What Makes a Commodus?
In reading Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” I’ve come across one of the less savory, if not the most repugnant, emperors in Rome’s history by the name of Commodus. I hate to use such a strong word as repugnant because I realize that I have a good deal of shortcomings in my own life that others have suffered from. The difference here is that Commodus continually sought out that which was pleasing to his carnal nature even at the cost of others’ lives. He would literally have people killed on a whim, not uncommonly after treating them in some of the most depraved ways imaginable to the human mind. He ultimately met his demise by those who were nearest to him plotting and carrying out a murder.
Now there are all sorts of interesting things that are in this tale of Commodus, in regards to government, despotism, wielding of power poorly, etc. but something else, due to current circumstances in my little family has got me thinking. We are expecting child number three next month and this time around it is going to be a boy. We are all excited, I’m pretty sure the girls will love and take care of this little boy in a way that only they could. There is another side though that I think about.
This is a little boy we’re talking about. I’ve been told that boys are much more rambunctious than girls, and can be destructive. I wonder what little Jens, that is what we are naming him, will be like. How will he act? Will he be mild mannered or will he seek out destructive habits? I suppose he’ll be a good kid and will be a great leader in his life, his mild behavior in utero leads me to believe he will be mild and thoughtful.
However, what does one do when one gets a Commodus? If you look at Commodus’ life, you will see that his father did not lack in effort trying to persuade him to a more virtuous, less narrow-minded way of thinking. His father, Marcus Aurelius, was a pious leader who strove to do what was best for Rome. He is credited as being the last emperor of the great Pax Romana. He spared no expense in trying to help his son, he hired the best minds to come and tutor his son. Yet all of that fell by the wayside when Commodus came to power. In fact, there are stories that even when he was younger that he was unreasonable to his servants, even sentencing them to death at some minor displeasures.
Probably what that strikes in me is my own desire to control things. Like Marcus I would like to ensure that my child is able to see, truly see and feel within themselves, what is the better part of the world. Helping them to see what comes from expanding one’s mind with continual learning. Narrow mindedness begets vices. Seeking truth brings a lightness of being. How can they learn that from me if Commodus wouldn’t learn it from his father? I guess there’s no guarantee for anything that happens in the realm of humans, and that is probably my lesson to learn.