Out Our Way: Those who do not know history

Out our way, folks who spend much time on horseback can all tell stories of “wrecks” they have had. Everybody gets thrown from time to time, but some more than others. Especially the ones who refuse to learn from it. I recall a time when Doc lost his footing, I wasn’t paying attention, and I ended up flying over his head. I was luck in that I only had a few sprained ribs — but I still went to the doctor and when he came in, my doctor, an experienced horseman himself, just laughed. This was not the first — nor the last — time Doc tossed me over the years. But he asked me what happened and what I learned from it. Well, I hated to admit it, but I was cantering up a hill with a number of loose rocks, and Doc had hit one, dislodged it and in regaining his balance I lost mine. So I learned to be alert to both the ground we were covering and to the possibility that 1,200 pound, 16½-hand-tall cow horse might trip again.

Charlie could tell tales of accidents and “wrecks” he had endured as well as those of others and in doing so, give me some warning and advice to glean from others’ experiences. But he also knew of folks who refused to listen, pay attention or learn. Some accidents are unavoidable — but some can be avoided if we just pay attention. I was fortunate in having a good and pretty gentle horse in Doc — and a good and experienced teacher. But some folks refuse to do so, either because they are too full of themselves, ignorant or just plain stupid. Such folks cannot learn because they cannot be taught. And because they refuse to learn from the mistakes of others or their own, too often they end up in the ER or the mortuary.

I only worked cattle with Charlie for about six years. so I was never more than a rank beginner. But I did learn from a good teacher. I learned not to chase spooked cows too quickly or too closely, but to hold back and take a different route at a slower pace so as not to spook them more. I learned to back off when a mama cow started acting antsy because I was a mite too close to her frightened calf. And I learned to keep wide of bulls when they were in the mood for romance as they could easily mistake me and Doc for competition. In the “big open” where cougars were sometimes spotted, I learned to pay attention to Doc — feel his muscles suddenly tighten under my legs, watch his ears and head come up, and hear him sniffing the air for scent. Not all “wrecks” are preventable, but for those who pay attention and learn from the past mistakes of others and their own, they are less likely.

Same is true in all aspects of life of course. When I was a cadet in ROTC during the Vietnam war, the officers and NCOs told me that my life span as as a second lieutenant in the “green” was likely to be short unless I paid attention to the veterans who had been there. A term for second lieutenant I learned was “shavetail.” It comes from the days during the Indian Wars when the Army got smart and started using mules instead of wagons to haul supplies, ammo, and gear in the field. A green broke mule — that is, one with no sense and no experience — had its tail shaved as a warning that it was likely to be foolish and even dangerous. A greenhorn lieutenant on a patrol who didn’t know he was still a greenhorn would get you killed. So the old timers told us soon-to-be-newly minted “shavetails” — listen to the sergeants and the vets who have been here the longest and you may get home in one piece.

When I was in school, I used to wonder why I had to take history, civics, and social studies. Now I have an idea. As George Santayana said, “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.” We see plenty of evidence of this these days as young people and politicians who don’t know their history are demanding we try the false trail that so many others have followed to their and their nations’ sorrow. The papers and media are also filled with accounts of folks who tried follow “shortcuts” or ways to “cheat” that have seldom worked in the past, but they tried them anyway.

And what about us as individuals? Have we learned from our own past or those of others? The text reminds us that “the ends do not justify the means” and history has proven that time and again — in politics, culture, and individual lives. You can’t climb a mountain going downhill and you can’t make progress going the wrong way.

Of course some folks choose to ignore such things. Like the dude who refused to tighten his cinch when advised to do so and ended up on the wrong side of the horse. “You can lead a fool to wisdom but you cannot make him/her think.”

So whose example are you following today? Whose trail are you following and where does it lead? Charlie taught me when I am not sure, to sometimes ride up the ridge and get the big picture. Read your history as well as your Bible. The good trail that leads home is from God. The false trail that leads away from God goes nowhere.

Blessings,

Brother John Bruington