1776

It is the 4th of July weekend and even though we are at war, there are still so many things to celebrate. It is interesting to note that whilst the USA was being born, Edwards Gibbons also began his lectures on the decline of the Roman Empire. America and Rome: another juxtaposition in the fabric of history. So, some shallow reflections on this hot, long-weekend Friday...

(Original from The Guardian)

The decline of the Roman Empire can be summarized in 2 words: Imbalance and Religion

Imbalance: Nature is all about balance - physical, emotional, spiritual - for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is Newton's 3rd Law of Physics, and since we are physical beings, it somehow translates into the other dimensions of our totality. You can't be happy or sad all the time - contentment lies somewhere in the middle. You can't be too skinny or too fat - you gotta maintain your ideal weight. You can't be too religious or secular - the ideal person sits in the middle of Martha and Mary. I could go on and on, but I won't because it's Friday and I want to get out of here. Rome just got too happy and fat.

Religion: "The clergy successfully preached the doctrines of patience and pusillanimity; the active virtues of society were discouraged; and the last remains of military spirit were buried in the cloister: a large portion of public and private wealth was consecrated to the specious demands of charity and devotion; and the soldiers' pay was lavished on the useless multitudes of both sexes who could only plead the merits of abstinence and chastity."

There may be no fireworks in Rome this weekend (at least, not attributable to the Live8 Concert), but it too has something to celebrate: it counts as one of its esteemed residents Her Hotness, Delia Gallagher - and that in itself is reason enough for fireworks!