The Echo in the Room: A Note on the Rhyme of History

 We often feel like we are living through a "first."

The news feels unprecedented, the chaos feels unique,

and the "strongman" on our screens feels like a new species of leader altogether.

But if you look at history through a telescope rather than a microscope,

the view changes.

The scale of human events is like the scale of the galaxy:

We can understand the idea of a billion stars,

but we cannot feel the distance between them.

In the same way, we can read about the fall of Rome or the 1930s,

but we struggle to feel the pattern while we are standing inside it.

The Rhythm of Power

Mark Twain (allegedly) said that history doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes.

The details play out differently—

today it’s social media and digital currency,

yesterday it was radio and gold—

but the underlying trends remain as steady as a metronome.

We are currently hearing a very old, very heavy rhyme.

It is the sound of the strongman ignoring the rules

because he finds them "inconvenient."

It is the sound of state resources being treated like personal property.

It is the objectification of the individual—

where even the autonomy of a family,

or the safety of "anyone’s daughter,"

becomes subject to the tyrant’s whim.

It is the "kowtow" of the sycophant,

the strong-arming of friends,

and the angry cries that equate "freedom" with "submission to one man."

The Generational Guard

One of the American Founders—take your pick from the gallery—

reminded us that every generation has to defend freedom anew.

It isn't a "one and done" deal.

It is a lease that expires every twenty years,

and the rent is paid in vigilance.

The absurdity of our situation is that we experience this fresh,

as if it’s a surprise,

even though the sheet music has been sitting on the piano for centuries.

We are so small, and the patterns are so large,

that we often think the storm is the whole world

rather than just a season.

Being in the Moment

I don’t claim to see a grand plan.

I am an observer, searching for truth daily

in a world that seems to prefer a loud lie.

But what is necessary—right now—

is being in the moment as best as we can.

Vigilance isn't just a political act;

it is a mental one.

It is the refusal to let the scale of the "rhyme"

make us feel too remote to matter.

History is rhyming again.

The question is: do we like the words?