Editorial: The Ides of March

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We are as guilty of fixating on the weather as the next person and are reminded of Mark Twain’s words: “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” We find ourselves talking lately about how it seems that we did not have much of a winter. We did not experience a staggering blizzard that forced multiple days of involuntary hibernation and binge watching our favorite Netflix shows.

Earlier this week when we mentioned this to a friend, he told us, “Beware the Ides of March.” He made it sound so ominous. What did it mean? There was hazy recognition from a bygone English literature class that this was a Shakespearean quote, but we could not fully place it. So we looked it all up. You will find the brief version of what we discovered on the front page this week.

The actual quote is from Shakespeare’s tragedy, Julius Caesar. The warning, uttered by a soothsayer, is to let Julius Caesar know he was in danger and would come to harm no later than March 15th, which in those days was the deadline for settling all debts. On that day, in 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated, brutally stabbed 23 time by a mob of senators led by his alleged friends, Cassius and Brutus.

We feel the Internal Revenue Service missed a golden marketing opportunity when it chose April 15th as the official Tax Day instead of March 15th. We envision a television commercial for the IRS in which Julius Caesar, dressed in his toga and fending off his attackers, turns to the camera and says, “Don’t let this happen to you! Beware the Ides of March and pay your taxes!” Before he expires, he turns to his friend and says, “Et tu, Brute?” Brutus responds, “Not me, my taxes are paid!”

A little tongue in cheek, we admit, but there should be nothing to be wary of this month. In fact, there are many fun happenings occurring throughout town in March. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held on March 24th.  You can take your dogs to Tod’s Point before the park closes to dogs in April, and there are numerous happenings at our various arts and cultural institutions.

There are too many events to list here, but they are worth checking out. Look at The Sentinel’s Community Calendar, as well as the daily email “5 Things To Do in Greenwich Today” to keep up to date on all of the events. Not getting the “5 Things” e-mail every morning? You can sign up on our website. It is a great way to keep informed about what is happening Greenwich.

Perhaps this year it is not the weather or imposing tax deadlines that best represent the Ides of March. Perhaps this year it is what is happening to our state and in Hartford that should cause us to keep a wary eye. Governor Lamont has offered a budget and ideas to get our state moving again. Our own delegation to Hartford, for the first time including Democrats and Republicans, has offered a number of bills meant to move our state forward as well. Some of these bills support the Governor’s approach and others seek an alternative. Regardless, all deserve to be heard and discussed openly in a public forum. Often, it is easy to criticize or disagree with an idea. It is harder to do so while offering a solution that both sides can then discuss. We hope that criticism without solution falls by the wayside and all parties can discuss the issues facing our state and work together to find common ground.

Regardless, we hope the Ides of March treat you better than they did Julius Caesar. Nobody deserves to be set upon by a mob of senators, especially led by friends! And enjoy the spring-like weather that must surely be coming our way soon.

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