A FRACTURED FAIRY TALE
Once upon a time there was a mighty nation that had ruled unimpeded for over two hundred years. It grew to be a superpower and it spread its style of government throughout the regions where it had influence. The leader of this nation believed with all his heart that every people and nation wanted to have the same kind of government and the same kind of lifestyle as he and his people enjoyed in their land.
Everything was good in the mighty nation. The people enjoyed a previously unknown degree of freedom and wealth. But while they were living their happy lives a power was rising in the East, in the land once known as Persia. A powerful leader arose and united many peoples against the mighty superpower. There were attacks against the mighty nation and many were killed. Something had to be done.
The leader of the superpower nation decided he had to build up his armies. This decision was to create both fiscal and political disaster at home. He issued new tax laws requiring people to cut back on their comfortable lifestyles. The people were not happy. The larger armies continued to fail in their effort to put down the new, powerful movement in the East. The citizens of the mighty nation began to feel like their leader might be wasting their resources. Their freedoms were being curtailed. Larger and larger armies were required and more and more of their men were being killed.
It seemed like the war with the people of the East might never be won. But the leader of the mighty nation would never give up. He sent more armies and more commanders to the East while things began to fall apart in the homeland. Eventually, after two generations of sending armies against the people of the East, there was peace. But the mighty nation had invested so much in the battle that it was weakened beyond repair. A new enemy arose and within a matter of years the mighty nation fell to this enemy.
Does this story sound familiar to you? It should. It is the account of the beginning of the fall of the Roman Empire. Emperor Valerian fell to the King Shapur I of Persia beginning a long struggle between Rome and Persia which resulted in the division of the Empire into its two parts, East and West. Finally, Constantine and Diocletian subdued Persia only to find the barbarians (Huns, Vandals, Goths, Visigoths, and Alans) swarming across their northern borders.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Everything was good in the mighty nation. The people enjoyed a previously unknown degree of freedom and wealth. But while they were living their happy lives a power was rising in the East, in the land once known as Persia. A powerful leader arose and united many peoples against the mighty superpower. There were attacks against the mighty nation and many were killed. Something had to be done.
The leader of the superpower nation decided he had to build up his armies. This decision was to create both fiscal and political disaster at home. He issued new tax laws requiring people to cut back on their comfortable lifestyles. The people were not happy. The larger armies continued to fail in their effort to put down the new, powerful movement in the East. The citizens of the mighty nation began to feel like their leader might be wasting their resources. Their freedoms were being curtailed. Larger and larger armies were required and more and more of their men were being killed.
It seemed like the war with the people of the East might never be won. But the leader of the mighty nation would never give up. He sent more armies and more commanders to the East while things began to fall apart in the homeland. Eventually, after two generations of sending armies against the people of the East, there was peace. But the mighty nation had invested so much in the battle that it was weakened beyond repair. A new enemy arose and within a matter of years the mighty nation fell to this enemy.
Does this story sound familiar to you? It should. It is the account of the beginning of the fall of the Roman Empire. Emperor Valerian fell to the King Shapur I of Persia beginning a long struggle between Rome and Persia which resulted in the division of the Empire into its two parts, East and West. Finally, Constantine and Diocletian subdued Persia only to find the barbarians (Huns, Vandals, Goths, Visigoths, and Alans) swarming across their northern borders.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
2 Comments:
So Shilohman- where's your book? I'll buy it!
What you say is so true!I seem to remember something about pride going before a fall...
That is very good. But you could almost say the same thing about the Cold War between us and the former Soviet Union. Basically, somebody "wins" and somebody else "loses." History repeats itself over and over again whether we remember it or not. At least that's my own observation and for some reason I had to share it here with you. Perhaps it's just to be 'neighborly!'
-SC
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