It doesn't take a party with scantily clad young ladies to make an old man happy. I go for the simpler aspects of life. One of these is to meet up three or four times weekly with a group of men at a golf driving range in Westerville, Ohio. Sitting benches abound so there's plenty of room to sit while fellas swing the golf clubs. We also solve the problems of the world. Mostly, we'll talk about recent sporting events or what the heck is wrong with the world.
Because there are eight or ten of us flailing away at the little white ball our numbers vary as do our opinions on a variety of subjects. There are two hitting mats in each heated cubicle and a guy named Jimmy was giving his views about the current state of affairs in the world and one of his comments brought back a memory from my high school western civilization teacher, Coach Parr. I don't know why I would remember words of an instructor from 1961 but I did. Coach Parr was telling us about the Roman Empire and the reasons for its failure. He cited the noted English historian, Arnold Toynbee, who at the time was the be all end all when it came to that empires demise.
Anyway, my 9th grade memory clicked in and I mentioned how it could be possible that the downfall of the Roman Empire had much in common with our nation today. Immediately after I made the statement I could see Jimmy's eyes widen so I knew I had him. I went on to give him the reasons for our possible downfall and how they compare with what happened beginning with the time of Jesus Christ.
I might be wrong about my statements but I don't think so. I have just enough factual information in my brain to prove the old adage that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I also know that in order to go through life without cares it might be best to hang onto the other saying: ignorance is bliss. Regardless, check through Toynbee's reasons for failure and see if there are valid comparisons. https://www.history.com/news/8-reasons-why-rome-fell
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