Those who neglect history are doomed to repeat it. At least that is what Timothy Snyder, argues in his new book, “On Tyranny“. And, of course, he is right.

I came across this book after hearing an interview with Snyder on The Daily Show. In discussing our current political climate, he shared with Trevor Noah that while the things taking place in Washington may seem unfamiliar to us, there are echoes of events and actions taken by other powerful men throughout history. Snyder, the Levin professor of history at Yale would know.

I’m just going to say it. On Tyranny is a scary book. While you don’t have to read very many pages to know that the author is not a fan of our current president, it is hard to argue that he is too far off base with some of his assessments.

Snyder sees Trump’s actions (bully tactics, attacks on the press, using terror campaigns by others for his own ends) in the light of other tyrants of the 1920’s, 30’s and up through today. According to Snyder, this helps explain his attraction to Putin. Birds of a feather.

It is a short book. You can read it in one sitting (though I read it in two.) And, despite your political leanings, it is worth reading. He outlines 20 lessons from history that we Americans need to (re)learn.

“Post-truth is pre-fascism.”

“The hero of a David Lodge novel says that you don’t know, when you make love for the last time, that you are making love for the last time. Voting is like that. Some of the Germans who voted for the Nazi Party in 1932 no doubt understood that this might be the last meaningfully free election for some time, but most did not.”

“Practice corporeal politics. Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.”

“A nationalist will say that “it can’t happen here,” which is the first step toward disaster. A patriot says that it could happen here, but that we will stop it.”

“The first mode is the open hostility to verifiable reality, which takes the form of presenting inventions and lies as if they were facts. The president does this at a high rate and at a fast pace. One attempt during the 2016 campaign to track his utterances found that 78 percent of his factual claims were false. This proportion is so high that it makes the correct assertions seem like unintended oversights on the path toward total fiction. Demeaning the world as it is begins the creation of a fictional counterworld.”

My Three Takeaways

It is Important to Pay Attention

In a 24-hour news cycle where every story is “breaking news,” it is hard to decipher what is truly important. It is too easy to allow our eyes to glaze over or even worse flip over to Facebook (a particularly dangerous activity if you have disengaged your brain).

But, there are serious decisions being debated in our country. And, while most polls understandably show Americans have little interest in politics we need to exercise our freedoms and rights while we have them. Nobody says you need to run for office but read a newspaper. Find journalists who do great work and read what they write. Which brings me to my next point…

A Free and Independent Press is Vital for Democracy

In my real job, I interact with reporters on a weekly basis. I like to think we have a good relationship. That is not to say that at times there isn’t a little tension. It is their job to ask questions; questions I don’t always want to answer. But, our community is better because they are out there doing their job.

Perhaps the thing I am most troubled by is the accusation of “Fake News”. Sometimes the news gets it wrong. Sometimes there is an obvious bias. But fake news is not simply news that you disagree with or paints you in a poor light. If you can convince enough people that facts don’t matter and that the only source of truth is what comes out of your mouth (or administration) we have reached a very slippery slope.

Real Change Starts with Me

If you don’t like the way the world is heading you can always try to do something about it. Go vote when you have the opportunity. Support causes (political or non) that are doing good in the world. Spend time reading and listening to people with whom you disagree. Try to figure out where there may be some common ground.

None of those ideas are groundbreaking or very hard to do. Pick one and try it out. The world will be better for it.