Let Bygones be Bygones?

This is a Scottish and English saying that basically is based upon a concept of forgiveness. However, in many countries forgiveness does not exist in that culture (at least as we know it in Christian Secular countries.

In regard to ending wars and moving forward Christian countries who have fought each other have had to learn this one way or the other or no progress at all could have been made through the centuries. One of the ways Europe  progressed is to take some of their best ideas and bring them to America. So, America became some of the best European ideas manifested over time. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and even India also became a part of these good European ideas for governance.

However, in most of the world this just didn't happen. If you noticed at the end of World War II the Germans were not a problem to the world the way they became after World War I with Hitler. The world had learned it's lesson not to be so punitive to create another situation where Hitler could arrive again in a place like Germany.

Likewise, the U.S. and Europe were more careful during the Marshall plan also in Japan after World War II and the Marshal Plan Worked in creating a democratic Japan that is an ally to the U.S.

Why did this work?

My thinking is that Japan is a Buddhist nation at core and because Christianity is founded on the Buddhist principles of compassion which we call forgiveness and turning the other cheek, they could understand why it was important to move on from the past as well.

However, why hasn't this worked in Iraq and Afghanistan after we left Iraq and are soon to leave Afghanistan?

One could blame Islam but I'm not sure that is completely fair. So, maybe it has to do with tribal cultures needing to count coup on each other to take revenge for any slight ongoing for thousands of years from Afghanistan to Turkey. I'm not sure how to make sense of this otherwise.

Anyway, in Islamic cultures we are dealing with a completely different dynamic ongoing than western or Buddhist cultures. Even China is a Buddhist culture and was greatly influenced also by Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. So, China could be considered a Buddhist country as well. Countries that have built into them a level of compassion can continue to exist in many forms. Without a level of compassion that people can count on countries and civilizations can't develop beyond a certain point.

So, from my point of view the most economically successful cultures on earth have this point of view of "Let Bygones be Bygones" and more warlike cultures don't have this aspect to their culture in place and take very personally slights by other groups going back thousands of years still into the present.

From my point of view this prevents certain types of technological and political development and trust to take hold in cultures and makes ongoing problems necessary ongoing with no relief in sight.

However, I'm greatly simplifying all this because still "Look at the Cold War that almost incinerated all life on earth!" So, how do we deal with that?"

As humans we either figure out a way to all live together on the earth or we are all no more and become dust circling the sun forever just like the Asteroid belt was a planet destroyed by a nuclear war 65 million years ago. (likely by our ancestors).