One of the joys of aging (getting older) is the learning process – we never stop learning.1 I love to continue to read varied books (fiction and non-fiction) that stimulate me to enhance my knowledge base, to understand others better, to advocate for children more enthusiastically, and to continue to be a more caring, more empathetic citizen. For if we are to contribute to the well-being of others, we have to be humble, sincere, open and receptive to further instruction using our knowledge and experience.
I also appreciate feedback from friends and former colleagues. Their constructive comments and at times criticisms provide more fodder for improvement on my learning journey. They also affirm that my writings, meant to stimulate thoughts and actions, are hitting home and worthy of continued publication. One such comment recently hit home when I was discussing the condemnation/vilification of worthy public servants.2
I think that it is fair to say that “History” is probably the only “Science” from which Mankind has learned nothing or almost nothing. History keeps repeating itself. Similar situations to our present history/political status have always existed and are even recorded.
Now some will argue that history per se is not a science. Most scholars would place it in the category of social science and attempt to apply equal rigor to that for applied science – make an observation, ask a question, form a hypothesis or testable explanation, make a prediction based on the hypothesis with appropriate research, test the prediction, and use the results to make new hypotheses or predictions. While not an applied science, when observed and reported with integrity, history qualifies as a science that we can learn from.
My colleague was reflecting upon the state of affairs when clear examples from the past reflect our collective inability to use that information to better the lives of others or, at the very least, avoid similar problems and the eventual degradation of our moral standards. Let’s look at some examples –
- Lies
- Past – (from MEIN KAMPF [Hitler’s 1925 autobiographical manifesto3]) “[The great masses] will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one, since they themselves perhaps also lie sometimes in little things, but would certainly still be too ashamed of too great lies. Thus, such an untruth will not at all enter their heads, and therefore they will be unable to believe in the possibility of the enormous imprudence of the most infamous distortion in others.”4 (p. 237) Hitler was certainly able to succeed in the propagation of his lies.
- Present – The pernicious lie that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen stands out to me as a modern-day equivalent of Hitler’s assessment of the ability of certain people with malintent to persuade their loyal followers that they are right and the people with truth on their side are wrong.5 When these seeds of discontent are sowed on a public unable to discern the truth or seriously question such distortion of the truth, those distorting the truth for personal gains and not for social justice have accomplished their goal of dividing us against each other. Just look at how Hitler was able to turn too many of his countrymen into zealots willing to go to war to recover German pride lost during WWI and to find so many people willing to slaughter millions of others deemed to be poison in his estimation.
- Disregard for the rule of law
- Past – William Langer of North Dakota in 1934 was infamously convicted of a federal charge (kickback scheme while governor) and sentenced to prison. In response, he rejected the federal court’s decision, declared martial law, barricaded himself in his office and refused to leave.4 His lieutenant governor was fearful for his life to take over but eventually did. The conviction was overturned on appeal later, and Langer was eventually re-elected as governor and even later elected to the US Senate. There are ways to appeal convictions but declaring martial law and refusing to leave office are not acceptable ways to do it.
- Present – Former President Trump refused to accept the results of a lawful and certified election after multiple legal appeals. He incited a group of supporters, and they subsequently assaulted our Capitol. He did not allow his administration to properly instruct the incoming administration on items routinely passed from one administration to the next. He refused to attend the inauguration marking the peaceful transition of power, the hallmark of our democracy. Those actions are inexcusable.
- Disregard for precedent
- Past – in December 1860, the South Carolina Secession Convention convened and passed a formal resolution to withdraw from the union of the United States. Multiple states followed suit and the Civil War ensued. The primary tenet in the SC declaration made slavery the central issue – the free states “have denounced as sinful the institution of slavery; …they have encouraged and assisted thousands of slaves to leave their homes.” There was never any doubt about the reason for the Civil War, to allow for the continued practice of slavery and to consider other humans as property to be used as needed.6
- Present – There are still too many displays of the Confederate flag in the South. One need only drive around and see them “proudly” waving in the breezes. Yet, when you ask these folks why they are flying such an abhorrent symbol for those whose ancestors were subjected to abject humiliation, they often state that the flag is flown as a symbol of heritage. And by heritage, they usually follow with the statement that their ancestors fought in the war and many died. They are honoring the fallen ones. I certainly understand their recognition of their ancestors who might have just been fighting because that is what their neighbors did. But to not recognize the primary cause of the war and realize that the flag stands for the refusal to abolish slavery is a wanton disregard for the stated reason for the Civil War.
- Disregard for change
- Past – In the aftermath of the Reconstruction era and to fight multiple battles resisting and protesting integration, many statues and monuments were erected in Southern cities. Their avowed purpose was to pay honor to the fallen Confederate soldiers.
- Present – Mitch Landrieu, former mayor of New Orleans, made the bold choice back in 2017 to remove Confederate Memorial statues that were not erected in an historical nature.7They were erected to memorialize men who fought against our country, to memorialize men who supported the abomination known as slavery, and to protest the advancement of civil rights under the guise of honoring those that opposed it. They were erected in defiance of the advancement of the oppressed and for less-than-noble purposes and have lasted for too long, unrecognized for their true nature. Their removal was met with strong opposition yet the removals were certainly justified.
- Book banning
- Past – Far too many oppressive governments have banned books in an attempt to systemically control the narrative in the country. Back in Nazi Germany, an estimated 25,000 books were set afire and the guidelines for such were totally dependent on what the government decided.8 The chilling effect of this indiscriminate action to eradicate the written word that the government deems “wrong” is antithetical to the joy of free speech that we embrace in our country.
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- Present – Currently in the US, there are multiple movements afoot to ban books in multiple places. In schools and colleges, books have been taken off the shelves in an attempt to control a cultural agenda. In my state of South Carolina, a school district had to postpone a book fair because of the fear that some of the books would violate the school district’s acceptable book policy. The parallels to the 1930s are eerily similar.
I thank my colleague for reminding me of so much work that needs to be done. We need to learn from the past and advance the causes of social good, avoid the pitfalls along the way, and condemn the actions that take us backward. History, a reflection on what has happened, can be the path forward.
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/are-we-ready-for-life-long-learning/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/dr-fauci-to-the-rescue/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mein_Kampf
- Maddow R. Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism. Crown; 2023. 382 pp.
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/the-cost-of-lies-2/
- Larson E. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War. Crown; 2024. 565 pp.
- Landrieu M. In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History. Viking; 2018. 240 pp.