never at heart’s ease
loves no plays, hears no music …
very dangerous
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much,
He is a great observer, and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men. He loves no plays,
As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music;
Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort
As if he mocked himself and scorned his spirit
That could be moved to smile at anything.
Such men as he be never at heart’s ease
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,
And therefore are they very dangerous.
From Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Act 1 Scene 2, Caesar is speaking.
Not naming names, pointing fingers but asking does this passage bring anyone to mind?
I would bet it does but I am not naming anyone.
But it put me in mind of asking about qualifications for public office.
The Constitution of United States is as about as barebones of the qualifications for for the high public offices of both Congress and Executive branch as you could get.
“No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States“
“No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.“
“No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.”
The only difference in any of these is age based on the argument that the older you get the smarter you get.
It was Garrison Keillor I think, who wanted to ask politicians (but it might have been lecturers) if they had a dog and what kind of dog it was.
Mr. Lincoln told the story of a friendly Kentuckian he once rode with in a carriage. The man offered Lincoln a chew of tobacco. Then a cigar. And finally a sip of brandy. Each offer was politely declined. As they were parting, the Kentuckian said good-humoredly: “See here, stranger, you’re a clever but strange companion. I may never see you again, and I don’t want to offend you, but I want to say this: my experience has taught me that a man who has no vices has damned few virtues. Good-day.”
What might I want to know?
What qualifications might I put in place?
I could embrace the list presented by Big Bill in this speech of Julius Caesar’s in the his play of the same name.
Someone who heard music.
Someone who saw plays.
Someone who smiled.
Someone who could put their heart at ease even when they were in a room with someone greater than themselves.
Boy Howdy, I would settle just for someone who could put their heart at ease.
Lastly on the list I would go to another line of the play.
A line spoken by Brutus.
A funny thing about Brutus but I always took him to be the bad guy and Julius Caesar to have been the injured party.
I took the famous Et tu Brute as an indictment of the selfish, evil man Brutus was.
Truly it isn’t until late that I have come to understand the Mr. Caesar was like this feller in the news I alluded to.
And that Mr. Caesar was devoted to Mr. Caesar and all things Caesar at the expense of all and anything else.
Which brings me to that last qualification for office that Brutus brings to mind.
When asked why he did it, why he rose against Caesar, why didn’t he love Caesar, Brutus replies:
” … not that I loved Caesar less,
but that I loved
Rome more.”
No Haiku For You 