The study of history frees us from one of the cruelest tyrannies we experience: the tyranny of the present moment. Freedom from this tyranny provides a person an important framework for understanding the world and living in it with purpose, intentionality, and peace. A person with deep knowledge of the past possesses a firm rudder on the sea of life and can sail straight toward a destination without being blown about by winds of change or tossed around by waves of popular opinion.