Learning from the Past
It's been over a hundred years since Santayana wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it." Probably everyone has heard those words spoken in their lifetime, in one form or another. But just as quickly as we forget those words, do we forget our own past? Or at least oft fail to take the time to learn from it?
As a country, we are young by the standards of many others in the world. I appreciated that during my recent trip to India, and was amazed how a culture can still be thriving after millennia. But even within our brief period on this continent, there are many things, often many mistakes, that we can learn from. The book I'm writing right now has that as one of it's themes, learning from the past. Maybe that's why I've been considering it myself lately.
Because, in the end, despite politics, despite countries, the ultimate unit of society is...ourself. There's a real fad these days to blame others for your problems. But who can be held more accountable for you than... you?
And if that's the case, how often do we each take some time to think about our past? Ever?
I've been spending a lot of time with that this weekend, and know there are many had won, or hard lost, painful lessons I've learned, or wish I had learned. I would like to think I can avoid repeating them if I take some time to figure out what went wrong the last time. But there's still one more question to ask: will this time be different?
Maybe that's why we don't consider the past more often, we all tell ourselves that, "This time it will be different." But I'm not sure that it will...
Diaries, thoughts, memories... whether you write it down, or just take some time to think about it, ask yourself, "What lessons can I learn from my past?"
You might be surprised by the answers...
As a country, we are young by the standards of many others in the world. I appreciated that during my recent trip to India, and was amazed how a culture can still be thriving after millennia. But even within our brief period on this continent, there are many things, often many mistakes, that we can learn from. The book I'm writing right now has that as one of it's themes, learning from the past. Maybe that's why I've been considering it myself lately.
Because, in the end, despite politics, despite countries, the ultimate unit of society is...ourself. There's a real fad these days to blame others for your problems. But who can be held more accountable for you than... you?
And if that's the case, how often do we each take some time to think about our past? Ever?
I've been spending a lot of time with that this weekend, and know there are many had won, or hard lost, painful lessons I've learned, or wish I had learned. I would like to think I can avoid repeating them if I take some time to figure out what went wrong the last time. But there's still one more question to ask: will this time be different?
Maybe that's why we don't consider the past more often, we all tell ourselves that, "This time it will be different." But I'm not sure that it will...
Diaries, thoughts, memories... whether you write it down, or just take some time to think about it, ask yourself, "What lessons can I learn from my past?"
You might be surprised by the answers...
Nice post.
Blaming others in defiance of logic, as a fad, I think, is understating the reflection you are trying to reveal. Fad seem too nice of a word!
I could go on but then it would turn into an epic rant, heuh.
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Personally, I think about the past worryingly often, but then, I am an historian. One difficulty in learning from it though is the postmodernist/narrativist point that we tend to emplot the past according to whatever we already feel. That is to say, we only learn the lessons we go looking for.
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Sadly, I think most of us fall into the trap of being defined by our pasts. There's a saying in the mental health world, that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. I love the concept of creating new stories for ourselves and our lives - we can rewrite ourselves, just as we rewrite our characters. And when we rewrite our own character, then our 'life plot' changes as well.
Welcome to Blog world! I look forward to reading your thoughts.
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Rewriting our own character... changing our life plot...
I like it.. thanks for the insights..!
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Hi Peter, I been out gallivanting around the Internet avoiding a short story and I found your blog via Uppington's blog.
What a profound post you've written. perhaps it's like this: The situation or pattern continues to be the same but we've changed and therefore so does our experience of it. The fad of blaming others you mention might simply be an extension of self deception.
I hope you continue to post a great deal because clearly you have important things to share.
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The biggest thing I have learned from the past, is first forgive yourself. No matter what, forgiveness is the key. It may minute, but if you don't go the forgiveness portion, it seems like we are almost doomed to repeat the same errors. Do we have to forgot. NO, but forgiveness allows renewal, allows a cleansing, a new beginning and a rejuvenation. Then I don't think we are so apt to repeat the mistakes we have committed and we are not keeping people at an arms length or are always critiquing ourselves and waiting for the big screw up. When forgiveness occurs, we can move forward and live in the future and stop living in the past, less likely to make the same mistakes and leave the past where it should be.
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So true.. I need to be reminded of that more often..
Thanks..
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