A Glance Behind

Sometimes it is helpful to take a glance behind. Sometimes we get so caught up in moving forward, totally focused on where we are moving to, that we miss the real benefits of taking a glance behind.

That's why it is so important for us to study history. World history in particular. We can learn a lot from spending the time to take a glance behind.

This year as a part of his 10th grade home education, my son Nathan is studying World History with my wife. Just this past week, the two of them were in a chapter that was discussing the Roman Republic. The enduring influence of the Roman Empire is reflected pervasively in our contemporary language, literature, legal codes, government, architecture, engineering, medicine, sports, arts, etc. Much of what the Roman Empire was all about is so deeply embedded in our culture that we sometimes fail to acknowledge how much we are indebted to ancient Rome. We miss it if we fail to take a glance behind.

Consider most common languages of the world today (including English, for example). Most of these languages are taken from Latin. Without Latin, you could not have read much of the past few sentences/paragraphs.

But even beyond that, the Roman Empire was a really big deal. It was the most powerful global force in its time. It lasted over 500 years, and was more important than any other world power during most of that time.

But, somewhere along the way, something happened. At some point in time, the Roman Empire fell, and now we only read about it in the history books (if we take a glance behind, that is).

My wife, Ellen, read something to me out of their World History book the other day and it seemed too significant not to mention in this blog. It was at the end of the chapter they were studying on the Roman Republic. Here is what the book had to say:

During these years of the republic, Rome grew from a small city along the Tiber to become the master of the Mediterranean world. New prosperity and power resulted from Rome's conquests. But with her rise to prominence, Rome was faced with new challenges. The Roman historian Livy described their predicament: "For true it is that the less men's wealth was, the less was their greed. Of late, riches have brought in avarice, and excessive pleasures, the longing to carry wantonness and license to the point of ruin for oneself and of universal destruction."

The foundation of the republic began to crumble. Traditional values, such as discipline, personal morality, and respect for authority, diminished. Citizens who once served their country with a sense of patriotic duty and responsibility now sought their own selfish interests. Corruption in government abounded. The breakdown of the moral fiber of the republic encouraged the use of force to settle Rome's problems.

In the midst of economic and political disorder, the Romans allowed the powers of the state to increase. They surrendered many of their rights and freedoms to obtain political and economic stability. The republic that offered so much liberty and rule by the people was replaced by tremendous government control and rule by emperors.

Now I ask you, does that sound at all familiar to you when you consider what is happening today in the United States? Do you think that we as a nation might benefit from studying about what caused the Roman Empire to fall so that we can avoid having the same fate happen to us? Hmmmmmmm.

Sometimes it's great to take a glance behind. There is a saying that goes something like this: "If you don't learn from history, you are bound to repeat it."

God forbid that we should fall into the same trap that caused the Roman Empire to fall...