We blog to inform those who read blogs about things that we think are interesting and informative. Sometimes we speak of trivia and sometimes we speak about important matters like the fall of Rome. I read an article today that discussed why the fate of Rome is relevant today. In the article best-selling author Oliver DeMille concisely explains when the fall of Rome really occurred and why we should study it. He points to Roman historian Livy's history of early Rome as our guide and instructs us all to read it. DeMille states that the important era of Roman history for the United States and the world today is that of the Roman Republic stretching from 600 to 49 B.C. He contends that this is the period of Roman history that the founding fathers of the United States republic studied when forming a government. He also points to Gibbon's book THE RISE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE to summarize the reasons why Rome fell. In large part DeMille states it was "because of the gradual loss of civic virtue among its citizens.They had become weak, outsourcing their duties to defend their empire to barbarian mercenaries." Romans, he contends became "effeminate, unwilling to live a tougher, 'manly' military lifestyle." It was "a loss of morals and a focus on bread and circuses" that weakened the empire and "made it prone to decay and eventually collapse."
We should concern ourselves according to DeMille with "how a Republic dedicated to morality, justice, service, and improvement became powerful and then forgot about everything except the power, the money, and the control of other nations." He further maintains that this is exactly where the society of the United States finds itself today. He points to the author of THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION, Will Durant, who stated that the fall of Rome's republic came about "because of corruption among the politicians, political party divisions in the capital city, and the military's constant involvement in violent conflicts around the known world." Roman historian Tacitus noted that the fall of the Republic was caused when the "equality" of the people that supported their freedom was replaced by a growing divide between regular people and so-called elites. (I am always amused that some of the most unintelligent, unproductive people in a society are called elite, which means "superior to the rest in terms of ability or qualities" according to the Oxford dictionary.) DeMille continues by citing the Roman poet Vergil, who warned in 38 and 37 B.C. that he was "exiled from home" because he stood for freedom while his friend sat "careless in the shade," not realizing that the freedom of the Roman citizen was quickly ebbing away. Rome exerted power in the world, but the Roman citizen, said Vergil "has no hope of freedom." DeMille suggests that we first read Livy, then Vergil, and then the founding fathers such as James Madison and Thomas Jefferson to learn how to appreciate the freedom that we enjoy as citizens of the United States.There is a saying attributed to the English parliamentarian Edmund Burke, who allegedly said something like: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Next Tuesday is the day that citizens of the United States go to the polls to elect those who will govern them. It is my hope that all eligible voters will take the time to educate themselves about the issues and candidates on their ballots and then go to the polls and vote responsibly so that our freedoms do not ebb away like those of the citizens of the Roman Republic centuries ago.
We should concern ourselves according to DeMille with "how a Republic dedicated to morality, justice, service, and improvement became powerful and then forgot about everything except the power, the money, and the control of other nations." He further maintains that this is exactly where the society of the United States finds itself today. He points to the author of THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION, Will Durant, who stated that the fall of Rome's republic came about "because of corruption among the politicians, political party divisions in the capital city, and the military's constant involvement in violent conflicts around the known world." Roman historian Tacitus noted that the fall of the Republic was caused when the "equality" of the people that supported their freedom was replaced by a growing divide between regular people and so-called elites. (I am always amused that some of the most unintelligent, unproductive people in a society are called elite, which means "superior to the rest in terms of ability or qualities" according to the Oxford dictionary.) DeMille continues by citing the Roman poet Vergil, who warned in 38 and 37 B.C. that he was "exiled from home" because he stood for freedom while his friend sat "careless in the shade," not realizing that the freedom of the Roman citizen was quickly ebbing away. Rome exerted power in the world, but the Roman citizen, said Vergil "has no hope of freedom." DeMille suggests that we first read Livy, then Vergil, and then the founding fathers such as James Madison and Thomas Jefferson to learn how to appreciate the freedom that we enjoy as citizens of the United States.There is a saying attributed to the English parliamentarian Edmund Burke, who allegedly said something like: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Next Tuesday is the day that citizens of the United States go to the polls to elect those who will govern them. It is my hope that all eligible voters will take the time to educate themselves about the issues and candidates on their ballots and then go to the polls and vote responsibly so that our freedoms do not ebb away like those of the citizens of the Roman Republic centuries ago.