Are We Learning Anything from the Past?
Yesterday was VE Day. A time for solemn remembrance, for honouring those who fought and fell for our freedoms. A time for reflection. But also – shouldn’t it be a time to stop, think, look at the world around us, and ponder the lessons of the past as crucial to our future survival?
Across the UK, we saw the familiar commemorations – flags waved, wreaths laid, stories retold, spectacular flybys, the Royals out and about, concerts and more. And rightly so. We must never forget the sacrifice of those brave souls. But something gnawed at me all day. A quiet, persistent voice asking: what’s the point… if we’re not learning from it?
When you hear veterans speak, they don’t glorify war. Quite the opposite. They speak of horror, of loss, of trauma. They say they’re not the heroes – they’re the lucky ones. The real heroes were those left behind. And they speak, every time, with a clear and urgent message: never again.
And yet… here we are.
In 2025, 80 years after the Second World War ended, the world still simmers with conflict. Ukraine. Gaza. Tensions in Asia. And now the ominous, distant drumbeats of war growing louder, as UK defence chiefs urge war-footing preparations in light of a belligerently resurgent Russia.
Meanwhile, our own societies seem more fractured, more polarised than ever. It’s as if we’ve built monuments but ignored their meaning. We’ve written history books – but refused to read them properly.
Commemorating is not enough. It must lead to understanding. And understanding must lead to action — action for peace, unity, empathy, and yes, sanity. We cannot risk, blinkered and bayonetted, stumbling down the road to death and destruction once again.
My message, for what it’s worth: Humanity needs to stop. Take a breath. Listen. Learn. Contemplate. And summon a genuine desire to spread peace, love and brotherhood — not fear, prejudice, or conflict. And we must do this, before we sleepwalk into another catastrophe, repeating the very tragedies we swore we’d never allow to happen again.
Let’s not just honour the past. Let’s make sure it stays buried there.
The future must be a beacon of enlightenment.
Support independent car journalism 🙏🏽☺️ grab my books on Amazon, take up membership to BrownCarGuy on YouTube, or join me on Ko-Fi or Patreon.
👉🏽 Channel membership: https://www.youtube.com/browncarguy/join
👉🏽 Buy me a Coffee! https://ko-fi.com/browncarguy
👉🏽 Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/BrownCarGuy
MY BOOKS ON AMAZON!
📖 Want to become an automotive journalist, content creator, or car influencer? Check out my book: How to be an Automotive Content Creator 👉🏽 https://amzn.eu/d/7VTs0ii
📖 Quantum Races – A collection of my best automotive sci-fi short stories! 👉🏽 https://amzn.eu/d/0Y93s9g
📖 The ULEZ Files – My all-action thriller set in a dystopian ULEZ future! 👉🏽 https://amzn.eu/d/jhADkOt
Big Thanks to my Supporters!
Stratigency – Book your FREE 15-minute strategy call now: 👉 https://meeting.calendarhero.com/BCG15#DriveToScale
Design5IT
Tom Conway-Gordon (https://www.instagram.com/anycoloursolongasits_black/)
And others! 🙏🏽☺️
Follow all my channels https://linktr.ee/browncarguy
Discover more from Brown Car Guy
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Leave a comment