Lessons of the Past

by Benji Raymond

In previous years Time magazine's annual list of quality inventions has included a variety of sorts, ranging from: Computerized shoes and Audio flowers to Robotic Cats and Dog Translators. There is no doubt that humans have leaped into the future and shattered the boundaries of technology. But have humans matched their ability to create mind-boggling inventions with their ability to develop and nurture human spirit, or are they doomed to repeat the horrific acts of our frightening history?

“I changed by not changing at all…”
Pearl Jam Lyrics

One of the consequences of drinking up to 5 litres of water a day is the constant need to use the bathroom. So it’s not uncommon for me to find myself in the university bathrooms reading the interesting graffiti that tends to find its way on the walls.

Last week, amongst the illegible scribbles requesting details that ought not to be repeated, a neatly written quote grabbed my attention. It read: “Humans: doomed to repeat the mistakes of others.” I was interested to read such a thoughtful quote and indeed, it did make me think for quite some time. While most of the graffiti tends to be anti-politics, anti-religion and pro-sex, the quote and its location indicated to me that we might have found the next Plato. A flashback took me back to my first high school history lesson where the teacher asked the class why we learn history. I was secretly hoping that the teacher would admit that the class was foolish and let us go early, but instead I sheepishly answered, ‘so we don’t repeat the mistakes of others’. And with that answer, the next five years of learning about people who can’t seem to learn from others began.

“You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train”
Howard Zinn

Unfortunately, I still remain apprehensive of my answer and lean towards providing the author of the graffiti The Nobel Prize in Literature. Jokes aside, the truth is I don’t think we are necessarily doomed to repeat the mistakes of others. Using statements perpetuating that humans are doomed to repeat the mistakes of others creates an easy way out, an easy path in providing us with with opportunities to carry on the way we are. Statements like these make us downright lazy in not learning. Some may insist that we are creatures of habit, but letting things slide from our ethical radar is of no justification.

If it is somehow true that we are incapable of learning from other’s mistakes, then surely we can learn from our mistakes. In some ways, I would assume this to be more difficult since seeing things for what they are when you’re too close to the subject in question can ultimately be a thorny experience. Nevertheless, when we gradually become laidback at taking a deep and all too often necessary look at ourselves, then the concept of learning from others collapses. The idea is that the two views are not independent of one another. When you stop taking note of the reasons why you’re not progressing, then it becomes almost impossible to understand why others around you are not moving ahead. But while it is harder to learn from our own mistakes, it is the first step.

A Long December (Poetry)