DJ VU?

by: Kathlaine Oba and Cindy Salno

R repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat.

History history history history history.history
It may sound insane to infinitely repeat these words without getting the essence of it.
They say that if you say a word hundred times or even a thousand times that word tends to lose
its meaning. Well, that doesnt work in history though. Why do we repeat history? Or do we
even?

History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

-Mark Twain
Luisita Massacre. Vizconde Massacre. Maguindanao Massacre. Edsa 1, 2.and 3. World
War 1 and 2. Assassination of John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln. World Trade Center
bombing. Do these things ring a bell to you? Or do these words sound familiar to you?
Yes! These are just some of the remarkable events in history that repeat itself though not
with the same elements. The players may be the same, the setting must have been the same
but the circumstances are not. The elements in the past and the present are not equal; therefore
I will not be the same in the future. The facts, intentions, thoughts will be different too. So when
you combine them, they will have a different outcome.
Take for example EDSA Revolution, the first revolutions aim is to overthrow the
dictatorship of Marcos and brought his 21- year regime to an end. But why is there EDSA 2? Is it
to again overthrow Marcos? Of course not. This is what we mean by not having the same
elements. Yes EDSA 2 happened in EDSA, players are the same, the setting is the same but
the purpose is not. As we all know, it is to overthrow Joseph Estrada because of his plunder
case. Its like comparing this to a man walking down the stream. If the man returns back to the
place of the stream, the same water will not be flowing again so is the man. That event will
never be repeated but it looks as if its the same.
This is how history works. Does it repeat? Is it Dj vu? I dont think so