Caesar or Sallust?

I read Tom Holland's 'Rubicon - the Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic' recently and these two quotes have been with me ever since:

"Human nature is universally imbued with a desire for liberty, and a hatred for servitude." Caesar, Gallic Wars

"Only a few prefer liberty - the majority seek nothing more than fair masters." Sallust, Histories

Who do you think was correct? Caesar or Sallust?

For those of you who are wondering what this has to do with SL political science consider what it means to 1) 'own' land on a private sim 2) 'own' land on the mainland.

Both. There are those who desire to control others - for many different reasons, some of which are borne from the noblest desires of the greatest good of the greatest number - and those who wish no such control.

The first sort may have good intentions, but I prefer the second sort as neighbors, m'self.

To "own" land on a private sim:

You get to IM the sim owner at any time for any reason!!!!1111oneoneone

There is LAG here, fix it NOW! Oh noes, a Griefer! Can I pretend my permanent spaceship home is "visitors from the future" in your ancient history sim? I skipped Help Island, can you teach me how to script like that before I have to eat dinner? I'm AFK but don't worry, just keep going!

Ok, I joke a little, but you get the gist.



To "own" land on the mainland:

You only get to yell at your neighbours, or the Lindens.



So based on the evidence, in conclusion, the quote:

"Human nature is universally imbued with a desire for liberty, and a hatred for servitude." Caesar, Gallic Wars

... is false. LOTS of people own sims and willingly serve the great numbers of people that live on them.

Only when you stretch the phrase like that; nobody FORCED you to buy a sim, y'know.

And that self-same "servant" is getting paid for the priveledge; in satisfaction of some sort if not actively seeking a profit. I suspect Caesar had rather more traditional types of servitude in mind.

Let me put it this way.

I make about 180 USD a month off a sim, if it stays full.

No guarantees, and I could just as easily be losing 195 USD a month if things don't go well.

For that 6 USD a day, is the trouble of a sim worth it, financially? You of all people should know what horrors arise.

It's a hobby, pure and simple. If I had more than 10 full sims and everything was running silky smooth then I'd cede the point.

But a few sims, or worse yet one: it's all the trouble for almost none of the reward.

There's another kind of reward for those of us who are motivated by intellectual curiosity. The non-profit Neualtenburg experiment in resident government has been an admirable initiative in this category.

Exactly. I mean, none of the projects I'm in are likely to bring in cash, but I don't see their applicability to the actual threat topic in any case, unlike Desmond. (Which isn't me saying he's wrong - I may simply not be observant enough.)

Aaah! You spotted my thinly veiled promotion of (dare I say it, omg he's going to say it!) player-run democracy. (There, said it).

Seems to me that most SLers *would* prefer fair masters, especially ones as attentive as Desmond

Well yes there are obviously other rewards - hence my use of the term 'hobby'.

I do confess to a dream of many, many sims - a 'continent' if you will - but if Caledon 'stalled' at just a few sims... that's ok. (not likely though, I think)

It's fun to be part of something larger than oneself, going in a wonderful direction, and seeing it come together.



Aliasi - don't mistake my vague thinking for deep analytical skills - I've been exhausted lately. My earlier thoughts in this thread have been a bit mooshy.

Back to the point. I think everyone wants to be their own master. They may seek a fair one, once having 'given up' on becoming master of themselves by virtue of economic reality or such.

So I don't really see the two quotes in conflict at all - they are just the expression of two different levels of fatalistic thought.

Sallust, of course. The vast majority of people I've encountered want nothing more than to be led to comfortable pastures with a padded rope around their necks.

Oh my goodness, I've been living in the wrong universe all these years. I never dreamed anyone wanted to be controlled by anyone else.

I guess that explains why I just don't fit in at work.

But you fit in SL if you're creative. It's wide open for building what you want and nobody can order you around.

Caesar, naturally. The poll has undoubtedly been rigged.

Hail Caesar! ;P