Our past truly molded the present and the near future to come. Yet, how was it possible for us to connect with such from even greatly thousands of years ago?

Two words, 15 letters—Primary Sources.

Have you ever been on or watched a horse racing event? What is that prominent deep phrase you can always hear? Well, it is "straight from the horse's mouth", which implies that the racehorses themselves are the best indicator of who will win the thrilling race. According to a site called StudySmarter, primary source is like a horse's mouth as it is a direct information from the event, time, location, and people we'd like to study about.

These kind of sources are the said direct evidences or firsthand accounts that enable the historians to connect to our own valuable past through analyzing and interpreting them. Any sources where we get our conclusions from can be considered as primary ones. In comparison, their published explanations about it are called secondary sources, also known as second-hand explanations while tertiary ones are summaries of subjects based on the synthesis of data from other sources. As such, if a painting's the primary source, the critical review of that painting is the secondary source while an encyclopedia article on the artist is the tertiary source. It is a credible evidence that evidently make us the authority on a certain subject.

There are two types of primary sources namely, historical and current. Historical primary sources include audio and music, visual, personal stories, printed texts, ephemera, as well as objects and artifacts which will bring us to the historical era. Current primary sources, on the other hand, include the same but with data, digital content, videos, and lastly reports and studies that supply needed information about the current events or issues.

They're super meaningful, aren't they? Primary sources enable us to look back and ponder the remarkable histories of our lives as if we're there again. In writing my life history, there are multiple of examples I can freely use but personal stories are what I think, are the best among all of them. These include oral histories and interviews conducted with those people who were living in that certain era, documents and family histories.

Considering the definition of a primary source, personal stories through an interview or surveys from my parents, siblings, relatives, and friends or anyone who's involved in my life and knew me well throughout those years are my living evidences and can give me the information I need.

However, as crucial as these may be, these sources are only limited of how much those people can remember about me given that it's been almost two decades, therefore, it is inevitable to forget some things may it be important or not. Primary sources might even exhibit prejudice, altered viewpoints, a narrow field of awareness and recollection because certain primary materials, especially those that are written by individuals like autobiographies, letters, and diaries might be subjective.

In addition, their worth may be limited to the reliability of the translator as well given that primary sources which are already in existence were authored by translators. Despite that, it is perceivable how valuable these sources are not just in this modern world but in the future generations to come as well.

Restoring the past. Uplifting the future. These are essentially the only means by which the present generation can hope to comprehend the past. Thus, when we conclude, it is necessary to be aware of how your worldview affects how you describe someone else's life narrative and its historical relevance.

Ending it there today. Just drop your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thanks. Owe you big time!♡

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