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

 

"Those who don't know history

are destined to repeat it."

-- Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

"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 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 and keep certain important events clear in our memory.  But, the stroller keeps on moving forward as the child has no control over it.  So it is with life.  

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

-- Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), "Dr. Seuss"

But, we need to see the event, file it away, and then get back to paying attention to life again, because time continues to move inexorably forward.  If we dwell too much on one thing, life will pass us by.  But, if we don't clearly remember the mistakes of the past, it dooms us to the great possibility of repeating those mistakes 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 (quote above).  I'm not sure Miss Kate was privy to the great works of Dr. Seuss.  If you look back and fall over something you probably won't look back again.  The reason you won't is that you remember the last time you did it and fell over something you didn't see.  Dwelling on the incident 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 before you look back, the next time.

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

“While there are some scars that we might wish to hide because the spiritual or mental pain they represent is far greater than the physical pain caused to us at the time of injury, there are also some scars that we want to see whenever we look in the mirror. Because these scars serve as a valuable reminder of our past. My scars teach me that I am stronger than what caused them”

-- Manal Al-Sharif

Our past is etched like scars on our skin, into our minds. They are the scars we give no mind to until they are seen, then we remember, and then we can move on.  But if we pick at the scar, and worry over it, it will never truly heal.  Our scars are our proof of life, our story, and our past.  Our scars remind us of things we have done wrong... and don't wish to do wrong again.

Do we have to look back?  It is unavoidable if we wish not to repeat mistakes. But, then, we are only human... and there's our 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 (1900-1978)

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 view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, 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 while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a 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 United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained in 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He 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 personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

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