My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My personal introduction to the works of Will Durant began with my reading of his book ‘The Lessons of History’. I was aware he was a renowned historian with many published works, so a concise book detailing many of the observed trends throughout known history was immediately appealing to me.
My expectations upon finishing that book were not only met, but were exceeded. Although I intend to read my way through his major works in the future, I was not yet ready for such an undertaking – and so this was all the more reason a single book with lessons taken from across his works stood out to me. Despite being eager to read more of Durant’s works since however, I was unaware of anything else he may have written that was similarly concise and full of value.
That is, until I discovered his final work, Fallen Leaves.
I am happy to report that this book is similar to ‘the Lessons of History’ in that it is a concise summary of lessons and ideas written by Durant in an attempt to give meaning to historical events and the arc of time that places us in the present day.
There is however, one major difference with this book.
Compared to ‘The Lessons of History’ where trends and processes of history were factually observed and explained from Durant’s perspective, ‘Fallen Leaves’ is where Durant himself metaphorically enters into the scene, giving his own opinions on various topics around life based upon his beliefs, no doubt acquired along his own long life studying and writing about history.
As Durant himself mentions, writing of and about history means that one must keep his own thoughts, opinions and suggestions generally to himself. His job is to factually relate the events of history without casting so much as a shadow upon the narrative. This work then, is a breath of fresh air in that it is entirely about Durant’s opinions across a wide range of topics inspired by his study of history. Add to the formula that this is his last major work and was written towards the end of his long life (he passed away at 96), then I was sure that it would be full of deep insights and understanding. I was not mistaken in my assumption.
History, as Durant writes, is one of the most accurate sources of psychology known to man. For it teaches us not what man should do, nor what he might do. Rather it shows what what, though the annals of time, man has done and what he has chosen to do despite all options and in reaction to all trends. What better way to understand human nature than by studying the entire incorporated history of human action and decision? This is a wonderfully poignant point that I have felt but never been able to articulate. What a shame that history is taught in such a way that it becomes such a burden to the students of our time, often culminating in a lifelong dislike of the subject.
While the entire book is full of insights, the last chapter specifically seems to be a condensed version of a wide range of topics, similar to another book of Will Durant’s book I have read – The Lessons of History. I did in fact notice some of the same sentiments and sentences echoed within, a welcome reminder that ideas expressed eloquently are indeed timeless.
I particularly resonated with the definition of wisdom proposed in the book, namely the ability to see the part with perspective of the whole. While wisdom in itself can be difficult to comprehensively define, such a simple explanation of it by Durant encompassed a core tenet of it. It is to see events with wide eyes that cast vision upon the horizon, it is to realise that events do not happen in one’s life in isolation. That everything is a connected to everything else and that there are patterns which we can spot and observe which point towards the greater purpose behind them. This lends itself to another point Durant makes in that people often assume that the past is ‘dead’, that it is something done and buried. In fact the opposite is true, the past manifests itself in the existence of the present. Everything that happens before our eyes is the culmination of all the things that led up to that moment. Each passing minute is the result of millions of years of the universe’s existence, the past is very much alive and wrapped up and offered to us in each present moment. It follows therefore that it is the present that is continuously dying, being forever experienced and subsequently archived in the great library of history.
Durant, however, falls into a familiar trap that many Western Authors do regarding Religion, where he assumes that it is only Christianity that represents any possibility of correct religious belief as a whole. If it is defeated or he cannot bring himself to enter into it completely, then he does not even comprehend that there could be any other religions that do not fall into its errors or weaknesses. If atheism and secularism has buried Christianity then it must be religion as a whole that has been buried and the world either realises this mistake or accepts Christianity wholly. I make wide allowances for many Authors who fall into this same mistake seeing as this may be the default perspective they grew up into and even moreso if their book is not generally about religion. However when it comes to widely read and studied historians, I err on the side of blame. Although I am sure Durant is more read than many on the other religions of the world, such a narrow view of what he believes can only be correct does a disservice to his opinion on this matter.
Nevertheless, there is no human who encompasses all knowledge and although I can disagree with Will Durant with his views on Religion, I believe this work still punches above its weight in terms of the insights it contains.
Fallen Leaves is a testament to the wide experience and piercing insight Will Durant gained over the course of his studies and ultimately his life. While I do not agree with him in all of his predictions or conclusions, I understand how he was able to come to them. I am personally fond of his attitude towards newer generations and their new (and sometimes reactionary) ways of seeing the world and demanding change. He acknowledges that although he may not entirely share their sympathies, their protest at many societal injustices is often necessary for society to self-reflect, rebalance and adjust to a new centre of equilibrium. When looking at the present day with the perspective of history as a whole, the worries and cries for justice from newer generations makes more sense as we ourselves move into a new world with all the peoples of humanity able to converse and discuss their concerns with each other.
I highly recommend this book if you are familiar with Will Durant and his works. He gives his own opinions on a vast array of topics and while there are instances where some of what he says may come across as controversial or ‘outdated’, there is much gold to be found within this books pages.