History Lesson: The more things change the more they stay the same

The turmoil in Iraq, Libya, Syria and (coming soon to) Afghanistan are good examples of SNAP.

SNAP! That’s the sound of a stretched society either breaking or snapping back to its original form. We may think that great revolutions have fundamentally changed societies, but if you follow them for over time, you will find that they almost always snap back to their original form with very little change.

For example, Russia under the Tsar had one supreme leader, surrounded by a few powerful supporters, a secret police and a gulag system and a “don’t give a shite” attitude toward the four-fifths of the population that tilled the land.

What changed under Stalin? Russia industrialized rapidly, which left them with an industrialized nation with one supreme leader, surrounded by a few powerful supporters, a secret police and a gulag system and a “don’t give a shite” attitude toward the four-fifths of the population that tilled the land.

Or look at that Empire Boneyard, Afghanistan. It has for centuries been run by Islamic warlords; it is a society that is easily recognizable from the Old Testament. King David, for example, went to war every spring, just like the Taliban. When the Russia-backed socialist government tried to do land and other “reforms,” the warlords rebelled, bleeding Russia into terminal anemia.

When the US leaves Afghanistan it will SNAP back to rule by warlords. Contrary to western propaganda, the people prefer their own way of life, thank you very much, so get the hell out.

The US has a bizarre notion that if you get rid of the bad guy, a society will magically turn into a capitalist democratic republic. Why do they have this bizarre idea? Well, in 1776 the US got rid of its bad guy and it turned into a capitalist democratic republic. Actually, this wasn’t such a big change-it went SNAP-back to the customs and traditions it had inherited from the Motherland, England- just under new management.

So while you can, through bombs and bloodshed, get rid of the old management and bring in new, the society itself will SNAP back to its accustomed ways. If it has been run by warlords it will again be run by warlords. Warlords may change over time, as societies may change over time. But trying to force this through violence is cruel, arrogant and ultimately FUTILE.

It’s like trying to tear down a brick wall by beating your own head against it. So let’s stop doing that.