No Turning Back

Ah. I know what you all are thinking. I know, I did not write a post yesterday. I apologize profusely, and can only ask for forgiveness. You see, yesterday was extremely busy, and I did not even have an hour to sit down and write. Therefore, I must write an extra post by Friday to make up for it.

Today would ordinarily be another post about Uber, focusing on cash. However, I just was in a heated debate over the phrase "crossing the Rubicon." I was under the impression that it was a well-known phrase, but no one at the dinner table seemed to understand. Well, since you're invested in my blogs now, I am sure you'll read it sooner or later. Therefore, today I thought I would discuss this saying's history and implications.

The phrase "crossing the Rubicon" basically means making an important decision with consequences you can't come back from. For context, at our AYCE dinner, we ordered our third round of meats. Since we would get charged for anything we didn't eat, I had jokingly said that we had crossed the Rubicon. The real Rubicon is a river that ran between the Roman Empire and Italy. This metaphor originates from a crucial moment in history when Julius Caesar crossed it in 49 BC. I promise I will explain how the simple act of crossing a river had a lasting impact on Rome and the Western world.

I'm sure we all know who Julius Caesar is. At this point in history, he is Governor of the regions covering modern-day France and Belgium. Over a decade, he expanded Roman territory through a series of campaigns that made him immensely popular among the Roman people. Unfortunately, these same campaigns garnered mistrust in the Senate, as they were threatened by his growing power. Therefore, they ordered him to disband his army and return to Rome as a private citizen.

The Rubicon River, as mentioned earlier, marked the boundary between his provincial command and Italy. However, this river represented more than just a physical line; crossing it with an army meant declaring war on the Senate and the Republic. While Caesar led his troops across in January of 49 BC, he uttered the famous phrase "Alea iacta est", which translates to "The die is cast", acknowledging the irreversible nature of his actions. This decision led directly to a civil war, from which he emerged as the dictator of Rome.

The implications of crossing the Rubicon were monumental and far-reaching. In terms of politics, it triggered a series of civil wars that would eventually lead to the fall of the Roman Republic. Under his rule, Caesar transformed the structure of the government, which set a precedent for the development of the empire.

Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon also challenged the Roman values of legal authority, as he defied the Senate. This also marks a pivotal moment in the rise of autocracy, a government system in which one person is in power. Crossing the Rubicon was a critical moment in the story of Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire.

So now, perhaps you understand the far-reaching implications of ordering so much at dinner. Currently, I am struggling to keep my eyes open as vast amounts of sodium course through me. We did cross the Rubicon, although perhaps my decision-making isn't that of Caesar's. Anyway, I hope you found this as interesting as I did, and perhaps this famous phrase will re-emerge in everyday language.