Chapter 28
Lessons from History
“Those who cannot remember the past
are destined to repeat it.”
—George Santayana
A young man once asked an old man, “How did you attain success?” The old man replied, “From having good judgment.” The young man followed up, “How did you attain such good judgment?” To that the old man replied, “From bad judgment.”
History offers insights and clues, which helps us act in the present and prepare for the future by learning from the successes and mistakes of the past. The most important insights we can glean from listening to the echoes of past events are these:
- Mankind is waging war with increasing frequency and severity.
- WMDs developed in the last 60 years are capable of annihilating life.
- Every method of preventing war and maintaining peace we have tried has failed.
- The rule of law works very effectively within nations, and it can do so between nations.
