THE stars stand as sentinels, watching over our planet and our solar system as they gradually transform and evolve. The size and shape of planets within the solar system may have changed over billions of years. Perhaps even the speed at which they rotate around the sun has slowly altered. Yet, the most intriguing form of evolution is surely that of the human beings who occupy the earth. The way we have transformed as a race is a captivating tale, with many lessons for us to learn as we continue to grow.

As we learn about our past, however, we must remember that history is a fickle storyteller. It bends and reshapes itself easily under the will of those who held more power when it was written. Thus, it has become the responsibility of those who hear these stories to determine the validity of the tales passed down as truths.

For instance, we are all familiar with the quote, “Let them eat cake.” It is a phrase attributed to the late French queen Marie Antoinette, whose death symbolised the end of the French monarchy. The phrase is said to have been her response upon hearing that her subjects were suffering from hunger, without even bread to eat. These words have since represented the disconnect and indifference of the ruling upper class towards the struggles of the working class.

Yet, the truth is quite different from the version that was spread about her. Despite her extravagance, Marie Antoinette was also charitable and attentive to the needs of her people. She removed certain taxes, established charitable organisations, built housing for those in need, and even adopted children. In fact, her final words are said to have been an apology to her executioner for accidentally stepping on his toes.

Marie Antoinette was only fourteen years old when she was married to Louis XVI. She was a foreigner and extremely young when she became queen, and France was already in debt at the time. While she may not have been the cause of her subjects’ suffering, she became an easy scapegoat for their struggles.

Marie Antoinette’s story is just one example of how history has unjustly changed or erased certain narratives over time. Many historical events and accounts of suffering have been rewritten to serve the agenda of those who chose to manipulate them. This does not only mean that numerous instances of injustice and courage remain untold, but it also means that there are valuable lessons we may never learn—mistakes that we may be doomed to repeat.

Our collective history is our most valuable possession. If each generation were unable to pass down knowledge to the next, we might never have evolved beyond primitive beings. More importantly, if each new generation failed to analyse and apply that knowledge, human progress would have been stunted.

The world is filled with lessons worth learning, yet many of them are forgotten or hidden. They are embedded in the stories our grandparents tell us, in conversations with wise strangers, and even in the questions we never think to ask. As we prepare ourselves for the responsibility of shaping the future, we must first learn to appreciate and understand the stories upon which our world has been built.

The traditions, culture, and knowledge passed down from previous generations are not just fragments of history—they are the essence of our identity. Therefore, we have a duty to seek out the most accurate version of these valuable lessons and to preserve them whenever possible.

When we fail to seek and record the truth in history, we also fail to provide future generations with the opportunity to evolve. Every lesson worth learning is also worth recording and protecting for those who will come after us.