Editorial
The Roman villa
During a business trip to Italy last summer I stayed at lake Garda for the night.
While taking a stroll through the beautiful old town of Desenzano, I came past a
public museum, a large ancient Roman villa with amazing foundations, mosaics,
hot springs, floor heating, fresh water supply, waste water drainage pipes etc.
It's quite amazing to see the great achievements that the architects of Ancient
Rome were able to produce more than 2000 years ago. They, and many creative
minds of other highly developed millennium old cultures, had invented virtually
everything our modern civilisation depends on today, except electricity. Huge
viaducts channelled fresh water from high mountains into towns and villas.
Underground spaces served to cool their produce. They had ingenious under-floor
heating systems, which also provided them with warm and cold water for daily
bathing. They enjoyed massage and strength training facilities (the equivalent of
today's wellness and fitness centres), bedrooms, lounges, kitchens, lakeside
properties with boats etc.
WHAT ELSE COULD YOU WISH FOR?
Well, reading through the explanatory plates attached to the many exhibits in that
villa, I couldn’t help musing:
“The Roman Villa – Towards the end of the Roman era, in the wake of the general
economic decline, small and medium landowners lost their properties, and “villae”
(large estates) started to evolve – a form of strong consolidation of land ownership.
The “possessores” left the towns to settle on their land, where they recovered all
their glory and “auctoritas” (reputation, authority), previously withdrawn from them
through the deteriorating economic situation, now leading a life in luxury and
pomp.”
We all know what happened to the once grand Roman Empire in the end – and the
parallels with today’s modern society can hardly be disputed. It’s a world where
95% of all property is controlled by and in the hands of only a few – and the middle
classes are withering in the process as well. We are witnessing how structural
problems, decadence, religious and social upheaval and civil wars are undermining
our modern society.
JEAN-Pierre L. Schupp
Born 1954, married with 3 children and
avowed Christian, i.e. monotheist.
Committed non-smoker and vegetarian
since 1998.
Active in the martial arts sector since
1968, in the fitness & health promotion
industry since 1972.
5th Dan since 1980, karate/kickboxing
etc.
Since 1987 editor-in-chief & publisher of
various specialist fitness, wellness &
health promotion trade magazines.
Since 1992 member of the Swiss
Association of Specialised Journalists
(SFJ)
2004-2012: 5 times Strenflex Fitness
Decathlon World champion, age group
50-59, 100kg+
Book author since 2011:
“Das Medaillon Gottes” (The Medallion
of God) ISBN: 978-3-033-02861-6
Email: [email protected]
What's all that got to do with a Fitness magazine, I hear you ask? Well, a LOT
actually, because without being fit and healthy, many of us will also go down in this
new, inevitable social revolution that’s about to happen (see “We are the 99
percent”). Remember: The French Revolution broke out a mere 224 years ago, the
October Revolution happened 96 years back, the Chinese Cultural Revolution of
1966 and the students’ movements of 1968 took place a mere 45 and 47 years ago
respectively.
Only the fit and healthy will get the chance to move things and create something
positive.
You know my favourite mantra that I keep reiterating:
“Healthy people have 1000 wishes – sick people have only got one”
Stay healthy!
Jean-Pierre L. Schupp
Fitness Tribune 146
13