Thinking about history can lead to FOMO mortis
Some (wo)men think a lot about the Roman Empire and so should you. A word of warning, though. Too much thinking about history can lead to severe FOMO mortis.
A while back, women on TikTok joked about men thinking too much about the Roman Empire—sometimes even multiple times a day. They should really stop doing that—the women, I mean, not the men. It’s not necessarily a problem that men think about the Roman Empire. It’s a bigger problem that people generally don't think about history at all. Everyone should do it a lot more often.
History is a good foundation for better understanding the present and making educated guesses about the future. Not because everything repeats itself but because history helps us come at and interpret current events from many different angles. Plus, people are people and tend to tackle challenges in similar, if not precisely the same, ways no matter where and when they happen to live in history. Thinking about history can add depth and valuable perspectives to life.
There is, of course, a real risk of disappointment if you walk around reflecting on a Hollywood-style version of the Roman Empire, believing that's an accurate representation of history. But then again, that's a trap even the Romans fell into. They flocked to Sparta to live out their masculine fantasies, only to find that nothing was left of the city-state's former glory, apart from descendants of the legendary warriors. These descendants, presumably to their ancestors' horror, were more or less creatively reenacting historical Sparta to entertain wealthy Roman tourists. Disappointing. Today, Maximus, Titus, and the other guys would probably give their Spartan trip a mediocre review on Tripadvisor. But the world didn't end because of it.
Here's a lesson: Go ahead and think about the Roman Empire as much as you like, but remember that it was as complex and ever-changing as all other civilizations, including ours. Hollywood is great at many things but is generally a lousy historical guide. There are better guides out there. To keep myself updated, for instance, I got myself a copy of Professor Mary Beard's new book about the Roman emperors, Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World. I highly recommend it. Beard always delivers.
I think a lot about history. Usually, several times a day. I mostly think about ancient Egypt, though. But I’m no stranger to the Roman Empire. All sorts of historical periods pop up in my head every so often. It helps me better understand myself and the world around me - and it's fun. I asked around at a conference recently, and it turns out that the Cold War is the period of choice if you ask Swedish trade union representatives. At least the ones I asked. Which historical period do you think about the most?
The only downside to my love of history is that I get incredibly frustrated not being able to predict the future. I don't suffer much from a fear of death, but I most definitely suffer from not getting to know what happens next. It's like following a several thousand-year-long TV series and then missing out on the ending. I don't know if this fear has a fancy scientific name. I call it FOMO mortis. My wife doesn’t call it anything. She rolls her eyes.
With that said, stop shaming people who think about the Roman Empire in their everyday lives. Encourage them instead. It's an excellent activity. Even a busy assassin like Villanelle finds time for it in her packed schedule. That must count for something, right?