The capacity of the human mind escapes the confines of reality with its unmatched potential and yet it cannot seem to abandon preceding mistakes. History and all the errors woven in the seams of this complex tapestry are doomed to repeat themselves. Humanity refuses to set aside its ignorance, the urge to subdue the vulnerable and unless people can obliterate the capability of evil ingrained in their beings, history is destined to reoccur. Many argue that studying the past can prevent its recurrence. And while this makes a wonderful hypothetical scenario, humanity is much too ignorant to achieve anything of the sort. Ignorance encourages people to revisit past ill-advised decisions and judgments, especially regarding social inequality.
During the Gold Rush, white Americans blamed Chinese immigrants for high unemployment rates, leading to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which suspended immigration for the East until 1943. Similarly, newly elected Commander-in-Chief, Donald Trump, has remained persistent on passing a Muslim travel ban. This ban is based off the misinformed belief that terrorists haul from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Syria, among many other nations, when most foreign born terrorists were actually from Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, this travel ban does not stem from a factual basis, rather it focus on religious discrimination, considering all aforementioned countries are predominantly Muslim. In both past and present instances, the government’s ignorance and prejudice has led to repeated acts of discrimination against minorities. This kind of blindness leads down the same old beaten path because many take comfort in their empty-headed misguidance. The desire to obtain and maintain power leads people down a redundant path.
Leaders often subdue their people by strongly reinforcing censorship regarding the information the populace ingests. Nazi Germany partook in the burning of over 20, 000 books that were deemed offensive in the 1930s. These books were either written by Jewish authors or contained information related to the Jewish people.
Similarly, in the 21st century, North Korea has a suffocating grasp on what material its citizens can indulge in. Furthermore, the reason why many institutions promote the extensive use of censorship is to prevent enlightenment and essentially decrease the likelihood of revolts. The immoderate ambition displayed by many authority figures restrains logical thought and leads to persistent errors. Humans are both exceptionally kind and exceptionally violent.
People will always be capable of evil and all the versatile forms it exhibits. According to a study from Harvard, there have been over 237 wars since the beginning of the 20th century, naturally accompanied by genocide and slaughter. Not all reiterated mistakes committed by people can be categorized as immoral, however, many of humanity’s greatest repetitive lapses of judgement definitely include actions that have resulted in the agony and death of millions.
In fact, it often seems as though mankind was made for the high pressure, aggressive environment of war. The calamitous nature of man cannot be overlooked solely because it’s concealed by benevolence. There is a certain side to man that lusts for chaos and destruction, and in attempt to satiate that bone-aching depravity, they’re willing to repeat history for the satisfaction. Unless human beings find a way to desert certain primordial qualities they possess, there is no hope for any form of societal evolution brought about by learning from the past. People are programmed to be ridiculously stubborn and defensive, two characteristics that make it increasingly easier to make the same decision continuously. Repetition creates the sensation of familiarity, which brings comfort and relief from the unknown. The only way to stop the never ending cycle of periodic historical mistakes is to break the pattern and question these actions.
The only true obstacle we face as a society is mankind.
