From: ed@somewhere.in.the.uk   
      
   D wrote:   
   >   
   >   
   > On Tue, 28 Jan 2025, Ed Cryer wrote:   
   >   
   >> D wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> On Mon, 27 Jan 2025, Ed Cryer wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> D wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> On Mon, 27 Jan 2025, Ed Cryer wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> I meet a lot of people who say" Ah, the past is past. It's no more   
   >>>>>> than a hindrance to all we want to do. Let it go."   
   >>>>>> I always say "No". Hold on to it; it's your best guide".   
   >>>>>> Take the Soviet Union; dedicated to reforming human nature, from   
   >>>>>> selfishness to social togetherness. And what happened when it   
   >>>>>> collapsed? Oligarchs and capitalist nest-builders swamped the nation.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Those who know nothing of history are condemned to repeat it. That   
   >>>>>> sounds very Jean Paul Sartre, but in fact is was George Santayana'   
   >>>>>> best maxim.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> New humans sprout from seeds unaffected by a knowledge of history.   
   >>>>>> They have other concerns; how to thrive and flourish in this world   
   >>>>>> of downtrodden-ideals. And that doesn't include any knowledge of   
   >>>>>> previous rises and falls. They fashion their upward-momentum with   
   >>>>>> scant knowledge of human history.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> What pays dividends is the goal. First knock out the opposition,   
   >>>>>> then bellow loudly.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> I'd appreciate the opinions of other people who've given time and   
   >>>>>> grey matter to this question.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Ed   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> Sorry, what is the question again?   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Bide your time, slow coach, until someone with greater intellect   
   >>>> reads this group.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Ed   
   >>>   
   >>> Or until someone who is better at writing down his thoughts in a   
   >>> clear, succinct way and to use question marks enter the   
   >>> conversations. Your phrasing tempts me to dismiss it as nonsense,   
   >>> although at first I was trying to engage.   
   >>   
   >> After rereading it, I can see your point. It is very garbled. Accept   
   >> my humble apologies. I won't do it again.   
   >>   
   >> I was trying to dress up a simple question.   
   >> Does too much knowledge of the past hinder or promote life?   
   >>   
   >> Ed   
   >   
   > Hello Ed and thank you very much for the clarification! =) What would   
   > you count as hindering and promoting life?   
   >   
   > Making decisions based on accumulated past experiences has been a   
   > successful strategy from an evolutionary point of view.   
   >   
   > On the other hand, if you're the type of person who tends to "live" in   
   > the past, at the expense of the present moment and the future, perhaps   
   > one could argue that it might be harmful.   
   >   
   >   
   I think it was Trump's inaugural speech that pushed me into these thoughts.   
   OK, so he's going to make America great again. He said that so many   
   times. He believes he can; and he believes he can do it with strong-arm   
   political tactics.   
   Special troops on the Mexican border, deport all illegals, wipe out the   
   LGBT community.   
   And, wherewithal, America will revive; grow rich again; get full respect   
   in the world again.   
      
   I can't see it happening. Such right-wing actions will engender a severe   
   left-wing reaction; and the main gist of their complaints will be "All   
   been tried, led to atrocities, shouldn't be tried again".   
      
   It makes me wonder just how much of recent world history Trump knows.   
      
   Ed   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)