One of the concepts that arrived with the digital age was the ability to erase parts of records—or entire records. That ability has now been compounded by a growing desire to rewrite history. The recent trend of cancelling people, places and things is a striking example of this culture: follow our path or face the wrath of our cult.
People who have never done anything positive in their lives gang up with other like-minded weirdos, run around defacing monuments and cultural relics, and then post their “accomplishments” on social media.
History is like a chain. Break any one link and the chain ceases to exist. It loses its utility and becomes two useless pieces that no longer serve the purpose for which they were created.
I believe every story and every event from our past should be preserved. Even the most hateful passages from earlier centuries need to be kept, because they remind us how low we can sink. The dark chapters of our story, when set against the present, show us how far we have actually progressed.
I do not believe we should erase any part of our history. The famous warning—“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”—is true not only for individuals but for nations. A nation is nothing more than a large collection of individuals. Forget your past at your own peril.