Learning about the past

[Catalin R]

Hello!This is my first post.I am preparing for the TOEFL exam and thought to post one topic and see if I got it right.

Learning about the past has no value for those of us, living in the present. Do you agree or disagree?Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

History is probably our best teacher in many ways. By learning about our past, we discover our origins , the origins of our languages and of our ancestors. Personally I disagree that learning about the past has no value for those of us, living in the present,
First of all, curiosity exists , and has existed in human nature ever since. Therefore , curiosities about our origins , past , ancestors , lands , can only be satisfied by history. By analizing history , we discover the mentality of our ancestors and their way of life, and we can compare their level with ours and draw several conclusions about progress. History teaches us about the progress of humanity , our development as a specie but only. Moreover , we also find about how Earth used to be centuries or millenniums ago , with the help of ancient manuscripts , carvings or maps.
Secondly , by learning about our past , and the mistakes that had been made we learn not to repeat them again. As it is said, :” history repeats” and if it does , we must make the mistakes that had devastating effects in the past are not made again. Furthermore , we should also follow the examples of the great people of history , that managed to bring change to the world , people such as Galileo Galilei , Martin Luther King Jr, John. F. Kennedy and so on. Not only does history teach us to learn from early mistakes but it also provides and promotes ideas everyone should take into consideration(liberty , equality , peace, truth).
All things considered , I believe that we have a great amount to learn from our past , and only by understanding our past will we be able to provide a better future.