A Mystery (the idea of history)

In what way do past events matter to us? What is the difference between the past tense and the present tense? Are there any characteristics of our thinking about the past? How can we know things about historical events? How are we to describe the reality of the past? I will embark on an attempt to answer these questions in the form of a short illustration:

The fact that S was seen driving his "finer car" intrigues the villagers in the same way as a disconserting murder mystery. S usually drives a pickup truck. This divergence from the usual course of events is clearly something for which an explanation is required. We were all eager to know. More and more facts were brought to the surface in the conversation we were engaged in tonight, the main subject of which obviously was the occurences that have occupied our minds of late. In analogy with a most delicate detective story, it is not clear from the outset which pieces of evidence will resolve a mystery of this dignity. For this reason, the task is all the more demanding.

During this specific sitting (my mother had made an effort, offering a wide assortment of cakes to our free-spoken guest who apologized for intruding on our Christmas peace), we got to learn several new things about life, history and the nature of humankind in general. But everything that was uttered this evening was directed at the question of real importance: Why was S driving his finer car, and not the pickup truck? What is the story that explains this highly remarklable occurence?

I learned the intricate connection between pike fishing and Martin Luther (it's a village secret). We were also informed about the latest news about the village drunks, the village fools and the village entrepreneurs. Unsurprisingly, we came to ruminate about the future for us all. A few stories about past times were thrown in. Mostly, these reminiscences were intended to elucidate interesting and amusing aspects of child-rearing. Despite these good-humoured digressions, the stories our elders told us were all very educational. The future of agriculture was analyzed and local building projects were critically reviewed.

Above all, tonight family chronicles were re-enacted (even Collingwood would have had no complaints about the rigour of our thinking-again-the-thoughts-of-the-past). Having done all this, we found ourselves at peace with the present state of affairs, especially because we were no longer kept in uncertainty regarding the unusual behaviour on the part of our neighbor S. As the reason for his actions was clarified, we were now in a position to make judgements about his character. The verdict was: S is a man of many virtues. He has, on several occasions, lend his fancy car to neighbours in need. His wife, M, was rewarded equal praise for her support of the common good of the village.