Having spent the last week in the heart of the area of the War of 1812, I have been nearly constantly asking myself this question: Do young Canadians truly appreciate the events that shaped our great country? I myself have always loved learning about history. It baffles me how people can go on without learning about, or at least being curious about how Canada, their homeland or simply somewhere they take interest in came to be. Somehow still, I see so many of my friends and peers living with ignorance toward the battles, agreements and great debates that led to our current state of being. A lot of the young people I’ve seen at Queenston Heights, Fort Henry and along the streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Kingston have their heads down, with a disinterested look on their faces. Either that, or they’re glued to their phones instead of being truly aware of their surroundings.
Whenever I go to a site significant to history, sit in a social studies class pertaining to past events or even just walk in the historical districts of Calgary or cities I’m visiting, there’s always people who are visibly not there. By this, I mean that they aren’t truly taking in the point of what they see. It’s like there’s a block put up between them and what they should be getting out of the experience. Not to say that all teenagers don’t appreciate history, the sacrifices that were made and the monumental events that occurred to shape the future that is their present day. Many do, and exemplify the point I’m making: History is important as it’s one of our duties, even as youth, to understand how just as past events have moulded our lives, our actions today can impact people years and even generations into the future.
So go out, be curious! Ask questions, visit historic sites and learn about the rich history of our city, province, country, world or even your family. When you can appreciate the people who shaped our modern world, you can see the significance in what may even seem like the smallest things that we often take for granted. It warms my heart to watch my peers seeing the impacts that the past has on now and to see that spark of curiosity and pride in our ancestors. By understanding what it took to get us here, we can see what it will take to move us forward.