History Lesson

Way back in school, I heard someone say, "Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." I thought it meant that those students who could not manage to memorize dates and names would have to repeat the class. So I diligently memorized names, dates and places, even though the part of history that really interested me was the people – What did people of that time period eat, drink, wear, own, think?

But for the most part, nobody seems to care about the people of any given period. Students might be given a dozen names to remember, but what they wind up knowing about those chosen individuals (long enough to take the test) is that this one was the general on Side A of this battle, that one was a political leader whose main policy was...

After school, I sometimes would pick up a book, an article, or some other form of knowledge about a particular era, looking for the 'social' history information I never really got in history classes. Still, I really don't consider myself as any more knowledgeable about history than the average person. And yet, even I can see a second meaning to that old saying, a way that history is now repeating itself, because the people 'in charge' have not realized they were ignoring important history lessons.

Let's take a quick look at 4 events throughout history; the Magna Carta, the French Revolution, the Great Irish Famine & Revolution, and the Russian Revolution. In all these cases, it's my understanding that the great majority of the population had been severely oppressed by their rulers for so long that, out of desperation, the masses rose up and declared that they'd had enough. Most of these were successful; the Irish probably waited too long. After several years of being left to starve, they wouldn't have had enough strength to effectively revolt.

Now let's look at 4 more recent events; the Egyptian Revolution, the Lybian Revolution, the Syrian Revolt and the Occupy America movement. Again, the great majority of the population has been oppressed for years. Again, they've had enough.

Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.