Forgetting the Past?

True. There are things we'd like to forget just as there are those we want to remember. It may also be true for some of us that when we were young (or younger), the past was rather irrelevant. But even now, after many waters have flowed beneath the bridge, it may not be as easy to “let bygones be bygones.”

Several catalogs of The Great Courses: Great Courses Taught by Great Professors have come my way with even a sample CD. Personally, I do not know any of the professors but I am interested in the topics. Why? Let some of them speak for themselves.

Understanding the Universe
The joy of Thinking and The Joy of Science
How to Listen and Understand Great Music
The Story of Human Language
Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning
The Human Body: How We Fail, How We Heal
Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life
The Foundation of Western Civilization (a course I once taught long ago)
Science and Religion
America and the New Global Economy

These courses run in varying length and are on sale between $19.95-$149.95 or so if you order by March 12th. Otherwise the price goes up.

Comments such as this help sell the Cds and DVDs: “Passionate, erudite, living-legend lecturers.” “These aren't little audio tapes with 30 minutes of fluff; they're huge, in-depth, taped lectures from some of the best minds in the country.” “The best classroom teacher I have seen in my 35 years in theological education, bar none.” Do they sell? Of course.

However, I am not here to promote The Great Courses. It does a better job than I could do. What I want to promote is this: do not underestimate the past, either your own or that of ancient times. We live in a highly technical age with innumerable excellencies and some inherent frailties. Some of which we may never know. Only the future will tell.

Studying and appreciating yesterday is so vital for a better today, and yes, a better tomorrow. If it's old, don't despair. If it's ancient, it can enlighten us as we have the capacity to be discerning (at least to some extent).

As for me, I'm happy because Abraham, Moses, David and Elijah were not forgotten. Nor Aristotle, Plato and St. Paul. Nor Washington, Lincoln or a host of others, their ups and downs, shortcomings and excellencies, insights and warnings. We have our opinions about Kennedy, Reagan, Bush, and Obama but we still need more time to evaluate them better.

Whatever you do, don't forget the past, ancient or immediate. It might be a great disappointment if you do.