Does Ηistory Repeat itself...?

                                                       Does History Repeat itself..? 

 

This is an elementary definition of how History is defined. History, a discipline that studies the chronological record of events, usually attempting, on the basis of a critical examination of source materials, to explain events (Encyclopedia Brittanica). Eventually, we can observe that a sequence of historical events recurs in the course of historical time. We can see similar events, similar central figures, and similar circumstances emerging time and again. Why is this happening? Human responsibility is the key element when dealing with issues that play a central role in history.  When making decisions, this is very crucial to go beyond our limitations and adopt a perspective that transcends narrow stereotypes and demonstrate an altruist and consensual approach. Usually, our national interests prevent us from being more world–oriented and that above them there is something bigger that needs to be stressed, if we want to live in a world of peace and not a world of conquest and predation. As the old proverb indicates: “You can't have your cake and eat it too.” But in world affairs we often forget about justice and norms. Compromise in front of challenges and the desire to find solutions should be our guide, if we want to achieve unity and agreement and avoid conflicts and warfare.  

 

If history evolves in such a way that conflicts are resolved, and that peace is established through mutual understanding and cooperation, then history does not need to repeat itself. It’s only then when nations fail to work together, and conflicts cannot be resolved peacefully that war is inevitable, and countries try to solve their differences through violence and the use of weapons. There are many kinds of causes when it comes to war, but one main reason is conquest and territorial differences or even the need for “vital space” to mention just a few of them.  “Wars end when nations agree that war is an unsatisfactory instrument for solving their dispute; wars begin when nations agree that peaceful diplomacy is an unsatisfactory instrument for solving their dispute. Agreement is the essence of the transition from peace to war and from war to peace, for those are merely alternating phases of a relationship between nations.”  ― Geoffrey Blainey, The Causes of War. Very often, wars do not express the public mind, but the mind of individuals who happen to possess the power, the politicians and the military establishment.  

Nations should implement all means in order to improve their relationships with their neighboring countries, their allies, and the larger world community. When their attempts to forge good relations and peace fail, that signifies that the purpose was not achieved, and that everything was in vain. In such a case, repetition is inevitable. The purpose won’t change, and history is forced to give another chance in the future. By doing so, the vision is to create a world that is safe, peaceful, and a better place for all. Patterns of repetition we can find in the history of Israel that was scattered to all corners of the world in the diaspora but was re-established after almost 2000 years in 1948 in Palestine. There are examples about the Rise and Fall of nations that testify about this pattern of repetitions in the examples of Greece and Rome and their empires. Both empires experienced a Golden Age with many conquests and expansion and soon after there came a decline and collapse, but they didn’t disappear. After a time of subjugation and trials, they didn’t lose their history, language and identity but re-emerged as new entities with their print and conscience.  This phenomenon is astonishing and shows that repetition in history is real. “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” – Winston Churchill     

 

History is a narrative of events recorded which show evidence of real happenings. According to the Scriptures, human beings have origin, purpose and destination. The world and the Universe have a Creator, God gave human beings life, truth and responsibility. Great philosophers like Aristotle – who shared similar views with Socrates and Plato, Descartes etc. - portrays God as Prime Mover and grants Him the authority of a Supreme Being who exists beyond matter. According to Bible, God created man in His image, which means that God encapsulates the dual characteristics of masculinity and femininity. By extension that translates that God is a parental figure and not only Father. That being said, God is present in human history and expects man to fulfill his responsibility and establish a world of peace (Kingdom of God on earth). Recurring cycles of historical events will always be as long as we human beings fail to establish a better world, a world of peace. Only when we accomplish our responsibility by acting justly and wisely, can we expect God’s assistance. And this fact has been demonstrated in history time and again.  

 

What is then the pattern and logic of historic recurrence? As stated before, it needs to be perceived as a requirement of the absoluteness of the Creator which aims at man and his vocation to achieve the supreme standard of administration and stewardship to the world. Until we have been capable of establishing permanent peace on earth, such phenomena as the rise and fall of empires and historic recurrences will probably be repeated. If we keep failing not to learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it, and this is both tragic and frustrating. Human beings, when aligned with God’s will and his ideal of a peaceful, prosperous world; will be able to achieve that goal. 

The Age of Technology

                                                           The Age of Technology 

 

We live in the age of a technical revolution and can every day enjoy the benefits of man’s efforts to conquer groundbreaking fields of technical knowledge turned into useful tools to improve man’s life. Compared to last century, we are now living in a fully technically transformed world of innovation and discovery. Starting from medical science and its application to improve health care and treatment, we enjoy a new hopeful era of advancement in many respects. The Information, Digital Technology (IT), has thoroughly affected our lives through the use of computers as communication and entertainment devices, networking and electronic data. Even our cell phones are tiny, microscopic computers which have revolutionized the way we communicate among each other. The whole world of business, social life, entrepreneurship and all walks of life have been dramatically transformed through the emergence of the new technologies.  

Never before in human history was there such an amazing and extraordinary scientific, technological progress and advancement in less than 50 years. The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century compared to our current technological revolution seems like a small venture. However, our world is facing a lot of challenges, like pandemics, wars, poverty, conflicts, moral decay and clash of civilizations. In the face of those challenges, there are cases where technology can help and others where technology cannot do anything. Technology alone cannot solve the crucial problems of our world today. Technology and science should be accompanied by moral principles and a set of human values.  “We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.” Carl Sagan Nevertheless, our dependency on science and technology should be determined through a philosophy of loyalty and good use. Insecticides, for example, can harm the environment if used in inappropriate ways and abused.  

We may be proud of our technological and scientific achievements and benefit from such positive developments for our lives. But there are also the negative effects of technology and science that we must take into consideration.  One of the negative side effects of technology is air, water, heat and environmental pollution nowadays. Sociologists already speak of technology addiction, due to the extensive use of computers and mobile phones i.e., overexposure to technology. A lot of young people are hooked for hours in front of such a device, becoming slaves of modern age technology. “Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we’re too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone.”- Steven Spielberg Human beings are able to build super tanks, aircrafts, weapons or any super sophisticated devices with potential to destroy the “enemy”, but also create things which can benefit humankind and lead to prosperity. It is therefore a matter of priority and motivation that has to be based on moral principles and human values. Another issue is how to go about using things properly by following ethical rules and respecting privacy and human rights on a big or small scale.  

It needs to be made clear that humankind above all is facing a great challenge and this has to do with the priority of establishing peace and cooperation among nations. Then, the vehicle of science and technology has the means to achieve development and prosperity as a result of having created a world community that functions in unison and good will. Politicians must think globally and not locally and primarily consider the world community and then themselves. It’s a daunting task to find a formula that should transcend national interests, but any other practice will lead to conflict and disagreement. It is necessary to fill the gap between rich and poor, educated and non-educated, privileged and non-privileged. It should be our dream come true to create a world of brotherhood and cooperation and then through the means of science and technology realize the goal of a world of peace and prosperity. “Technology is unlocking the innate compassion we have for our fellow human beings.” Bill Gates This is not a fantasy, but within our reach, because we are equipped and qualified to do it, provided that we awaken in us the belief and innate potential to benefit others for both our sake.  

All in all, it is our duty to define science and technology in a good sense and select their benefits for human life, happiness and prosperity. The future of humankind depends on our decisions today and if we are prepared to follow the rules, principles and ethical human values. We are responsible for the upcoming generations and their future, and it’s up to us today to guarantee them their happiness and prosperity. If we fulfill our responsibility today, we won’t feel any regret tomorrow.  

The Pursuit of Excellence

         

The Pursuit of Excellence

The pursuit of excellence has been man's goal since time immemorial, and throughout history it is noticeable that man has been trying to improve and grow seeking for improvement and perfection in every aspect of his life and actions. We can see that in his daily endeavours and in the way he/she tries to face daily challenges through invention, tool upgrading and any kind of innovation. Interestingly, man’s progenitors i.e. Neanderthal and Homo sapiens already create their own tools in order to survive and adapt to their environment. Progress goes step by step and man’s efforts are targeting a higher level of achievement, including personal growth and a higher awareness about his social state and status. 

The pursuit of excellence relates also to the Holy Scriptures, since in Matthieu (5:48) we read: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”. (English standard version) Of course, here perfection refers to character and personality growth and perfection. The religious approach to perfection is then that of spirituality in combination with a higher awareness about the meaning of life, our understanding about God, and the fulfilment of our purpose  in our earthly life. It is within our reach to achieve higher grounds, aspired by the willingness to develop our abilities, crafts, intellectual and emotional powers and above all our personality and character. To do that we have to be courageous and not be afraid of challenges and trials.  “True perfection is a bold quest to seek. Only the willing and true of heart will seek the betterment of many.” Socrates. It is an innate trait of human nature to strive for excellence and perfection; not only in creative activities, but also in relation to our own condition of improvement and self-development. Good education can help people improve their skills and learn to achieve their goals in life, beyond their material needs and prospects. 

Besides, human beings need competition and challenge in order to improve themselves and be willing to excel. In this way, a famous Greek proverb is very indicative and groundbreaking: “necessity is the mother of invention.” Necessity is to be seen as a challenge which offers motivation to overcome it and turn it into a success. The fact is that necessity can become the mother of invention. Ηοwever, in order to excel and thrive we also need to develop mental power and resilience. It’s because when you set high standards you need to work hard to achieve them, and of course never compromise when things get tough, but develop a spirit of absolute determination and toughness. We should never accept mediocrity and sub-standards as satisfactory goals or  achievements. We need a strong, relentless character with a positive attitude and thoughts. The pursuit of excellence should necessarily include the aspect of character and personality and not only the pursuit of success and financial achievements. This part will come as a logical extension of maturity and personal development, following all the social aspects that includes.“My meaning simply is that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well. That whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely. That in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest.” – Charles Dickens

Furthermore, we should have the right perspective of human perfection, growth and excellence and be willing to pursue it on a daily basis as part of our life objective. To achieve that, we should invest all our heart and will so that it becomes a joyful and enthusiastic journey. We have to make excellence a way of life. The Greek philosopher Aristotle once said that, “Excellence is not a simple act, but a habit.” We should be determined to go the extra mile and show our persistence and endurance. On our way to reach higher grounds in life, we often make mistakes, encounter failure, experience disappointment and frustration and face unpredictable or unforeseen difficulties. Do we give up and change our priorities and goals? “Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.’’ Mario Andretti  When a storm comes, the good captain has to prove his capabilities and carry on in order to bring his ship to a safe harbour.  

Finally, we need wisdom and ethics, a moral code to be our guide in life. We need human values that are being taught in family and school and need to be applied along the way to reach perfection and excellence in life. As we practise and apply those values, we experience growth and a sense of achievement that empowers us to continue in order to reach our goals in life.