The quote by Karl Mark can be rephrased as :humans repeat history. History does not repeat itself, human beings do.
What we sow, we reap!
When we act in a certain manner, we get specific results. This is an iron law of Nature. The fact that we keep getting the same results is proof that we are doing the same things over and over: that is, reacting in the same ways. This is quite a challenge, as the whole aim of life is to mature, improve and get better through experiences. If we keep repeating the same experiences, that means we have not learnt from what has gone past. A student that keeps failing the same examination can not advance, in fact has not really advanced beyond that class, no matter how long she stays there.
When we act in a certain manner, we get specific results. This is an iron law of Nature. The fact that we keep getting the same results is proof that we are doing the same things over and over: that is, reacting in the same ways. This is quite a challenge, as the whole aim of life is to mature, improve and get better through experiences. If we keep repeating the same experiences, that means we have not learnt from what has gone past. A student that keeps failing the same examination can not advance, in fact has not really advanced beyond that class, no matter how long she stays there.
That is the tragedy of humanity as at today. All our long years of sad and difficult history has had little impact in growing our maturity. Aggression and Greed still reign strong
In hearts, just to take two examples of common traits of immaturity.
Cave man mentality
Today we still see the caveman mentality in our interactions. In interpersonal relations relations, and unfortunately, in international relations. Might is right: if I have a bigger cudgel than you, then I am entitled to your hoard of raw meat and some shinning stones kept in your cave. We still use this logic everywhere.
Today, technology has advanced so well that it is possible, if we wish, to eliminate repetition of some of the darker aspects of our history. Wars could become a thing of the past, for instance. But wars have continued.
While Slave trade was justifiably denounced ( after some three hundred years) as inhuman and a crime against humanity. And it was abolished. But that sad manifestation of cruelty and inhumanity to man is today repeated in various subtle ways. Various strategies are devised to make some part of humanity to work for others at a low or no pay at all.
Technology has advanced, but the human being has not. This means we have not learnt our lessons from the past as we keep repeating what has gone past. And we say history repeats itself. Not true.
We repeat reactions, attitudes...
We repeat events of history because our choices have remained the same over the centuries. The petty jealousies and secret diplomatic maneuvers that led to the First World War should have convinced statesmen and politicians in Europe of the futility of an international system based on selfishness and cheating. But no. We repeated the same errors just 20 years later, with the 1939 outbreak of the Second World War.
Saddam was created and nurtured by some powers maybe as counterweight to some forces in the Middle East. But this shortsightedness gave rise to the first and the second Gulf wars of the two President Bushes.
History is NOT bound to repeat. But it will continue to do so until Man learns to make different choices from the same set of events. Whatever manifests as history is clearly a result of our choices. To change the manifestation, we simply need to change our choices, and history will stop repeating itself, neither as tragedy, nor farce,
In hearts, just to take two examples of common traits of immaturity.
Cave man mentality
Today we still see the caveman mentality in our interactions. In interpersonal relations relations, and unfortunately, in international relations. Might is right: if I have a bigger cudgel than you, then I am entitled to your hoard of raw meat and some shinning stones kept in your cave. We still use this logic everywhere.
Today, technology has advanced so well that it is possible, if we wish, to eliminate repetition of some of the darker aspects of our history. Wars could become a thing of the past, for instance. But wars have continued.
While Slave trade was justifiably denounced ( after some three hundred years) as inhuman and a crime against humanity. And it was abolished. But that sad manifestation of cruelty and inhumanity to man is today repeated in various subtle ways. Various strategies are devised to make some part of humanity to work for others at a low or no pay at all.
Technology has advanced, but the human being has not. This means we have not learnt our lessons from the past as we keep repeating what has gone past. And we say history repeats itself. Not true.
We repeat reactions, attitudes...
We repeat events of history because our choices have remained the same over the centuries. The petty jealousies and secret diplomatic maneuvers that led to the First World War should have convinced statesmen and politicians in Europe of the futility of an international system based on selfishness and cheating. But no. We repeated the same errors just 20 years later, with the 1939 outbreak of the Second World War.
Saddam was created and nurtured by some powers maybe as counterweight to some forces in the Middle East. But this shortsightedness gave rise to the first and the second Gulf wars of the two President Bushes.
History is NOT bound to repeat. But it will continue to do so until Man learns to make different choices from the same set of events. Whatever manifests as history is clearly a result of our choices. To change the manifestation, we simply need to change our choices, and history will stop repeating itself, neither as tragedy, nor farce,
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