From childhood, we are all told to learn from the past. However, it is just as important to recognize where the future is taking us and learn from that as well. There is no future without the past, and without the future the past is just empty stories.
The Ipiranga Museum is the perfect image for remembering the past. The museum tells the stories of the founding of Brazil as first a colony and then a nation of its own. The museum features a multitude of beautiful paintings depicting the era of slavery, but also paintings of the triumph of independence. What I found most beautiful are the glass orbs of water lining the grand staircase. Each orb contains water from a river in Brazil and serves as yet another portrayal of all of the influences that have made this country so amazing.
That is the funny thing about history: whether it is one’s personal history or the history of countries that span centuries, there is always something to be learned. Studying the past, whether it is on the grand national scale or the intimate personal scale, has the potential for new insight. We can find deeper meaning in our own stories by looking back at our histories.
Nevertheless, history is not the only pathway to knowledge. The future has so much to teach us as well. Though the future is uncertain, we can see the advancements before our very eyes if we pay close attention.
It is so easy to look into the past and analyze how we could have made a different decision or changed the outcome of a situation, but it is much harder to apply the lessons we learn to our future path. In my history, I have struggled to come out of my shell with new people and to enjoy experiences that I initially dreaded. However, I can already see growth in myself while on this trip, and I fully intend to apply what I have learned for years to come.
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