Taking moral lessons from past events

Thomas Hidya Tjaya, Lecturer, Driyarkara School of Philosophy, Jakarta

As we enter a new year, it is quite natural that we begin to look back at what has happened throughout the year both personally and the wider context. At such times, we usually look at how events happened, and how they have shaped our lives as well as the way we perceive the world. If there is any lesson we can learn from these events, it is something we should surely do our best to decipher. It is also natural for us to wonder what the new year may have in store for us. As we always hope for the best in our lives, we certainly want to avoid, as much as we can, any calamities that may befall ourselves personally, our country or the world.

All these desires, particularly anxieties and hopes, are grounded in the belief that we as human beings can change the course of our destiny. We are fully aware that we are the primary agents in the making of human history, and that we have freedom to make our country and this world a better place to live. Insofar as the decision is in our hands, we will try our best to prevent different forms of negative experiences from happening (again) in our lives. That is to say, by learning lessons from the past, we want to shape a better future for humankind.

On the world political stage this year, things have not looked very good. Since February, the people of the world have been split on the issue of whether the U.S.-led war in Iraq, which actually began in March 2003, has justifiable grounds and is morally defensible. The recent increase in attacks on U.S. troops and other international personnel in the country has produced much more nuanced interpretations of the war. Is it good, in effect, to go to war alone without the support of the United Nations? Should our own convictions alone, often coupled with political and economic motives, entitle us to launch a war against another nation? To what extent should we listen to an international body such as the United Nations? Last but not least, has the war made the world a safer place to live?

Most people would give a negative answer to the last question. This year has witnessed an increase in bomb explosions throughout the world and, in particular, in Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco and Indonesia. Jakarta has experienced six bomb blasts this year, and since the JW Marriott Hotel bombing in August 2003, it has become "a city of terror." These attacks are mostly linked to groups affiliated with al- Qaeda or radicals trained in bin Laden's camps. Ironically, many of the victims have been Muslims themselves. Some of the extremists would say that in fighting against the West, killing Muslims who have adopted Western lifestyles is acceptable.

We may raise our eyebrows at hearing such arguments. Our instincts should immediately tell us that this is a distorted view, and that the terrorists are completely blind to reality. Yet such blindness belongs not only to them, but also to everybody else who holds a clearly cut and neat view of reality. Those who regard people from a particular ethnic group, country, or religion as inherently evil and worthy of destruction are as blind as the terrorists. Such views often give rise to ethnic and religious intolerance and wars.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn in The Gulag Archipelago (1988) wrote: "If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. It is after all only because of the way things worked out that they were the executioners and we weren't."

What are usually at stake are the core values of humanity, particularly freedom and respect for others' unique social identities. The awareness of these values is crucial to living in an pluralistic society and world. Two centuries ago few people recognized them; now these values are prerequisites for living in a more just and humane world. Any claim to truth that completely disregards human freedom and has no respect for others can easily turn into blind ideology that jeopardies the whole of the human community. Our failures to learn from history will surely return to haunt us and make us, again and again, trample upon humanity.

It is no coincidence that the humanistic program of education, usually called the studia humanitatis, includes the study of history. Like many ancient and medieval authors, the humanists believed that one of the tasks of historiography is to teach a moral lesson. Just as the medieval Lives of the Saints were written to provide models of human and religious conduct, likewise the lives of famous ancients were put into writing to provide models for imitation.

The underlying assumption of such preoccupation and activity is this: Human beings are fundamentally the same at all times, and therefore it is possible to study the conduct of the ancients, to learn from their mistakes and from their achievements, and to follow their example in cases where they were successful. Thus, learning history is not simply about who did what at such and such time and place, but rather about, eventually, getting moral lessons.

If we hope for moral lessons from our own history, past events will not remain as archaic happenings that should be left to our memories. Instead, we actually bring the past to life in the present. The main reason why we want to learn from history is that we want a better future for ourselves, our country and the whole of humankind. We realize that with freedom in our hands, we are responsible for history in the making.

By letting the moral lessons of the past guide our present conduct, we create a better future for all concerned. If we fail to take the lesson seriously, it will be repeated in our lives until it is learned.

This is, of course, the task of each one of us, and not simply that of historians. We are all responsible for shaping a better future for humanity as a whole: Both the present generation and many generations to come.

Thus, if we are serious about our future, about peace in the world and a better place to live, we should take the moral lessons of the past seriously. The important events of the past, particularly tragic ones, should not be forgotten. We can learn lessons from them, about our desire for peace and security, about the worldview that may have caused such calamities, or about the nature of human beings.

If a feature of our time is the fading of the moral law, then we should see to it that the moral law is upheld in the future. By remembering these events and learning the lessons to be gleaned from them, moreover, we also recall the victims, who are often left out of the picture when we respond to these events and whose pains take a long time to heal. Bringing their suffering into the present, we are continually reminded that these tragic event should never happen again.

The tasks of people in this country next year will be formidable, particularly with regard to the upcoming general election. Many people have warned about the possibility of bloodshed in the process. Should we let it happen? Can we learn anything from the past, from all the tragedies that have been part of the history of our nation? Are we willing to do our best to ensure that the election goes well and that we elect only those who are credible and capable enough to lead us to a better Indonesia? The answers to these questions ultimately rest with nobody except ourselves.