Monday, September 5th, 2022
Dear Freedom Friends,
It is my belief - and not much of a stretch - that the Roman Empire exists today. In particular, I see the British Empire as being the second coming, the American Empire as the third rendition, and finally…after two thousand + years…the WEF is on the cusp of achieving what Caesar Augustus and Claudius and Nero and Constantine and Hadrian only dreamed of: complete dominion over all of Earth’s resources.
Because, that’s the fundamental key principle, core value and cultural kernel of the Roman Empire. Resource accumulation. Resource extraction. Resource hegemony. Control.
Why does this matter? Simple. If you don’t know you’re starving, why would you struggle to find food? If you’re clueless that you’re lost in the desert, why not simply continue wandering forward, without a care in the world? If you don’t know your eating habits are turning you into a Type 2 Diabetic, why skip the cake?
Know thyself - or know thy culture - and one will know power.
If you search “Modern Romans” a whole slew of these stylistic images come up. Clearly, I’m not the only one thinking along these lines. So, what does it mean? How is this different than the obvious fact that the Roman Empire is part of the West’s history? Of course, some things will trickle down to us, right?
Yes, but I’m not talking about a few, cute little remnants of some long gone society that we’ve left behind us…I’m talking about us being Romans, right here, right now. Today. In short, the question of whether or not we are part of the Roman Empire 3.0 matters because how we see ourselves effects what we expect of ourselves!
The Garden & The Blueberries
This morning, I headed out for a long walk to a grocer that sells excellent quality meats. Along the way, I saw several green spaces on the map. Ah, yes! I would diverge from my straight and narrow pathway, so I could amble along on soft grass and stretch my muscles. Spending all day on asphalt, brick roads and pavement is not good for the body. So, I always seek out the green spaces in cities, especially. In fact, here’s me having the time of my life, in Ireland…hiking open, rolling hills with nothing but soft, bouncy greenery beneath my tired feet.
Now, remember. I’m currently in Edinburgh, Scotland. A land much impacted by the Roman Empire 1.0, as is all of Britain. Last night, as I ambled through the city under the stars, I couldn’t help but notice a statue dedicated to an ancient Roman philosopher, seated with a scroll and wrapped in a typical Roman robe. Architectural columns reflect Greco-Roman design, and even the name, “Britain” is a Roman construct. Since the 1st century BC, “Britannia” replaced Albion as the prevalent Latin name for the island of Great Britain. And, in the 2nd century, Roman Britannia came to be personified as a goddess, armed with a spear and shield and wearing a Corinthian helmet.
A goddess, representing “Catholic turned Anglican Church” England? Wearing a helmet of Corinth? If you still doubt, consider this excerpt from the Official Guide to Edinburgh Castle:
“…Romanises communities south of Hadrian’s Wall…”
Hmmm. If it’s named by the Romans, built like the Romans, represented by Roman goddesses and includes Roman symbols of power on its money and in it’s founding laws and principles…maybe…it’s Roman?
Fun fact! And this is what triggered my article today. Ireland was never conquered by the Romans. For whatever reason (and I’ll write about it later), the Irish were spared that cultural contagion. So, having just left Ireland and arrived in Scotland, I’m having a bit of a culture shock. Because, yes. The difference is notable.
Imagine my surprise, when I arrived at the entrance to an enormous garden smack dab in the middle of Edinburgh, and I was told I couldn’t enter? “Why?” I asked, of the man busy washing the metal gate. Because apparently, wrought iron and painted gates need to be washed in wet, rainy Scotland? “They’re private,” he said, with a look of chagrin and a smile of apology. Confused, I asked what that meant? Even the Prince’s Garden in Bangkok is open to the public; free of charge, I might add! Public green spaces - open to the public - are common around the world, given that they offer important health benefits. “Only the people who live along the other side of the park,” the man explained, “or those who have offices in the building along Queen’s Street can use them, if they pay a joining fee.”
Just twenty-four hours ago, I stood atop a huge, rounded mountain, surrounded by freely roaming sheep (who wander in and out of town, as well). Finding one stuck (and within a few days of starving to death) in a deep, narrow hole in the ground, I’d pulled her free and filled the hole with nearby fence posts. Then, I’d gone into town to ask the owner of a popular Cafe if she’d know who the sheep belonged to? “Oh, there in the Commonage,” she said, airily, “all of the hilltops about here are public commons, grazed freely and available to all.”
And there you have it. Non-Roman Ireland = Shared Commons Roman Scotland = Privatized Green Spaces
Why do these locked away gardens remind me of blueberries? Simple. Where I live, in the PNW region of the Roman Empire 3.0, I’ve noticed something about how people tend to their blueberries. Maybe you’ve noticed this too? If not, take a look next time you see blueberry bushes that someone has protected with bird netting.
I’ve found, 100% of the time, that the berry bushes that are “protected” with bird netting have old berries all over the ground. Tons of them! Meaning, the people who are unwilling to share their blueberries with other creatures (humans or birds) are happy to expel energy and spend money controlling the food resource (hoard all the berries for themselves) but rarely do these types of people actually take the time (or feel a need) to harvest the berries each day.
The result is that birds (or hungry people) who wander by, are denied the food, while those who control it, squander it. Not all, I’m sure, and not always…but as a forager myself, I’ve been horrified by the waste of food, by those who greedily want to keep all the fruit for themselves.
In the same way, as I walked on hard slabs of tile, past huge gardens that went on for blocks, I noticed two things. First, the walls of the gardens had carefully manicured hedges that were so thick and rose so high that it was very hard to see through to the garden within. So, when the local, wealthy tenants were enjoying “their garden,” no one could see them without exerting some effort.
Well, I exerted that effort. What did I discover?
NO ONE WAS IN THE GARDENS.
Just like the rotting piles of delicious blueberries - coveted, hoarded and controlled - but not eaten.
If we are Roman, then what are our goals? What has the Roman Empire always striven to achieve? How has it gone about pursuing those goals? What seems to be the inevitable outcome? And, do we want to keep repeating that same theme, over and over again?
As you consider your place in the world — and how you feel about private gardens and rotting blueberries — let me leave you with one more reminder of how little has changes between then and now…
The patricians were the ruling class of the early Roman Empire. Only certain families were part of the patrician class and you had to be born a patrician. The patricians were only a small percentage of the Roman population, but they held all the power. All the other citizens of Rome were Plebeians.