by David D. Horowitz.
“You didn’t learn from your mistakes,” History repeats herself to ABC, “and now you wonder why she walked out on you. You blamed her when you lost your wallet. You yelled at her when you did not like the movie you chose to rent. You scolded her when the Thai restaurant proved expensive—after you’d recommended it to her. You screamed at and threatened her when she praised your friend’s painting. She was being generous, and you were being jealous. And now you wonder why she walked out on you?”
“You didn’t learn from your mistakes,” History repeats herself to CBA, “and now you wonder why you lost the election. You denigrated your opponent’s sex life and youthful marijuana arrest—when you’ve been divorced three times, have three DUI’s on your record, dodged the draft despite your support of the war, and use every loophole available to avoid paying taxes. You demand tax cuts yet promise to support costly projects in your district, increased defense spending, and a billion-dollar border fence, guarded by a wall of soldiers. Do you think praising religion means you don’t have to be consistent and honest?”
“You didn’t learn from your mistakes,” History repeats herself to XYZ. “You’re batting .194, yet still you always swing for home runs. Opposing coaches have studied your stance and swing and how you try to hit curves, sliders, cutters, and knucklers; they know your weaknesses. They learned. You hit .261 two years ago, .220 last year, and now you’re often riding the bench—and you won’t adjust your approach. Well, you might not stay in the big leagues for long. You’re batting .194,” History repeats herself.
“You’re starting to learn from your mistakes,” History praises LRN, “because you’re starting to ask questions. You acknowledge fault and foible, flaw and flub. You’re okay being a normal, mistake-prone human being. Probing history for answers, you articulate more incisive questions and can accept partial, tentative answers. You don’t hide from doubt and ambivalence. You listen more and phrase responses more tactfully and considerately. You cultivate empathetic awareness, because you know how hidden hurts influence most people’s behavior, and you can identify with their mistakes. You openly identify with their mistakes,” History repeats herself, “and thus are less likely to repeat them.”
