Bread and Circuses I - a prologue

Bread and Circuses I - a prologue

I could have written my experience and the afterthought inspired by it, first, however, I decided to write a prologue. Its purpose is to help provide a little historical context that can lead you to understand my perspective as I pose a vital, reflective question about modern, advanced society and its mores today... stifled with a culture of avarice and early onsets of compassion fatigue. The popular culture seems embedded with and directly related to the socialization of happiness being gained in the procuring of better and varied things. Though, this pleasure is short-lived and causes a dependency that ensnares us in a cumbersome, endless, stress-filled pursuit of something it can in no way give us. I would dare say it is the cause of our misery. In my opinion, this is a promoted idea intended to be supportive of a capitalistic agenda meant to keep the technologically advancing engine of the Western World pumping, unfortunately at the cost of Stone Age lessons and admonitions that dwelled on the moral concepts of life and the primacy of relationships that formed in lieu of it. To make you juxtapose the place of things in your life and your own place in the face of these things, I begin.


Centuries ago, a Roman by the name of Juvenal coined the term, "bread and circuses" to denote the gradual deterioration of the informed and politically active Roman citizenry by way of constant and appealing entertainments. This strategic move succeeded in driving citizens from minding matters normally of great personal implication in a rational person's mind, like trading decisions, public policy amendments, and reasons for war campaigns. This was achieved by funding provisions made deliberately to placate the wariness and sensitivity of the population as socio-politically weighty moves were made by politicians. Essentially, they served as elaborate and widespread distractions. More context can be provided in the complete line as written 'Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt.' He was a poet of the satirical influence, who composed some 16 known poems in Latin. Although, to see what could have spurred this remark, I decided to look at the Roman politicians living at the time and the funded fun-filled projects that served their purpose. I'll discuss this further in the next blog - a continuance of the prologue.

"Sight is the most seductive sense of all," states a leading European marketing expert. "It often overrules the other senses, and has the power to persuade us against all logic."

~ The WatchTower Study Edition (April 15, 2010)

Kid Cudi or Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi does make a point about the idleness present in our quest to achieve some semblance of happiness. At least, that is what I gather from the cinematography. His song, "Pursuit of Happiness."