In trying to figure out where the hell we (as a civilization) are, started reading this book -

[NRaleighLiberal]

21 Lessons for the 21st Century, but Yuval Noah Harari.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525512179/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Has anyone else waded into this relatively new book? I've not read his other books (both well regarded, it seems) - Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind - or Homo Deus - A Brief History of Tomorrow, and from reviews, gather that parts of his other two books are reprised and reconsidered in the new book.

It's pretty fascinating, and pretty frightening. I am about a quarter of the way in, and his chapters on the coming impacts of AI (and how that will work), the broad political themes fighting against themselves in the world for past few hundred years, and where we may be heading...

Anyway, in times like we are experiencing (baffling, maddening, depressing, energizing, overwhelming, confusing - I am shifting among all of these rapidly, and have since election theft day), I find that decompressing and turning my brain to history and historians to get me out of reactive mode and knowledge just about our own particular slice of human kind - and get more context about what has gone before, and views of where this all may lead - calms me down a bit and reengages my thinking....and relaxes my often too intense emotional side.

My hope, actually, is that it will help me get through and better understand the horrendous shift in so many people and the politics that we are now experiencing.

If you've read it, what do you think? If not, find it at your library (that's what I did) and give it a try. It was reviewed in the NY Times book section quite recently.

[Grasswire2]

1. similar in title..

...to Yale holocaust historian Timothy Snyder's slim book "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century" that gives us focus on our path forward. $7.95.

So many books, so little time.

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. indeed. and of course the question - can people actually LEARN from those who have been here before

us and not continue to make the same (and worse) mistakes again and again?

I am not particularly hopeful on that particular point.

[Grasswire2]

3. considering those very sad polling numbers for young people likely to vote...

...depressing.

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. I figured out one reason that people do not learn from the past

They may learn about what happened, like WW2,Hitler, etc. but not the reality behind why/how.

I have been aghast at reading James Bradley's The Imperial Cruise, where he shows how mostly hidden racism since the beginning of America actually led to WW2, and how real history is usually not available to most of the population.

It's not that I did not know the broad outlines of racism in this country, it is that a few hundred key players in national and local government over the years casually discussed and planned global domination motivated by greed and racist ideology, yet also knew to not plainly speak of same.
Never saw it put that way in any history book in school.

Thanks for the book suggestions, will scout them out.

[uppityperson]

4. Thank you for the recommendation. I just put it on hold at th e library

Sometimes instant news get overwhelming, it's good to read more like this.

[NRaleighLiberal]

7. we will both read...then we can discuss!

as you can tell, I've been keeping a low profile on social media, here - just having a brutal time dealing with all of this. Missed you!

[Kurt V.]

5. thanks for the link

[2naSalit]

6. That raises a question...

How was this poll conducted? Was it by phone? Are they calling people with cell phones and smart phones? If not, they are missing a huge portion of the target population - younger voters - since they mostly have cell phones/iphones. If that is the case, this poll is of no real value.

[rzemanfl]

9. Read Sapiens but not the others. n/t