If you could erase one mistake from history, what would it be?
Friday, March 20, 2009
the first mistake: Adam and Eve eating the fruit and bringing sin to the human race.
The destruction of the tower of babel.
If everyone in the world spoke and understood the same language there would be less misunderstandings and wars.
People believing that Hitler would make their lives better and giving him power.
The ratification of the United States Constitution. They should have stayed with the Articles of Confederation.
@jed
jed -Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 8:39 pm
The loss of the antikythera mechanism.
Some of the writings of the survivors of the destruction of the Great Library of Alexandria and the invasion responsible for that gave hints that many more things, possibly even more important than the Antikythera mechanism, were lost at that time.
I think one of the potentially greatest losses to the world as a whole was the destruction of the great library at Alexandria. All of known and written human knowledge was lost in one sensless act of destruction by barbarians. So that is the one mistake I would correct.
That is the serious answer but those who know me know I also have to have a humorous answer too. So here it is....
I would go back in time and kill that guy Murphy before he passed all those "Murphy's Laws".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX7V6FAoTLc
any war
but most of all wwii
To replace fear and hate with compassion and love for one another. To live in a world where riches and wealth are realized through service to one another. To measure progress not by our ability to control nature but to understand how much we are a part of nature. As Carl Sagan once said we are all just "Star Stuff", connected beyond any disconnecting.
Yet the reality is we are witness to great suffering, and perhaps this is our opportunity to understand our true purpose and what is truly significant and meaningful.
the persecution and ultimate murder of Baha'u'llah and all of God's prophets. Wouldn't it be nice if we just listened:-)
i would like to say that i wouldn't change anything simply because what has happened has allowed us to evolve as human beings...but have we really?
it is still a question that i cannot answer.
@scrapshappen
Who says he/she/it isn't laughing its ass off all the time? Or rolling of eyes, slapping of the forehead, smiling, being in the knowing and watching us grow like babies?
Ok, deep question, deserving of a deep answer, but I prefer to always cut to the bones of most issues. So here goes......
Prove it was a mistake.
It always bugs me when people say the Hiroshima bombing, that bombing saved hundreds of thousand of lives if not millions. The Japanese government had already convinced their people that they needed to fight to the last man because the Americans were going to do horrible savage things to them. Meanwhile you can watch film of U.S. Soldiers pleading with Japanese Soldiers and civilians to surrender but instead they throw themselves from cliff because they think they'll be tortured. Then you take into account the government promising to execute every POW if there was an invasion and it just gets worse. Lastly, my grandpa was tagged for the Operation Downfall (the Japanese land invasion) and taking into account the casualties expected for the initial landing force I probably wouldn't be here, and if I wasn't here who would be left to complain on the internet?
In terms of A Course in Miracles, I would stop the Son of God from forgetting to laugh. . . mind you, we wouldn't be here or having this conversation but . . . . . .
I would like to erase the thought of 'racism'. However, this mistake has been developed through 'Principalities.' In Biblical Scriptures where the Apostle Paul wrote: "We do not war against flesh and blood but through principalities, powers, spiritual wickedness in high places.Ephesians 6: 12." However, this mistake is now being naturally and purely developed with love and unity. This erasing processes that mistakes are to be learn, challenge, and transformed. To better strengthen human spirit with the connection of our soul desire.
I wouldn't presume to know all the good and bad that came out of any event in history. I guess I'd probably go back about 2 months and put better anti-spyware on my computer and save myself a little money. Anything bigger or older than that might turn out to make society worse.
There are no mistakes, no judgments. Every action or thought is a step along the path to perfection or Enlightenment.
putting it into perspective, if one single event had a parallel outcome we probably wouldn't even be here. no regrets!
I don't think that you could go to one particular instance in history and stop this, but I would want to go back and erase this commercial, material world of bigger, faster, stronger, smarter, etc.
I wish people could see life as more simple and enjoyable than what it is played out to be by society.
Well I think I would like to see prejudice abolished because most of the issues discussed in the clip above were related to prejudice. I read a story once in a sociology textbook that was about a man who thought he was "All American" however when his activities of daily living were looked at it was linked to traditions and ways and elements of things we have learned from each other across the world. For example newspapers, printing, bathrooms, tiling, heating, cars, beds, linen, weaving, papermaking all these things we learned from travellers from the past and have adopted. People worship God in many different ways churches, synagogues, mosques and temples, the sameness is they worship God or a higher being. The differences is how they worship. We should not be afraid of differences and no one should feel superior over another. We need to teach and learn from each other.
Having said that I also think that mistakes are opportunities to learn. What is the biggest mistake is failing to learn from mistakes. isn't a definition of insanity "doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result?"
it's nothing big, but when i embarrassed myself several times in front of my crush.
That time in seventh grade when I thought it would be a good idea to get a perm. Oops, was I supposed to pick something on a larger scale with worldwide repercussions. Do I get do overs? But now I would be using my shot to erase the first mistake I made when erasing a mistake.
I'm impressed with a lot of the responses refering to the possible negavtive repercussions of changing any aspect of history. I agree. We must learn from our mistakes in order to progress as a species. We make a LOT of mistakes, so hopefully we'll figure it out in the long run.
Reality television. Barf. Talk about seeing the worst of humanity......
(I already answered, but I thought of this later.....)
:)
Every major event in the course human history, including -- and especially -- the terrible things have shaped our current, collective psyche. The better question is: Where would we be if we had the option to erase our mistakes? Would we be at a higher level of consciousness than we are today, or would our progress be hindered by a lack of experience? It's too much of a gamble.
Wow there's a lot of 'fall of man', 'eve ate the apple' type answers. And if you typed that, then I assume you believe they existed. So if you erase that event then none of us would be here, hence this convo wouldn't exist.
That's a real thinker... Does it effect all of history or just that section? I wouldn't want to erase WWII, that pulled us out of the depression... It seems that all the horrid events in history some how benefited the greater good. I don't know why anyone would want to erase event in history. They happened, what can you do? Please do not go into the, "Well just imagine it" game because I am imagining, I just don't see what good it would do. Say you erased 9/11... While it may have been tragic, it had repercussions (obviously). One major one, was that it bought Bush another 4 years in office (that was not for the greater good now was it???) We went to war over it (not really OIL *cough* what?). History is history, what can you do? If you erase one then you would eventually stumble to, "Well why can't we erase another one?" till one day POOF no more horrid events in history. I say horrid because why would anyone want to erase the good events in history?) Events good or bad shape a person. When you speak about history good or bad events shape the world.
~Nothing is true;everything is permitted
The thing is, if you erased one mistake from history, you wouldn't know what history would become. Maybe if you erased the holocaust, then an equally or even worse massacre would have occurred without the Geneva convention.
I do think that trans-Atlantic slavery is the worst thing that has happened in history. African states still have not recovered from the inter-African violence, weak economic basis, and demographic effects of shipping 13 million of your citizens over seas. Not to mention the horrible conditions of chattel slavery in the Americas and the unthinkable journey that was the middle passage. Still, I don't know if I could erase that mistake, as I couldn't imagine what the world would look like without it.
I thought about this before today I was going to say in the begining of mankind if eve didnt eat the apple life would be without temptation. But that would mean our life on this earth would be totaly pointless we need to haqve temptation to learn values, and choices and life lessons to make us more ready for our next life. We are all perfect when we are born even those who in later life are deemed to be evil.. They do evil deeds they are not evil.they make wrong choices. The human form can learn and grow and change we all strive to be better, sometime we achieve it one day, some days we fail, but this life is to keep trying to achieve that aim I believe everyone has the possibility of truth. Love is Truth it is our biggest power we each individual posesses, To LOVE is our precious gift in this world.
Mistakes are how we learn so I think we need them all as horrible and painful as each may be. So, I don't think I would erase anything.
I wouldn't feel right using that kind of power even if it was granted to me.
Erase the creation of alcohol as a beverage. just think what would be different as far as; broken marriages, abused children, abused spouses, car accidents, snowmobile accidents, ruined livers, ruined hearts, ruined lives.
Nothing. I would erase nothing because you cannot erase anything by typing it here.
P.S. Things do not always happen for a reason.
this season of the office up to this past weeks episode.....now we are hitting the drama again! WOOOO!
oh and the shows ER, CSI (all of them) and Greys Anatomy......I mean come on!
Oh, and Shrub
From my "history", I probably would just eat a bit healthier.
From Historys "history"... George W Bush. ..... and I'm Canadian!
nothing. how could i? if it didn't happen in the past, today might not be here as i know it? no then, no now....no changes! accept what happened, learn from it, don't repeat it. simple, actually.
I would like to erase the mistake of every person not being equal from the start. It's cheezey typing it and reading it, but so much has stemmed from the fact of people believing they are better than a certain race, lifestyle or aesthetic, it tears me up inside, makes me physically sick.
There are so many answers. Stalin, Hitler and Maximillien Robespierre's rule of terror. The Hutus and the Tutsis conflict in Africa. The Nanking Massacre which resulted in hostilities between China and Japan. North Korea's threat to release a missile over Japan. China's Tian An Men square. World War 1 and 2. And numerous other wars and conflicts that happened around the world. The killing of any human life is really not worth it.
The assassination in Bogotá, Colombia of Liberal leader and presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán on April 9, 1948 during the government of President Mariano Ospina Pérez. The 10 hours riot left a death toll of 200,000 people and 1,000,000 injured. The aftershock of Gaitan's murder continued extending through the countryside and triggered a period in the history of Colombia known as La Violencia that lasted until approximately 1958.
@FlonkertonChamp it wasnt only your country it was the rest of the world. Even cuba celebrated when he left.
like Snuggsie_Dubs said...... the last 8 years under the Bush administration. boy did he fuck this country up.
Very well said pepper_sunlight.
Well if I knew for sure that the story of Adam and Eve were true I would slap that apple right out of their hands! But I don't so.....
I think I would erase the day that someone or one's decided that slavery was ok. So much pain and suffering and death. And still today heartache and discrimination. I just cannot comprehend why people judge one by their color or religion.
There are many but lately i've been thinking about the Scope Trial, since listening to Karen Armstrong on Bill Moyer. She spoke how this was a turning point for the right wing and before this they were more willing to come to the center and work together. Listen to this interview, I can't do it justice.It would be nice if we didn't point fingers at each others ideas no matter how much we disagree,we can find some meeting place. My husband always says everyone has a pure soul even George Bush.
I ended up thinking about this question a lot more than I anticipated. Like many of us here, initial thoughts were Holocaust/WW2 related. But at the same time, I agree with those who have said mistakes provide opportunity for learning and growth. Something didn't sit well, because now I wonder about whether we actually have learnt.
So I would not erase WW2 itself, but I would erase the fact that many haven't learnt the lessons to be gained from events such as WW2 (or aren't bothering to put what they did learn into action).
I say this because similar crises have continually occured since that time and to the same scale, even today. Can we say we've truly learnt to care for those we don't know, given that a tragedy to a similar scale is happening at this very moment ? For example, since 1996 to now, five and a half million have died as a result of war in the Congo and 200 000 women have been raped to date. Of course there are differences between this and WW2, but similarities are striking. I wish I was making this up for argument's sake, but unfortunately, not so: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TO2biY0Ck0 .
(FYI: http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/about )
Mistakes can be brutal, but not learning from them just allows history to repeat itself.
BANKS
The transfer of the control and administration of money from
public/govt institutions to the privately owned banking cartels.
fractional reserve banking = slavery to debt
I truly believe we can only learn and grow from our mistakes, however painful they may be.
However, I was also sort of suprised to notice (although I consider myself a spiritual agnostic and do not believe in organized religion) that no one mentioned the crucifixion of Jesus. I would have thought someone would have mentioned that...
The best answer was the one about living with and learning from your mistakes. It's easy not to realize that the first and second world wars had some valuable life lessons for humanity. The most obvious one being that war is horrible. Another point is that if those had not happened at that time they would have happened later as there were certain historical forces behind those wars (the first world war was started because of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand but in reality that was only the excuse). Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJhRMrFORNI
I regret to say that I would be afraid to change anything.
Though there have been many mistakes made by all of us through the ages, we don't know that the road would have been smoother had a different course been taken. All that we know is that we are all, each and every one of us here and communicating.
Another road without the "mistake" may have led to total anialation. There is an old saying that I will paraphrase ' Beware the devil you know as it is never as bad as the devil that you don't know'.
@sherbear
"Ever since I was a child, I wondered, "Why did Eve eat that dang apple???" If there was an Eve . . . and if there was an apple . . . then that was the biggest mistake"
Was it a mistake? Or was it the only way a "stubborn and stiff-necked people" could receive the wisdom that, left to our own devices, our nature is to ultimately bring our own destruction?
I stopped believing in "accidents" long ago: found I couldn't afford the notion that everything bad was the result of an "accident" rather than of the darker sides of human nature we all carry within us.
And with this realization,comes the freedom to do something about it. Are we just "victims" of fate and accident . . . or empowered to actually have a say our own future??
i would erase the thinking that led to the crusades. the crusades were bad, but the thought that we must conquer people with christianity is much, much worse...
Adopting fear into mankind, are choice. love or fear? End the war within first. believe we can all love each other. or wars will just continue
I used to love giving the easy answers. The answers which required impassioned thought. But I really had to think about this one hard. If I could erase history, if I could change what has already happened, would I?
The answer, while it still pains me to say it, would be no.
Without the Holocaust, without Hitler, some people would have never learned immense love for people they didn't know. To suffer in the ways that not only Jewish people suffered, but also anyone who was not of true aryan decent, would take away the passion that banded many people towards a better understanding of how we can struggle with incredibly hard times, and how we can move on from them with true grace and integrity. How can you replace that?
In conjunction with that, I would like to say that if the Holocaust never happened, we would not have Anne Franks Dairy, nor Eli Wiesles Night. We wouldn't have the number of religious Jews in this country that inspire spiritual thought and action. And without the Chabad movement coming to Los Angeles California, I would have never sobered up.
There are so many other examples that I could point to, but take a look at it for yourselves. There is really a better way to deal with the reality of things, other than just completely disregarding them because they were so horrible.
I think the real answer comes in the form of "If you could erase one mistake from history, would you erase the passion that comes from fighting against it? Would you remove all the hard work and effort that people took to end these wars, or the struggles that people went through to be where they are today?" If nothing bad ever happened, there would be nothing worth fight for. Nothing worth loving for. Then we'd really all be passionless blobs, going from one mundane task to the next. Or, dare I say it, we wouldn't have evolved, and we wouldn't be here now.
I don't think that I'd erase any... Without mistakes how are we to grow and learn? Mistakes should be the reason for humanity to right the wrongs and become better... actually... now that I think about it, I wish I could erase the mistake that is happening at this precise moment, the mistake of not learning from our past mistakes.
Ever since I was a child, I wondered, "Why did Eve eat that dang apple???" If there was an Eve . . . and if there was an apple . . . then that was the biggest mistake. But now I think the biggest mistake is to think we know enough to judge what is right and what is wrong. Leads to all kinds of shenanigans!
I think the girl that answered that she couldn't give a productive answer was precisely on the point: everything that has happened in time had a distinctive purpose with a long-term or short-term effect on the world and the individual. If we even change the slightest thing in time, the order of it will collapse. Take for example the movie with Ashton Kutcher in it, i believe it was called the butterfly or something. No matter what we try to "fix", it will always have an effect.
The comments were on worldwide history, but we all carry history in our personal lives. Many souls have been released too soon because of war, abuse, terrorism and a self conflicted act. OR are still suffering because of them.
Does it take a war, abuse, terrorism or a self conflicted act to wake us up that we are alive at this moment to change the cycle of repeated history?
If everything that has happened up 'till now was necessary to bring us to now, how can we call anything that happened a "mistake" without also calling ourselves at this particular time and place, a "mistake"? Now I don't discount that some might actually believe this, but woe to them.
We are the result of everything that has come before us. Even perceived "mistakes" are a part of the tapestry of the now. Change one event perceived as "unfortunate", and you could well see the entire tapestry fall apart. The lessons of history HAD to happen to bring us to the "now". Even something like Nazi Germany: a horrible event, I agree. But if it hadn't happened then, would we know to be on guard against it ever happening again? And what if it had happened in a the nuclear age or age of biological weapons?! YIKES!
How many sci-fi shows have explored this eventuality, and rendered entirely unpredictable results?
Even the worst thing you can remember happening to you, is an essential part of you. We are not just a result of the positive lessons, but of the negative ones as well. And perhaps the strongest are set apart for the most difficult lessons -- knowing they will survive them and bring that invaluable wisdom to humanity?
At the point in time where electronics and such were created to teh degree that they are relied on in every day life. These things are a very larged part of the reason so many people now are overweight, suffer from diabetes, etc. It's such an unhealthy thing. What ever happened to walking to the library instead of using the google search?
in the evolutionary process of man, there had to have been a day or week or month or whatever when humans began to realize that their thoughts were on a level different than those of the other animals around them, that they were aware of their own existence and began to think logically and rationalize and they stopped trusting their instincts and intuition. The time in history where man became "the superior species" or whatever term you choose, would be the time in history i would change or get rid of. So many horrific things in this world could be erased from the planet's collective memory if we, as humans, were a lot less "human" in our atrocities. And the time when "Lord of the Dance" was popular. That has to go too...way too strange! ha ha
In the 9th century when a religious blessing became a requirement for marriage ceremonies and the cancellation of Arrested Development.
@amysumrall
if only we woke up like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz did and found out the whole Bush presidency was just a dream.
I also do believe that no matter how many devastating and tragic events that have happened I would not delete one from our history. I don't think that we should have to. They brought us so far and to where we are now, needing change and understanding the differences between the series of destructions weâve created. Harvey Milks death for instance, many homosexuals and even heterosexuals all over the world were devastated the day he was murdered, it shunned the bodyâs of those who believed with Milk, but his death was again a part of our history that has moved us to where us as; Americans, Canadians, Europeans, and members of our world have gained certain rights. This is applied to all, and too the tragic events that have taken place: the genocides, the attacks, and the assassinations, they have us learning.
Beginning in the 1860s, Baha'u'llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith, wrote to the world's rulers, proclaiming His station as the Promised One of all religions. He also urged them to reduce their armaments to only the amount needed to protect their own lands. Furthermore, he urged the formation of a world parliament and he stipulated that if one country invaded another, then all nations should rise up against the invader. In essence, he advocated an international rule of law. He warned of dire consquences should the world's leaders ignore His council. For example, he warned Kaiser Wilhelm that "the banks of the Rhine" would be "covered with gore" as "the swords of retribution" would be drawn against it, not once but twice. Had Kaiser Wilhelm and the other leaders heeded Baha'u'llah and instituted a civilized way of resolving problems, humanity would have been spared both world wars and a host of other problems we are living with today. I can't think of a more monumental mistake in history.
The world progresses just as it must, in that given time. Our task is to learn from what happens and better ourselves, thereby improving our world in the process.
i think this is a tough question too. wwII comes to mind. so does vietnam. But maybe not having a pope at all? I'm just curious as to what the world would look like.
I've spent the past 20 years studying and teaching history, so I've had lots and lots of time to think about this topic. I agree with all the previous posters about not changing anything, and also about the law of intended consequences, but if I were to change one thing, it would be the creation of chattal slavery.
a mistake is a perception that can shift with one's beliefs. what was once perceived at terrible, with new insight and experiences, can later be seen as a great lesson. in the grand scheme of things, there aren't mistakes. things happen for our evolution. god is in chaos, as much as in what we perceive to be good. to label is a human thing. it's ego identification to label something as a mistake, to strengthen this story of a self that's been wronged. but stories can be edited at any time. we can't erase an experience, whether it is labeled a mistake or something good. what we can change is how we perceive the experience.
If you look deeper into to the question you can see the beauty of it. This tells us so much of the european, american people. I guess if the same question gets answerd in South America or Africa it gives different views on the world. Never the less it shows how tiny our world is; most of the people are saying 2 world war; the reason? because this is the event which is best described as failure of men. Not that it's not relevant but there are other events (first world war, communism, polpot) which are as worse or even worse. Only WOII is so well tragically documented that it's the first thing that comes to mind.
If you ask me; I would evolvement of mankind was a huge mistake; let us be monkeys again
I'd have to say the creation of currency. We've lost so much and gained so little because of money.
Just elaborating on my earlier thoughts... I believe this world in essentially a training ground, a "schoolhouse" if you will. All the bad things teach us lessons about our fundemental spiritual nature which enable our growth individually and collectively. W/O hardship there is absolutely no growth or progress. I believe the Creator gives us a long leash meander to and fro, but He/She does interfere/intervene if our potential action disrupts with the functioning of the "schoolhouse."
I would not change what has gone before because of the law of unintended consequenses.
Maybe the easy answer, but... I wouldn't change anything. Mainly because I believe the Creator changes many things before they even happen to protect the 'divine" plan for our progress. So, we have to believe that we shoudn't change the big things. Now that is different on the small scale within our individual lives and how we align ourselves with that bigger plan. We should want to change from day-to-day.
I agree that if you went back and changed anything in history, you would never know the bad or the good of the situation at hand. Of course WWII and 9/11 are the first things that spring to mind because of the lost of human life and the awful forces behind the actions - but I would be really interested to see where our world would be right now if JFK was never assassinated. (What would that one shifting domino do? Who knows?)
Tough call:
* the martyrdom of the Bab
* the kings ad rulers' rejections of the Baha'u'llah's claim in the 1860s.
I can say : War, Holocost, Slavery,Religion's fanatic
Every thing happens for a reason in the world as in my life. We learn from our mistakes.
Evolution is our history. It is not always easy to see the good in the bad. Be patient with yourself .
Religion. I thought I'd erase the holocaust, at first, but then I sort-of realized that it technically wouldn't have been around if it weren't for religion in the first place.
I would erase the misconceived notion that women are lesser beings. I can't fathom the suffering that would have been prevented.
I would not dare to be so arrogant as to assume that I could change something from the past without royally messing things up in the present and future. The repercussions of even minor events are more far-reaching and varied than we can clearly see.
I agree that war, discrimination are bad, however, it is said that if we do not study the past, we are condemned to repeat it. So I believe that our biggest mistake is NOT learning from the past. We must learn to respect differences in order to understand them.
1. Breaking up of Pangaea
2. Delivery of Baby Hitler
3. Assasination of John Lennon
RELIGION! - It is THE most detrimental thing to ever be imagined by the human brain. From there on nothing else compares.
@maryfargo I was totally going to say that how bizarre. I just wasn't sure if it was a "mistake" but good call :)
Well there are many things that I would want to be erased from history i.e wars, discrimination of all sorts, slavery, and even things from my own personal past but I believe that everything happens for a reason and maybe things would be even worse now if those terrible events didn't happen in the past.
This is such and interesting and difficult question. There are so very many things I would love to just change, but I have to go with the woman who says she doesn't think she can come up with a productive answer. The most beautiful gardens don't grow without fertilizer. It's necessary and it strengthens us. God says our tests are gifts to us to make us stronger. I gotta put my trust in His wisdom. :)
the eating of the apple in the garden... WOW~ imagine the possibilities..
peace~
@lips_red I think that we all have a collective history that can shame and embarrass. The stolen generation is a tough one to reconcile, but the slavery and genicide, Internment of Japanese American citizens etc. that we bear in the USA are not any easier. I am afraid that if we removed any event from the past, we will suffer for it. I feel that these terrible events provide lessons for our growth. We need to examine our hearts and mistakes and seek to grow and teach growth. Without many of these "great tragedies" we as a collective might actually be worse. I think we are too short sighted to see how we may benefit in the long run from theses atrocities.
The oppression and subjugation of women and their voices, creating aggressive and unbalanced societies.
Slavery and Racism.
I know God can use things He doesn't create and He can use Satan too - but this little stain on humanity has caused so much pain, hurt and anger.
Recent history: Invading Iraq.
Older history: Hitler and the rise of Germany prior to WW II.
@LordMuckFromTurdHall Clowns are pretty creepy. Why would anyone think they are "fun" for kids? But overall I wouldn't change anything. Things in history haven't been perfect, but they have gone the way that God wanted.
I would have to say that, with all due respect to all parties, that organized religion is man's greatest mistake. God does not need to be assigned rules. If we follow what we believe and respect one another, the simple gestures of everyday kindness would mean much more than if we were acting out of fear of an almighty deity or because its what we were taught. It should come easily, after all, it is in our nature.
I think it is good in theory to think for society to learn from their mistakes. But it just doesn't happen that way. Especially in government. I am Australian and one of our biggests embarrasments is the Stolen Generation. Which most of the world isn't even aware of. It is an inexcusable period of our past that still strongly affects Australian's today. However, we are now considered one of the most multicultural countries. Of course it is regrettable that millions of innocent lives have been lost along the way, but we only have control over the future. That is why it is so important to not only vote, but understand who, what and why you are voting.
i doubt that we would be where we are now without history occurring as it did; therefore, i would think that it would be best if nothing was changed as it would teach us all lessons for the future, regardless of whether we learn from it or not.
While I would agree that most people want to get rid of the wars and things of that natures, as an American Citizen, I would have to choose the internment of thousands of japaneese-americans in concentration camps following the bombing of pearl harbor. What a disgusting display of how fragile our Bill of Rights can be when the chips are down. Re-locating thousands of citizens of the country simply because they were, in one way or another, of japaneese decent of ancestery. While there was no extermination, it was definitely Americas quiet holocaust...
Also McCarthyism and the Red Scare...not good.
I apologize for any spelling errors.
Humanity progresses because of the mistakes. The world does not look to be improving right now but we're going to have to hit rock bottom before anything better can happen. It's more fun to watch a building be demolished than one be built.
The one lady in there has a very good point. Without mistakes there would be no progress, no advancement to society. There have been countless atrocities committed the world over and I think we all would love to erase them from history but without these mistakes, large & small alike, we would have no growth. I guess we need to work together, in our personal lives and as a society, to ensure that we don't perpetuate these in the future
Of course it is our natural response to say, "Hitler and the Nazis - the holocaust" seeing as how it was one of the, if not THE single most catastrophic incident in the history of the world. I think a lot of things might get overlooked with something like that casting such a huge shadow. Things like the state of so many countries in Africa - genocide, civil war, the AIDS pandemic, ...
Bottom line is that humanity messes up; a lot and often. Luckily there's a system of grace, mercy, and forgiveness that is available upon request, huh?
DISCUSSION TOOLSET
Who gets to decide what the "mistake" is? I imagine you ask any religious extremist and he or she would each define the mistake as something different. I truly would like to see all hatred gone from history. But one could proffer without hatred for what is evil or wrong where would good and right be. So I leave this in the hands of God.