History

Why does history tend to repeat itself?

Well for one thing, do any of us (or most of us) take time to study out the personal history of our parents, try and learn from their mistakes?

I think some times we are too busy trying to heal from their mistakes. Or we are mad at them, or just think we can do better.

Plus sometimes what they have learned doesn't seem to apply to our situation.

Maybe we should spend more time teaching kids history eh?

My own little daughter is starting to do things that I remember doing. One of which is a slightly amusing reminder of the way that I would get my parents to let me do what I wanted to do.

My daughter is an extremely nice little thing. I am starting to notice though that she asks for things in a kind of practiced, nice way, and I have been letting her do what she wants. Thus she has been doing what she wants and she is away from the family a lot and hasn't been doing as many chores as her brothers, tsk,tsk So I've gotta watch that!! :D

So in extrapolating the thought out about learning from our parents, I was thinking about law makers. They are constantly repeating the same mistakes as their predecessors.

Perhaps they should be required to study history, a lot.

I believe that is how the United States government got off to the right start. James Madison effectively locked himself in a room with books on government and history for several weeks before drafting anything for the constitution.

Plus the men who all convened together to draft and approve of the constitution were all learned men.

The only disappointment to me about the constitution was that it did not abolish slavery outright.

But then that is how a lot of things happen in government. Often things are not taken care of because they are an accepted fact, and idealism is often put aside. Sometimes that's how it has to be (unfortunately).