"When the heart feels, but the mind disagrees, the romance will be fierce, and without reason and stability. When the mind senses chemistry but the heart feels nothing, the romance will be formal and without passion. True romance and love comes when both the mind and heart are in full agreement; though one must be mindful not to upset the balance between the two, for it is easy to risk falling into the aforementioned traps."- Aristotle's Yo-yo
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The Last Vestiges of Weary Romance
Saturday, March 30, 2013
A Collect Call to Arms
There has been, and in some respects, still is, a steadfast and emotionally fueled crusade to admonish people on the use and ownership of certain firearms in the United States. From politicians to actors, the march on certain calibers and configurations has touched nearly all professions, and from this tone-deaf chorus of raised voices comes a dull reminder of a modern citizen clenching to the present as though it might end, and forgetting, or ignoring, the echoing mistakes of the past.
Is the firearm the old evil of a morally forward-moving society? Should the firearm be caged and buried deep where no one will ever remember it existed? What's more, could it be done? The simple answer to both questions is: No.
The history of the weapon is a seemingly eternal one, be it a dagger, spear, sword, firearm, or pointed stick. Humans have used all manner of weaponry to defend and/or conquer others in times of war or civil strife. But is the modern firearm something to be ultimately feared? Is there something safer that could replace it? Does history provide us any insight to a time when things were better without firearms?
Furthermore, are firearms capable of killing people en masse, as apposed to something less destructive, like, say, an old clunky sword? What empire of antiquity had a healthy assortment of weaponry used to devastating effect? Well, the Romans for a start. The Roman Empire was massive by ancient and even modern standards, and carried a worthy arsenal.
So what were the weapons of ancient Rome? Well...
GLADIUS: The gladius (general Latin for 'sword') was the staple weapon of the Roman solider. It was a light sword, measuring, on the average, about 24 inches. Depending on your wealth as a Roman soldier, and your rank, you might carry a gladius made of better iron quality, perhaps something from Hispania, and the wooden handle might be made of something more elaborate, and decorative. A soldier cared for the condition of his sword before entering battle, as a chipped, dirty, rusty sword would likely leave you in dire straits before long. The Roman soldier's life depended on the state and shape of his weaponry, much like the soldiers today.
JAVELIN: In the early days of the Roman Republic's army you had velites, the men who rushed forward and did a bit of pointed stick throwing at the enemy. The javelin was considered the lighter, earlier version of the well known pilum.
PILUM: The pilum was the heavy version of the javelin, and capable of considerably unpleasant damage to an armored, or unarmored opponent. The pilum was the missile weapon most used by the later Roman legions; usually carried in pairs by a Roman legionary. The usual weight of a pilum was around 4.5 to 8.8 pounds. Unlike the bow, however, this was a short range missile weapon.
BOW: The Romans used the composite bow for medium range missile fire, with the bows usually being made of horn, wood, and sinew, and held together with hide glue. The arrows themselves were comprised of a wood shaft, and topped with iron heads of various shapes and sizes, depending on the target.
DARTS: The late infantrymen of the Roman army employed darts for what could be considered medium range missile fire. Called a plumbatae, the dart was lead-weighted, capable of reaching distances of 30 meters (98 feet), and early examples of its use start around 500 B.C.E. in ancient Greece.
BALLISTA: The Roman ballista is a developed successor of the Greek ballista, with ammunition ranging from various sized balls of stone, or heavy darts. Its effective range was around 200-300 meters (656-984 feet) with a maximum range of around 600-700 meters (1,969-2,297 feet).
SCORPIO: Known also as the Scorpion, this was a smaller, sniper-like equivalent of the larger ballista design. This version could be manned by one soldier, and had a killing distance of 100 meters (328 feet). In parabolic shooting the range was around 400 meters (1,312 feet), and had a firing speed of 3 to 4 rounds per minute.
ONAGER: The onager was a type of catapult employed by the Roman army. This style catapult uses torsional force by means of twisting rope to store energy for the shot.
While these weapons are considered horribly obsolete by today's military standards, one must keep in mind that these weapons were state-of-the-art in their time, and just as capable of killing large numbers of people. At the Battle of Cannae over 45,500 Roman soldiers, and over 2,700 Roman horsemen were killed in combat at the end of the battle's one day duration. This does not include those combat casualties on the Carthaginian side, which would raise the casualties to over 56,000.
This battle would have been fought with spears, swords, axes, clubs, bare hands (if disarmed or the infantryman's weapon broke), and short range missile weapons.
The Battle of Cannae resulted in more combat deaths than those of the following United States wars fought with modern style weaponry; such as artillery and firearms:
Table of Number of Fatal Stabbings, Shootings and Other fatal wounding for Teenage Murder in London – 2005 to 31st Dec 2012
When it comes to people committing acts of violence against another, the argument of what weapon is used is irrelevant. It is the existence of intent and execution of action that make for moments of terror and loss of life. The weapon is only a tool; a means to an end. Those people who wish to see a country or world without firearms should look beyond such endeavors. It is not a world without weapons that they should strive for, nor is it a world without violence, as that is a dream farfetched and without probability. A more perfect world is one where people understand the purpose of any weapon, and carry it with respect and understanding.
A world society knowledgeable and respectful of all weapons that have been, and will be, is more lasting, merciful, and endurable than one plagued with ignorance and spite. Until that day comes, those who would show respect must defend themselves from those who dwell blissfully in the outer stretches of untamed ignorance.
Is the firearm the old evil of a morally forward-moving society? Should the firearm be caged and buried deep where no one will ever remember it existed? What's more, could it be done? The simple answer to both questions is: No.
The history of the weapon is a seemingly eternal one, be it a dagger, spear, sword, firearm, or pointed stick. Humans have used all manner of weaponry to defend and/or conquer others in times of war or civil strife. But is the modern firearm something to be ultimately feared? Is there something safer that could replace it? Does history provide us any insight to a time when things were better without firearms?
Furthermore, are firearms capable of killing people en masse, as apposed to something less destructive, like, say, an old clunky sword? What empire of antiquity had a healthy assortment of weaponry used to devastating effect? Well, the Romans for a start. The Roman Empire was massive by ancient and even modern standards, and carried a worthy arsenal.
So what were the weapons of ancient Rome? Well...
GLADIUS: The gladius (general Latin for 'sword') was the staple weapon of the Roman solider. It was a light sword, measuring, on the average, about 24 inches. Depending on your wealth as a Roman soldier, and your rank, you might carry a gladius made of better iron quality, perhaps something from Hispania, and the wooden handle might be made of something more elaborate, and decorative. A soldier cared for the condition of his sword before entering battle, as a chipped, dirty, rusty sword would likely leave you in dire straits before long. The Roman soldier's life depended on the state and shape of his weaponry, much like the soldiers today.JAVELIN: In the early days of the Roman Republic's army you had velites, the men who rushed forward and did a bit of pointed stick throwing at the enemy. The javelin was considered the lighter, earlier version of the well known pilum.
PILUM: The pilum was the heavy version of the javelin, and capable of considerably unpleasant damage to an armored, or unarmored opponent. The pilum was the missile weapon most used by the later Roman legions; usually carried in pairs by a Roman legionary. The usual weight of a pilum was around 4.5 to 8.8 pounds. Unlike the bow, however, this was a short range missile weapon.
BOW: The Romans used the composite bow for medium range missile fire, with the bows usually being made of horn, wood, and sinew, and held together with hide glue. The arrows themselves were comprised of a wood shaft, and topped with iron heads of various shapes and sizes, depending on the target.
DARTS: The late infantrymen of the Roman army employed darts for what could be considered medium range missile fire. Called a plumbatae, the dart was lead-weighted, capable of reaching distances of 30 meters (98 feet), and early examples of its use start around 500 B.C.E. in ancient Greece. 
BALLISTA: The Roman ballista is a developed successor of the Greek ballista, with ammunition ranging from various sized balls of stone, or heavy darts. Its effective range was around 200-300 meters (656-984 feet) with a maximum range of around 600-700 meters (1,969-2,297 feet).SCORPIO: Known also as the Scorpion, this was a smaller, sniper-like equivalent of the larger ballista design. This version could be manned by one soldier, and had a killing distance of 100 meters (328 feet). In parabolic shooting the range was around 400 meters (1,312 feet), and had a firing speed of 3 to 4 rounds per minute.
ONAGER: The onager was a type of catapult employed by the Roman army. This style catapult uses torsional force by means of twisting rope to store energy for the shot.
The onager's framework is made out of two beams from oak, which curve into humps. In the middle they have quite large holes in them, in which strong sinew ropes are stretched and twisted. A long arm is then inserted between the bundle of rope, at its end it has a pin and a pouch. It strikes on a huge buffer with a sack stuffed with fine chaff and secured by tight binding. When it comes to combat, a round stone (often clay balls with combustible substance in them, which explode on impact and burst into flames) is put in the pouch and the arm is winched down. Then, the master artilleryman strikes the pin with a hammer, and with a big blow, the stone is launched towards its target. —Ammianus Marcellinus
While these weapons are considered horribly obsolete by today's military standards, one must keep in mind that these weapons were state-of-the-art in their time, and just as capable of killing large numbers of people. At the Battle of Cannae over 45,500 Roman soldiers, and over 2,700 Roman horsemen were killed in combat at the end of the battle's one day duration. This does not include those combat casualties on the Carthaginian side, which would raise the casualties to over 56,000.
This battle would have been fought with spears, swords, axes, clubs, bare hands (if disarmed or the infantryman's weapon broke), and short range missile weapons.
The Battle of Cannae resulted in more combat deaths than those of the following United States wars fought with modern style weaponry; such as artillery and firearms:
United States Wars Fought - Duration - Total Combat Deaths
- American Revolutionary War - 8 Years - 8,000
- War of 1812 - 3 Years - 2,260
- Mexican-American War - 2 Years - 1,733
- Korean War - 3 Years - 33,686
- Vietnam War - 20 Years - 47,424
- Afghanistan - 2001-Present (12 Years) - 1,435
- Iraq War - 8 Years - 3,542
Battle of Cannae - 1 Day - 46,000 to 50,000 Romans
In the argument in the United States about "gun control" there is no solution, as there is no regulating violence, no matter what form it is presented. Many proponents of gun control argue that a world without firearms would be a better one. If history has shown us anything from horrific battles like the one fought at Cannae between the Romans and Carthaginians, it is that there is no such thing as a world without violence, or a world without weapons capable of terrible devastation.
The comparison of an ancient battle to those fought in more modern times is not to diminish the dangers of modern weaponry, but to show that even a world without the presence of firearms is no safer, or lessened in violence, than one with them. Simply removing one type of weaponry only drives wanting hands to obtain another.
In London, England, where firearms are heavily restricted, the firearm finds itself replaced another weapon, be it edged, blunt, or merely with one's bare hands, as can be seen by the following numbers table.
In London, England, where firearms are heavily restricted, the firearm finds itself replaced another weapon, be it edged, blunt, or merely with one's bare hands, as can be seen by the following numbers table.
| YEAR | Number of TEENAGE MURDERS |
Stabbed | Shot | Beaten | Arson | Strangled | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 28 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 | 29 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | 15 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
When it comes to people committing acts of violence against another, the argument of what weapon is used is irrelevant. It is the existence of intent and execution of action that make for moments of terror and loss of life. The weapon is only a tool; a means to an end. Those people who wish to see a country or world without firearms should look beyond such endeavors. It is not a world without weapons that they should strive for, nor is it a world without violence, as that is a dream farfetched and without probability. A more perfect world is one where people understand the purpose of any weapon, and carry it with respect and understanding.
A world society knowledgeable and respectful of all weapons that have been, and will be, is more lasting, merciful, and endurable than one plagued with ignorance and spite. Until that day comes, those who would show respect must defend themselves from those who dwell blissfully in the outer stretches of untamed ignorance.
- Marcus Aurelius"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature."
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