Is history cyclical? (Week 304)

Everything that happens in life, and thus in history, whether personal or global, stems from a succession of other events or occurrences; nothing is random, there is no such thing as chance, as if everything functioned as a chain of events.

And there are many events in the history of humanity, far too many. And each is a consequence of everything that came before. But one of the most recent, and, I believe, most interesting, developments in history is the advancement of technology. I belong to a generation for whom things like video calls, communicating easily with someone abroad rather than by letter, someone directing or guiding an operation remotely from another country, or electric cars were unthinkable. There are hundreds of examples like these, and you can name as many as you like in the comments.

It was, and remains, a development that continues to advance at a dizzying, rapid pace; people of my generation have had to adapt, and we have lived through two utterly different eras; we stand on the dividing line between a ‘before’ and an ‘after’.

Of course, every event in history, and indeed everything in human life, has its positive and negative sides; there are always two opposing sides. Technology isn’t bad, but it depends on how it’s used or who uses it; there are extremes that are far from good, and whilst that possibility may not be apparent at first, it can be seen in the future. For example, there are many people, I believe the majority, who don’t see the danger, the great danger lurking behind AI; I’ve seen it from the start. But of course, this is just one example.

The fact is that the advancement of technology has been a very interesting development, practical in many ways, and has changed the history of humanity. But… I wonder where this society is heading.

In fact, I believe that, looking inward and considering the paths humanity has taken in recent years, I know where it is headed, and this goes beyond my personal opinion. I always want to be optimistic, but many say that optimism does not go hand in hand with realism. That one must be realistic and objective.

So could society be heading for total collapse, like so many other societies? My inner optimist hopes that something will happen outside the current course of events that will truly change everything, open people’s eyes, make them realise many things, and halt a dark future. But if I analyse everything that is happening, I find it hard to believe. Even so, I always hold onto that hope.

Now, I believe that history has often been cyclical; there are patterns that repeat themselves time and time again, and this happens because human beings fail to learn. The same applies to each individual’s life. When we repeat patterns, it is because something is amiss within ourselves, and we must examine it in order to resolve it and change our lives. It is our responsibility.

The same applies to society. But I see a divided society, and one of those sides seems to be heading straight for a precipice. There is a loss of values, principles, respect for others and even for oneself, a lack of empathy, a great deal of ego and many contradictions. A loss of family values, of unity, of striving to better oneself, of the effort to earn one’s own way, whilst waiting for things to fall from the sky. A society where people become frustrated or depressed because they don’t get a ‘like’ on social media, where self-esteem is rock-bottom, where there is no parental support for children. Of course, I am talking about one part of society, but that part is growing ever larger.

It seems as though there is a self-destructive tendency at work, a tendency to destroy human beings, societies and the family as the foundation where we learn what we will later apply in life. I know people on both sides of this divide, and I often find myself thinking: how difficult it is to raise a child in today’s society, where the environment is so complex. Where it is no longer safe for them to play in the streets, where you have to be careful about who they talk to, what is on the internet, and much more. I think you understand the point I am making, and it is true that this is not the whole of society, and I hope that the negative side does not prevail.

It is up to each of us to always do our best, to find our true purpose in life and to improve, even if it is within our small society, which is the family. But yes, I do think it’s possible that if we continue down a path of self-destruction, society will fail once again. I hope that one day the cycle will change, based on the fundamental learning that is needed.

I often stand in the street, looking around and feeling the energy of the atmosphere, and my eyes grow sad. Despite that, I will always do my bit on the positive side.

These topics I’ve chosen from the fabulous weekend topics presented to us by @galenkp are very interesting for a chat. I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’ll be delighted to read them in the comments.