Day 03 #DailyDevotionals
‘Carthago delanda est’ (Carthage must be destroyed). That’s what the evil Roman general Cato said in every end of his speech to urge the destruction of Carthage during the Punic wars that occurred (between Rome and Carthage) in 264-146 BC. This particular phrase is now used as an expression when we totally supports an idea, on fire for our ambitions and to eliminate those who will defeat us. In other words, it is to end a conflict and rapidly regain our own strength in order to gain victory.
For your information, no, it’s not my favorite motto and yes, I googled it. Cato’s most spoken quote just hit me that somehow his thoughts and ambitions about destroying Carthage makes sense to me, because I sometimes (actually, we all) got that kind of determination too in achieving what my goals are. When I’m really into something, I’ll do it passionately – like sketching, for instance or teaching.
Yes, I’m a teen who’s teaching literature and world history for elementary (I started teaching since was in 8th grade). My pre-university life is quite random and weird. I get to teach because my parents opened a classical, semi-homeschooling in Jogja (called Jogja Patriae Academy), which combines Indonesian curriculum and additional ones like literature, creative writing and history based on Christian perspective. I don’t go to regular school like other people did, but I’ve been home schooled since 1st grade until 9th grade. Then I started doing cyberschools based in Tangerang Selatan via internet (so basically Google is my teacher hahah). Currently I’m entering the university less in 12 days majoring English Literature at Sanata Dharma University. So basically most of my free time I spend it either on french course, violin lessons and teaching at my parents’ school. I know this is rather random, but I’m really thankful that I get all those subjects, because the regular schools doesn’t teach stuffs like those, especially english creative writings. If it hadn’t been for my american teacher, Ms. Rio, I wouldn’t have the ability to write fluently in english.
Okay, back to the topic.
The Romans are the people that I adore the most in history. If there’s a time machine, I’ll set my course for the tips of Italy 2000 years back.
These descendants of Etruscans were the most structured race with iron hands – those who knew no mercy – in history. Although had an amazing amounts of blood-thirst and held no equality for women, the Romans were great achievers and skillful inventors. They created things that we use now. For instance, they created aqueducts, huge bridge-looking pipes that carries water from the mountain into the city, which we call them now as sewers or water supply pipes. Most of their discoveries greatly influenced our daily lives, such as coliseums (stadiums), paved roads (highways), in-house restrooms, public baths (spa), irrigation systems, market squares (now business towers for major offices) and names of planets (based on their greek-adapted gods).
In the book of Daniel in the Bible, the Romans were symbolized as iron legs that belonged to the statue that later collapses in king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Starting from the head, the statue was made of gold, which symbolizes the Babylonian empire. After that, it went down to the chest and arms – silver, which stood for the Medo-Persian kingdom. Then the belly and thighs of breast was the Greek civilization, which impacted most of Rome’s culture. The Roman Empire were the legs of Iron. No wonder they were such a strong, influential culture that runs our current world. Last of all, the feet and toes were made of clay, which represents our modern civilization, which have no more values that ought to be highly treasured.
How the Romans viewed their ambitions to win are really something, compared to ours now. They got powerful fighting spirits and willingness to win. They inspire me to achieve more and more of my goals, to be highly determined of my targets. They’d go through sweat and blood to gain their glory, like Julius Caesar did as his words rung throughout history, ‘alea iacta est’ – meaning: the die is cast (no turning back)– as he crossed the Rubicon river to claim what was rightfully his, despite his action that was considered as treason. So did Caesar Augustus in constructing Rome into the strongest and greatest empire of all time under a single ruler, and conquered the known world until the prestigious Roman citizenship was something that other nations went after. Rome were made of influential people and proved that everything can come true if we build it right, like they did. How?
The Romans were aware of regeneration, to prepare the youths that later will replace their positions. Julius Caesar was the living proof who successfully established the next generation to take after his place. He adopted his own nephew as his son, Octavian (who will become the legendary Emperor Augustus) and Caesar him self selected his adopted son to be his next heir, as it was read in his will after his tragic death.
This sense of awareness was also witnessed by their education, which made me amazed that fathers and mothers played great roles in training up their child into a successful person (which we also did in our classical homeschooling, for parents partaking a role in educating their children). Though most roman fathers had bad character traits that were not worth to be taken as examples, not few also were the family man and teachers to their own sons, even though they were the the baddest guys alive.
Men like Cato the Elder adhered to this Roman tradition and took their roles as teachers very seriously. Cato the Elder not only made his children hardworking, good citizens and responsible Romans, but “he was his (son’s) reading teacher, his law professor, his athletic coach. He taught his son not only to hurl a javelin, to fight in armor, and to ride a horse, but also to box, to endure both heat and cold, and to swim well” (Plutarch, The Lives of Aristeides and Cato, translated by David Sansone (Warminster: Aris & Phillips, 1989)).
Job training was also emphasized, and boys gained valuable experience through apprenticeships. Mothers, though, cannot be overlooked for their roles as moral educators and character builders of their children. Cornelia Africana, the mother of the Gracchi, is even credited as a major cause of her sons’ renowned eloquence.
The Roman culture thought me a lesson: to do what I can, to give the best in everything and appreciate what our predecessors gave to us. The Romans treasured what their ancestors left behind and to kept them alive. It’s only when they stopped treasuring them, their nation fell apart after a series of weak emperors who failed to establish the next generations. They became prideful, self-centered, reluctant and hedonistic. What took place after that was the fall. The barbarians and vikings invaded their homeland, including Atilla the Hun, who scavenged every last bit of wealth and tore apart their pride as roman citizens. There was no more glory. No more power. All they had was shame and defeat.
History always repeats itself. And the funny thing is, we aren’t conscious that the same thing happening to them is the same thing that’s happening to us. If we stop living the morals, stop treasuring our values passionately and stop establishing strong people that’ll come after us, it’s only matter of time that our own barbarians will arrive to bring defeat. Make sure that we still got that fire burning within us, to eliminate our enemies and end the conflict.
Carthago delanda est.
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Hey all!
Thanks for reading my post! Currently I’m working on my skills to write fluently and trying to make this as a habit, to share my thoughts with the people around me (since I’m gonna be a english letters student hahaha!). I’d like to HIGHLY recommend a historical-fiction novel titttled Twice Freed by Patricia St. John (based on the book of Philemon in the bible). The setting took place in Rome around the transitions from BC to AD. This is a must-read for you, especially if you’re a teen and wanted to figure out your identity from the point of view of roman citizen (geez I sounds so advertise-sih lol). It talked about how Philemon’s slave, Onesimus got saved and received Christ as his personal savior. I loved it very much and I’ve read it thrice already! This is one of the reasons I picked Rome as my favorite civilization, because I never feel it so close and alive as I read this novel.
(ADDITIONAL REVIEW)
The story begins about a boy named Onesimus and his struggle in slavery. He meets a beautiful girl and would like to someday marry her, however his slavery stands in the way. Every thing he wants in life requires him to be free. His heart is heavy with the thought of being a slave always. Beginning to steal a few items from his master he saves them away and when he finds the opportunity runs away and boards a ship headed far away. Eventually he ends up in Rome where he meets up with the apostle Paul. Onesimus knows that he must go back. He is somewhat fearful of meeting his master and the masters son again. However he also has faith that they will accept him because on a previous visit with Paul Onesimus’ master had become a Christian.
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