This article delivers an ethical, philosophical, and civic argument against what Zegarelli calls morality time travel: the tendency in modern discourse to reach into the distant past, apply current moral frameworks retroactively, and use outdated conduct or statements to impugn individuals in the present.

Its core thesis is simple but profound. [AI Review]

Every wise judge will teach us: context is everything. And, if wisdom teaches anything as its first rule, it is this: To be wise, we must master our judgment of the past.

Of the past, Saint Paul said in 1 Corinthians, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” Rafiki said it sublimely in The Lion King, “It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past. You can either run from it or learn from it.” In Kung Fu, Master Po concurred, saying, “If a man dwells in the past, then he robs the present. But, if a man ignores the past, he may rob the future.” And, Jesus said of the past, “Forgive them, they know not what they do,” but, even better yet, he said, “It is done.” [1]

Of course, no discussion about the past is complete without mentioning the ubiquitous Serenity Prayer, “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.” [2]

If there is one thing that simply cannot be changed, it is the past. The past—such as we understand the past—well, it is done.

The past is the heavy hitter of life—the 500 pound gorilla—the monkey on our back. It is, as P.T. Barnum said about personal debt, “to carry a dead horse.” [3]

Master Po said correctly, we learn from the past, but we do not dwell in the past. So, what is the difference?

We study the past to understand our human nature and our inclinations, because, as Shakespeare said in The Tempest, “What’s past is prologue.” [4] But, to dwell in the past is to live in the past, to hold onto it, to desire to re-live it, to wish for it or to wallow in it.

To dwell in the past is a miserable state of disharmony of self, because the desire simply cannot be satisfied. To achieve the harmony in self, we simply must keep the past in its proper place, which takes strength and discipline. It is not easy to escape from—or to throw off—that 500 pound gorilla who is screaming to ride us. All the worse, we occasion to invite him for a ride, wondering why we are life-exhausted while carrying all that extra load.

Let me provide an example: An airplane is flown into a building as an act of terror, with appurtenant death and destruction. It is in the past, it is done. It cannot be undone. Now, the secular response to that action is to resolve the cause. But, wisdom requires thoughtful care, because, to resolve the cause of that past act, it will take away from the present (loss of time, loss of money, expenditure of effort, loss of more lives).

On the one hand, if that resolution of cause is to prevent it from happening in the future, then it is a secular necessity. On the other hand, if that resolution is, in any part, vengeance, then it is a corrupted and disharmonious state of self, with more waste upon waste. In the former, we find wisdom, courage, discipline and harmony, to change the future, albeit the brutal secular necessity. In the latter, we only find a human corruption: there is nothing wise or brave or courageous or temperate or harmonious in vengeance. The same act in response to the past perhaps, but only the former is based upon wisdom.

Wisdom is understanding context, and context is timing. Indeed, in the Republic, Socrates said perhaps it is justice to help our friend when our friend asks for help, but not necessarily to help our friend to commit suicide. Context is everything. [5]

At what time, and under what circumstances, did a particular act occur, and what was the intention of the actor in that context at that time?

In the news, we are seeing a growing trend where something a person did 20 years ago is taken as an insult today, or perhaps to imply by induction that a person’s character 20 years later has not changed, neither of which accounts for time and context. It is a fool’s bait. [6]

Insults are injuries where there is a vulnerability, and woe to the vulnerable person who chooses to scour a timeless past to find cause for new injuries to self. Today has sufficient evils of its own, let alone adding on all the fodder—all the slings and arrows—of the timeless past. [7]

We learn from the past, and we correct the future. No one should have to apologize for a past act done without the intention to harm at that time, through some irrational fiction of morality time travel. Times change, and cultural standards evolve, and people evolve. [7a]

Such as it is for empathy, to give an apology is a blessing, but to need it is a curse. It is an insatiable desire for an external uncontrollable. [8]

To the insecure, everything is a threat or injury. [9] Small waves do not rock great ships. Wisdom is not easily insulted because it is strong. Foolish is easily insulted, because it is little and weak, and continues to be overpowered by the monkey riding on its back. Moreover, for the foolish, even more is weighed upon them, because, misery loving company, they also get a millstone around their neck for teaching foolishness to others, dragging everyone into a ditch.

We learn, we love, we gain understanding, and we forgive. We move on and forward.

If we cannot see it, the ascendant Abraham Lincoln, by his Second Inaugural Address, will show us the way up and out: fixing an existing problem for the future, letting the past insults and pain go, and moving on and forward. [10] Not spending one ounce of present time clinging to the pain of the past, but improving the future and moving on and forward; to wit:

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. ~Abraham Lincoln

Kung Fu [MUID71X] – The Past

Lion King [MUID33X] – It’s In the Past

The Simpsons [MUID195X] – The Exchange Program

[1] The ONE LinkedIn Reference Set [GRZ183] [LinkedIn #GRZ_183] ONE: 2819 [T27:50, R15:37, L23:46, J19:30]

[2] Epictetus. On the Tranquil Flow of Life. – Abridgment Series [GRZ17X] [LinkedIn #GRZ_17]

[3] Rules of Money-Getting, by P.T. Barnum – Abridgment Series [GRZ20X] [LinkedIn #GRZ_20]

[4] Shakespeare, English Language, and Other Such Items [GRZ62] [LinkedIn #GRZ_62]

[5] Sorry, Socrates. Or, The “Apology” of Socrates [GRZ60] [LinkedIn #GRZ_60]

[6] Whom the Gods Would Destroy, They First Tease with Political Incorrectness [GRZ74] [LinkedIn #GRZ_74]

[7] The Four Horsemen of the Social Justice Apocalypse [GRZ122] [LinkedIn #GRZ_122]

[7a] The Toll on Character [GRZUID68] [LinkedIn #GRZ_68]

[8] On Empathy: To Give Empathy Is a Blessing; To Need Empathy Is a Curse [GRZ106] [LinkedIn #GRZ_106]

[9] Salt, Wounds, and the Most Unkindest Cuts of All [GRZ67] [LinkedIn #GRZ_67]

[10] Good v. Evil; Or, Thoughtlessness by Simplistic Vilification [GRZ126] [LinkedIn #GRZ_126]

“Non parvae fluctus magnis navibus petram.” (“Small waves do not rock great ships.”); “Apologeticum dare benedictionem est, egere maledictum est.” (“To give an apology is a blessing, to need it is a curse.”) ~grz

ChatGPT Review

I. Summary of the Article’s Core Ethos

This article delivers an ethical, philosophical, and civic argument against what Zegarelli calls morality time travel: the tendency in modern discourse to reach into the distant past, apply current moral frameworks retroactively, and use outdated conduct or statements to impugn individuals in the present.

Its core thesis is simple but profound:

Context is everything — wisdom requires contextual judgment, especially of the past.
We should learn from the past but not dwell in it.
We must distinguish between preventative action (wisdom) and vengeance (corruption).
Those who habitually seek out ancient insults to fuel present outrage are weak in character and perpetuate foolishness and misery.
True wisdom is resilient, empathetic, and forward-focused — not backward-looking and vengeful.

II. Structure and Pedagogical Method

Thesis framed by aphorisms from trusted sources:
- Saint Paul, Rafiki, Master Po, Jesus, Serenity Prayer.
- Zegarelli’s characteristic move: start with plural, cross-cultural anchors to frame the universal human truth of the argument.
Build-up of key distinctions:
- Study vs. dwell
- Resolve the cause to prevent future harm vs. vengeance
- Wisdom vs. foolishness
Illustrative example: the post-9/11 response to terrorism — a deft choice to demonstrate the fine line between justified preventative action and corrupted vengeance.
Modern application:
- Commentary on cancel culture and retroactive moral indignation.
- The folly of scouring 20-year-old events to create fresh present-day injuries.
Moral resolution:
- Through Lincoln’s Second Inaugural — a model of civic leadership that binds wounds rather than exacerbating them.

III. Integrated Philosophical and Civic Themes

Theme	How the Article Teaches It
Wisdom requires contextual judgment	Opening principle and repeated throughout: “Context is everything.”
Mastery of self	It takes discipline and strength to release the past; the “500-pound gorilla” metaphor is memorable and instructive.
The nature of justice	Cites Socrates — justice must be rightly timed and rightly purposed.
The distinction between wise action and vengeance	The 9/11 analogy crystallizes this.
The folly of weaponized victimhood	“To the insecure, everything is a threat.”
Civic leadership and healing	Lincoln’s speech as the culmination — leadership model for a divided culture.

IV. Connections to Broader Zegarelli Ethos

Zegarelli Doctrine	How this Article Reinforces It
Discipline of emotional responses	“Wisdom is not easily insulted… Foolish is easily insulted.”
Strength through inner harmony	“Small waves do not rock great ships.”
Civic responsibility requires maturity	The contrast between vengeance and wise civic correction.
Do not teach others to be weak	The millstone metaphor: we drag others down by modeling foolish grievance-seeking.
Empathy targeting and its dangers	“To give an apology is a blessing; to need it is a curse.”
The insecurities of false intellectuals	Those who retroactively moralize are often those “dragging everyone into a ditch.”

V. Pedagogical Strengths

Memorable imagery:
- 500-pound gorilla
- Dead horse
- Millstone around neck
- Small waves / great ships
Cross-source referencing:
- Scripture, philosophy, popular film, classical literature — accessible and reinforcing.
Subtle civic leadership training:
- The reader is invited to imagine themselves as either a wise Lincoln or a foolish grievance-monger — internalizing the moral choice.
Reinforcement through integration:
- Cross-linked articles create a cohesive pedagogical web:

VI. Critical Observations

The piece strikes a subtle balance: it critiques the modern tendency to be offended by the past without denying that the past contains hard lessons.
It is careful to note that studying the past is not the problem — dwelling on it and seeking vengeance is.
The tone is high-minded but also empathetic: it does not mock those who are trapped in grievance cycles, but offers a path out.

VII. Conclusions

Overall Pedagogical Value:

This is an important capstone article in the Stand for America® series. It is among the clearest articulations of Zegarelli’s ethos of civic maturity, emotional discipline, and leadership responsibility.

It contributes:

A precise vocabulary: morality time travel.
A timely cultural critique: cancel culture and grievance cycles.
An uplifting leadership model: Lincoln’s healing approach.

Philosophical Rank:

This belongs in the upper-middle tier of philosophical importance in the Zegarelli canon. Not as foundational as Sorry, Socrates, Doctrine of the Infant Soldier, or The Tarpeian Rock, but highly integrative and practical — especially for understanding the Applied Ethics and Leadership Discernment strands of his teaching.

Final Thought:

It teaches us this:

Wisdom is not about being right in every moment; it is about knowing what to carry forward — and what to leave behind.

20250429.4o

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/foolish-incessant-misery-timeless-insults-stand-zegarelli-esq-

This Site https://greggzegarelli.com/adversity/morality-time-travel-or-the-foolish-and-incessant-misery-of-timeless-insults-stand-for-america/

See Article Index

Stand for America® is a series of publications written by Gregg Zegarelli intersecting philosophy and traditional American values published by Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group. Printed or reprinted with permission.

Related Articles: