2026 Life Logs, Day 74: The Ides of March
Date: Sunday, March 15, 2026
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High Temp 42, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Today was the Ides of March, the date in 44 B.C. when Julius Caesar was assassinated in Rome. Fast forward more than 1600 years, when Shakespeare made this a day to “beware” as it marked the violent end of a dictator and a turning point in Roman and world history. Evidently, we were not “beware” enough, as we now have another great nation falling into the hands of a dictator. A violent end I am not wishing for, but a nonviolent turnaround, yes.
On this Ides of March, all I could think about was not a turning point, but a tipping point. Can we stop the madness happening in this country, nonviolently, soon enough to avoid another turning point in history? So, my day was spent getting ready for tomorrow’s Indivisible Falmouth de-escalation workshop. In 2026, we know from the extensive research done on the topic of civil resistance, that the fastest and surest way to turn a country from an autocratic break through back to a full democracy is through nonviolent resistance. The research shows that violence is actually slower and most often does not work. But the nonviolent approach doesn’t happen by accident. It takes the fierce determination and training and practice of a huge mass of the population. That is what Indivisible is doing nationwide by forming groups in every little town and every big city in every state across this country and offering trainings online and in person to thousands of people everywhere, all at once. I hope you are one of those determined people and that on March 28, the day of the third nationwide NO KINGS protest, you will be out there nonviolently making your voice heard. No Kings in 1776! No Kings in 2026!
