I've been reading about how the same historical event gets taught differently across countries, and it makes me wonder if we can ever agree on a single objective truth. For example, the causes of World War II are presented with different emphases in Japanese, Chinese, and Western textbooks, each side highlighting their own victimhood. Can national narratives ever be truly neutral, or must they always serve the present needs of the state? I lean toward saying no, but I'm open to hearing arguments for why some degree of objectivity might still be possible in how we record the past.