JANUS
Am I correct in saying that “Janus” was a Roman god who could look both ways at the same time?
I remember seeing drawings of that noble, double-faced head years ago my blue and faded Latin grammar textbook The illustrations were deadly. They were all black-and-white drawings used to seperate the numerous charts and tables, nothing at all like the colorful Latin studies books seen today in some schools. That one drawing of the double-look deity, in particular, has served me well as I envision what goes on the mixed and muddled head of many of today’s two-faced politicians.
Some of the worst offenders among them are considered to be almost godly by their supporters both those in front and those in front-front. There is no back of a Janus head, so two groups can be satisfied totally with whatever the lips of the front they are viewing might tell them.
I can imagine what a time old Janus must have had with all the others in his class down at the Pantheon. He dropped at intervals just to pester them a bit and keep them zealous and jealouse if his accomplishments throught being able to see, uniquely, both ways at the same time. He could always see who was ahead of him as well as thoise at his back.
Of course, Janus had his own temple, mind you. He didn't get by the main offices there any more than he had to in order to keep them guessing and not enough to get any of them teed off with him for any of his unusual antics. Now, this Temple of Janus had one extremely unusual feature about it. Unlike the other temples, it was not open from sun-up to sun-down, nine-o-five, or week-days only. The Temple of Janus was open only during wartime. When the empire was a war the Temple of Janus had its doors open. When the “Pax Romano” legions were out there blessing the earth both far and wide, it would seem the priests of Janus felt might find it possible to open, maybe just the side door, for a few hours daily to get a bit of charity work done....orphans, widows - that sort of thing; peppery pizzas for the poor people, perhaps. The cadre Janus could have, I dare say, opened their Temple doors at any time they chose to do so and be legal about doing so, because they were also the authority which determined if and when, how and where, but seldom why the Empire was at war.
Prime examples of two-way talk are not too difficult to find today.
More political people have waffled on pro-choice, pro-life, pro or antiu-this that and theother until the terms themsleves have become intermingled anmd meaningless to manyof us. And, you, no doubt, remember how, during the Guf War - The Desert Storm phase - the enemy was lobbing "Scuds" into Isarel regularly and along came our "Puritan" anti-missle missles and knocked the "Scuds" out of commish in the air. We felt much better and it was only after it was all over that we were told the retaliatory weapon was anything but what it was made to seem to have been. The "Puritan" was, we now hear, at best, very inaccurate and "missed" the target most of the time. Someone lied and rather convincingly, too - with pictures - as well as two-faced talk.
With both faces are talking, what is said need not be true. One does not have to agree with the other. It is obvious that one may be true and the other false. The Janus jaws are busy these days, too. Much depends upon which coutenance is facing us at any set time. One must be aware that, in the word of a devotee of "The Great Spirit" that either mouth of a two-faced leader, or both, could be fitted with a forked tongue.
A.L.M. January 12, 2003 [c636wds]
