Commentary

My love of history

October 23, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Jasen Obermeyer

I’ve always been something of a history buff.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a fascination with our past, and still do to this day; it’s an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. One of my absolute favorite hobbies.

I always looked forward to the subject whenever we learned it in elementary school. During high school, I took it all three years, and it was some of the best times at school. And it helped that I had the same teacher, who was very passionate and knowledgeable about history, so we developed a good relationship.

Come university, I made sure to take a class on 20th-century world history, and again, it was the best class I took, despite being at 8:00 in the morning. Having some friends and family who love it like I do is a blessing, also. Passing it on to others and teaching them something is very rewarding.

But what is it about history that makes it so enjoyable?

Well, I believe it’s because it’s usually different than our present world. You feel like you’re going on an adventure through different time periods. You learn many, many different things about how society functions and its constant evolution.

I love diving into a subject I either know very little about – as I’m experiencing it for the first time – or continue to try to satisfy my hunger for a time period I’ve already come to learn a lot about.

There’s unending history you can find anywhere, or pretty much anything. From a culture, an empire, war, battles, people, events, sports, music, clothing, and society. You name it, there’s history to discover behind it.

In particular, I love learning a particular topic or subject and gaining that knowledge through a variety of mediums.

Such as hockey, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. I took a university class on the subject, read some books, and watched a documentary. And through all these different forms, they tackled the subject from a different angle. Whether it be the history of the team, the cultural identity it has on us Canadians, or a wider angle with its social, political, economic, and gender side.

With books, I feel like I’m getting sucked into that world, and can enjoy learning at my own pace. Documentaries help with moving visuals and sound. Museums are great for giving a physical presence to it all. But most importantly, I love immersing myself in that topic, subject, time period, whatever. I feel like I’ve gone on a journey through time and become sucked into that world, reliving the past, experiencing something previously an uncharted corner of the world.

There are shelves of history books in my room, and various documentaries. The best ones leave you with a sense of satisfaction, but still wanting to continue learning, and you remember the information and how it’s told.

Movies and video games have become a great place to learn history as well. While it may not always be historically accurate, it can still be historically authentic, and respect the history it’s trying to bring to life for our entertainment.

Sometimes, though, we enjoy history that is closer to our time period, whether it be 50 years or even a decade ago. Because we lived it, and feel like we’re a part of history.

It’s interesting learning about history from a physical/time perspective. When you learn of this aspect of history taking place concurrently while this other aspect is happening in this part of the world, it really broadens your perspective, understanding, and worldwide view.

I try to keep an open mind and see a historical aspect from as many different views as possible. To really create that fully painted picture. The saying “History is taught by the victors” is very true in many instances. See the opposite side’s perspective to understand the subject/event in question, and you gain a deeper understanding of it.

It’s interesting making historical connections and see how events play out while slightly altered, have similar outcomes. “History doesn’t always repeat, but it does rhyme.” Or “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Look at Napoleon and Hitler’s invasions of Russia, for example.

It’s easy to see past mistakes because we have the benefit of hindsight at 20/20. But unfortunately, we lose that hindsight, with our own history in the making. It’s sad how we don’t seem to learn from our mistakes. History is a learning tool to understand the past, focus on the present, and make a better future.

Or you might enjoy looking into alt-history, the different scenarios, and what could have been. From an assassination, a battle, a decision, that butterfly effect. Tweak this, add that, get rid of those things, and maybe the world would’ve been very different, for better or worse.

There’s truly an endless discussion of history to be had, and I don’t think I can ever do it justice or feel satisfied. Keep learning and exploring, who knows what might be uncovered. It truly is a whole world out there of history to learn.

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