I’m feeling optimistic and confident today. So here’s a little bit of history and an allegory.
Today in 64 (the year 64, I mean) was the beginning of the Great Fire of Rome. Two-thirds of the city burnt down and was subsequently rebuilt by the Emperor Nero and his minions. More his minions than him, although he did appropriate enough of the Palatine hill for himself so that he could build himself a house that would have made Aaron Spelling jealous. It got blamed on Christians, although that looks like it was not a fair cop in retrospect.
Coincidentally, I listened this morning to a lecture about Tudor and Stuart England, describing the Great Fire of London of 1666. (The anniversary date of that tragic incident was not today.) It started out small; so small that the Lord Mayor went to sleep after seeing the flames, announcing that it was “but a trifle; a woman could piss it out.” Turns out, no, not so much. One week later, three-quarters of London, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, most of the financial center and the ancient Roman walls, were all destroyed or rendered useless.
Both Rome and London came back after these immense disasters, better than before, bigger than before, and most importantly, to go on to become the centers of civilizations even richer and more powerful than they had been before these huge setbacks. It got me thinking — sometimes you have to go through some tough times, but in the end if you work hard you can bounce back from them and things are better than they ever were before. It worked for Rome, it worked for London. It worked for Chicago and San Francisco, too.
There’s no reason that can’t work on the individual level, too. This doesn’t mean you welcome the fire, but it does mean you push as hard as you can to recover. Just a bit of inspiration to make the day brighter.
