Does History Repeat Itself?
 

This is something I think about from time to time. Do any of you out there notice any correlations between our time we're living in now to the past? I'm not sure how, but I heard an older gentleman say that it's like we're living in the fifties again. And I've heard other people say it's going to be like the great depression again. And I've heard other old people say if things keep going how they are we'll have a break out like the sixties again. Do any of you see any time correlations like that?

Being someone who's basically only been through the 90's on, I can't really say, so I might defer to the older gentleman. However, I don't think history repeats itself exactly, but perhaps there are some parallels that can be drawn.

Economically, I imagine some trends are like those of the Great Depression, but as it stands I don't think it will be as universal or completely tragic. Culturally, we (at least in the US) have been under some pretty rigid rules, and the pendulum is bound to swing the other way soon, as it frequently does, to a time of greater permissiveness in retaliation to the way things were before, so in that way I suppose it's becoming the 60s again.

I also want to point out that technological advances makes the exact nature of changes and patterns of culture vary, but things frequently trend towards one vague philosophy to another and back again.

I agree pretty much completely with everything you said. There are obvious differences in our time, but I guess as far as people go, and culture, and the way we live can be correlated to the past.

As far as human nature:
 

What is it that has been? The same thing that shall be. What is it that has been done? The same that shall be done. Nothing under the sun is new...

I see correlations like that, sure.

Does history repeat itself?

If you ask the ancient Chinese they would say yes- they belived that history is not linear but actually is a cycle that continues to go round and round.

I think similar things or things that correlate with other things past do happen, due to humanity making the same mistakes and not always learning from them- that famous saying, "Those who don't learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it." And there's only so much one can do in the human condition and in the way the world and life is. And humanity is a creature of habit too. Habits are hard to kick.

In my own life, there have been things that happen in cycles or that turn up at a particular time, every time. Starts making me think about glitches in the Matrix.