July 20th has arrived, and so is the end of the first year of The Future Blog.
The date of the final post was not chosen just because 20 and 5 are the lucky numbers of the blog, and July is the month that derives its name from Julius Caesar. This date was also selected because it marks the "Declaration of Sentiments".
This document is a pillar when it comes to women's rights movements and is particularly dear to my heart for 2 reasons:
It is inspired by Jefferson's Declaration of Independence: indeed, the declaration was signed in the United States, a country where such value plays a very important historical role. Similarly, for me independence and freedom are key to building a better future, so I could not agree more with a document that is inspired by such ideas.
It embodies the essence of femininity: even the name of the document "Declaration of Sentiments" refers to the fight for women's rights in a way that is revolutionary yet soft and sweet. Often, everything that is feminine like feelings and beauty are disregarded by society and labeled as "less important", while this document puts the need for asserting those ideas at the core of the fight for equality.
This second point takes us back to Julius Caesar: in this blog, in "The future is beautiful.", I indicated how Julius Caesar was the descendant of Venus - goddess of beauty. His figure is of inspiration as, though he was a man, it sought unity and diplomacy, which are often seen as "feminine".
In "The future is empowering." I highlight how men are an integral part of a fight for gender equality, and they should not be excluded from it: the underlying theme of the blog is inclusion for this reason because in every fight for equality none - even the antagonist - should ever be excluded.
This is why, the image that was chosen to represent inclusion in the series of Polaroids I shared on Instagram was a painting of Cicero: my favorite Latin author and Caesar's harshest critic. However, after the rise to power of Julius, Cicero gave some speeches that served to create a bridge with his enemies. These "Caesarian Orations" are meaningful in two ways: they show on one side Caesar's Clementia and ability to include his former enemy and, on the other, Cicero's skills in turning his speeches into cryptic enigmas that need to be decoded.
Cicero's "Tempori serviendium est!" means exactly this: that one needs to adapt to the circumstances, meaning that if there was a new form of government such as a dictatorship with no free speech, his orations also had to change not to attack his enemy openly anymore.
‘Cicero denounces Catiline’ by Cesare Maccari, Palazzo Madama (Rome)
On this blog, I also often spoke about historical "caesura" when it comes to the Fall of the Berlin Wall, for example. However, the initiator of all the caesura that followed, the initiator of change in our history was: Julius Caesar. This historical figure, who guided the political transition in Rome, was also the inspiration behind my first personal project "Res Publica - Italian Politics Explained", whose link you can find below in the resources.
To me, The Future Blog is the successor of Res Publica: like Augustus succeeded Julius. The Future Blog, unlike Res Publica which focused solely on internal politics in Italy and on the past, has a brighter outlook. The Future Blog is like Augustus' government: it's optimistic and has a broader scope. This wider scope is visible in terms of the topics covered: the policy areas touched in this case are five (Inclusion, Health, Finance, Security, and Tech).
Five are also the women that have inspired me through this journey and whom I'd like to thank: Jessica Watson, Isabella d'Este, Hedy Lamarr, Simone Veil, and Carolina Picchio. These women are incredible each in their own way: their stories impacted different parts of the world and historical moments, but they are all equally worth knowing. Indeed, on this blog another recurring theme has been cancel culture: both in "The future is FREE" and "The future is at sea." I express my doubts about how cancelling our own history can help us create a better future.
This blog, for how little at the moment, looks at the future with positivity solely because it has a past foundation: Res Publica. Similarly, Augustus would not have become emperor without the previous transition that Caesar was able to achieve. Therefore, from my point of view, there is value in intergenerational dialogue and achievements and in cultivating our past. I see these as the only ways to look at the future with serenity.
The series of Polaroids I shared on Instagram were statues because I hope that no work of art will ever be subject to demolition in the future. In a feminine, beautiful society, art is respected as well as women are. The point is not about tearing down our statues, but about building new ones of the outstanding women that came before us and sharing their stories.
This winter I shared a piece about Pluto, the most distant planet in our Universe: today the post will be titled the future is the Sun. This is a call to action, to shed light on the stories that need to be re-discovered instead of losing time hating on stories that have already unfolded. A call to action to include outsiders, like Pluto - the outcast of our solar system - and help them shine.
Love,
Elena
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