Beech Tree News Network

Recently, I’ve been thinking about how people learn from experience. Konrad Adenauer said, “History is the sum total of things that could have been avoided,” and Norman Cousins said, “History is a vast early warning system.” Do groups of people use history like individuals use history to inform decision making?

While pondering that question, Israel came to mind. Many years ago when I was an undergraduate student at Western Kentucky University, I took an Old Testament class in the religion department. The Bible records quite a bit of history. One of the books we studied – beginning to end – was Joshua. The book of Joshua tells the story of the establishment of Israel in the ‘promised land’ (the land God promised Abraham or Canaan). Claiming the land meant going to war. Before entering Canaan, the Israelites had wandered 40 years in the desert because of disobedience and lack of faith; so, they were ready to follow Joshua and fight for their promised land. Although control of this land has changed over the years, the area continues to experience turmoil. Even decades ago, my professor pointed out that Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all have ties to Jerusalem and the surrounding area, contributing to unrest. The history between Palestine and Israel is long and complicated – creating a division most of us don’t truly understand.

Aldous Huxley said: “That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.” On an individual basis, hindsight or historical knowledge may affect future actions and choices. Yet, an understanding of the past does not always seem to affect group decision making – such as within governmental units or between nations. Perhaps with group decisions, other factors override historical knowledge. In my opinion, the saying “experience is the best teacher” seems more applicable to individuals than to groups.