Order in the courtroom, here come ‘da judge

I love history.  It’s not something I took the time to study in school—my nursing program left little time for things other than, well, bedpans and needles and all things dealing with the human condition…

And yet the study of history deals with the human condition in very real ways as well.  Now, a nurse or doctor will observe certain symptoms in a patient, or review the results of blood work, and thus interpret what is truly happening to plot a course of action.  Interestingly, historians can be similar “diagnosticians” when it comes to, not only digging up the facts of the past, but understanding their context, their significance, and their impact on the present and future. 

In other words, stuff happens, good and bad.  Historians dig out the stuff, and pull out the why, how, and what next.  Without that, we tend to misinterpret the present, making more bad stuff happen for the future.

Case in point: