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Home › Blogs › justxploring's Blog › Happy Bastille Day, July 14

Happy Bastille Day, July 14

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One of my favorite books in grammar school was A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens.  It begins:

"IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way...."

France had been a powerful, wealthy country that became bankrupt after years of war.  The ruling aristocracy was corrupt and had acquired land, political status and social privilege based on birthright. They spent money frivolously while the poor starved and the middleclass became more and more frustrated. 

History repeats itself once again. 

    "Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them."  ---  George Santayana

Entry #152

Comments

Avatar time*treat -
#1
More and more, you can't tell which blog you're reading solely on its contents/subject matter. Economic conservatism is spreading :-)
Avatar justxploring -
#2
I hate labels.   Although there was a lot of violence, the Age of Enlightenment was also part of the French Revolution. I'd prefer not to think of myself as a Liberal or a Conservative. I've always tried to have an open mind - not so open that my brain falls out, but being a Free Thinker, listening to Reason and desiring Truth & Justice is not a political agenda. It's one of our fundamental rights.

BTW, I don't think I've changed very much. Along with Dickens, I also read Voltaire who said

"All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."

and one that is particularly appropriate today:

"Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices."

I could have used those same quotes in my blog and I wrote that term paper 40 years ago.
Avatar time*treat -
#3
No labels? That must make opening the canned goods quite an adventure. :-)
Avatar Gentlespirit -
#4
Oh...you're bringing back long forgotten memories. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'!!! We students were forced to read that book!!! However...like you Jux, I enjoyed it...even though I was forced!!! ha ha ha! Yes...history always repeats itself!!! Also, Rome was a great culture...and it fell!!!! United States of America can fall also!!!!
Avatar jarasan -
#5
History repeats itself on these blogs quite often.
Avatar justxploring -
#6
I love you too Jarasan. (sticks tongue out)

Actually, when you think about it, there are only so many ways a person can look & speak, a road can turn and food can taste. Maybe that's why so many things taste like chicken. So why should it be so surprising if history repeats itself? In history there's war & peace, democracy or oppression, wealth or poverty. When we read about wars from 1,000 years past, there's still death & destruction. Corruption has always existed in one form or another. Somehow modern man feels he has evolved, but over 2,000 years ago Socrates was wiser than many who are living today.
Avatar JAP69 -
#7
The human race has advanced from the cave dwellers to now.
But not very far from the entrance of the cave.

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