History repeats itself, as tragedy, and as farce

History indeed repeats. ..

The quotation from Karl Marx  about history repeating itself deserves more attention than it is getting. Though it is best to first say that history does NOT repeat itself. HUMANS repeat history by repeating themselves.  That is, we human beings do not learn well, or only rarely, from what has gone past.

We continually fall again and again into the same hole, not because of determinism,  but  due to the fact that we continually react to events in the same way. Experiences are meant to teach us, but they rarely do. We act in a certain way, certain specific results follow, and we complain about the outcome,. Forgetting the fact that whatever we experience is and direct result  of our actions. So to change the result, we should change our actions. But we don't.

Hence, when we are confronted with a situation,  we find ourselves repeating precisely  what we have done before, and then results are same, and we declare that history repeats itself. No. We repeat our reactions to events, and the same result comes up.

This is quite sad, really, since one of the things we are expected to get right is to learn by experience and mature to what we really are : spirit beings. The unsavory situation on our planet earth today bears testimony to the fact that we have not been good learners as yet.

With increasing learning from experience should have come, improved conditions on our planet earth, new and more enriching experiences, rather than mere repetition of old ones in a cyclic repetition of the same events.

This is not to say that new experiences have not come, they have. There has been innovations and discoveries that offer  us chances of maturity and experience of new events. But our reactions have merely been variations of the same things, thus history repeats...

Thus, the aggression in us since olden times has not improved into helping love or any other virtue, but has remained the same. Therefore, when we had only crude tools to facilitate our life on earth, we fashioned weapons to better pursue our aggressive tendencies...crude weapons, but weapons anyway. Now that we have grown in technology,  away from the credit of stone implements that is,  we have not dropped the least of our aggressive tendencies. Hence, we have sophisticated  weapons today that are at the cutting edge of technology. And wars remain rampant, only that today, we Have more powerful weapons to vent our aggression.  And we declare, of course, that history repeats itself when we are the ones repeating our negative tendencies...

The technology we have today has immensely improved our capacity for good as well as we evil. Unfortunately,  we have tended to take the opportunities  to be bad, to be worse than before. We have increased our capacity to do evil, when the same effort would have produced greater good. We have not used our experiences to evolve to nobler beings that we can, and must be. Our faults remain. The greed and selfishness that led to the trans -Atlantic Slave Trade has remained intact. Only that today, it has merely mutated into a more subtle for. ..today's slavery is economic, and so history repeats itself as early variant of the slave trade we abolished still thrives, in a different format.

The solution to the phenomenon  of history repeating itself is simple: we simply need to act in a different way, and we will keep making ever new history, without repeating anyone, and also keep advancing in maturity, capacity to do good, and actual good. This does not need to start with any leader, it can start with individuals. Individuals choosing to make a difference to how we react to events.

That will relieve us from continually repeating our history.

'As a man thinketh....'

As a man thinketh, so is he.

Oh yes, as a man or woman or child think in their heart, so are they. Quantum Physics now teach us that what we see around us is not made up of particles, but waves. And these waves can be controlled by our thoughts.

It's therefore clear that our thoughts create reality. Amazing as this may seem, it remains the Truth. What we see around us is what we have created,  and continue to nurture with our thoughts. What a disturbing Idea! Disturbing and frightening. But it should also bring us relief, in the sense that we thus realize that, if true (and it IS true), we are thus completely  in charge of our fate.

We should simply demand for whatever we want by fixing our thoughts on it, along  with  the  necessary  physical work, of course, and sooner or later, what we want will manifest

What it also means is that the average human being has been creating his reality unconsciously all along, while blaming all kinds of extraneous forces for his weal and woe. Not correct. If we do not like what we see, we should simply change our thoughts, it is as simple as that.

This also applies,  of course, to groups of individuals,  as well as NATIONS. The situation of all nations, with no exception,  precisely reflect the state of thoughts of the majority of the people in that Nation. What the majority sows with their thoughts,  is what manifests as a reality for each nation. From this, we see the absolute importance of taming our thoughts. It is also necessary to monitor  closely, what comes into the public space and which therefore shapes  popular thought.

In this vein, one only need reflect on the shapers of public opinion in our country, and reflect on what havoc must have been wrought, and is  still being wrought,  when we allow all kinds of unexamined thoughts, or unedifying ideas  to seize the public space and become the trend setter in thinking. This brings to the fore, the powerful effect that some groups of people can have in the society. Groups like the journalists,  musicians,  actors and also religious leaders. These groups of people, by virtue of being opinion leaders, posses immense power for good, and for evil.

Anyone in a position to influence other people's  opinion or thoughts must realize  the power they wield, and determine to always be conscious of this before putting out any opinion. That way, only up-building ideas will be spread forth, helping to cleanse the society.

It is an immense responsibility. The benefits are huge if  properly handled, and the dangers are great if the responsibility  is carelessly discharged.

In the final analysis however, every individual has the responsibility  to be aware that through his or her thoughts,  good or evil, order or chaos can manifest around  him, and in the society. Regardless of what so called opinion leaders put out, everyone should struggle to maintain clean and pure thoughts towards himself, and his neighbour. That is the way to bring positive change to the society. Nobody can shirk this responsibility  on any ground: no one is ever forced to think in a certain way, it is always a choice.

Reader, what will you choose?