Cultivate Your Own Garden

,Born on Jauuary 3rd 106 B.C., Marcus Tullius Cicero was a great Roman lawyer, rhetor and statesman, the father of constitutionalism, defender of thc Republic during a time of civil strife, author of numerous philosophical works and treatises, many of which have a message for people living today, among them On Old Age, discussed below. The maxim, cultivate your own garden appears in a scene in Voltaire’s Candide, which means that one should put one’s own affairs in order before interferring in someone else’s.

The phrase appeared for the first time in Cicero’s treatise On Old Age, which he wrote during the winter of 45-44 B.C. when he was taking a short break from politics.Here are some opinions on Cicero:

“He taught us how to think."—Voltaire

“I tasted the beauties of language, I breathed the spirit of freedom, and I imbibed from his precepts and examples the public and private sense of a man.” —Edward Gibbon,

“All ages of the world have not produced a greater statesman and philosopher combined.”—John Adams

“Who was Cicero: a great speaker or a demagogue?” —Fidel Castro

Cicero squared off against Caesar and was friends with young Brutus. He advised the legendary Pompey on his botched transition from military hero to politician. He lambasted Mark Antony and was master of the smear campaign, as feared for his wit as he was for exposing his opponents’ sexual peccadilloes. Brilliant, voluble, cranky, a genius of political manipulation but also a true patriot and idealist, Cicero was Rome’s most feared politician, one of the greatest lawyers and statesmen of all times. Machiavelli, Queen Elizabeth, John Adams and Winston Churchill all studied his example. No man has loomed larger in the political history of mankind.He was also intensely human. He was vain and sometimes petty, but he showed his human side wwhen he wandered throuh the woods weeping when his daughter died in cxhildfbirth.

The notorious baby boomers are nearing the end and starting to plan their final moves in the game of life. ‘What was life all about?’‘Was it about acquiring things or changing the world? Was it about keeping all your marbles? Or is the only thing that matters after you’re gone the reputation you leave behind?’ In On Old Age: Cicero addresses the questions we are all forced to confront sooner or later. This essential classic has remained popular because of its profound subject matter as well as its clear and beautiful language.For Cicero, the prudence and wisdom that accompanies aging more than compensates for declining physical vigor.

Here are Cicero’s Lessons on Successful Aging.

1. A good old age begins in youth – Cultivate the virtues that will serve you well in old age—moderation, wisdom, courage—in yo

ur youth.

2. Old age can be a good part of life – You can live well in old age if you are wise.

3. Youth and old age differ – Accept that as physical vitality declines, wisdom can grow.

4. Elders can teach the young – Older people have much to teach the young, and younger people can invigorate older persons.

5. We can be active in old age, with limitations. – We should try to remain healthy and active while accepting our limitations.

6. The aged should exercise their minds. – We should continually learn new things.

7. Older people should be assertive. – Older people will be respected only if they aren’t too passive.

8. Sex is overrated – We should accept physical limitations and enjoy other aspects of life.

9. Pursue enjoyable, worthwhile activities. – Happiness derives in large part from doing productive work that gives us joy.

10. Don’t fear death. – Don’t cling to life—a good actor knows when to leave the stage.

A new book on the topic that I recommend is Greenstein and Holland’s Lighter as We Go. Virtues, Character Strengths abd Aging. Oxford University Press.

For persons interested in Cicero’s social and political thought , Neal Woods’s Cicero’s Social and Political Thought. University of Caliofornia Press, 1991 is a good place to start., ,