The main benefit of the study of history is to dispel the illusion that people living now are significantly different from people who lived in earlier times.Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement

While it is tempting to view the past and present as two disparate entities, time is continuous. The present today will be past to tomorrow. And while it is true the humanity has gone a long way from cave dwelling hunter-gatherers, the essence of human culture never changed too much. Thus, I disagree with the claim that the main benefit of the study of history is to dispel the illusion that people living now are significantly different from those of an earlier time. Many would concur that there are recurrent themes in histories across different cultures. But there are more to the discipline of history than simply helping us to abjure the said illusion.

At a first glance, a lay man would say that we live a totally different life today than those 100 years ago, that modern commoner could enjoy the luxury of an ancient king. One must concur that standard of living has changed much since the inception of humanity. However, what is at the core of humanity is, on the contrary, rarely changing. Throughout human history, we see numerous warfare for common causes -- the prosperity of one nation or ethnic group at the expense of others -- and the rise and fall of luminaries who shared an interest in advancing their cultures. It is safe to conclude from history that contemporary human beings are not so much different from their ancestors. Nonetheless, the study of history has more to offer than this rather superficial understanding.

For one, merely knowing that we are much alike our ancestor does not suffice. The important lesson here is that we could learn from past mistakes and experiences to deal with today's matters. Our history serves as an invaluable store of knowledge and information in how to navigate an increasingly complex world. Take global warming for example: humans have long altered environments to suit their will and negative repercussions have resulted from such action. Although global warming is quite a new phenomenon, it is nonetheless along the same line of environmental pollution. The current situation can be better tackled if we refer to the industrialization period, when coal-burning produced severe pollution across Europe. Experts on environmental problems could peruse how their predecessors cured the poisonous fog of London and devise similar strategy to deal with the current situation.

A more crucial merit of the study of history is that it establishes our identity from cultural legacy. Across the globe, there are hardly any country where students are not required to learn their own history, and for a good reason: one can only have a better understanding of how he/she came about by learning about the culture that produced his/her entity and the environment he/she lives in. One critical example is how Native American in the US have local schools that taught Native American history. While the temptation to fully assimilate to a western culture exists, these people choose to affirm their own identity by instructing their youths about their own history and traditions. Without such effort, the Native American identity will soon be lost in the tide of modernization. The loss will be both for their people and for the diversity of the world as a whole.

To conclude, history does confer to us the knowledge that contemporary people are little different from their predecessors. More important lessons from history include how to utilize the vast knowledge base of our history to go about dealing with modern issues and that our culture and history are invaluable assets to both our conception of self and to cultural diversity of the world.