Immersion in Written History: Africa, War, and Human Origins

The Living Nature of Historical Revision

One of the most compelling aspects of history is that it is always being revised and updated as new information is added to old. Some points are discarded by historians while others are elevated as significant. Cultures and periods, generations and ages — each has its own unique take on history, and each take tells us something about the time in which that perspective was held. The way one interprets history today says something about the perspective and values of this age. It says just as much about the present (and sometimes more) as it does about the past. We find out about history through constant revision, study, and research — through continual examination of the past, of the people and cultures that shaped ideas and actions. How this knowledge impacts us in our own day depends on whether we embrace it or reject it.

For myself, I choose to embrace it so as to learn from it and understand myself more fully. I use it to look ahead as well, to see what the future has in store as a result of what came before. What is past is prologue to our future, and so if we look to history — however it has been composed in all its different and diverse manifestations — we can see glimpses of ourselves and what we are likely to do as a consequence of the way the world was made prior to our existence. By studying the past of Africa, for instance, we can better understand Africa today, using all the different perspectives as guideposts to help us through a number of issues. In this sense, the future looks bright because we have the light of the past to guide us.

African Origins and the Roots of Humanity

In "Out of Africa" by Spencer Wells, we see how this view of history concentrates on the significant role that Africans played some 50,000–80,000 years ago, when "Africa saved Homo sapiens from extinction" (1). This is no small feat and deserves serious consideration. If Africa was significant then, it is surely significant now. What role does it play on the modern stage? The point of that article, however, is not to stress the importance of Africa in a politicized way but rather to assert that all the diverse peoples of the world are really the same peoples — various cultures springing from the same seed — and that that seed has its roots in Africa. We can therefore all trace our peoples' migrations over the millennia to that wondrous continent, so mysterious to us all and yet so vibrant and alive.

It is this vitality that we should appreciate most, because through it our ancestors emerged and handed down to us our own vitality, passing on the flame of life. Thanks to the continent of Africa, life was nourished and allowed to flourish. Yet, unfortunately, that life came into conflict with itself — just as nature often appears to be at odds with itself. The precious life which Africa helped to nourish inevitably flamed out into war as people fought one another over things they held dear.

Prehistoric Warfare and the Human Capacity for Violence

In this manner, history became "a bath of blood," as Wilson notes in his article "Is War Inevitable?" It is a good question, and there are arguments that suggest yes, it is inevitable, while others assert that it is not. But given the eternal conflict of good versus evil apparent throughout history, it may be best simply to state that war is a reality, and that wishing it away does not make it disappear. The reason is that "war" exists within all of us, and at some point we give expression to it — whether in our thoughts or actions, whether on a domestic or international stage. Learning from the mistakes that lead to war, however, is something we can all do in order to be better prepared in the future. The article is helpful in pointing this out: just because war has always been present does not mean we must be subject to it or that we cannot do something to stop it.

"The Prehistory of Warfare" makes essentially the same point, showing how humans have "been at each others' throats" since the beginning of time and how ancient artifacts such as defensive walls now allow us to realize this even more deeply (42). That realization should compel us to reflect on how far we have come — and how far we have not come — in terms of human development, since our technical capacity to kill our neighbors has increased a thousandfold over the centuries. We are still building defensive walls, so to speak. We lock our doors at night, install security systems, develop enormous militaries, and plant military bases around the world. What is the purpose of all this? There is a profit motive in war, but as a culture and a society we should not be ruled by profiteers or by war hawks. That is what this article pushes us to consider: by suggesting how far back in history the tendency to make war actually goes, it invites us to ask whether we are modern or prehistoric — and what that difference truly means.

Conclusion: History as an Elusive and Revealing Mirror

History stands out before us like an elusive sea creature: we know something of its movements, something from the instances where it has surfaced and allowed us to study it more closely and minutely. But much of its time is spent underwater, swimming to points unknown. Only when it surfaces are we truly afforded the opportunity to study it — though that opportunity does not guarantee that we will take it. Historians face a definite challenge: capturing the past before it completely disappears for whatever reason. Nonetheless, the effort reveals as much about ourselves as it does about the subject we intend to scrutinize — and in a way, this is the most important aspect of all.