In the latter days of the Roman Empire standards of the people and the government could be seen to be changing. Rome was broken into two primary classes of people, the have’s and the have not’s. Those who had wealth and position acted as if the whole world existed for their entertainment and enjoyment, while those who did not have wealth struggled daily to serve those who had it or connived and schemed for ways to get money. Slavery had been set aside not so much because it was morally reprehensible, but more because it was just too expensive and was a drain to the coffers of the rich.
There was a fighting class of Gladiators who fought in the right but contrary to popular convention it was not usually to the death. That would deplete a group of individuals who required a great deal of training and represented tremendous investments by their owners and handlers. But it was clear evidence of the public’s need and lust for bloody entertainment. In the end the best of these Gladiators could earn their freedom through their performance and wealthy women enjoyed being bred to these warrior studs either for begetting of children or just for the glory of having ridden a wild horse and survived.
Morality and disease were rife as women would lay with virtually any man for almost any reason. Entertainments like prostitution and market shows degraded women but let them feel the power of having emotional and sexual mastery over the men who were watching. Men and women engaged in public parties in which the participants got drunk or high on drugs and engaged in public sex with multiple partners, sometimes at the same time. At the end of the day there really was no morality to speak of and people did whatever they pleased. Government made no conscientious effort to change these behaviors as most of the Equestrian class was deeply engaged in behavior that was in many ways more debauched and more depraved.
Politically public office was no longer a function of public service, but more about money and power. Politicians mismanaged the country and their financial and public policies doing more damage than good. Offices in effect were bought by the candidates and the public showed an absolute absence of the ability to hold their representatives in local and state government. Essentially they habitually lied to the people and did more to assure their own comfort and entertainment while passing laws that did little more than cripple the countries people and industry. Taxes were high and for the most part confiscatory and people paid more for the depravities of those in government receiving little or nothing that made their lives better. Nero and Calligula would certainly be proud.
Today we have all of these things including public broadcasts of what is as close to Gladiators battling on Spike television. One can only wonder how long before one of these animals kills his competition, and then how long before the people watching demand to see it again? These started as staged matches in wrestling with people who definitely needed profound levels of therapy, but who still managed on occasion to retain their humanity. Now you watch the promos and you see one fighter just cold cocking another for no apparent reason. They serve no purpose in society other than the beat the absolute crap out of each other to entertain the spectators. The operative question has to be, which is more profoundly sick in the head? The ones who pound each other int dog food or the ones who enjoy watching it happen?
As to the decadence and moral condition of the country one can only decide within ones self whether to participate in the decent into madness or keep your peace ad stay above the fray. Sex has become the tool by which women with little value in their lives subdue men who are slaves to their own penis. Looking at women today one has little to look forward to in the way of well mannered, wholesome, and responsible when it comes to finding a partner, but is rather forced to accept that she’ll likely have been around the park like a horse and carriage with enough different riders to keep her partying active when she’s not on her back. There are exceptions, but they are rare and they are far between. And lest one consider that men have any upward edge on this description of the fairer sex, they also lack morals, restraint, and the good judgment to appreciate the difference between to worthwhile women and the useless ones. It is not gender exclusive and it is as common as air.
George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” and clearly the people of the United States have shown that they are not only unable to learn these lessons, but that they are bound and determined to do all they can to ignore them in pursuit of their self absorption. What is described above may indeed be a description of the Roman Empire as it careened toward its own destruction, but also a clear representation of actual events and practices that are at work today. One can select each and every point of what brought their society to its knees and what happened on the way to final destruction, and find a parallel in todays political, financial, social, and moral behaviors. It becomes an inescapable destiny when people place their own self indulgence ad self interest before that of the society as a whole. It doesn’t even matter what faith you have or lack, because it is an imperative of societal survival to make sure that what destroys others be avoided at all costs. In the end it seeks that people find that there are indeed things more important than themselves.
When I see the stories about Governor Blagojevich, I can’t help but wonder what has he done that isn’t said or done by politicians every day?
Why isn’t the election of Barack Obama a factor of buying the office by raising three times the amount of money any previous candidate has made and eclipsed any information about the competition by eclipsing the media coverage?
What is it that distinguishes what happened with Rep. Charlie Wrangle that he can own properties and hide income without paying taxes, and then get away with it by simply saying he forgot?
How is it that an Edward Kennedy can kill his date and get away with it without even so much as a trial?
How is it that Caroline Kennedy can be considered as the Senator replacement from New York as a function of her Camelot associations without any reckoning regarding qualification?
Has political correctness, outcome based education, and the accompanying social engineering programs made society better or more happy? It would seem to many that these kinds of programs have done more to destroy the social fabric.
How is it that the Senator and Congressman who primarily caused and protected Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac up until they collapsed should have profited most by their corruption and walked away without any responsibility or culpability?
Who was actually responsible for the present financial crisis that has touched the U.S. as well as the world?
Who has increased the national debt from 2 trillion dollars in mid 2008 to over 7 trillion dollars in the beginning of 2009?
After trillions and trillions of dollars in expenditures, what has actually been improved that couldn’t have been more efficiently improved through market based actions taken much earlier in the crisis?
And if you are willing to look at government on a daily basis, the abuses are committed every day by the political elite. There’s no need worrying about global warming or the financial crisis, but rather worry about the decline and destruction of the American nation because the people have descended into the self same behaviors and mentality that was a major part of Rome’s destruction. If there was ever a people that was just too stupid to smell the roses and realize what they are doing to their own country, this is it and the time is short. By Rome’s time table we are in the same century of demise and destruction.< ><-->
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