Are You Making History?

I put my shoes on this morning. It’s a true fact. It really happened. It’s in the past.

Does that make it history?

Well, you won’t find it in any history book.

In my last article, I looked at the difference between “real history” and whatever my piano tuner thinks ragtime is. I’d like to go a little farther on that subject today. 

What is history?

It sounds like a simple enough question, as long as you don’t spend too much time thinking about it.

Most people would say that history is what happened in the past. But let’s put that notion under the microscope, poke it with a stick, and see how it holds up. Is everything that happened in the past counted as history?

Why aren’t my shoes in the history book?

I guess that depends on where I’m going and what I do when I get there. If I happen to change the world, and putting on my shoes started it all, then maybe people will read about my shoes someday. Otherwise, nobody will ever notice.

Think about dropping pebbles in a pond. Ripples flow outward from the point of impact. Have you thrown a pebble or a boulder? The only trouble is… everyone else is throwing rocks into the same pond too. The surface gets a bit rough sometimes. Nobody sees your pebble if the person next to you drops a boulder.

Not only that, but you can’t always be sure how big of a splash you’re really going to make. You can strain yourself rolling what you think is a boulder down to the pond and end up with a disappointing little plunk. Other times, a crumb might accidentally slip through your fingers and set off a tsunami.

The more lasting the impact, the more people notice. The bigger the impact, the more likely that your actions will pass from “personal history” into the history books.

Want to make a splash? I have a few suggestions.

1.     Study big splashes. Yes, I mean read history books. Keep up with current events. What makes the world take notice? Who do you admire, and why? Study their biographies. What kind of an impact do you want to have on the people around you? What have other people done to achieve that kind of impact?

2.     Live with intention. Sure, sometimes your best boulder might only make a little plunk. Learn from it and try again. Pay attention to your own actions and the way you affect your world, and life becomes less of a gamble. Put your shoes on and you’ll be ready.

How permanent are your actions? How many people have you affected? How many people that you don’t know? How many people outside of your immediate community?

Most of what we do instantly fades into relative obscurity. Unless you post about it on the internet. Then it’s forever. Whatever you share might come back to haunt you someday. The Ghost of Postings Past. Again, if you strive to live with intention, less of your personal history will sneak up on you. Develop a good reputation through consistent positive actions and your “ghosts” might even help you later.

On the whole, I’ve found that nobody cares about my shoes until I walk into a gas station without them. Then, suddenly, my shoes become the focal point of the entire universe.

Is history more than the past?

I’ve flown kites before. Is that history? Maybe if I fly one in a thunderstorm….

My normal commute takes me across several bridges. Is this history? Maybe if I’m crossing the Rubicon….

I put my shoes on this morning. Did you?

What rivers are you crossing today?

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