Bofusdiaga says past wrongs cannot be righted because past wrongs are past and time only runs one way. Bofusdiaga says all you independent creatures … - Sheri S. Tepper

A man may not face both ways at once. If he looks back, he cannot look forward.

Janet snarled, “Nell, who made you the arbiter of what’s Right and wrong or wrong?”
Nell thumped the table. “I’m not making a moral judgment, I’m making a pragmatic one! Before the Happening, the world was full of people, and we were using up the Earth’s resources at a fantastic rate. Somehow we felt we’d find some other world before we used up this one, and going to space was a spectator sport. That game’s over. We’re not going anywhere! Therefore, all the attitudes that led to use-up-the-world-and-leave-it-behind are wrong for us, and whatever attitudes keep the Earth fit for what people and animals are left is right for us, and I defy you to come up with any better definition.”

All around the Mediterranean you'll find cultures that believe men can't control themselves and shouldn't have to try.