History/Hysteria

Surely, you can’t mismanage

Or confuse the two. Really?

Stop calling me “Surely”

[OK. Ancient humour

Worked in the movie]

Back to the subject

History & Hysteria

One’s an exploration of facts

The other’s is a form of madness

What if I could give you an example

In which the two became one?

Would/could you believe it?

“The Master Plan1” is an account of

Heinrich Himmler’s belief in the myth

Of German racial superiority, and the lesser

Ranking others. In the 1930’s he sent

Archaeological teams around the world

Seeking one thing: evidence to support 

the theory (belief). The expeditions

Found nothing to support it.

History (the proper noun) records

Himmler’s lack of success in myth-making

Did not deter him from carrying out his murderous intent

A moral to the story? If you fail one way

don’t let it be a barrier to greater success

(forgive the dark black humour)

“The sleep of reason brings forth monsters” 

(Francisco Goya)

If you seek to shape history as you want it

You weaken the disciplines that support it

And underwrite it; in doing so one leaves gaps

That widens an insistent search for a decided outcome

Gaps susceptible to emotion, emotion susceptible to desperation

Is desperation susceptible to hysteria? Remember the WMDs in Iraq?

No. There weren’t any. The fear of them was sufficient enough to justify

Going to war. Didn’t it? Amazing on television. Wasn’t it?

So, I argue that, surely, the two (history and hysteria) are linked

Stop calling you “surely”? It wasn’t funny the first time.

What do you think?