Food might be more immediately important than history but if you don't understand what's been done to you - by your own people and the so-called 'they' - you can never get around it.
In a lot of ways, it was a huge relief, not being a member of a troupe, being able to make your own decisions and kind of live your own life.
It is only the young and callow and ignorant that admire rashness. Think before you speak. Know your subject.