Yesterday, one of my minor life goals came true—my daughter and I began discussing history. Specifically, the story of World War I. We started with Archduke Franz Ferdinand and how his assassination ignited a global conflict. That conversation made me quietly happy.
I've always believed that anyone trying to make sense of this world must study history. George Santayana said it best: "Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it." If only my big brother Vladimir Vladimirovich had listened before wandering into Ukraine.
History's lessons stretch far beyond the political. They reach into every facet of life. Will and Ariel Durant summed them up in their classic, The Lessons of History:
"Competing groups have the qualities of competing individuals: acquisitiveness, pugnacity, partisanship, pride… War is a nation's way of eating."
I recommend the book highly:
Which brings us to another book: Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu. It helps explain what history shows again and again—why political actors behave as they do, and why some countries collapse while others rise.
The study of history is every citizen's responsibility. It prepares us to participate in public life—and shape it. That's why I'm thrilled my daughter has taken her first steps on that path.
Next steps? Physics, math, and code. Once she has those under her belt, she can go play hockey or whatever else her heart desires.
Bonus: For a bit of nostalgia (and cringe), here's a throwback video from the early days of the Renaissance Centre for Leadership Development—a project I started with Professor Remi Sonaiya (@oluremisonaiya) and Dr. Evans Woherem (LinkedIn):