daily java

Daily Java:

History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” but actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11)

As a student of history, I see repetition everywhere in our country. Nothing really new ever happens.

In politics, in other things, you see the same thing happening again and again.

Someone once said, “Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it.” And it is absolutely true.

After all, people are not any different than they ever have been. They just are allowed to act differently at times. But their root ideas and characteristics are always the same.

You see that in your own life when your kids make the same mistakes you made when you were their age. You try to tell them and all, but they will not listen and end up doing the same thing.

History repeats itself.

And there is nothing you can do about it.

There is new technology and new literature, new music, new art – but even then, they are merely reworkings of former literature, music, art.

Technological advances give us the ability to do some interesting things, some things that people before us would have considered magic, even.

But for all its trappings, what are you doing with a cell phone? You are talking to someone else. The fact that the person may be 3000 miles away is amazing, but it is still conversation.

You research on a computer and write, you look at stuff on the web. But essentially, all you are doing is visiting the library and using a very advanced pencil.

What you are doing is no different. It is just how you are doing it that is different. Phenomenally different, that is true, but basically the same.

New politicians come in with new ideas that are basically the same. A singer comes out with a new song that is basically the same.

The longer you live, the more you recognize this. The more you see patterns in what is done and what people are doing, what is accomplished and what is messed up.

The writer of Ecclesiastes says this. No matter how hard you try to do something, it has probably already been done and the people who did it are all dead.

Depressing way to look at stuff, but true. Of course, the book of Ecclesiastes is a depressing book to begin with anyway.

But it is 100% true, that is for sure.

over and over again

After Joshua sent the people away, each of the tribes left to take possession of the land allotted to them. And the Israelites served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him — those who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:6-10)

It is a fact that cultural memories are short. Somebody once said that those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.

That means that our children go through the same problems we went through and it really doesn’t matter many times how much advice we can offer. They are still going to do it again.

Like it or not, that is human nature.

The Israelites had seen the mighty power of God through Joshua. They knew he had God in his life. He had led them across the Jordan River on dry land just like Moses had led the Israelites across the Red Sea on dry land. He had brought them through the whole conquest of Canaan. Time and again, he had performed miracles by divine power. They knew he was the arm of God.

But then they died and Joshua died. And their kids came of age. To them, all of the stories of the power of God through Joshua were just that: stories. They were academic to the kids. They had not seen it themselves.

So what did they do? Turned from God and did all the stuff their parents had done in the first place. And God turned from them, just as he had turned from their parents.Then they cried out to God, just as their parents did, and God answered them just as he did their parents and delivered them from their problems.

After a while, they died and their kids came up. And the cycle began again, over and over. Through the book of Judges, it happened again and again. Problem after problem, sin after sin, people crying out once again to the God they suddenly realized they needed and he heard them.

And it began again. It is no wonder God got tired of them after a while.

It is the same with our kids. Of course, each generation thinks they have invented the world and that they are the first people ever to experience whatever it is they are experiencing. And their parents are these stupid, Neanderthal creatures who have never felt as they have felt. And everything comes around again.

It is a shame, but it is also human nature. It is why wars are fought over and over again, why the same things happen again and again. Each generation rebels against their parents and the cycle starts again.

Our generation was going to be so cool. We were the definitive generation of all mankind. Then we got old and our kids rebelled against us. Wait a minute. We were cool. We invented rock and roll, for goodness sake. We started wearing jeans and grew our hair out and tried drugs and stuff. We had free sex. How can you rebel against such cool people?

But the cycle begins again.

Just as it was, so shall it ever be.