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Three cheers for Thuli

CINCINNATI, Ohio… that’s not a Native American word, like Massachusetts, Mississippi and Minnesota.

No, its origin lies in ancient Rome. Cincinnatus was a renowned soldier living way, way BC – I always picture him with a rather grim look on his face, because he is regarded as a model of Roman virtue and civic duty. He was ploughing his fields when the senators came to ask for his help: the neighbouring Aequi were causing serious trouble, trapping Roman generals and invading and causing panic in the streets.

They offered Cincinnatus a dictatorship for six months, with the sort of powers you’d expect along with that title. (Like, total.) Cincinnatus abandoned his plough. Within two weeks he’d dealt with the situation (mercifully, too: he permitted the Aequi to live as long as they admitted they were conquered).

And then – here’s the bit that gained him immortality – he resigned the dictatorship, going home to the farm. Could’ve used those extraordinary powers to – I dunno? Build him a massive mansion, maybe. Or get his kith and kin into high-powered possies. Or entrench himself so thoroughly that he became an emperor and the republic was no more. You know. As one does.

Yeah. Guess why lately I’ve been thinking about Cincinnatus and a few of the other Romans I learnt about in my teens?

I’m one of the last people in South Africa who did Latin and ancient history at school and at university.

Which played a part in forming my own moral universe, alongside influences like Gandalf the Grey, The Sword in the Stone, and the work of Kupugani (Kupugani operated for some 35 years from 1962, assisting deeply impoverished families; my mother helped out occasionally, and its work for some reason left a deep footprint in my childish heart).

The ancient Roman concept of ‘civic duty’ or ‘virtue’ was a noble, manly thing (they weren’t feminists, those good ol’ boys) which comprised prudence, justice, temperance or self-control and courage.

Initially it was all about the courage and character of the warrior – like self-sacrificing Horatius, who held off invaders standing alone on the bridge across the Tiber, to the death:

Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
“To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods?”
(Thomas Macaulay, Lays of Ancient Rome)

Froo-hah.

Eventually virtue came to mean the qualities of a good man, someone who placed duty to the SPQR (Senate and People of Rome) above commercial gain or personal desires.

So solidly did this imbue Roman thinking that doing things for the people of Rome and her glory became the way to gain political power – many a public works project had its origin in the desire of a Pompey or Caesar to be seen as a great man in the eyes of his fellow Romans. Yes, not entirely virtuous – but better to spend inordinate funds on an aqueduct for the people than a mansion for the politician, neh?

The founding fathers of the USA admired this virtue – hence the naming of Cincinnati. And where’s that virtue gone, asks this American? “Name me the Congressman who would stand for country over party, in true Horatius fashion[…]. Find me the politician who’d be willing to fall on his sword during an election year to see an important issue gain traction in Congress. Where is the Cincinnatus who would pick up the mantle of governance when called on and do his duty without thought [of] personal elevation or growth? These men no longer exist. They died out when our young revolutionary spirit aged into a wheezy, croaking middle-aged hegemonic power.”

Where has this virtue gone?

Yeah. And where are South Africa’s men and women of honour? The only exemplar of civic virtue that I can think of offhand is Thuli Madonsela. Or Horatia Madonsela, if you like, standing alone on the bridge, sword of justice in hand.

Unlike Julius Malema. The motivations of Juju, I suspect, run the gamut from utter self-interest to a smidgeon of true patriotism. Madonsela’s actions seem to be motivated by nothing but a pure sense of duty, of responsibility, of real patriotism. Civic virtue.

For the rest? I feel like Diogenes the Cynic with his lamp, searching for an honest man….

Of course, we’re just following the model that has swept the world, the one that places the interests of the individual above all else – with a score sheet that reflects little but wealth.

And it’s not just the politicians, let’s turn Diogenes’ lamp on us – the business people, the employees, the workers. If we want people in power who are virtuous, we have to be virtuous ourselves, you know. We have to – as the saying goes – be the change we want to see in the world.

By placing our duty to society above our own desires. By being honest. By remaining true to our principles even when no one else is watching. And acting on them.

People ignoring building codes, safety standards and regulations can be dangerous, for instance (see recent building collapses). Colluding on prices, faking research, taking or giving bribes or backhanders… all of these things are threats to society.

Would you call out someone doing something immoral, something wrong, something that might be harmful to the community? I hope I would. And I wish more people would emulate our own Horatia in their business dealings.

 - Fin24

*Mandi Smallhorne is a versatile journalist and editor. Views expressed are her own. Follow her on twitter.


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