英语课文The assassination of Caesar

英语课文The assassination of Caesar

6-2-3 The Assassination of Caesar／Urban Elderly Life

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.

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 elderly, 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 a solution.

sporadically 偶尔

poignant conversation 令人心碎的谈话

apathy 冷漠

cynical 愤世嫉俗的

exponential 指数