The most fascinating place I can be in is a museum.
I would happily trade hours out of my day to walk along rows of dusty objects. In my room, I have a modest collection of my own.
A French copy of Gulliver’s Travels from the early 1900s sits near my globe, filled with old illustrations, yellow pages and slightly off center text.
Surplus military headwear hangs over my desk. A German field cap covered in black and brown specks, and an American booney hat with a gray hue.
Historic patches and old medals sit near them, glints of gold and silver on the corner of my desk.
The back edge of the desk is lined with books, most of which are historically themed. War and Peace, Guns of August, and All Quiet on the Western Front peer back at me as I do my homework.
I have spent countless days with my eyes glued to those pages, scanning books, old diary entries or listening to free lectures online.
There are many interests that have come and gone in my life, but history has always been there.
I remember when I was 8 years old, and had decided to check out a World War II encyclopedia from the library. It was a decision out of impulse more than interest at the time.
White, glossy paper sifted between my fingers as I sat on the carpeted floor of my room. The sun came and went as I flipped the corners of the pages.
The next few days were spent peering at an endless flow of uniforms, tanks, trucks and artillery. Then came more; more books, movies, documentaries and videos.
Since it’s been an endless flow. Prussia’s rise to power, Patton’s armored columns, Polish Winged Hussars and landmark Supreme Court decisions. It feels infinite, and the questions only grow the more you learn.
But this hobby has grown more useful over time.
When I was younger, it served as nothing more than entertainment. A way to hear stories or put off homework — which I will admit sometimes still happens.
Now, more importantly, the knowledge and curiosity developed through the years serves as a way for me to have a gateway into understanding politics, economics and civics, vital tools for being aware of current events and being a responsible citizen.
Maybe someday I will have more time to think about history. Time to endlessly ponder and learn. Even then, I will only scratch the surface.
History is not just an object, nor just a hobby. It is a process. It’s happening, has happened and will continue to happen.
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