History Repeats Itself! Over And Over Again!

It is a common saying that History repeats itself, but it is not so common to pursue its similarities far enough to arrive at an estimate of what might be and recognise what has been. We are more ready to view with complacency the repetitions that have occurred, whether to our advantage or not than to avoid the recognisables mistakes of the past. We are prone to allow ourselves to be surprised by the apparent suddenness of events in our day because we have not followed the sequence of events that have led up to them.

October 7 in Israel was one such occasion where our involvement in the passions and prejudices of daily life, to see things broadly and in their proper perspective, did not allow our politicians and the security apparatus to distinguish the important from the trivial. Now, with the wisdom of hindsight, we look back arrested by an event of more than usual magnitude. We realises that a chain of incidents had gone before us, which has given a sense of inevitability. Before the days, weeks and months leading up to October 7, we overlooked the bearing and direction of the facts around us, and the activities of Hamas appear to have been generally invisible. to us in the turmoil of minor details which seem to have had more immediate significance to the powers in charge of Israels security and borders.

October 7th ramifications will extend to all the spheres of domestic, social, political, economic, psychological and religious life of the country. We are only starting on the road to self-introspection. Its hoped after all the chest-beating is over we will learn not to repeat the worst elements of history.