Dishonorable History Doesn’t Repeat, but it Does Rhyme

The idea that "history doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme" suggests that while historical events don’t replicate themselves exactly, similar patterns and themes can play out again, like unwelcome nostalgia.

History Lessons

The assassinations of Mahatma Gandhi of in 1940’s India and Yitzhak Rabin in 1990’s Israel were driven by complex historical, political, and ideological factors.

Many people fail to learn lessons, leading to rhyming challenges.

The importance of understanding the past can help to avoid repeating destructive patterns in the present and future.

Ethnostate Leaders

Gandhi was a prominent leader in the Indian independence movement, advocating for self-rule and the end of British colonial rule.

Religion and ethnicity played a significant role.

Gandhi's assassination was linked to religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims during the partition of India.

Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, opposed Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence towards Muslims and held extremist Hindu nationalist views.

Godse believed that Gandhi's policies were responsible for the partition of India and the resulting violence.

Rabin was involved in the formation of the state of Israel and its early years, closely tied to the goal of establishing a Jewish homeland.

Rabin was assassinated by an extremist Jewish nationalist, Yigal Amir, who vehemently opposed the peace process and believed it went against his interpretation of Jewish ideals. The peace process had deep-rooted religious and ethnic aspects.

Political Conflict

Both assassinations occurred in the context of intense political conflict.

Gandhi's efforts for nonviolent resistance were seen by some as a threat to vested interests, while Rabin's pursuit of peace with the Palestinians faced opposition from hardline elements within Israeli society.

Calls for Change

Gandhi and Rabin represented change and reconciliation in their respective regions.

Their assassinations were attempts to disrupt these changes and maintain the status quo or normalize more radical agendas.

It worked.

The assassins achieved their objectives.

Complexity of Peace and Partition

The challenges of achieving peace, managing partition of ethnostates, and the radicalism of religious nationalists is evident in both cases.

Nationalism feasts on the willfully ignorant.

Is there a lesson buried in here?

Have You Wondered

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if social media, digital technologies, and satellite streaming capabilities had existed when ghettos were liquidated or during the Partition of India and Pakistan?

Have you wondered what would do when scrolling past images and videos of ancient neighbors driven from their homes under traumatizing conditions?

There are no heroes here.

This is not a place of honor.