The ugly truth: Understanding our past helps shape the future

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This powerful quote, often misattributed to Winston Churchill, comes from philosopher George Santayana.

It’s one that comes up often in conversations with my close friends and family as we try to make sense of the world today.

It reminds us that history isn’t just a record of what once was — it’s a guide for what could be, if we fail to learn from the mistakes of those who came before us.

Through my work as an agricultural journalist, I’ve visited Germany several times. Beyond the beautiful countryside and rich culture, what struck me most was how present their history still is in daily life.

In a country where over 80 million people live on a landmass much smaller than the United States, reminders of World War II are everywhere — from preserved historical sites to unexploded bombs unearthed during construction.

In cities like Berlin, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, evacuations still happen while experts safely defuse leftover bombs from a war that ended generations ago.

Germany doesn’t hide from its darkest chapters. Instead, the country offers citizens and visitors open access to the truth.

From the Nazi rally grounds in Nuremberg to Hitler’s mountaintop retreat, from Colditz Castle to former concentration camps and the locations of Hitler’s bunkers, these places serve not only as memorials, but as powerful, permanent lessons.

The discomfort is intentional. It is meant to provoke reflection, not denial.

As Americans, we don’t have to look far to face difficult truths. Right here in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, millions of Africans were enslaved until 1865.

Many of us have ancestors who fought for the Confederacy, while others descend from Buffalo Soldiers who fought Native tribes. Some Native Americans forced to walk the Trail of Tears were slaveholders themselves.

Chinese immigrants faced exclusion under the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. During World War II, over 120,000 Japanese Americans were unjustly interned.

Irish and Catholic immigrants endured discrimination, and Jewish Americans faced antisemitism.

History is complex and painful, but ignoring it won’t make it disappear. What deeply troubles me today is how little grace and empathy we give each other.

Healthy debate and honest disagreements are vital to a functioning democracy. That’s how we grow, learn and improve.

But what we’re seeing now is something else entirely. The vitriol, the finger-pointing, the flat-out hatred between fellow citizens — it’s ugly, it’s harmful and it needs to stop.

I believe most of us want what’s best for our families, our farms, our communities and our country.

But we have allowed ourselves to be pushed into corners, labeled and pitted against one another, often by those who benefit most from our division.

We are not defined by what our ancestors did, but we are responsible for what we do with the knowledge of their choices.

Are we building bridges, or burning them? Are we talking to each other, or just shouting at each other?

Instead of letting history, politics, or pain divide us, let them humble us and remind us of our common ground and what we stand to lose if we keep moving further apart.