Learning From History

I know I should talk about the recent election and its implications for freedom (and democracy) and the future of the American way of life - especially as it applies to liberty, liberty principles, and governance, but there are loads of other commentators out there putting their own spin on things - and they know more about the nitty gritty of Washington, D.C. (and even state races) - than I do at this point. (Not that I would come to the some conclusion even with all the same information).

In fact, I was asked about a shadow government last night and I am now just realizing - that perhaps the inquiring mind wanted to know whether Biden was actually running things...I don't think he is. Definitely a shadow government - and that should scare everyone. We have NO IDEA who is the ultimate string-puller. But I'm not going to rehash a "should have been" response for last night's question. Apologies to the asker. You know who you are. Instead, I am going to post an answer to another question I received last week:

The QUESTION (really, she wanted to have a discussion): After recently looking into The Renaissance time period, I am wondering whether or not we have truly learned from history as a society. Looking around today, I feel like we've lost that as a nation.

Now, she is looking around at a nation that has a very SHORT history, compared to other aspects of the West that have been borne out of The Renaissance, but I get her point. Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it - as the saying goes - and it looks like contemporary Americans are intent on pursuing a path we should already know is a failed one.

But I think the best way to think about whether or not we have (as a society) learned from history is to understand that not every person in society is going to be a thinker. (I tried to change that with Freedom Academy back in 2020, but here I am talking to all the same people from four years ago.) In reality, most people are too wrapped up in their own lives to step back and look at the bigger picture - or do the hard work of researching the details and applying analysis.

Human beings also tend toward narcissism believing they have the secret to utopia. This is very close to the original sin, and we see it played out with great evils being perpetrated in the name of "good." If we could see this cycle clearly as a society, we might find some humility in the failures of trying to perfect mankind.

However, there are always a few who do understand where we went wrong - yet even they believe if they could just FORCE this knowledge and understanding on others, it would solve current problems -- or at least slow down the descent into the abyss.

We cannot, however, force people to think. We cannot force people to understand, we cannot force people to believe, we cannot force people to adhere to certain values, nor to recognize where their mistaken ideas or apathy will take them.

Individuals "learning from history" are sometimes surprised by what they find - others just take the narratives of "the winners" at face value, without critically thinking about what might be left out of the written record.

Society as a whole - especially as the population grows - can never truly "learn from history." History (through the consequences of not listening to the lessons we were to have already learned) is only something understood in retrospect.

Brave individuals, who can think about the lessons we should have learned, can try to reveal immutable truths about the human condition to the rest of us - but that often comes with a hefty price, and if the percentage within a population capable of doing this is low (and I believe it is, and I also - at times - believe the percentage itself is shrinking) - and the population is simultaneously growing, the likelihood of these few individuals triumphing over the apathetic masses is also diminishing.

Why don't we have visionaries who want to build cathedrals with resonant acoustics and natural light that seem to bring heaven to earth? Why don't elites want to spend their billions on aesthetics  (whether it be architecture in the city or learning to live in harmony with nature) - JUST FOR THE GOOD OF ALL?

Not for further profit, not for technological advancement, not to save the planet, not to have control over the masses, but to elevate mankind as a whole and perhaps even save the souls from darkness?

Why isn't music being composed that calls out to the listener to return home to the bosom of Abraham, to rest in the arms of Creator YHWH? Why do we instead glorify "idols" and pay homage to "stars" - regardless of how soul-provoking or musical their music is?

I believe we (as a society) have been enslaved into a way of thinking and living. We are again serfs, fighting for our survival, paying our tribute to manmade governments, not realizing we are actually free to pursue the best for ourselves - and in attempting to achieve our own personal arete, we might actually just be pursuing something that is the best for the rest of society.

Our minds are trapped. And even when a few of our minds break free, there is no coordinating force for the free minds to find one another and achieve their highest potential. Even the freest of minds is still trapped in the system -  a system that runs on money and influence - and where ego plays a huge role - and competition in a zero-sum game is assumed by most "free agents" and the ordinary person cannot possibly wrap their head around the idea that someone "beneath them" might just want to bring good into the world just for the sake of good itself, not for any self-gain.

So we do seem to find ourselves in the oft-memed cycle of "Hard Times Create Strong Men, Strong Men Create Good Times, Good Times Create Weak Men, Weak Men Create Hard Times..."

But even that is considered the cycle of prosperity and regression - not a pursuit of something higher and more beautiful as a society.

So have we learned from history? Sure. Some of us have. But has society truly learned anything? No. I believe in the Second Law of Thermodynamics (everything tends toward entropy) - even in the societal sense (social devolution).

So whereas people believe we can learn enough from history to someday produce a Utopia based on an understanding of human nature (we just need to get the formula right!), we are forever doomed to an existence reliant upon the struggle of power - that is, until The Kingdom of Heaven manifests itself in all its completeness, The New Jerusalem descends on the New Earth, with the Anointed One as the King of Kings and the Lord of All, and once and for all destroys the cyclical power struggle.

If true Spirit-filled Christians truly understood the power they had living within them - and the "true church" joined forces, the darkness we are trying to keep at bay could be banished in a moment. Instead, we are distracted by the ways of THIS WORLD, we get wrapped up in all its trappings, and we find it impossible to escape from the confines that would actually allow us act upon what we have "learned from history."

Going back to the original context of the question: Our nation has lost a lot. It is doomed, most likely in the next 15 years (an unpopular opinion - and I'm not even sure I want to be wrong about this one even thought most people want to believe we can figure out a way to stop its demise )...but... instead of going down that rabbit trail today, I will shamelessly market my book now: The Unraveling: The American Fabric Undone -