Don't Look Back? (Updated from 1/17/2015)

 

"Those who don't know history 

are destined to repeat it."

-- Edmund Burke

"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." Truer words were probably spoken, but few ring as true today as they did when Edmund Burke spoke these, in the 1700s. Some people would say, it is best to never look back, always move forward, and don't dwell on the past. This, too, is true, in so far as you don't misinterpret the instruction. 

 It doesn't say you're not to stay mindful of the past; it says not to dwell on it. Like a child in a stroller, it is good for us to look back occasionally to stay certain of where we've been, keeping important events clear in our memory, and ensuring that someone we know is pushing us forward.  It would seem the child has no role in this, but their memory should serve them well, especially, years later, when it comes time for them to vote. So it is with life.  

"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

-- Theodor Seuss Geisel

We need to see events, file them away, and then pay attention to life again as time continues to move inexorably forward.  If we dwell too much on one thing, life will pass us by.  But, not clearly remembering mistakes of the past, dooms us to the great possibility of repeating them in the future.

"Don't look back because you might fall over what is in front of you."

-- Kate Williams

Making my case would be Miss Kate Williams, age seven.  I am not sure Miss Kate was privy to the great works of Dr. Seuss (though this would be hard to believe).  If you look back and fall over something, you probably won't look back again, but the reason you won't is that you remember the last time you did it, and fell.  Dwelling on it might cause you to fall over something, too, if you can't chew gum and walk at the same time.  Better to just let it go, but, keep it close, like a memory.  You don't have to dwell on it, but you might check the road ahead first and think about what went on before.

Adolf Hitler failed at this in Russia, on the Eastern Front.  He saw what he was up against and moved boldly forward without reviewing history, and the last great army to move against Russia - the Vichy French.  Although Hitler's troops weren't decimated by Typhus prior to the battle, as had the French.  The French forces were just as poorly supplied, and, like Napoleon's forces, suffered miserably from the ravages of the brutal Russian winter.  To the Russians, this was just another winter. The egos, of the two greatest armies Europe had seen since the Roman Empire, were their own undoing.

Like God's second covenant with man, our past is, for better or worse, etched into our hearts and minds, The times we celebrate and the scars we give no mind to... until they're seen, then we remember, then we move on.  But if we pick at the wound, and worry over it, it will never heal, it might bleed, and we might weaken and fall.  Our scars, ignored or not, are our proof of life, our story, and our past.  Our scars remind us of things we have done and don't wish to do again.  Ignorance does not serve us well.

Do we have to look back?  It is unavoidable if we don't wish to repeat mistakes. But, then, we are only human... and we have that nasty little "ego" to deal with.

"Each new season grows from the leftovers from the past.  That is the essence of change, and change is the basic law."

-- Hal Borland

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony: tolerantpastor@gmail.com