Does history repeat itself ?

It is often said that history repeats itself.
Does it mean that whatever happened in the past - a year ago, a hundred or a thousand years ago - will happen again in the same course? Of course not. It only means that if we keep doing the same things we (or our ancestors) did before, then history will also keep repeating itself with similar consequences as before.
Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
History should be studied and analyzed to learn from it. We can learn from the past - change our ways and consequently change the outcome for the future. But if we do not learn from the mistakes made in the past and keep on making the same mistakes again, then history will also repeat itself in the same way.
We cannot step into the same water twice in a flowing river.
The time that has passed - the events that happened in the past - cannot be brought back - neither we can go back into time and change the course of history. Nothing can be achieved simply by talking about the glorious past - or just by glorifying the people and the heroes of the yesterday.
Nevertheless, we can learn many things by studying and analyzing history.
By avoiding the mistakes our previous generations made, and copying and implying the good things they did - we can make our future better.
Although, this requires an open mind curiosity and a willingness to change with the times.
'Rajan Sachdeva '