Allow Me, a Business Major, to Appreciate History

In this blog, I want to take a quick hiatus from deep, intellectual topics. Well, I will try my best to take a quick hiatus from deep, intellectual topics. Actually, I will try my best to not get super "deep," but I don't think I can avoid being at least a tad bit intellectual. I don't want to make promises I can't keep : D

As the title of this blog indicates, I want to take a brief moment to offer my appreciation for A History of Magic, Witchcraft & the Occult. I want to offer up this appreciation from the perspective of a business major in Neeley but also just as a student, a thinker, someone who doesn't naturally spend a lot of time reading or researching history.

Now, I want to share my gratitude for A History of Magic, Witchcraft & the Occult for its content specifically and more generally. Specifically, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about the progression of magic since the beginning of human civilization up until now. I think it is fascinating to be able to read a book that provides a high-level framework for considering this subject that spans the entire time of human existence. Additionally, I am appreciative for how the book has challenged my worldview and beliefs, forcing me to think critically about the implications of magic on my Christian worldview. I have enjoyed the opportunity to share some of these reflections in these blogs and will return to more "deep and intellectual" discussions shortly.

More generally, however, I am simply grateful for the opportunity to spend time reading history, irrespective of the subject. Though, as I mentioned above, I have enjoyed learning about magic and the occult specifically, I think I have been more impacted by the set time to just read a topic in history in general!

Having contextualized how I want to approach this reflection (appreciating the opportunity to read history), I will now start digging into how my perspective as a business major specifically and a curious learner more generally influences this feeling of gratitude. As a business major, I honestly don't spend much time reading history. In my Money & Banking course, we read briefly about the development of the financial system, dating back to the 1920s. And, of course, we always read about ethical blunders and mistakes of organizations in Business Ethics classes. Or, in any class (regardless of the subject), we, of course, have to read how different companies have faired over time. In that sense, then, someone could argue that business students are exposed to history. However, I think that is a very weak excuse to get out of reading and digging into actual history. If anything, the excerpts we read are a couple paragraphs in length or, at most, a chapter. Never do we spend time reading an entire book on the history of business or the history of economics in civilization or the development of business theories over time. Never have I been asked to read about the progression of business philosophies or how ancient civilizations dealt with business practices. We do not read A History of Business, Finance & Entrepreneurship. 

I am not saying that I have not enjoyed my business degree. Quite to the contrary! I have loved majoring in business, have high regard for the Neeley School of Business, and am super excited to work in the business field when I graduate. All I am trying to say is that business majors generally are not challenged with dealing history (again, apart from the few paragraphs, excerpts, or chapters alluded to above).

From the perspective of a curious learner more broadly, I have appreciated the opportunity to read history simply because I don't go out of my way to do so normally. Certainly, I can attribute some of that reality due to being a college student whose major doesn't naturally lend itself toward history, but beyond that, history isn't my frequent choice for leisure literature either. I would consider myself someone who loves reading (and admits that I ought to read more), but I primarily read books about Christian theology or fiction (which, I think, are worthy uses of my time as well). However, this book has showed me the importance of at least giving history more of a fair consideration. If I want to keep the theme of Christianity, perhaps I could read more books about the history of Christian theology or the history of the Church. Or, I can even consider just reading more books about the history of human civilization and tie that back to understanding more broadly how God's people have lived over time, even if from a secular perspective. Or, to bring back in the perspective of a business major, perhaps before I ever start an entrepreneurial venture, I would do well to read about the history of that industry and human behavior regarding that subject.

Regardless, the simple point I am trying to make is that reading A History of Magic, Witchcraft & the Occult has reminded me of the importance of making efforts to read and understand history. For that lesson, I am grateful.