Like Rome
/Our western culture has a unique fascination with Ancient Rome. For all intents and purposes, Rome is viewed as the standard by which all other civilizations are measured. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself how often you’ve heard (or said) the following:
”Rome wasn’t built in a day”
“All roads lead to Rome”
”When in Rome..”
I read a very interesting article this week about the concept of cultural decadence and this quote by W.H. Auden highlighted something insightful about our current culture:
What fascinates and terrifies us about the Roman Empire is not that it finally went smash…(what fascinates and terrifies us is) it managed to last for four centuries without creativity, warmth, or hope.
Imagine a world without love, possibility or beauty. Now, imagine that as the norm for generations. What will future generations say about us?