I was so lucky to have the childhood I did. It reinforced the beauty and necessity of history. You hit the nail on the head. The immediate society we live in, so sad. Thanks for you kind words and may history continue to be important to you and everyone. Doris
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We all have so much to learn. I have been guided through life by a number of people. Even those that have guided me in the wrong direction have taught me something. We can all learn from the past, those older than us and even those younger than us. The important thing is to never stop learning.
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Amen to always learning SJ. I for one am happiest when I’m on the journey of learning and finding new things, even when they are old.
You are correct, we have many teachers to learn from. Here’s to success. Doris
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