The Ides of March

Today is the Ides of March according to the Roman calendar. It is a date best known as the day that Julius Caesar was killed in 44B.C. For me however this date is best remembered because I had to study Shakespeare’s, “Julius Caesar” in school. For some reason what stuck in my head was the soothsayer’s warning to Caesar, “beware the Ides of March.”

I was never a fan of Shakespeare in school. It was filled with convoluted wording and difficult to understand concepts. I only learned to appreciate it later in life when I wasn’t forced to write boring essays on the subject. Now, however, I can genuinely say I like this particular play because it focuses on the main character’s struggle between right and wrong, friendship and politics, and the powerful influences of society.

These are the struggles we all face every day. We struggle with so much because we are human. It’s a part of who we are. Of course, we should never let that be an excuse to make the wrong choices or to allow society to influence us in a way that turns us from God. Instead we should always be aware of this weakness, to pray for strength so that we can continue the fight, and to always remember how much we need our Lord.