Cato the Elder: not the cheeriest guy in Rome, but one of the wisest
Marcus Porcius Cato, Cato the Elder, was the arch-conservative of Rome’s republic and used his considerable powers to preserve it, very likely gaining for it an extra hundred years. His great-grandson, Cato the Younger, gave his life trying to protect it from Caesar.
Cato the Elder had too much opposition ever to become an idol of the masses; and once upon a time, according to Plutarch, someone asked him why such a famous and important man as Cato didn’t have a statue in the Forum.
Cato’s answer: “I would rather people asked why I didn’t have a statue, than why I did.”
If you haven’t read Plutarch’s Lives, and would like a nice, thick book jam-packed with history, philosophy, and character study that’ll probably carry you through an entire year of fascinating reading–well, what are you waiting for?
You inspire me. I haven’t read the “Lives” in decades. Time to revisit it.
Some wise observations here.
He was a wise man. We seem to be reliving the end of the Roman Empire.
The Bible tells us, Wisdom is the principle things, therefore get wisdom. Wisdom is something is short supply in our country today. Our God is obviously shaking all those things that can be shaken so the things that can’t be shaken may remain.
IIRC there is a scripture along those lines. Something about shaking the nations until the desirable things come out. I try to be careful about not being alarmist, or seeing Armageddon behind every event, but whatever is happening right now is significant. Perhaps it’s a very real challenge to the freedoms under which we live, or perhaps God has allowed the strong spirit of delusion to overtake the unrighteous. Perhaps it is the masses, with one thought, giving over to the Beast. I don’t claim to know, but I believe it’s important to keep watch.
You can find it both in Isaiah and in Hebrews.