The current TikTok trend
Have you heard about the recent viral TikTok trend where women ask men how often they think about the Roman Empire? The answer, it seems, is surprisingly frequently, much to the confusion of the female questioners.
Why would a man think about an empire that collapsed over 1600 years ago when surely he can be better served thinking about ‘Love Island’, the climate catastrophe or maybe just helping her clean the house?
I first heard about this phenomenon when my daughter sent me a text out of the blue asking me how often I thought about the Roman Empire. My reply was in the affirmative. Of course I did. I’m writing a blog and posting YouTubes about empires of the mind and body.
Why would men think about empire?
Men are hard wired for civilisational advancement. We think about dominion all day long, sometimes in concrete terms and in other ways more abstractly. In our natural state, men are more likely to be the producers and women the distributors. Men think about building, shaping and hitting moving targets. It is what we do.
Why the Roman empire, though? The answer to this might not be the same for everyone. In fact, my friends commented to me they thought nearly as regularly about the British empire or other empires, but the theme was a constant. Empire, in our minds, represents a sense of dynamism and adventure. It is a about being part of a greater whole. An exciting moment in history, rather than being a loose, disconnected and isolated ball-bearing rattling around a purposeless system. The position most men find themselves in today.
Empire, in our minds, represents a sense of dynamism and adventure. It is a about being part of a greater whole. An exciting moment in history, rather than being a loose, disconnected and isolated ball-bearing rattling around a purposeless system. The position most men find themselves in today.
Lessons we can learn?
The Roman empire is always on my mind because I believe we are living in the end days of version 2.0. There are so many parallels. The empire was once something great and terrible, but it collapsed in chaos under the weight of its excesses. It ran out of steam and confidence. We can see this looking at the art and craftsmanship of its earliest days, but by its twilight it had lost all its vigour and creativity.
At its best, Rome represented a period of advancement, order, opportunity and virtue. A martial system into which men could embed themselves. At its worst, it was ruthless, scheming and human life counted for very little.
Men hunger for purpose, to be part of something much bigger and this may be why they think of empire. As they look around in the modern West, there is little to capture the imagination with its hollow corporatism and a system set up to disadvantage them and take away their greatest strengths.
Have we given our strength away like Samson?
I see a connection to the biblical story of Samson. Whilst he had his hair, he was a potent and dangerous force, but once he gave up his secret, he was imprisoned and made a vassal. Many of our fathers and grandfathers gave away our birthright and like a blinded Samson, we languish in a world we don’t recognise and can’t make sense of. We ache for virility, action, purpose and legacy. We dream of empire.
But here is the question. Who will be the emperor and by what standard will the empire be governed? Is there to be justice and peace? Who shall we bow the knee to?
Reflexively some young men might demand an extremist monarch like Andrew Tate but I’ll wager his yoke will be heavier than you can eventually bear.
There is a growing Empire you can join today
There is an alternative King you can serve. The ‘King of all kings’ who is already on the march, The earth is filling with the knowledge of his glory as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14) and he is looking for volunteers. He will give us our hearts’ desires, but only if we delight in him. (Ps 37:4) There is, of course, a price to pay as give up the claim to your own life and get on the most exciting mission of your life. Expect the cost to be high, but the reward will be great.
But that is what you want, isn’t it? A calling to something greater, Something beyond yourself.
That is the empire I truly think about every waking moment of every day.
The Roman empire gets the occasional thought, but only because it pales in comparison to Christ’s kingdom.
This Kingdom in which I am soldier and in which I serve.