Saturday, April 21, 2012

Rome and You


Today, April 21st, Rome - the Eternal City - was "born" in 753BC,  according to the legend you might know about the twins who were adopted by a she-wolf. Every year I punctually remember this date and my mind goes back to the ancient civilizations, empires, super-powers of the past eras. They all rose to the top, stayed there for a while, then fell. Pharaohs reigned, Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar conquered. They were the strongest, the mightiest of the whole world and.... their empires crumbled down and faded away. New powers appeared, stayed and...went. Can this reflection teach us, teach you something more "personal"? I believe it can. The lesson is about what not to do. You, too, grow, become successful, achieve your goals but, beware, you can also "fall". You may not lose your gains but you may lose your peace of mind, your integrity, your spiritual freedom. What to do? Stay focused, avoid selfishness, don't let yourself get stuck in a rut, keep moving, keep learning, endeavor to maintain your goals beneficial to yourself as well as to others. Remember: the ancient empires collapsed because their habits and behaviors degenerated. And it might happen again, even in our own days. But you, I, they, we can all avoid making the same mistake. 

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