“Our ignorance of history causes us to slander our own times”
— Gustave Flaubert
Simplified Meaning:
Often, we think our current times are the worst ever, but that's because we don't know enough about history. If we did, we'd see that every era has had its problems and challenges. For example, during the 14th century, Europe faced the Black Plague, which killed millions of people. Today, we face challenges like climate change and pandemics, but having historical knowledge can help us understand that human societies have always overcome difficulties. By learning from the past, we can appreciate the progress we've made and avoid repeating mistakes. Understanding history helps put our current struggles in perspective and makes us more hopeful about solving them. Instead of feeling like we live in a terrible time, we can see it as another challenging period that we have the power to improve.
