Aquila:The Public Roman Virtues (Nova Roma)

The Public Virtues have pretty much been ignored in the discussions of the Roman Virtues in the past. However, in my humble view, they are just as important as the Personal Virtues, in that we in the public eye as Citizens, Magistrates and Senators have a duty to Nova Roma and the memory of Rome to pursue to the best of our bility these virtues. As a Citizen, to me, these are the goals which I am willing to make my own, and work toward success, in some degree, in all of them.

I want to address "PAX" for just a moment. "PAX" as most of you are aware means "Peace" and the Public Virtues indicate that PAX is

"A celebration of peace among society and between nations."

Now, to me, society is us. That means every citizen, whether he or she be a Senator, Magistrate or Citizen. Peace to me means a thoughful, inciteful and polite response to questions which arise without the insults, name-calling and vicious retorts that has gone on here in Nova Roma in the past and have damaged the involvement of citizens to the extent that they have left NR. There are those who say, "if you cannot stand the heat get out of the kitchen." Well, that is what has happened in many cases, Citizens have "left the kitchen" as well as leaving NR as a whole. This is, in my view, is a situation which must be changed and those who cannot control themselves in thier comunications should somehow be restrained until they can carry o a conversation in civil terms.

Since the above problems leave deep scars in those who were exposed to them, these "scars" will not heal quickly and the memories of ill-treatment last a very long time in some of us. Disagreement arises often here in Nova Roma over historical fact, politics , religion, and other areas of endeavor.

However, in disagreement there is no need to resort to injurious language to make your point. I ask that all remember that your point is just that -- your point. Everyone has one together with thier individual their view of any situation that arises, and no-one here, to my knowledge, speaks for another or for an entire group of citizens. This was tried in the past, but every group has within it those who have thier own separate views about being "peaceful" and getting along. This to me, is the meaning of "PAX" as a public virtue.-- getting along. This has often been said, and just as ofen violated by those who do not attempt to pursue the Roman Virtues. It is my feeling that those who do not pursue these virtues are Roman Citizens in name only as thier obvious interest is not to be a citizen of Rome as the Virtues direct, but as a disruptive force to those who attempt to follow the Virtues.

The Virtues are a difficult model to follow, I admit. There are all-inclusive, and they govern most of what we as Nova Romans include in our lives as Roman Citizens. The Virtues remain as a goal for those of us who see themselves as Romans in the best sense of the word. Those who do not pursue these Virtues, I see as those who "play" at being a Citizen for thier own purposes and ends.

Each of those Virtues have their own requirements of each of us, and I for one embrace them fully. They serve as goals for me in my life both within Nova Roma and for my endeavors outside of her. As goals, I do not now, and I suppose I will never be able to say that I have attained them, but I do say that I am somewhere on the way toward these goals, and as I devote myself to pursuing these virtues, I discover more and more about them, This is the great adventure that I see in the pusuit of both the Personal and Public Virtues of Rome!

Marcus Minucius-Tiberius Audens Editor, "Aquila"