The past has left us lessons, but it is not a sentence that defines who we are. Just as in our personal lives, societies must understand their past in order to learn from it and avoid repeating the same mistakes. However, it is a mistake to remain in the past for too long, because it keeps us from focusing on the present and the future.

If we had the power to erase an event from our history, we would surely choose the bloody wars or the devastating genocides driven by racial or religious hatred. No one likes to remember these dark chapters of human history, and we wish they had never happened. Yet it was precisely that dark past that we had to confront in its time in order to become the society we are today. With virtues and flaws, our mistakes have made us mature. There is still suffering in the world, but we no longer face the monumental wars or genocides that once existed. Life expectancy has improved, and entire continents no longer suffer from famine. Had we not made the mistakes of the past, perhaps we would not be who we are now.

Atrocities and the fear of devastating wars will not disappear from today’s society. As humans—primitive as we still are—foolishness and suffering are part of our essence, just as consciousness and forgiveness are. We must continue learning from our mistakes so we can evolve and become more just and peaceful societies, the kind future generations will study.