Lesson of history

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Daniel
by Daniel
06-Apr-2008
 

What shall I write? where shall I begin? When I think of the past vast numbers of pictures and images rush through my mind. However some pictures tend to stay longer than others. They are my favorites and I begin to muse about them, and, unconsciously almost, I compare past happenings with what is taking place today, and try to find a lesson in them for my guiding. But what a strange jumble is one's mind full of illusory images and disconnected thoughts, like a gallery without a curator. And yet perhaps the the fault is not entirely ours.

The study of history should teach us how the world has slowly but surely progressed, how the first simple animals gave place to more complicated and advanced animals, how last of all came the master animal-Man, and how by force of his intellect he triumphed over others. Man's growth from barbarism to civilization is supposed to be the theme of history. Achieving this great civilization by cooperation or working together, this ideal must be maintained for the common good.

But sometimes looking at great stretches of history or indeed today, it becomes difficult to believe that this ideal has made much progress or that we are very much civilized or advanced. There enough of want of cooperation today, of one country or people selfishly attacking or oppressing another, of one man oppressing another. If after millions of years of progress, evolution and social learning we are still so backward or imperfect, how much longer will it take us to learn to behave as sensible and reasonable persons? Sometimes we read about past periods of history which seem to be better than ours, more cultured or civilized even, and this makes us doubt if our world is going forward or backward. My own country has surely had brilliant periods in the past, far better in every way than its present.

It is true that there have been brilliant periods in the past in many countries -in Persia (iran), india, Egypt, China, Greece and elsewhere- and that many of these countries have relapsed and gone back. But even this should not make us loose heart. The world is a big theater and each country has its own actors who are playing what they regard as their own masterpiece, to a audience whose silence may not denote, and will one day invade the stage.

Many people nowadays are apt to boast of their great civilization and of the wonders of science. Science has indeed done wonders, and scientists are worthy of all respect. But those who boast are seldom the great. And it is important to remember that in many ways man has not made very great progress from other animals. It may be that in certain ways some animals are superior to him still. This may sounds like a foolish statement, and people who do not know better may laugh at it.

But if you read about the life of the bee, the white ant and the ant, you will be at awe at the level and mastery of their social organization. we look down at these creatures as almost the lowest of living things, and yet these things have learnt the art of cooperation (better known as "swarm intelligence") and of sacrifice for the common good far better than humans. Tanker trucks are assigned delivery routes by dispatchers using a computer program inspired by the foraging behavior of ants. Just as army ants work together to find food to haul back to the group. so "virtual ants" in the truck routing program cooperate to pick the best route. Ever since i read of the white ant and its many sacrifices for it comrades, I have developed a soft corner in my heart for it. If mutual cooperation and sacrifice are the tests of civilization, we can justifiably say that the white ant and the ant are in this is respect superior to man.

I know I have written a rambling account of my thoughts rather than significant historical events. A verse from an old Iranian book translated as follows: "for the family sacrifice the individual, for the community the family, for the country the community, and for the soul the whole world" . What the soul is few of us can know or tell, and each one of us can interpret it in a different way. But the lesson this verse teaches us is the same lesson of cooperation and sacrifice for the larger good.

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