The great Roman orator and politician, Cicero, once said, “To not know what happened before one was born is to live as a child.” Cicero recognized the importance of history; it is a valuable tool that acts like a backward compass, showing us where we have come from and allowing us to move forward without repeating the mistakes of our forefathers.
This is why people spend so much time constructing family trees and trying to reconnect with distant family members: We are uncomfortable with isolation and we define ourselves by those who came before us.
In this issue of the St. Thomas Standard, you will sense an underlying tone of nostalgia. Heather O’Connell forces her reader to recognize the secular importance of acknowledging our nation’s Christian roots by arguing for public displays of the Decalogue in her article, Public Displays of the Decalogue Have Secular Purpose.
Amie Kieffer focuses more on local history, analyzing the precedent that St. Thomas is setting by tearing down the historic homes along Summit Avenue in its expansion efforts. Finally, for those of you who might wish that dating could be less complicated and more like Victorian-style courting, check out Katherine Konrad’s review of the controversial book by Joshua Harris: I Kissed Dating Goodbye.
With the holidays just around the corner, now is a good time to think about the importance of tradition, and therefore history, in the most festive and joyous celebrations of the year. We take the Christmas tree, the mistletoe, the nativity scene, and the ball dropping in Times Square for granted, but what if any or all of these were taken away? Wouldn’t we feel like a small child who had lost its parent in the supermarket? Whether or not we even realize it, history and tradition are cornerstones in our life, and must be preserved as such.
Definitely let us know what you think about this issue! Have a blessed and joyous Christmas and a happy New Year.
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