Today, I am thankful for those cautionary tales that teach us the importance of integrity.
In our lives, we should act with integrity – that is, the ability to do what is right, even when others aren’t watching. Folks like Washington, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, & Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) are all salient exemplars of persons acting with integrity.
Yet, we should not just learn from those who do what is just. We should also heed the lessons learned from those who disregard the righteous path. On this day (Jan 9) in 49 BC, a Roman general who had conquered the Gallic & Briton empires made a fool-hearty decision. After his victories, as was the custom, Julius Caesar was asked by the Roman Senate to dissolve his army before returning home – that is, before he crossed the Rubicon River in Northern Italy. Always aspiring for the next best thing, Caesar ignored the plea and crossed the shallow Rubicon with his entire army, even boldly noting ‘the die is cast.’ He pressed forward, ultimately conquering Rome, depleting the Senate of its power, and brazenly proclaiming himself as Rome’s Dictator & the “Prefect of the Morals.”
Indeed, Caesar was always looking forward, with his eyes cast on the next prize. Perhaps he should have turned around to see what was behind him. For, on the Ides of March, in 44 BC, his own confidante Brutus stabbed Caesar in the back.
If you remember nothing else from this tale, remember what MLK once said:
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