History May Repeat Itself.... if You Choose To
AS I took the opportunity to cull my household stuff recently, my subconscious was swirling in perceptions, held truths, facts and trends. What stood out in my mind was whenever I disposed of something out of the garage door, I realised that I am also bringing in something similar, albeit new, apparently fresh, through another entrance. Is the human condition meant to collate, accumulate and hoard - not just in physical goods, but also in memories, friendships, food and more?
Logistically it is impossible to hang on to everything in tangible form and each of us have tho make decisions to let some go. Then comes cyberspace, the ICloud, Dropbox and whatever changing forms of seemingly endless ways of retaining endless things forever - and I get initially sucked in with this idea and virtual reality, till my internet mailbox has over flown more than my household postbox. Is the human mind conditioned to thrive in abundance, or has these past few decades been a unique time of wealth, comfort and rarity of lifestyle, when compared with the overall bigger picture of the history of mankind? Maybe it will get even better for Homo Sapiens as a species - maybe not.
Whatever occurs in the future to the Universe, one of the human traits - expectations and always wanting to improve as a collective community - can often show their ugly side. One huge impulse, to increase the quality of life for every individual, as the human population explodes in numbers - contrasts with another significant human instinct - to preserve the tribe (especially when other so-called tribes continue to be aggressive). This latter real driver makes me observe why we cannot end warfare - only the weapons change over the centuries and millennia of time.
The human brain has leapt in bounds in personal and collective development. Are we getting too smart despite of ourselves? Objects invented, processes practised, concepts implemented and ideas coming alive - they spur the diversity, imagination and intensity of the possibilities in the growth of the human race. Yet societies do get real upset when something goes wrong or against the grain of expected positivity. Yet our inner logic tells us that when we have so many vehicles, phones and commercialised food out there (for example), there can be more accidents, radiation and stomach upsets following suit.
When there is too much to deal with, the human condition tends to rebel - likewise when there is scarcity, there is hunger and drive. The cycle of trying to balance, between swings of want and excess, between extremity and ecstasy, has always played out in the micro details in the lives of people, nations and villages. We are reminded of how great empires have vacillated between conservatism and innovation, between looking inwards and having a fresh air of overseas adventure, between great social injustice and over flow of personal freedoms. Underlying such apparent changes and contrasts, I observe that some things do never change.
1. The rich sector of humanity will be in the minority of numbers but will still control and have access to most of the world's wealth. This is partly because those who want wealth will come up with anything ingenious, innovative and effective to captivate the masses to spend for them and therefore continue the financial haul of the already wealthy.
2. Health, education, lifestyle and childcare continue to be persistently significant in varying degrees.
3. The Industrial Revolution gave rise to the temptations of making quick bucks through customisation, automation and impersonalisation. These approaches shall continue to work for businesses which realise that turnover, margin and profits can only be sustained and increase following this simple model.
4. Fusion, inter marriage and exchange of ideas, religious thoughts and communication will jump in leaps, continuing trends and practices that last grew much when sailing and air flights became accessible to individuals.
5. The leading edge of humanity would never sit still. After making impressive discovery of the outside world, the inner world is the next frontier.
6. Human suffering is inherent. How families, individuals and societies deal with this suffering can however change.
7. The human penchant to over describe things and matters overly positive can counterwise suggest a dark streak of the other reality. Yet an ability to over come negativity with hope and light has been a powerful essential character of the human condition.
8. Some things can be easily explained when you listen to or read the news. For example, when people are on holiday and have too much personal free time, they do things that they do not have much practice in. Examples are catching up with people they have not seen much for the rest of the year, delving in more risky sports and leisure activities, drinking more alcohol, over using their credit facility capability and have more boredom setting in.
9. Those who do not pay sufficient attention to history are bound to repeat its mistakes - just an old but true adage.
10. Those who pay enough attention to history and act upon its lessons are bound to create new improved models in living, business and humaneness.
Maybe there is a pessimist in me. On the other hand, the thought of "Why Not"? can be so powerful and enabling. That is how exactly I felt when I last threw out a box of things that I have been keeping for some purpose that has long last disappeared. That was only yesterday.
Logistically it is impossible to hang on to everything in tangible form and each of us have tho make decisions to let some go. Then comes cyberspace, the ICloud, Dropbox and whatever changing forms of seemingly endless ways of retaining endless things forever - and I get initially sucked in with this idea and virtual reality, till my internet mailbox has over flown more than my household postbox. Is the human mind conditioned to thrive in abundance, or has these past few decades been a unique time of wealth, comfort and rarity of lifestyle, when compared with the overall bigger picture of the history of mankind? Maybe it will get even better for Homo Sapiens as a species - maybe not.
Whatever occurs in the future to the Universe, one of the human traits - expectations and always wanting to improve as a collective community - can often show their ugly side. One huge impulse, to increase the quality of life for every individual, as the human population explodes in numbers - contrasts with another significant human instinct - to preserve the tribe (especially when other so-called tribes continue to be aggressive). This latter real driver makes me observe why we cannot end warfare - only the weapons change over the centuries and millennia of time.
The human brain has leapt in bounds in personal and collective development. Are we getting too smart despite of ourselves? Objects invented, processes practised, concepts implemented and ideas coming alive - they spur the diversity, imagination and intensity of the possibilities in the growth of the human race. Yet societies do get real upset when something goes wrong or against the grain of expected positivity. Yet our inner logic tells us that when we have so many vehicles, phones and commercialised food out there (for example), there can be more accidents, radiation and stomach upsets following suit.
When there is too much to deal with, the human condition tends to rebel - likewise when there is scarcity, there is hunger and drive. The cycle of trying to balance, between swings of want and excess, between extremity and ecstasy, has always played out in the micro details in the lives of people, nations and villages. We are reminded of how great empires have vacillated between conservatism and innovation, between looking inwards and having a fresh air of overseas adventure, between great social injustice and over flow of personal freedoms. Underlying such apparent changes and contrasts, I observe that some things do never change.
1. The rich sector of humanity will be in the minority of numbers but will still control and have access to most of the world's wealth. This is partly because those who want wealth will come up with anything ingenious, innovative and effective to captivate the masses to spend for them and therefore continue the financial haul of the already wealthy.
2. Health, education, lifestyle and childcare continue to be persistently significant in varying degrees.
3. The Industrial Revolution gave rise to the temptations of making quick bucks through customisation, automation and impersonalisation. These approaches shall continue to work for businesses which realise that turnover, margin and profits can only be sustained and increase following this simple model.
4. Fusion, inter marriage and exchange of ideas, religious thoughts and communication will jump in leaps, continuing trends and practices that last grew much when sailing and air flights became accessible to individuals.
5. The leading edge of humanity would never sit still. After making impressive discovery of the outside world, the inner world is the next frontier.
6. Human suffering is inherent. How families, individuals and societies deal with this suffering can however change.
7. The human penchant to over describe things and matters overly positive can counterwise suggest a dark streak of the other reality. Yet an ability to over come negativity with hope and light has been a powerful essential character of the human condition.
8. Some things can be easily explained when you listen to or read the news. For example, when people are on holiday and have too much personal free time, they do things that they do not have much practice in. Examples are catching up with people they have not seen much for the rest of the year, delving in more risky sports and leisure activities, drinking more alcohol, over using their credit facility capability and have more boredom setting in.
9. Those who do not pay sufficient attention to history are bound to repeat its mistakes - just an old but true adage.
10. Those who pay enough attention to history and act upon its lessons are bound to create new improved models in living, business and humaneness.
Maybe there is a pessimist in me. On the other hand, the thought of "Why Not"? can be so powerful and enabling. That is how exactly I felt when I last threw out a box of things that I have been keeping for some purpose that has long last disappeared. That was only yesterday.
Comments