Distractions

In every period of history, whether we're talking about the Byzantine Empire, or the Roman Empire or the Athenian Empire of Classical Greece there have been distractions. I submit that there is also a movie that was made about the subject of distractions a few years ago called "Wag the Dog". Yes, indeed, in today's world we're being stopped from seeing what really matters. The tail is wagging the dog. Just as in past societies, people stopped seeing the truth, either because they did not want to, or because they were stopped from seeing it by others.

In Roman Times, Emperors, whether insane or simply not fit to command, used the games at the Colosseum as a distraction for the populace. You say that our glorious empire is crumpling about us, well, just visit the Colosseum be entertained a bit. Watch the majesty, watch the courage, watch the strength of the Gladiators. And when the right Gladiator won, the emperor was even known to open the Imperial Treasury and give money to those that attended the games or where Roman "Citizens". This was the perfect way in which to keep people from finding the bad news. Bad news such as that the Empire was crumpling, outpost by outpost. There had not been any conquests for over 200 years. The treasury was actually kind of bare. When the end came, it actually lasted a long time. Great Empires sometimes take a long time to fall apart. But in these accelerated times, I wonder.

For the Byzantine Empire the end came slowly also. It started in 1204 AD during the so called Fourth Crusade against the Arabs. In effect, this was a crusade against Christians. But, in this post, I am not so much concerned with the sacking of Constantinople, but rather with the downfall that action brought about. Within 250 years the Byzantine Empire was no more and Constantinople fell to the Turks. During the fall, distraction was what the last Autokratoroi (Emperors) used to mislead the people into believing that greatness could be theirs again, if only... And there were many ifs during those times. Chief among them was the belief that God would save the Empire.

For the Athenians who founded the Athenian League after the defeat of the Persian fleet in Salamis in 480 BC the future looked bright. The strength of the Athenian expansion and the Classical success was the democracy of Athens. But it can also be said that the failure of Athens and Classical Greece was that same Democracy, a Democracy of limits (or as I like to call it a Benign Oligarchy). Athenians believed that the strength of their success came from the individuals who achieved concesus within the city and who managed to build the strongest Naval Fleet of its time. That fleet was unparalleled in human history up to that time and it essentially gave the Athenians complete control of the Mediterranean Sea. That strength and the win in Salamis also gave Athens the dreams of conquest. A dream of conquest based on the belief that in order to secure the peace, in order for the government to protect the people from any further attacks from oversees invaders, the strength of the republic must be directed outward for a two fold mission. First, to secure allies who would contribute materiel, personnel and moneys to help in a future war. Secondly, to achieve a stronghold of bases to be used in protection of the republic. But military might is not always equivalent to security.

What each one of these periods of time teaches us about today is, I believe, very important:

First, the people can be misled, appeased and placated with entertainment, gifts from the treasury and false pronouncements about the strength of the Republic. I ask you to question whether we have seen this in today's United States of America.

Second, religion can be held up to be both a crutch and a shield. If we believe, then God will protect us from all enemies...as if God is concerned with what happens to another Empire on this planet. In addition, God's strength will shield us and our property from the worst. But if one was to really study God, one would find that God asks to embrace disaster, succumb to the worst, suffer the martyrdom, because only then would our soul be freed from the material world and enter the spiritual plane. God does not wish to shield us from the horrors of war, because God does not wish to shield us from material things. This life is ephemeral at best, temporary at worst. In its quick passage we're asked to prepare for eternal life by not asking for material protection in this life, but by accepting the things that we can not change and embracing the things that can lead us into the next. Somehow, this message has been twisted, and we now believe that God will shield us from those who hate us here on Earth and will protect our possessions. Oh, how many empires (even other than the Byzantine Empire) had mistakenly believed this and have fallen, only to be remembered by history.

Third, and most important, strength does not derive from conquest. Vanquishing our enemies before they attack us does not guarantee security. There is ample evidence to prove that all great empires of history started failing because they simply did not believe that their own strength was not enough to conquer all. There was always one more conquest. But "what does it profit a man to conquer the whole world and lose his soul"? Similarly, what does it profit a country to conquer the whole world and lose its sanity, lose its morals and lose its collective soul. Once, there was a country that believed it had a manifest destiny. It used this belief to gather the brightest and the best people of the world within its boundaries. It used these people to construct the world's most vibrant nation, a democracy, a country ruled by morality and laws. A country for which the price of admission was freedom of expression and freedom of thought.

Now, like those Athenians of centuries ago, those few in power, the Oligarchs, have taken upon themselves that strength that was given to them by the people and turned it into conquest.

We live in a country where I, along with another 45 million people go without medical insurance. Folks, that is 18% of the population. And that figure is growing. Soon, people will start losing their jobs, simply because their employer can not afford to pay their medical insurance. You see their company is worried that the increasing insurance costs will cut into their profit margin and the executive's bonus check.

This week, my doctor who I went to see, asked me if I was working on getting medical insurance. I have been without insurance for almost 3 years now. I told her that insurance eludes me still. With the jobs I have been able to get in this "robust" economy, medical insurance is still outside my grasp. Most of these companies that hire, simply, are not willing to pay me a little more to be a permanent employee and have insurance coverage. Therefore, they hire me as a temp employee, giving them the flexibility to do the work they need without investing in me. This story is repeated millions of times across this vast and powerful country, called the United States of America.

Meanwhile, we're all distracted from this and other facts. We're told to embrace God because our Commander in Chief is guided by him as they share a 21st century direct line. We're told that our futures are being secured, because the richest 1% are receiving tax cuts which they will use to re-invest in society where even "low lives" like me would have a temp job and bounce from assignment to assignment. Finally, we're told that the country is protected from our enemies, because we have taken the battle to him and our nice suburbs are free so that we can drive our nice SUVs to Wal-Mart and buy lots of nice little widgets made in China.

I hear the fall of the Empire all around me. I wonder how many people really have their ears unstopped to hear it too.

A note on history: I do not know that much about Empires that flourished in other parts of the world. The reader is welcome to add comments on other examples from history.