Everyone says mankind has "evolved". We have grown progressive since the middle ages, apparently. We have invented new things and shrunk the world to a global village. Sure, we know a lot of things now. We know that we have come from monkeys; that we are just a speck in the dust swirl that is the universe; that each of us is just a fleeting moment in our beloved Earth's history. But despite all this, Nature still holds the upper hand. The impulses that drove men and women 2000 years back still drive us. Men went to war out of greed for land, women, wealth. We still do. Iraq is a case in point. Long back, they had all those crusades in defense of religion. We still have our jihadists, Protestants Vs. Catholics in Ireland, Hindus Vs. Muslims in India, Conservative Christians Vs. Liberals in the USA. Even today, people wage war in the name of God, be it on the stump or on the battleground. People murdered for wealth back then; that remains the primary cause even now. During those wars back then, they murdered and slaughtered POWs. Geneva conventions notwithstanding, that's what is happening now too.
And if they burnt witches back then, now we have gays.
The only thing I find different is that, these days we do everything with a James Bond-like sophistication. I guess in those days if you wanted to kill someone, it would be a very messy affair with a lot of splattering of blood. These days it can be done with a grease-like polish. Same goes for almost everything else.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. All progress is an illusion.
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