History teaches people much more than they think. It teaches them what NOT to do. Think of it this way: If a child is beaten and abused all of his life, won't that teach him what not to do as a father? So, in a sense, history is sort of like the father of all civilization. This can be traced all the way back to the beginnings of time. (yes, people have been screwing up for all of human history) From a religious perspective, the Garden of Eden (or Pandora's Box) taught people what NOT to do. It taught them not to be greedy, and not to take things for granted. Maybe these lessons set the trend for the rest of eternity, because to this very day in age, people are still being taught in that same, old-fashioned way. What the world needs is some sort of international broadcast in which all of the most influential and smart people come together and tell all seven billion of us what NOT to do. For example, somebody like George W. Bush may say: "DO NOT invade foreign countries just for economic purposes." Or maybe Ronald Reagan would say: "The presidential election SHOULD NOT be a popularity contest." Or maybe, if we are lucky enough, O.J. Simpson and Rodney King will come out of hiding for this special event, and they will say: "Apprehending a black man for a crime that he clearly committed IS NOT a hate crime."
Ah yes, that's one step forward in the right direction for this fragile life system of a planet. After all, isn't the first step in one of the most effective cures of certain diseases "admitting you have a problem?"
Maybe the problem is this: Teaching people what NOT to do has lost its effect. Maybe what society needs is somebody who will tell them everything they need to know and do. That will eliminate that extra step of having to do the opposite of what the rest of history has done, and in this day in age, isn't it all about doing things efficiently? This seems like a simple solution to a simple problem, but an ancient proverb states that "doing what is right, isn't always doing what is easy." Therefore the problem must lie in where we draw the line between efficiency and apathy.
A single mother who manages to drive her kid to school, have a job, and still have time to cook dinner and relax is efficient. On the other hand, a single mother who has a kid that rides the bus to school while she sits at home and and sells her most prized possessions on eBay just to pay the rent is apathetic.The difference lies in how much responsibility a person is willing to take for their actions. (how about that international broadcast?) Maybe that's why history has always been telling us what NOT to do, because they are telling us that we need to take responsibility for our actions, instead of blaming it on our co-workers, or foreign policies, or hillbilly cops. It's a way for history to admit its mistakes without actually saying it did anything wrong. Also known as: "Advice."
Are people just not listening to this advice? Or is it just being presented in a manner that is most unpleasant to our ears? Because let's face it, the truth hurts, but the truth is exactly what we need to hear. No more dancing around it like a hydrophobic man who's about to take a bath.
For example: "If history teaches anything, it teaches self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly." -Ronald Reagan.
Some people see a good piece of advice in this quote, but if it's thought that Ronald Reagan was just admitting his mistakes without actually saying it (as stated previously) this is clearly just a bloated form of an apology!
Here is a proposition:
Only people that make mistakes should be allowed to give advice on the subject at hand. BUT, they should only be given this right once they have clearly stated an apology and learned from their mistakes (politicians sign here) X__________
This sounds like a spiel that a teacher might give to a kid who was bullying another kid on the playground, and it should! Because chances are, they kid learned his lesson once he was punished properly for it.
So why aren't more politicians and criminals punished for the mistakes that they make? because they clearly aren't learning their lesson. This must be due to their "charisma," otherwise known as, "ability to dance around the truth."
See? People know a lot more than they think they do. They just need efficiency. Efficiency in the way that they think and the way that they act. It's probably pretty obvious that nothing stated in this essay would ever happen, but an international broadcast, or public apology would finally be teaching history in a new way. Sure, the broadcast and apology would be full of advice on what NOT to do, but it's the concept of these two things; the concept of doing what you are supposed to do, which is: apologize for your mistakes, and help in being a contribution to society. Just watch, if these things ever happen, people WILL follow the trend, and things will finally change, and a couple hundred years from now, people might be thinking of history as teaching us what TO DO.

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If you actually read all of that, tell me how it can be better so I might actually win next time, ha. ( it was for a competition)

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