History indeed casts long shadows and our link to it is inextricable

　　People in the past were intelligent with respect to their technology, but they were not so clever that they could not destroy themselves through environmental devastation, or by senseless warring. It is a mistake Wholesale Inline Duct Fan Factory to assume that their demise was due to a lack of sophistication. We do well to respect their intelligence and learn from reflecting on their mistakes or history will be a prologue for our future. Just as our own experience shapes who we are, the present circumstances of society are the legacy of the past. If we want to know the future we must therefore look to the past. There is nowhere else to look, that is our crystal ball.

　　Here's an interesting piece of history demonstrating how closely we are tied with the past. Notice that the space shuttle has two solid fuel booster rockets on the sides of the gigantic main fuel tank. Why are these the size they are? Surely this was determined by sophisticated science or was it?

　　As it turns out, Thiokol, a company in Utah that must ship them to the launch pads, makes the tanks. The mode of shipment is by rail. The tunnels the trains must pass through and the width of the rail cars dictate the thickness of the tanks. Well, what decides the width of the rail cars? It's based on the track. The track is exactly a standard gauge of 4 feet, 8 inches.

　　What a weird dimension. Why is this the distance between rails? Because the first American and Canadian rails were built by expatriated Englishmen and that's how they did it in England. But why did they do that in England? Because the first railroads were built by those who built tramways and that's how they did it.

　　So why did the tramway builders do it that way? Because they had the jigs, templates and tools used to build wagons and that was the wheel spacing for the wagons. Why this wheel spacing for wagons? Because the wheels needed to fit into the ruts on roads so they wouldn't break.

　　So where did the ruts come from? Imperial Rome etched those ruts with their war chariots, the wheels of which carved roads all over Europe, including England.

　　Why 4 feet, 8 inches? Because that's the width of the rear-ends of two Roman war horses.

　　So, the dimensions of the space shuttle, a crowning achievement of human technological advance, are based on a horse's derriere.

　　History indeed casts long shadows and our link to it is inextricable. But that does not mean we are doomed to repeat it. We can break our obstinate habits and pay special attention to the experience of our own lives and that of others. That will give us wisdom beyond our years. We can also pay attention to the bigger picture of society's experience and create a new history for our children, one of reason, fiduciary responsibility, compassion and hope. Nothing is stopping us from changing the course of our lives and the downward spiral of civilization other than doing what is right, doing it now and going about it as if thinking matters.

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