SHORT SUNDAY LECTURE

It is well known that who forgets history, will repeat it. Conversely, who focuses too much on history, will also repeat it with delight and will become its prisoner. I think the solutions of our present problems are not in the past, and much of the past wisdom is actually misleading. Politically and not only politically, the strings by which we are manipulated come from the past. I think much of the wisdom of past has to be examined by critical thinking, mercilessly- starting with old stories taught in the schools. For example, when my blog had less than 10 readers per day, I wrote this:

An unwise ancient parable

http://egooutpeters.blogspot.ro/2011/02/unwise-ancient-parable.html

The analysis tells you a lot about the true nature of corruption

while the original blows away tens of your IQ points.

Today, some strange circumstances force me to re-examine an other well known story, again about an emperor, (kings seem to be trivial for true monarchist stories):

The Emperor’s New Clothes

http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html

It was made known by Hans Christian Andersen, but actually is much older with folkloric roots.

“But he hasn't got anything on," a little child said. This is the crucial point of the story.

Andersen offers us a relatively peaceful ending of the story, but he lies. The historical truth is this: the parents and grandparents of the child were executed with no delay, for ‘supporting defamation and lèse-majesté”. The child being so young, was exiled to a remote area, however he died underway due to some mysterious accident. Honi soit qui mal y pense.

We have to learn that things are not what they seem, or we are told they are, so many times.

Peter