State guides to historic markers will tell you that “on this site a battle was won” and “on this site an invention was first tested.” These are all sites of public history.
But there is also personal history, which William Wordsworth celebrated as “those nameless, unremembered acts of love that form the best part of a good man’s life.” Nearly all of us have benefited from these acts of love: a word of wise encouragement that stuck with us, or a little life lesson we’ve never forgotten.
But there is no state guide to these moments, although they all happened somewhere — on this corner or in front of that pasture.
So why don’t we write a short piece about these moments and identify where they happened? We would all be contributing to an inspiring little app called “Un-History.”
If you have this app on your phone, the next time you’re in central Texas you could consult it and stop by the small town corner where, many years ago, the town butcher told me that, while I might go further in life than my parents have, I would have a hard time matching them for kindness and decency.
I’ve never forgotten that, and it’s kept my head from swelling countless times.
We all have these stories. On the “Un-History” app we can share them with others, and they can see the very place where our personal histories were being made. Then our personal histories become theirs. Benefits on the “Un-History” app would multiply.
This is Tom McBride, and that’s my Perspective.
