Unit 3

Hi,

This week we discussed the diaspora in greater detail. Much of my interest was focused upon the segment pertaining to Hispania. It's the history of the place and the outcome of play and chance that fascinates me. Perhaps it's that I always had a thing for Roman history. Ever since I red my first copy of Gibbon I have been drawn to that time.

I wonder about the what if's and could have's So much of the world as we no it hangs on the decisions, sometimes seemingly trivial, made by characters of days long past. I can't help but think of an insecure Emperor upon the western throne. What if he had had more faith in the local garrisons of the Pyrenees and had not replace them with barbarian troops. Troops that allowed the Vandals to pass though the defences of Hispania with little or no challenge. Until that time the local garrisons had something to protect, a reason to fight...they were defending their own homes. Hispania had proven loyal to one of the military usurper emperors and for this they were no longer trusted. They were replaced by barbarian tribesman who were loyal only to the pay they received. They had nothing to protect but their own coffers. That decision long ago changed the face of Hispania and through it the face of the world.

I wonder what chance or fate brought me to where I am now. What antecedent's decisions laid the way for the life I lead. What thin thread we use to weave the fabric of our totality. Who are we really, and who am I.