The Sunday Club: Preface

The Sunday Club

Preface

"History is the witness that testifies on the passing of time: it illumines reality, vitalize memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity."

(Marcus Tullius Cicero)

Herodotus, born around 484 BCE and dying sometime around 430 BCE, is often credited with being "the father of history" as a result of his written works "History" recording and discussing the wars between Greece and Persia (CA 499 BCE -479 BCE). This is not to say there were not historical events before his time or the lack of recording or disseminating occurrences of any event.

The human animal, as do many other creatures, has long communicated to others of the species, both current and future, various activities in life which could bring danger, sustenance, shelter, and other information vital to survival. In the Pre-literate stage of history, (before the invention of writing) from Pithecanthropus Erectus on back and up to and through Cro-Magnon to modern times, events were communicated through spoken language, pictographs on cave walls, to more refined art works as humans developed.

Just because an event or occurrence wasn't recorded, doesn't mean it never happened! Indeed, most events in the human life cycle of time, were not recorded, especially those events singular to family groups or individuals in their everyday life. Those events might be considered insignificant to the development of life, culture, and living of society as a whole, but the opposite might be argued; in that they may well have been the background for growth. This type of information would've been and is handed down from generation to generation through the spoken word; family stories until it was lost to antiquity or oblivion since the originators were no longer able to verify it or provide peer review.

Folklore, stories told by the elders, the older generations to the young, carried forth family traditions, family histories, and those small, seemingly unimportant activities to others, but of significance to the small, intimate groups of people comprising the backbone of each culture. This word-of-mouth communication continues into modern times, at family dinners, family gatherings, over coffee, and social interaction, even though written language developed enabling generations future to benefit from past heritage and preserving some of it in writing. The small events, those not recorded in a formal archival state, are an extremely important part of the development of individual family groups, their culture and continuity.

Alas, the caveat remains, when generations die, stories tend to expire with them if there are not those who will carry them on, and there is naught to refer to and guide the young. Without that history, those stories, that folklore, clans of people, families, would float out of existence with no previous knowledge of what came before. Repeating, retelling, assimilating the folklore keeps the families alive and honoring their forebearers.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental or used in a fictional content.

The Literary works of Nicholas Hall are protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America and are the property of the author.

Positive comments are welcome and appreciated at: nick.hall8440@gmail.com.