"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity. "
Cicero, Pro Publio Sestio, Roman author, orator, & politician (106 BC - 43 BC)
At last the good weather is making a consistent return. Every year, it is more or less the same story, the British weather relives its chequered history of flirtation and disappointment and the occasional consistency. This pattern may well be a solid theme for the story of mankind, where repetition and innovation are well-represented. History is a more important subject than most people give it credit for. It permeates our thinking, shapes our belief systems and norms, influences our emotions and biases, informs our fears and hopes, enriches our knowledge and understanding, and basically runs our lives.
But is that always the case? Is it possible to be free of the past? Let's consider that for a moment. Thinking is of the past because it is directed by our past conditioning. So the route to escaping the past (if we really want to) is not to think. Hmm, that could be problematic. Is there a difference between thinking and observing? Absolutely. When we are present, there is not thinking, just observation. And there is no concept of time, so the past cannot play a role here.
Could we live our lives like that, and would we really want to? Well, a distinction needs to be made here between functional thought and psychological thought. As J Krishnamurti describes with great elegance in his numerous notes, pyschological thought is at the root of human suffering and the time prison. Functional thought has great value in the practical reality of being alive and thriving.
Anyway, that's a philosophical discussion. The truth about history in practice is that we have a choice. We can either repeat it, or we can go beyond it.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. "
George Santayana, The Life of Reason, Volume 1, 1905, US (Spanish-born) philosopher (1863 - 1952)
