Government corruption is not a new phenomenon. It has been in existence every since man instituted the association we now called a body politic. Government is not a human entity although it is made up of human beings. It is a legal organization that gives and takes its strength and power from the laws and regulations it establishes for itself. The whole idea of a government body reeks with the idea of corruption. It, by its very nature lends itself to provide an opportunity for general abuse of those who it is supposed to be governing.
Government cannot create anything. It can only authorize, establish, or revoke (steal) those resources and assets that have been created by honest labor, effort, and thought of other productive people that are being regulated by the out-stretched tentacles of its own authority.
Among the any and all things available to a controlling governmental body, hard assets and individual rights of those being governed are the most usual and common things confiscated by a governing body politic.
The story and facts of this discussion tell the truth behind a most unlikely thing ever to be stolen….namely…..time!
The early Romans used the moon as a measure of the months. That led to a twelve month year that came up short, with only 355 days. In an effort to keep the seasons of the year straight, the custom of occasionally adding extra weeks and months was instituted. However, such a practice easily provided government authorities the potential and opportunity for mischief to be implemented. The temptation for manipulation was just too great.
Corrupt public officials without a good moral foundation, began to manipulate the calendar so as to enable them to prolong their terms in office and shorten the terms of their hated rivals. In essence, these public officials were stealing time to further their own political purposes. How much change has really taken place over the centuries of man’s existence? By the year 46 B.C. the Roman year was more than two months off. That’s when Emperor Julius Caesar took charge. He mandated a new solar calendar, making the year 365 days long. He changed New Year’s Day from March 1 to January 1, and added an extra day every four (4) years.
Opponents grumbled that Caesar, not content with ruling the earth, was now trying to command the heavens above. In order to bring the calendar back on track, Caesar added two extra months to the year 46 B.C.–sticking them in between November and December. He also squeezed in an extra three weeks between February and March. The result was a year such as no one had ever seen before–445 days long. In Rome this forever became known as the “year of confusion,” even though, Caesar himself was quick to point out, it was actually the year the confusion came to an end.
Connected Points
In the Roman calendar, days were divided into 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. So a daytime “hour” on a long summer day might be the equivalent of an hour and 15 minutes today, whereas an hour on a winter day might be as short as 45 minutes.
Caesar might never have cleaned up the calendar if it hadn’t been for his most famous lover, the beguiling Cleopatra. It was she who introduced Caesar to the Egyptian astronomer Sosigenes, who explained the idea of a calendar based on the sun, then traveled to Rome to help Caesar put it into effect.
Very Important Truth of Life
Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and millennium all flow together to comprise what we know today to be time. There are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in a hour, 24 hours in a day, 30 days in a month, 12 months in a year, 10 years in a decade, 100 years in a century, and 10 centuries (or 1,000 years) in a millennium.
You cannot save time. It always is moving on. You cannot invest time so as to make a return of more time. You can spend time. You can waste it. But the best way to deal with the use of time is to insure that you wisely use time in a productive manner and way……in the love, care and service to other people,…all to the glory and honor of God.
Learn More, Know More, and Become More………………..