Julius and Brutus

March is historically referred to as the “Ides of March” –a month of fortune.
The “Ides of March” marked the first full moon of a new year. Ironically, during the late Roman Republic, a new year’s festival was held where people would gather a mile outside of Rome on the Via Flaminia by the banks of the Tiber River.
Participants celebrated with food, wine, and music and offered sacrifices to the Roman deity Anna Perenna for a happy and prosperous new year to come.
History says March 15 is a date that people all over Rome loathed and would never forget. Bayad-utang, it was a debt settlement time. It was the day that Julius Caesar was making his speech “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!”
Before he could finish, he was ganged up and back-stabbed 23 times in the senate by his friend, Brutus.
So, if you were a big JC-Hail-Ceasar fan and believer, March 15 is going to be a bad one, thus the soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar to “Beware the ides of March.”
Come to think of it, he could have said “Beware the knives of stabbers!” Hail Ceasar!
No truth though of the pun that Julius Caesar’s dying words was “name… a salad…. after me…ahh” or when you order a Caesar Salad in a fancy restaurant, stab it repeatedly with a knife and you will feel the spirit of Brutus.
In the movie adaptation of Shakespeare, the reason why Brutus killed his pal was because he abused his power as a dictator, damaged democracy, and turned the Roman Republic into an authoritarian state. So instead of being a heel, he became a hero instead!
The lesson though is about betrayal and how it hurts deeply especially when it comes from people you consider as friends or even family.
Jesus had Judas, President Bongbong Marcos had exponentially thousands, and me maybe one or two, although compensated by a few, nay, many good men and women who are loyal to the end. Walang iwanan!
While we are discussing issues about betrayal, Julius Caesar himself betrayed his wife Pompeia when it was suggested that she was having an extramarital affair and Caesar divorced her saying that, although he knew nothing of the affair, Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.
Nevertheless, Caesar divorced Pompeia, saying, “My wife ought not even to be under suspicion”. It gave rise to a proverb, “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion”, meaning if one is romantically involved with a famous or prominent figure, one must avoid attracting negative attention or scrutiny.
The lessons are not forgotten but one has to move on and show that whatever trauma one has over past actions can come out to be good too. But not all bad things come out of this historically awful time though.
There is a better world ahead. We must overcome adversity and will bounce back ready to face more challenging situations, with fortitude, courage, unshaken, and determined.
Sigh.