Sometime between 59 BC – 17 AD, Roman author and historian, Titus Livius, coined the phrase “Better late than never.” (Okay, so first off, let me tell you how dumb I felt when I realized that I didn’t know they had “historians” in 59 BC—let alone, that a quote like that came from “way back then” and has stood the test of time.)
It reminds me of the morning (not very long ago) when my 15-year old daughter asked me if there was hairspray, gel or mousse when I was a teenager. Imagine, my kids thinking hairspray was invented in the last 20 years!
The truth is most of us are totally ignorant about our past—our history—and about the people who came before us—be it Roman historians or our very own great-grandmothers. We are so caught up in our own lives, planning our futures, while focused on our wants, needs and frustration that we often disregard the wealth of knowledge and insight that comes from understanding our history.