Studying History: Empathy and Mature Opinion Key to Success

Studying history involves empathy, adopting a mature opinion, and understanding it's not about memorizing facts but about contextual understanding.

### Effective History Study Tips: Empathy and Balanced Perspectives
* 📚 Start by understanding that your worth is not defined by **academic achievements**, but by your **faith**.
* 🕰 Approach historical study with empathy, putting yourself in the shoes of people from the past rather than **looking down on them from a modern perspective**.
* 🤝 Empathy helps make history more meaningful and easier to remember, as it allows you to **think in context and on the terms of historical figures**.
* ⚖ Aim for a mature opinion by considering both sides of an argument, similar to how a **coin has two sides**.
* 🔍 Avoid writing or thinking in extremes, as most historical issues have **multiple perspectives and nuances**.
* 🚫 Don't focus on memorizing facts to regurgitate them, but instead strive to **understand the context and significance of events**.
* 🙏 Remember not to be afraid, drawing strength from your faith to approach history with **confidence and openness**.

hi students so one question I've heard is how should I study for history. I can give you a few tips on that. I think the first thing to remember is that me as a Christian I am not defined by what I achieve but by what Jesus has already achieved for me, and that gives me the confidence to do what I do. Okay moving on there's two ideas I want you to think about. The first idea is empathy. The problem is when we study, we think of ourselves as 21st-century people thinking downward, looking downward, looking backward at people from the past. But I think this is wrong. We should empathize with them. We should put ourselves on their level. This makes things real and it helps you to think on their terms and helps you to think in context. What is the result? This makes things more meaningful for you and it makes things easier to remember if you're not thinking backward on a bunch of alien people but you are putting yourselves in their position and in their shoes. And what is the next

concept the next idea. I want us to think about that is to have a mature opinion and having empathy. Actually leads to this. Now what do I mean by having a mature opinion? So you remember how in class I like to show you a coin. On one side it has a number but on the other side the Hong Kong dollar has the flower. The point of that as I always show you is that a coin has two sides. And so in the same way a mature opinion is balanced. Or think of it this way whenever you write an argument or you think about an argument the mature way is to think on one hand it's like this but on the other hand it's like that. That is a good mature way to think of an argument. Or if you can get it into your head to think in this way yes but because the best way to think about arguments is to agree that in some ways it's like this but it's also like that. Now how do you not write a good argument? If you go 100% for this or 100% for that.

that is a bad argument because most things in this world are not like that. Most things in this world always have kind of one side but kind of another side. Now, that in a very simple way is how I would study history. Think of empathy, think of having a mature opinion, and remember history is not about 100% this way or 100% that way, and it's not about memorizing lots and lots of facts and vomiting them out onto the page. But most of all, don't be afraid because Jesus says don't be afraid. That is how I would study for history.

How to study History

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Remember that your worth is not defined by your achievements, which can give you the confidence to study effectively.

Practice empathy when studying history, putting yourself in the shoes of people from the past to understand their perspective and context.

This approach makes the material more meaningful and easier to remember, shifting your focus from viewing them as alien to relating to their experiences.

The Importance of Having a Balanced and Mature Opinion

Having a mature opinion means considering both sides of an argument, similar to a coin with two sides.

It's important to avoid taking a one-sided, 100% stance in arguments.

A balanced perspective with empathy is crucial for forming a mature opinion.

The Importance of Having a Balanced Perspective in Studying History

Studying history requires considering different perspectives and having empathy.

It's not just about memorizing facts, but about forming a mature and balanced opinion.

Jesus's teaching of not being afraid can also be applied to studying history, encouraging an open-minded approach.