Why is it a massive waste of time? Time makes diamonds, oil, pearls. Odd you call turning an irritant into a prize a massive waste of time when you hold grudges for centuries...
Odd you call national heroes examples of what not to be when several of them come from the time you idealize and lead their nations in times of great strife. Rather than good examples of what is wrong they are excellent examples of why you are wrong.
Strong women who lead men in battle, rallied a nation when an armada bore down on HER country, lead our first explorers, worked on the frontiers of knowledge on isotopes, set world records, and traveled into space, showing future female leaders the sky is literally no longer the limit.
I agree time works away at everything, but sure as age takes the bloom off a rose, you can't turn back the hands of time. Time marches ON, not back. We will not go back to the 50's, to separate but equal, to women seeing no further than the grocery store and dry cleaners on Mondays....
It is a matter of opinion or viewpoint what progress in society is? I disagree, the opinion needs to be fully vetted in facts, not fantasy to be of much value. How worthy of consideration is the viewpoint the earth is only 10,000 years old? How about believing the earth is flat or the opinion blacks can never be trustworthy?
Opinions that ignore facts that don't jib with the preconceived notion, the fantasy world being weaved are fatally flawed. Viewpoints that encourage people to show no courage, not matter the 'stand alone rhetoric' are not worthy of a freeman, even a misanthropic,misogynist, flight not fight one. It almost sounds like one of those liberal touchy feely communes to base your life on the 'Universal Good/Truth/credit card'. Like many things that are oversimplified and underdefined that theory of conduct died out as men progressed past pledging loyalty to the Lord of the Manor, and nobles being exempt from common law.
A madman have commitment to his delusions, a sociopath a steady heartbeat as he filets his victims, but it doesn't make him just, or worthy of consideration.