"Empires" & "Barbarians"

     When I think of the word “empire” I think of a powerful, thriving civilization. The first things that come to my mind upon hearing “empire” are Rome, Alexander the Great, and big, very successful businesses. I relate the word to both its historic and contemporary meanings. I think of ancient times with powerful emperors and strong militias. When I think of these highly successful and well-built civilizations, my immediate second thought is their downfall. The word “empire”, to me, is something of great power but also impermanence. I guess it’s the whole Spider Man thing, “With great power comes great responsibility”. I just feel like most of the time, such immense power is abused causing the empire’s own destruction. Power is not something most people can handle (correctly) and often times leads to their own defeat. I think that when an empire becomes entirely about self and not about others, that’s when problems arise. To most big businesses, we are the “others”, faceless, mindless consumers. I think that when companies understand and care about the individual (self) and don’t just focus on profiting from the general public (other), that’s when they truly achieve, and can keep, power. I think my current understanding of the word comes from what I have learned in history classes and in film. Learning of Alexander the great and powerful, ancient empires. The film industry has influenced my understanding as well, showing the lives of famous people who have gained great wealth and power—created their own “empires”.

     To me, the word “barbarian” suggests a savage, animalistic being. I think of unintelligent, uncompassionate cavemen; a being lacking education or basic consideration for other beings. I relate the term “barbarian” to those who are very cruel to others or disregard human emotions. As a child, I watched many movies that painted certain cultures as “barbaric”. Lots of films display foreign civilizations, like the Indians for example, as the “barbarians”. One of the things that really made me think about the term “barbarian”, is learning about Christopher Columbus and his voyage of, what he thought was, the Indies. His exploration in the foreign land and learning about the foreign people really made me think. Do we simply otherize these people thus deeming them “barbarians”? Is it just because we don’t understand them? I think such things as language barriers and the fact that many cultures are just so different from our own is something most people just can’t understand. I think we sometimes otherize foreign people out of fear or frustration that we feel we cannot connect with them. I believe that sometimes we label others as “barbarians” without truly taking the time to understand their culture and customs. I really try to gain a clear understanding of foreign people and try to see from their own perspectives rather than simply regarding them as uncivilized without even trying to get to know them. 

 Arnold Schwarzenegger:
Barbarian/Terminator/former governor of California