Jacta alia est..; The die it is cast.
Caesar quietly mumbles the words,
Mixed with the tumbling Rubicon’s waters,
And when he whispers his secret,
Who does he direct his knowledge to?
What lines do the poets place on page?
Is there those who will like the rhyme,
But curse the metre?
Will like the notion,
But curse the action?
Jacta alia est..; The die it is cast.
But there is no-one left
Who knows what chance is.
None want to take the risk.
So he says it quietly..under-breath,
And leads the dumb and blind
On to their deserved death.
freef'all852 
“The City of God”
Joe, do you think it gives any answers to what led to the Fall of Rome?
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A 2 part dissertation on Augustine is a bit too much for myself to sit in on, Uta…apologies as that is what is needed to do a comparison…Bu as to the fall of Rome, many theories have been put up…from the rise of social decadence to a “weariness of empire”….and others….but to me, I think like most “Ages” of empires, once the citizen body loses confidence in their ability to live securly and with a degree of financial comfort and home life, the society starts to crumble and as Burton says in his “Anatomy of Melancholy”; “Once the tottering house begins to sink, thither goes all the weight by an instinct”…and I believe this is what happened to Rome…I do know that the skills-base of it’s artisans became worse and many skilled tradesmen left to go to greener pastures…so did the “tottering house” begin to sink…
I do believe we are seeing another de-skilling of the trades so that a repeat of that scenario could happen, except these days, unlike the tradesmen of those times who fled to a rising Europe…there is now no-where to go…
A cold night on the range.
Was the year after the blast that ended it all,
Not a whole room left standing..just rubble and sprawl,
And we were camp’d freezing amongst it all.
With nary a stick to burn to keep us warm,
But a box full of books packed in haste,
A box full of books found buried among waste.
So we lit a fire with those learned tomes,
Warmed our hands to the rhymes of poems,
And in jest to our plight using the fire we might
Read a line or two and laugh with vulgar delight!
“Here’s a good one”…Louise called out,
Holding the screed aloft in theatrical tout,
And with an exaggerated voice of stage,
Read those prescient words from the page;
“When first the tottering house begins to sink,
Thither goes all the weight by an instinct”.
A moody silence fell from those words,
A warning wasted from a long-lost world,
The predicted path of how it all fell…
Wisdom in the silence, it’s echo did tell…
‘Twas Burton’s “Anatomy of Melancholy”,
Come to think..I recall..but whatever ‘twas,
It made good fire…a roaring good fire for us all.
Freezing our bones amid the sprawl.
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” First published in the first part of the 5th century A.D., this expansive theological work provided an articulate defense of Christianity against the claims that it led to the downfall of Rome in the years preceding its publication. It outlines a citizenship that goes beyond the worldly, the political, and the self-centered, instead focusing on a place where the inhabitants are devout, God-focused, and seeking grace. In examining history with a clear perception of good and evil, Augustine was in effect interpreting human actions in relation to eternity. He contrasts earthly and heavenly cities to great effect, in addition to inspecting pagan religions, Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, and the Bible. A monumental influence upon Augustine’s contemporaries, “The City of God” is today considered a seminal and foundational book of Christianity philosophy as the basis for Western Civilization itself. The book has established Augustine as one of the world’s most important thinkers and a central Church Father of the Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox Churches. “The City of God” further continues to resonate widely with both Christians and non-Christians in discussing the ideas and institutions of liberty, law and justice, civic virtue and human well-being.”
It says: “It outlines a citizenship that goes beyond the worldly, the political, and the self-centered, instead focusing on a place where the inhabitants are devout, God-focused, and seeking grace.”
I think our modern citizens are mostly self-centered instead of seeking grace in a devout, God-focused way. In their final stages, this happened to the Romans, and this happens now to us.
Where and how will a new civilization come about that is God-focused? Non-Christians can discuss this idea too. You don’t need to belong to any religion to be God-focused. This is what I believe.
Our whole Western society is very self-centered, don’t you think, Joe?
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Uta…if you go here https://www.gutenberg.org/files/25717/25717-h/25717-h.htm#chap47.1 and scroll down to this chapter..; Chapter XV: Progress Of The Christian Religion.—Part I. and dig around, you will find all sorts of treasure.
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Thank you, Joe.
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Our multicultural society gives me hope as well as the ancient wisdom of our indeginous Australians. I am confident, that the younger generations will be looking for some very new, morally high standing, leaders, who are willing to be there for all people. 🙂
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In a pigs eye!…sorry , Uta…
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