In illo tempore?

Ok, so far we have "all that is past possesses our present."  Such a statement seems like a very oversimplified way explaining the patterns which present themselves in everyday life.  I mean what about free will and all of that?  Aren't we supposed to be learning from the past, and through that learning avoid the mistakes which plagued our predecessors?  One would think.  However, upon a closer consideration of the phrase, the recurrent patterns of the past seem to be as prevalent today as they always have been and probably will continue to be.  So why is it that trends thousands of years old can remain relevant today, even when their flaws seem to be so obvious?  Are these patterns inherent in human nature, or are we just following the habits of the past for sheer convenience? 

 At some point, "in illo tempore," humans didn't have a past to follow, something had to independently invent the system which we are apparently still using today.  So if humans absolutely follow the laws of the past, who invented the laws?