This afternoon I arrived in the city of Cincinnati, in southwestern Ohio. I began my journey this morning after my last breakfast in Cleveland. Breakfast was fantastic, topped with a great discussion of physics with a fellow traveler staying at the B&B. He told me a little about the heavy ion physics being done on PHENIX, and I dropped him off at Case before heading out of the city.
This trip is finally taking a physical toll on me. I felt a bit . . . off . . . all day. Now I am just tired, and looking forward to getting more than a full complement of sleep tonight.
I arrived in Cincinnati a bit early, but feeling too tired to walk over to the University I decided to run some errands and pick up toiletries, etc. I feel really good about being in this city, not just because of my colloquium and the chance to meet more physicists, but because of the name.
When I learned about Cincinnatus in high school, through a combination of history and Latin class, I felt a deep connection to the spirit of the story of this great man. He was a consul who retired to farming. In the face of an invading enemy, his people appointed him dictator. He accepted the position, led the Roman army to victory over their enemy, and then immediately resigned. This made him a paragon of Roman virtue – a man called to service who achieved his goal and then stepped out of the way.
I have never felt good about leadership positions. They are too easily turned into a tempting means to seek more power, more influence. I enjoy leading an effort, but I also enjoy a succession of power that insures I get to return to what I truly love – teaching and research. Since childhood, the model of Cincinnatus – real or myth – was a powerful moral guidepost.
It’s therefore quite satisfying to be here in Cincinnati, named by a member of the Society of Cincinnatus in honor of George Washington, who was considered a modern Cincinnatus by his people. A few years back, in Washington D.C., a friend and I walked back from dinner to our hotel. On the way, he took me past an imposing white building that was the headquarters of the Society. The memory of that stuck with me, and now I find myself in a city named in honor of that same man.
Well, it’s something to strive for.
