I think history repeats itself. There's a constant conversation

The actor and thinker Michael B. Jordan once spoke with clarity and fire when he said: “I think history repeats itself. There's a constant conversation between the oppressed and the oppressor. No matter what your field is, whether it's gender equality, the Time's Up movement, or diversity casting, it's always going to be a back-and-forth battle.” In these words lies an ancient rhythm — the eternal struggle between power and justice, between those who hold the world and those who strive to reshape it. This quote is not born merely from the stage of Hollywood but from the grand theater of history itself, where the same drama has been played again and again, only with new names, new faces, new battlegrounds.

From the dawn of time, there has been this conversation between the oppressed and the oppressor. It is a dialogue written not with words, but with deeds, with cries, and with courage. When the pharaohs enslaved the Hebrews, the cry for freedom rose up through the voice of Moses. When Rome ruled with iron and fire, the whispers of rebellion stirred in every corner of the empire. And so it continues — in every age, in every land, those who are silenced will one day speak, and those who dominate will be forced to listen. History repeats itself, not because men forget, but because the human heart struggles forever between the thirst for power and the longing for justice.

Consider the story of Harriet Tubman, who walked through darkness guided by the stars, leading her people from bondage to liberty. She was one voice in that long conversation — her courage an answer to centuries of oppression. She did not wait for permission; she did not wait for the world to change. She became the change. And though her body was small and frail, her spirit thundered through time. The chains she broke were not only made of iron, but of fear. Her story reminds us that the battle between the oppressed and oppressor is not fought in one generation, nor ended by one victory; it must be renewed by every soul who dares to believe in equality.

Michael B. Jordan, in his words, reminds us that this struggle continues in new forms — in the fight for gender equality, in the cry of the Time’s Up movement, in the demand for diversity and representation in art and life alike. The field may change, but the struggle is the same. Where one century fought for the right to vote, another fights for the right to be seen. Where one people fought for the end of slavery, another fights for the end of silence. Each movement is a verse in that endless conversation — an echo of the human spirit saying, “We will not be forgotten.”

Yet Jordan calls it a back-and-forth battle — for indeed, progress never walks in a straight line. Each victory brings resistance; each step forward awakens those who fear change. This is the way of all great transformations. The conversation is not gentle; it is fierce, and it tests the strength of conviction. For every law written in freedom’s name, there will be a voice that seeks to undo it. But the wise understand that struggle is not failure — it is the proof that the fire still burns, that the heart of humanity still beats with the will to be free.

The ancients would say: Every mountain is climbed not once, but forever. So too is justice. Each generation must climb anew, carrying the memory of those who came before. And when the mountain seems too high, one must remember that the summit was never meant for the few, but for all. The oppressed and the oppressor are bound in destiny, for one cannot exist without the other — and it is through their struggle that society evolves, that conscience grows, that truth sharpens like a blade against the stone of resistance.

Therefore, let the lesson be this: do not despair when the world seems to repeat its mistakes. The repetition is the hammer that forges progress. Speak when silence feels safer; stand when others kneel to comfort. Whether your field is art or law, teaching or politics, add your voice to that eternal conversation — not in anger alone, but in faith that your struggle will echo forward. For the oppressor may hold power for a time, but the oppressed hold history. And history, though it may circle, always bends toward the light.