I adopted this image as my google photo years ago. The way I see it, we are all Wanderers in one way or another. We find a way through the time we have here and the places we are in. We all take a path defined by our choices and learn about the world around us, and ourselves along the way, The painting also makes a poignant reminder about Wanderers. Wanderers have no set plan to adhere to, instead the follow their interest. Following your interest and recognizing the inherent contradictions in historical inquiry is how I would encourage you to approach the subject. Or as John Lewis Gaddis puts it, note the “tension between the significance and insignificance, the way you feel both large and small at the same time. The polarities of generalization and particularization, the gap between abstract and literal interpretation. But there’s something else here as well: a sense of curiosity mixed with awe mixed with determination to find things out – to penetrate the fog, to distill the experience, to depict reality- that is as much an artistic vision as a scientific sensibility.” Welcome to Modern World History.