The Murder of Caesar

In this course, we have tried to prepare you to understand and discuss important topics that are often in the news.

Sometimes the news is good news, but all too often we learn of problems and crises.

Once in a while, an event is extraordinary and will change the word. 

In this lesson, we focus on an event that changed history forever.

This historic event was the assassination of Rome's leader Julius Caesar.

We will never know how history might have been different had this event not taken place.

But we can speculate what caused it and how it might have been prevented.

One of the most famous assassinations in history was the assassination of Julius Caesar.

At the time of his death in 44 B.C, he was the leader of Roman Empire.

His title was Dictator for life, which meant he had absolute authority for as long as he lived.

He had gained this power through his successes as a military commander.

In fact, some historians considered him to be one of the greatest military commanders in history.

Once gaining in power, he fought against corruption and began to restructure the government.

For example, he increased the number of senators and changed how they were chosen.

Instead of being elected, they could be appointed, even if they were not from Rome.

This action reduced the power of individual senators and shifted the power to Caesar himself.

In doing so, he created many enemies, especially among the aristocracy.

However, he also had many admirers, who supported his efforts to end the corruption.

Caesar was stabbed to death by a group of Roman senators on March 15, 44 BC.

He was scheduled to leave Rome, 3 days later, to fight in another war.

He had appointed members of his army to rule the empire while he was away.

This action angered many of Roman senators, who didn’t want to take orders from Caesar’s subordinates.

He should have been aware that many of the senators hated him, but he dismissed the security force not long before his assassination.

If he hadn’t dismissed it, the assassination attempt might not have succeeded.

On the day of his assassination, it is reported that Caesar may have been handed a warning notes as he entered in Senate.

If he did receive such a note, he didn’t read it.

it seems as if he was in a state of denial and refused to recognize the danger that was facing him.

Once he had entered the Senate, he was surrounded by senators holding daggers, or knives.

The first blow hit Caesar in his neck and drew blood. 

Then the other senators joined in and stabbed him repeatedly until he fell to the floor and died.

In total, he suffered 23 knife wounds.

With his death, power shifted to his adopted son, Octavian, who vowed revenge against the assassins.

Eventually, several of the leading assassins were either killed or committed suicide.

After a power struggle, Octavian strengthened his position as a leader and ruled the empire for many years.

In the end, Caesar’s attempts to end corruption failed.

JFK Assassination

One of the most historic events of the 20th century was the assassination of US President, John Kennedy.

Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States, serving as President from January 1961 until November 1963.

During his time in office, the US entered the space race with the Soviet Union.

Kennedy pledged that the US would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

Unfortunately,  he never lived to see this happen.

In October of 1962, the US and the Soviet Union came dangerously close to entering a full-scale nuclear war.

This event was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Kennedy's skillful handling of the situation, along with that of his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, helped save the world from a nuclear catastrophe.

Following this event, his approval rating in the United States improved from 66% to 77%.

To many, he was considered to be the type of leader who could build a better world.

On November 22, 1963, Kennedy's presidency came to a sudden and tragic end.

He was shot and killed while riding in a motorcade in a city of Dallas, Texas.

Kennedy and his wife were sitting in an open car, waving to a large crowd of people when he was shot.

They were sitting in an open car, with no protection, because the sky was clear.

It had rained until about 10 a.m., but then the sun came out.

If the sky hadn’t cleared, there would have been a bubble top, or clear roof, on the car.

This would have prevented the assassination.

Kennedy wanted it down so that he could be closer to the crowds who were there to greet him.

 Another factor that contributed to the assassination was the route of the motorcade through the city.

The route was published several days earlier in the local newspapers.

The motorcade was to pass through downtown Dallas and round a sharp corner near the building where the assassin worked.

From that building, there was a clear view of the president’s car.

If the route had been different, the assassination probably wouldn’t have taken place.

The president was struck by 2 bullets, but it was the second one that probably killed him.

That was the fatal shot.

It opened a massive wound in his head.

Sitting beside him, his wife’s last words to his husband were, 'Jack, Jack, can you hear me? I love you Jack.'

The assassin’s quick shots were incredibly accurate.

If the fatal shot had been off by just a little, Kennedy might have survived.

So if any of these factors had been different, history would have changed.

Kennedy’s death disillusioned many Americans who had been inspired by his vision for the future.

With his death, a whole generation of Americans woke up to a reality where their dreams for a brighter future had been shattered.

Taking Care of the Elderly

I’m sorry to hear about your father.

I hope he died peacefully.

Emm. He knew it was coming and he had a good life.

He’d been sick for about a year.

Luckily, there wasn’t much pain.

So how is your mother?

She isn’t taking it well.

Even though she knew it was coming, she has a hard time without him.

She says the house seems so empty, and she feels useless.

I can imagine. Does she have many friends?

She has a few but she’s never been very social.

Maybe she’ll get out a bit more now, but I don’t think that’s very likely.

She’s also beginning to lose her memory.

Oh, that’s too bad.

My mom is losing her memory too.

Sometimes she doesn’t know who I am.

She mixed me up with my sister.

Does she live by herself?

She did until about a year ago.

Then we had her come and stay with us.

How is that working out?

It was okay at first, but now with her memory problems, it isn’t working.

We are thinking about putting her into a senior living community.

It’s expensive but it can provide her with the support she needs.

We may have to do that too.

My husband and my mother don’t get along at all.

He can’t relax when she’s around.

When I mentioned it to him, he said he would consider it, but only if it were for a very short time.

Well, I’m sorry you have to deal with it.

It doesn’t seem like there are any good choices.

Emm, I’m afraid that’s right.

We are getting older too.

This is another reminder of our mortality.

We are no longer children, so now it’s our turn to take care of our parents.

The way I see it is a reminder for us to enjoy life while we can.

If you like, I can send you information about some senior communities.

Please do. We need to start making plans.

There are waiting lists to get into some of them, so you shouldn’t wait to apply.

The Murder of Caesar

Should a good leader be loved or feared? This question is as relevant to leaders today as it was to Julius Caesar when he took control of Rome in 44 BC. How Caesar treated his enemies is a valuable lesson on forgiveness, arrogance, and absolute power.

After Caesar seized power, he had to decide how to handle those who opposed him. Roman politics had always been bloody. The previous dictator had murdered 5,000 of his rivals and confiscated their property after coming to power. Caesar’s enemies expected a similar punishment.

But Caesar was determined not to rule through fear. If he were to reform the government, he would need the support of the people. So he made a fateful decision: rather than punish or kill his enemies, he offered them mercy and incentives. He didn’t seize their property, and he even rewarded some of them with high-ranking government positions. However, not all of his enemies wanted to be forgiven. Caesar’s rivals came from the aristocracy. Many had held power in the Senate for centuries. By expanding and reforming the Senate, Caesar had shifted power away from the aristocracy and taken it for himself. The high-ranking positions he had given as rewards had no real authority. For the aristocracy, to live without power was not forgiveness, but humiliation.

Caesar should have known that many senators hated him, but his arrogance seems to have blinded him. After he made himself dictator for life, he proclaimed himself a god and consolidated more power. These actions infuriated his enemies and even his allies. However, he still considered many senators to be his loyal friends. He even dismissed his personal security force. Ironically, when he was assassinated, it was his good friend, Brutus, who led the plot.

Perhaps it is better for a leader to be feared. If Caesar hadn’t let his rivals live, he might not have been murdered. But was forgiveness the problem? Caesar’s reforms took power from the aristocracy, and his arrogance angered both friends and enemies. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so arrogant, or acted like a god, he would have survived.

Urban Elderly Care in India

Lack of adequate care for senior citizens is a real issue in India that cuts across economic and social strata. Many of us have personally lived through and experienced it with our parents and elders. Most senior citizens, especially those who live independently, are unable to get the care and trusted support they need. As a result, they compromise on their needs and lifestyle. Their children or caregivers are forced to spend disproportionate time, and/or resources to support them. So much so, that many women are forced to stay away from the workforce to take care of elders at home.

The imminent demographic, economic, and social changes that accompany the growing population of senior citizens, together with the rising aspirations of the young, leading to more women in the workforce, are rapidly driving up the magnitude of this problem.

If we look at numbers, India is home to 115 million elderlies, which is more than 8% of the population. Many of us don’t realize it, but that puts India into the category of “aging” countries. While India’s overall population will grow by about 40% from 2006 to 2050, the population of the oldest elderly, 80 plus, will grow 500% over the same period. This should be enough to make one take notice. Engaging with the elderly will become one of the biggest areas of work in the country. Some may see this as a challenge and some as a huge opportunity.

Businesses have attempted to address this only sporadically, with emotional advertising that features a poignant conversation involving an elderly grandparent. But there has been very little effort to provide products and services. The reasons for such apathy, especially among entrepreneurs, are not difficult to guess. Many feel that the elderly are cynical, not open to experiment and not willing to spend. Investors see bigger opportunities for exponential growth in addressing young, upwardly mobile consumers.

Still, I’m left with the question of why aren’t more products and services designed for the elderly?

I sense a problem looking for the solution.