Connections

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it" are the words of the Spanish philosopher George Santayana. This widely held belief was axiomatic in the philosophy that placed Western civilization at the core of Western education, at least until my generation.

Western civilization. Most of us studied it, but what was it we studied exactly? I suppose we learned a little about myth and religion, agrarian cultures, commerce, and about the arts and written language.

For the most part, though, the study of Western civilization was (and is) the study of warring tribes, city-states, and nations, of changes on the map after conquests, the rise and fall of empires, and of "great" generals who were victorious in battle.

It's a safe bet that the leaders of modern Europe, the United States, and Britain were all well-schooled in Western civilization. And, this week, as President Clinton tries to win approval for an air attack on Iraq, I can't help wonder how much Western civ he took in school and what he concentrated on as a Rhodes Scholar.

Globally, there may be more peace than a thousand years ago, but most of us still believe war is endemic to human nature. Our children continue to play war; our movies to fantasize it.

In The New York Times on Sunday, Judith Miller discussed a book just released by a Carnegie Corporation commission called "Preventing Deadly Conflict" that cost $9.5 million to produce. She noted that it had been found "repetitive, full of conventional wisdom, and out of touch with Washington's growing antipathy toward the United Nations and collective action in general."

Perhaps the $9 million would have been better spent on new school books. Perhaps studying war is the problem and studying peace the solution.

I am beginning to think that the converse of Santayana's words may be closer to the truth - that those who remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Helen S. Rattray