Most of our parents would probably say we would be far better off if we could use the lessons they learned the hard way – lessons that would have saved them time, effort and maybe even heartbreak had they learnt them sooner. But did they live life based on the learnings of their own parents’ mistakes before us? Do we learn our lessons from history as individuals, as nations, as mankind?
As human beings, we go in cycles from one milestone to the next. Starting over is at the core of our existence. Even the 50 to 75 trillion cells that make up a human body are replaced with new cells every seven to 10 years.
We are both cursed and blessed with forgetfulness, and sometimes we forget the pain caused by our own past mistakes which takes us right back into a situation where history repeats itself
There is no denying lessons from the past have advanced our species, but every now and then, and it may be the renewed cells talking, a voice inside us responds to a familiar risk with ‘it could be different this time’. It might be the optimist in us talking but we can sometimes convince ourselves that under different circumstances even an identical situation could have a different outcome.
And is it wrong to want to make our own mistakes, even if those before us have walked the same path and failed? Is it better to live avoiding situations and scenarios that have been tested and failed?
It is not only the lessons learnt from the mistakes of others that are in question. Spanish philosopher and novelist George Santayana wrote: "Those who cannot remember their past are condemned to repeat their mistakes". We are both cursed and blessed with forgetfulness, and sometimes we forget the pain caused by our own past mistakes which takes us right back into a situation where history repeats itself. Nostalgia is the other human trait that can be terribly deceiving. Looking at the past with a romanticised idea of mostly the good while ignoring the bad can cause us to fall back into the same traps repeatedly.
But how do we view history in a more distant and holistic sense? In his book The Silk Roads, Peter Frankopan talks about looking at history, "not as a series of periods and regions that are isolated and distinct, but to see the rhythms of history in which the world has been connected for millennia as being part of a bigger, inclusive global past". Do we therefore learn from our global past or consider that the rhythms of history affect only others and never us? Frankopan says that his work would have been equally relevant if he had written it 25 years ago because winds of change are always blowing on the silk roads, the networks that are the world's nervous system. Can we assume they always will be relevant in the future?
It is not only historians who reveal how history affects our present. Some of the most poignant and mesmerising works of fiction have risen from the bones of our collective history. The stories of Toni Morrison, James Baldwin and more recently Tayari Jones are only fiction in the details; they tell the truth better than any work of non-fiction could.
For instance, Fatima Bhutto's stunning novel The Runaways, about what drives young people to join terror outfits, gives us a window into why people make unthinkable choices. The realities Bhutto writes about are best explored through fiction. They can be read as a stark warning: ignore at your peril the lessons of history.
Indeed these lessons are all around us if we care to look and acknowledge them. But simply observing them is not enough to stop the endless repetition. We need to be brave when we look at the facts and we need to be open to different perspectives. Only then can we hope to break the cycle.
But the future is no longer in the hands of humans alone. While we are busy analysing the elements that lead us to repeating mistakes, the world of artificial intelligence will be running full steam with no memory loss and no rosy pictures of a nostalgic past. We are continuously developing technological forces that are changing the face of the earth. The artificial intelligence beast will soon become too intelligent, too embedded in all touchpoints of human life that it might start to become impossible for us to control. While learning from our past has gotten us to this point, the question to be asked is: just because we can visit unimaginable places, does it mean we should?
Historian Justin Marozzi tells us that "without cities there is no such thing as a civilisation. It is within cities, rather than among deserts, wildernesses, steppes, mountains and jungles, however beautiful and spirit-soaring, that humankind has realised its greatest potential: excelling in the arts and sciences, exploring the human condition and leaving an indelible literary legacy". If so, then why is there a growing popularity for nature retreats, eating fewer animal products, making sustainable lifestyle choices and focusing on spiritual well-being? It appears as though humankind's greatest potential has also come with the greatest of consequences, which takes me to the final question: who is narrating our history?
Ahlam Bolooki is festival director for Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
Company%20profile
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RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Superior, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Roy Orbison, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.15pm
Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm
Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
Winner: Welford, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Sandeep Jadhav
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 5
Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
Oppenheimer
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Company%20Profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
Asia%20Cup%202022
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