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February 24, 2006
OFF LEASH: On repeating the past
"Off Leash" is an occasional column by Fiddler. Past columns can be found here.
George Santayana warned us that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. The Spanish-born philosopher’s well-worn maxim is usually trotted out in reference to matters of geopolitical importance, such as the wisdom of invading another country for no good reason and without a plan for withdrawing our troops or rebuilding its infrastructure. Things like that.
But it can also have a more personal application. For instance, I like to sniff cats. I touch my nose to theirs, just as I would with a friendly dog. This gesture is almost always met with hissing, spitting, and even swatting (I have marks on my snout to prove the latter). And yet I persist.
Have I failed to learn from the past? Perhaps. Or maybe, to use another oft-quoted phrase, hope springs eternal. Either way, I plan to continue reaching out to my temperamental little friends. Whether they respond in kind or bare their surprisingly sharp claws is their decision, not mine.
Posted by teb at February 24, 2006 11:20 AM