Renewing Interest in History

I'm trying to learn more about history. Actively.

School made us memorize names, dates, places, and events (and that ruined history for me for many years) but we weren't taught to understand the stories. That's what I hope to remedy.

When we learn about history, the conquests and wars and inventions, we widen our perspective of reality. Of the world. Of truth.

We become aware of how insignificant our worries are, of how easy our life is today, of how far we've come, of how human nature keeps its tendencies through centuries, of how decisions bring huge consequences—immediate and far into the future.

I want the stories. To understand motives, actions and consequences, victories, mistakes and downfall. To take lessons I can apply in my life.

History is a chest full of wisdom. And I'd like to go through each book, each diary, each artifact—slowly and deliberately, and let the stories and lessons guide me in making the right decisions.