And You, Too,

I don’t remember exactly when I first read "Julius Caesar," but I believe it was the year I was 15, and a student in a Latin Class at Cathedral High School.

I vaguely remember a few of the essential Latin phrases, but the one sentence that I have never forgotten is “Et tu, Brute?”

There have been several moments in my life when those three words have flashed like a zooming arrow into mind.

And of course, with today’s headlines, the memorable phrase has emerged once again.

I am in no position to or capable of judging either of the individuals engaged in this public assassination of character.

One of course is the leader of our country; the other a rejected friend, associate and/or employee.

While today’s version of the renowned tale has blood being spilled not in liquid form, but rather reputation, it still causes me to again wonder exactly why Brutus chose to murder Caesar.

Revenge comes in so many disguises and is accompanied with so many methods of retribution.

However, there are also a variety of paths to follow if you prefer to eliminate someone or something from your life.

“Getting even” was another phrase that I remember hearing on the Hells Kitchen streets during my childhood. I never quite understood either why that was so important or accorded a tacit approval by the few who condoned the philosophy. I always questioned its value or frankly, what “Getting even” accomplished.

LIfe leads all humans down a path strewn with many obstacles. I seriously doubt if there is one amongst us who hasn’t been rejected either in friendship, employment or a relationship at some pivotal point along the road.

Loss can be devastating and brutal and never is accompanied with easy acceptance. Yet even when the pain is beyond description, it need not always wear a cloak of revenge. Vengeance is something else I have never quite understood nor its ultimate value.

Half a century ago I sat in a classroom facing Madison Avenue and rather than concentrating on the requisite Latin phrases, I wondered how Brutus felt when Caesar took his last breath.

Did the flask of revenge taste sweet, or were the dregs everlastingly bitter?

And today I must ask the same question.