Beware the Ides of March.
According to Wikipedia, “the term ides was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July and October, and the 13th day of the other eight months.”
The Romans celebrated the Ides of March with a military parade dedicated to the god Mars; however modern society recognizes it as the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, by the Liberatores.
Marcus Tullius Cicero, while not one of the assassins, sympathized with the plot, believing that the killing of Julius Caesar was an act of liberation.
Liberation. Freedom. Liberty
Merriam-Webster defines liberty “as the quality or state of being free; the power to do as one pleases.”
Ah, what a love and fear relationship we have with the word Liberty.
- Love knowing that we have the choice to do whatever we want and the ability to break free from conventions, allowing us to soar to greater heights.
- Fear of making those choices that could fly in the face of what society thinks is right, and having others pull us down.
Society puts many pressures on us to conform to its standards. What society says is right will feel comfortable for some, but to others may feel like a too tight pair of shoes. Most of us know that while we may grin and bear it, we’re not going to be very happy, or go very far in those painful shoes.
A number of years ago I was introduced to a very interesting book, which is a collection of short stories about women breaking free from convention. Acts of Liberation — The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation) by Elizabeth Berg, will make you laugh, possibly shed a tear, and could hopefully inspire you to liberate yourself and step outside of your comfort zone.
What does liberation mean to you?
Does it mean dancing naked in your living room?
Could it mean ending a relationship (work or personal) that is making you ill?
Or is it choosing to do one thing differently each day in order to enrich your life?
When the time comes for me to pack up my coil, and head up to those pearly gates, I don’t want to look back and say “If only…”
Excuse me now, while I put on some music, kick off those too tight pair of shoes causing blisters, and go dance in my living room. Oh, and warning to my neighbours… I’m not closing the drapes this time.
What will you do today to liberate yourself? Let the Ides of March be the start of YOUR liberation, not your downfall.
Originally published at medium.com