Imago Dei // Moriah Nelson
I found this week’s selection from Livy to be an interesting read
and I am curious to hear the thoughts discussed in class on Tuesday.
I was struck by the impactful speeches given to rationalize each of
the dueling sides. Canuleius’s speech given in favor of allowing plebeians to
have more rights included this statement:
“Do you ever realise in what contempt you are living? They would
rob you of your share in this daylight, if they could. They are indignant
because you breathe and utter speech and wear the form of men. Why! Heaven
forgive me, they actually say that it would be an act of impiety for a plebeian
to be made consul!”
This portion of the speech alone brings to mind the problem humans
have struggled with since the Fall: not valuing human life. Often, we see it in
the form of racism or the pro-choice vs. pro-life debate, but here we see
dissension between two classes. I’m reminded of the fact that this problem of
the heart is still a relevant problem today and should leave us broken for the
world. We must be advocates for valuing human life as image bearers of God
(Imago Dei, anyone?) and the way we treat others should reflect how God values
every individual.
At the end of the selection, we see Canuleius was successful in
passing his laws but the people who wanted these laws to pass wouldn’t even
vote for the plebeians. Just something to keep in mind as it seemed equality
among people had been grasped but it really had not been achieved.
I commented on Joshua and Eliza's posts.
Sometimes change comes as two steps forward and one step back. There have been many laws passed through the years that were good but were hard make the people obey or did little to solve the problem. The people`s hearts must be truly changed for true change to happen.
ReplyDeleteWhen you think about it, despite all the differences in the world and things that divide and make us unique, what we all have in common is our humanity. I often sit and think, after seeing messages of hate or news that saddens, how we can ignore this simple fact. How much more could we achieve, how much more love in the world would there be if we all realized we need each other! (but I'm an optimist)
ReplyDeleteWhen you think about it, despite all the differences in the world and things that divide and make us unique, what we all have in common is our humanity. I often sit and think, after seeing messages of hate or news that saddens, how we can ignore this simple fact. How much more could we achieve, how much more love in the world would there be if we all realized we need each other! (but I'm an optimist)
ReplyDelete- Phillip Vo
I feel like that the people who wanted change for the plebeians , genuinely wanted change. However, the overarching fear of being punished or looked down upon when advocating for them could have kept them from going after their agenda
ReplyDelete