Before I even knew to call the Humanities by that name, I loved the study. Before we had high-speed internet. I was searching through books and an old encyclopedia discarded from the library for things about history and old buildings and languages and such. I read Beowulf during summer vacation -- for fun. (Yes, weird idea of fun.) Now that I'm a humanities major, I've asked myself sometimes, why humanities? That is, beyond satisfying my curiosity, what's it good for?
I think of a Dr. Who episode I saw, one of the early ones, when the Doctor was a grouchy, arrogant old man. He knew a lot about history and science. When he and some others got into a jam, he wanted to escape and save himself. By the end of the episode, however, he came to realize that he could, and ought to use his knowledge for the good of others.
A lot of people have asked me what I want to do with humanities. I've decided that whatever I do, I want to put it to good use. I don't want to just learn things, and then be confined to academia with them. I want to share them in ways that are meaningful to people in general, that can make a positive difference for them if they care to lend their attention. I don't want to belike Queen Jadis and Uncle Andrew in C. S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew, who thought they had a “high and lonely destiny.” I believe we all have a high destiny that we can reach if we want it. I want to use what I learn to help people see that. ...And I'll tell you right now, I'm not the most brilliant person in the world, but I'll do my best.
So, how can the study of humanities be useful and beneficial? Here are some examples:
- We can learn from history. What went well? What mistakes were made, so we don't repeat them? What kind of an effect did such-and-such have? If we're doing the same things those people did, what are we headed for?
- We can learn from literature and other art forms. Stories can actually make a difference if we ask ourselves questions as we read, find answers, and apply what we learn. Then, they mean something to us. Now, I'll admit. I didn't always enjoy English classes in middle and high school. You may be surprised, seeing how much I've been writing these days. Well, the reason is that everything we studied was depressing! Again, we learn from mistakes, but that's not all there is. Let's observe the triumphs, too. There are stories that inspire, like the brave deeds in tales that Sam Gamgee spoke of in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
“The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of sport, as you might say. But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually—their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn't.” (The Two Towers, pg. 362)
We're each in our own tale with our own brave deeds to accomplish. What are yours?
- Learn from the masters of the arts, take from what you observe, and create something – like the greatest composers, who were innovative because they were familiar with the musical rules and patterns already in place. Beethoven, the bridge between musical classicism and romanticism, knew the forms and techniques and was able launch off of that to open a new era for music.
- If we discover and preserve the past, we can connect to it. A lot of this may be more under anthropology, but much of the study of humanities depends upon it. Come to think of it, it is necessary to discover and preserve the present as well. If someone is hiding out in a cabin painting masterpieces, then burning them, it doesn't help us at all. Sadly, many things have been burned or destroyed in some way, but the more we can find of what remains, the more we can understand. My hope is that more discoveries and breakthroughs in preservation techniques will improve accuracy and better complete our knowledge – and therefore make genealogy a lot easier! Have you ever traced a family line back to some Trojans and wondered if it was at all correct? I have. For one thing, we would probably still be thinking Troy was totally a matter of myth if someone – namely, Heinrich Schliemann – hadn't found and dug it up (very carefully).
So, in conclusion, the study of humanities isn't a bunch of fluff for boring lectures. (Actually,most people I've talked to say they enjoyed their humanities classes.) I intend to make what I study worth something.
