Given the circumstances, we’re going to be spending quite a bit of time with ourselves. We must temporarily forgo the joy of going outside and interacting with the people in our world. We do, however, have the opportunity to explore some uncharted territory between our ears and in our soul. If you’re willing to take the journey, there is a ‘knowing’ that is longing to be discovered.

Before screenwriters and novelists pen the first scene of a film or book, they are totally knowledgeable about at least one aspect of their story. They know everything about their protagonist, the hero. They understand what motivates her, what scares her, and what fills her with purpose. They even know things they may never use in the story. …

History has hosted many world powers: Ancient Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, the Qing Dynasty, to name but a few. These empires were monumental during their time. Today they are nonexistent — hardly remembered — if even known by most people. Regardless of size, stature, or grandness, empires are temporary. And once they fall, they don’t fit back together so well.

Around 1,000 years ago, the Mongol Empire, led by Genghis Khan, conquered more than 9 million square miles of territory with great speed and military prowess. Imagine an area larger than all North America and Central America combined. In 25 years, the Mongols conquered more territory than the Romans had in 400 years. …

The Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This is an undisputed ‘truth’ printed in every American history book. Ask any U.S. citizen the date of our independence and few will have trouble providing the correct answer.

Before you break out the fireworks, consider the details lost in the history of this historical myth. The document does, in fact, bear the July 4th date, but the actual vote took place on July 2nd. Also, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin did not stand in front of John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress, to sign their — well, ‘John Hancocks.’ …

For the better part of the 20th century, the United States of America has been the ‘land of opportunity.’ Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Land of the free, home of the brave. I was born here, grew up here, and started businesses here. I am a proud and grateful product of the American Dream.

Pulitzer prize-winning author, James Truslow Adams coined the phrase The American Dream in his 1931 bestseller The Epic of America. His vision was, “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” Adams wrote, “…a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” …

The warrior mentality is in our DNA. From armchair quarterbacking Sunday’s football game to the daily battles fought in our video games. The barbarians are at the gate, and they are us.

We pay to see the fastest, strongest and fiercest competitors battle it out for the glory and honor — however fleeting — of being the best or winning the prize or in some way returning with reward. We live vicariously through our athletes and share their passion and intensity without having to be hit, injured or upended.

If you dig deep into the history of many athletic contests you will discover they are rooted in mythology. Take American football, for example. You might question how it is even possible to have such a deep ancestry given — it’s just a game — and one that wasn’t formally established until the 1860s. …

We begin telling stories at a very young age — some might say tall tales. We continue editing, rewriting, and creating new chapters through adulthood until we reach our epilogue. The stories we commit to memory reflect our struggle to reconcile who we are (editing), who we were (rewriting), and who we wish to become (creating).

Sociologists and psychologists say narratives not only convey information but also confer and confirm identity. We make sense of our world through the stories we hear, as well as the stories we tell. …

When I was younger, I was proud of the fact that the USA was the only country that didn’t use propaganda on its citizens. I never questioned the nightly news from David Brinkley or Walter Cronkite. Yes, it was a simpler time then and one could afford to be a little naive. Today, I’m sifting through multiple news channels of differing spins, positions, and opinions to piece together what might be true.

Come to find out, hedging on the truth and presenting alternative facts has been going on since the printing of the first history book. When we won World War II, the United States rose to the top of world power. American History covers this part in full. …