The One Lame Night That Changed A Lifetime Thought Pattern
I’ve never been an A student in history class but just an average one who would sit down and listen to my professor’s litany and find myself absorbing Colonial Period, Civil War Era, World War II, Cold War and a lot of other significant happenings in the olden times in one sitting. Although it’s pretty interesting to learn all about these timelines, I just find it difficult to grasp and learn all these information pressed into my brain. And so, the rest of my history in history class became one dull 60-minute agony for more or less two years of my life. I didn’t like learning about the french revolution.
That one afternoon changed the whole way I thought about history. Although it was an uneventful day with loads of paper works and readings to accomplish, our professor perhaps came that day with something interesting enough to tickle and challenge our brain cells. “Do you think history repeat itself”? My teacher questioned us expecting the normal quiet that follows. As anticipated, we did give the professor a blank stare but this time a more intent look on my face, our faces (at least I know all of us had the same reaction). But it was only then that I began to question myself, “Does history really repeat itself”? I took a look at the holocaust and saw a pattern, it was eerily similar to that of the russian revolution.
Our professor had given us points to ponder. The social issues that we’ve discussed in the former days of our history class up to the latest topics were weaved together for us to come up with our answers. He took one particular example of presidents of the United States of America. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States had been elected for Congress in the year 1846. On the other hand, John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States had his position in the Congress in the year 1946 exactly 100 years ago when Lincoln was elected. Those little facts do not discredit the parallels that can drawn between these two pats presidents. Abraham Lincoln was finally elected President in the year1860 which was again an approximate of 100 years when John F. When Kennedy took power as the new president it was 1960. Departing on only that fact, those two presidents both were big proponents of Civil rights and were both assassinated during their presidency.
I ask myself if everything that happened was just a coincidence? I’d like to believe so, but our history professor made us think even more, an in-depth analysis and scrutiny of the past events. He then asked the question once again “Do you believe that history repeats itself”? I came with an answer I think will forever be etched in my mind, “History doesn’t repeat itself. There may have some flukes of nature and happenstance in the lives of the two presidents that were parallel with each other, but I strongly believe that it was just a product of human’s ability to over generalize. This compelling information may have been a great controversy in the past that continues to haunt the present, but I’d like to think that coincidences happen all because of people’s imperfection and their susceptibility to commit the same mistakes over again”.
I knew at the second that what I said was at least partially correct. My teacher had a look that immediately told me that I had a valid point that he might agree with. That experience made me more interested in the subject as I am now able to understand that I’m one of those silent beings taking part in the history of the world, the history of our lives and existence.
More Education Articles
