Tiberius Gracchus Essays - Tiberius Gracchus, Allotment, Gracchi

Tiberius Gracchus Essays - Tiberius Gracchus, Allotment, Gracchi Tiberius Gracchus By Tiberius Gracchus? proposal of the law stated in the lex agaria, I speculate that he is trying to help the poor citizens of Rome, and at the same time, benefit the overall condition of the city. The law stated that those holding more than the legal limit of public land must give that land up, and that this land would be redistributed to ?Roman citizens in small allotments...? That Gracchus is trying to help the poorer citizens is shown through the small size of the plot of land given, the provision that a small rent must be paid, and that the land could not be sold. Handing out this land also would benefit the state because, by giving some of these plots to those who had no land, these people could now join the army. As well, this would de-crowd the actual city of Rome. Finally, he could not make this law by himself; it had to be approved by the aristocrats, so he had to benefit them too or they would not comply. The plots of land that were to be split up and redistributed were said to each have a maximum size of 30 iugera. This allotment is not a large amount of land in comparison to the 500 or more iugera that other citizens are said to hold. The difference between the sizes of land seems to imply that those receiving these small plots would be of a lesser income, because there would not be much of a point in giving land plots of 30 iugera away to those who would consider it insignificant. Those Roman citizens that did not have a large quantity of money or land, however, would find 30 iugera to be a large allotment of land and would be able to find good use for it. The law makes the statement that the new holders of the land must pay a small rent. This could be just instated so that the land is not just a hand-out. If land was handed out for free, that would most likely anger the rich that the land was taken from. As well, this alludes to simple principles. It would most likely not be acceptable in these days to hand out land for free, however, if a fee was added to it, no matter how nominal, it would give the idea that it was in fact fair for this to be done. Another possible reason for the rent being required could also be so that if the people given the land had to pay for it, they would put it to good use. If the land was given out for free, it might be taken advantage of and not treated properly. The fact that it was paid for makes it all the more valuable. Additionally, the fact that the rent is stated to be a small also insinuates that this land will be given to the poor, and probably the poor that had not owned land before. If this land was to be given to the middle class or rich, almost certainly a larger rent would be asked for, since these people could afford it. It is stated that ?the new holders were not allowed to alienate [the small allotments] This says that once they were given the land, the citizens could not sell it back for money. This implies two things. One, that the people the land was ?taken away? from could not get this land back by bribe or anything of that sort. And two, that this prevents serfdom in a way also because the original owners cannot try to get the land back and assert control over the new holders. Because the new holders have paid a small rent and could not sell their land, instead of working other citizens? land at the mercy of those they worked for, they were working their own land and were subject only to the government, whom they paid the rent to. There are also possible additional benefits to giving these plots of 30 iugera to the poorer citizens. In the time when this law was made, any citizen who owned land had to be in the army. If

Why Being Too Smart at Work is a Bad Thing

Why Being Too Smart at Work is a Bad Thing Being smart is a good thing, right? Well, maybe†¦ The truth is that even though being smart is a good thing for your career, there are downsides to being intelligent. It can foster resentment in colleagues and co-workers, and it can also lead to you taking unnecessary risks because of an inflated sense of your own abilities.Here are just a few reasons why being too smart can actually work against you.1. Greater workloadsWhen you’re known for being intelligent, you’ll be given extra tasks from your managers. This is good in a way, because you’re the person that they trust to get the job done, but it can also lead to you staying late at work or catching up with things over the weekend, whether you’re getting paid for it or not.This is particularly common if you’re a decent writer, as Keith King from the AussieWritings service explains: â€Å"Once you’ve got a reputation for being a good writer, everyone from junior executives to the CEO w ill want you to proofread their emails. It can help you to get ahead, but it can also be very time consuming.†2. More envyIf you’re known for your intelligence, it can make it difficult to befriend your co-workers. They may feel envious, both of your success and of your abilities. Because of this, it can be tricky to get along with them, and even when you manage to make friends, it can still lead to simmering resentment that bubbles up but doesn’t show on the surface.3. Reduced promotion prospectsThis might sound counterintuitive – after all, who wouldn’t want to promote an employee who’s shown intelligence and initiative? Unfortunately, it comes back to politics – if your boss has learned to rely on you, they might not want to lose a good subordinate. If a promotion is being discussed amongst different stakeholders, your boss might even argue against giving you the job.On top of that, if your colleagues are jealous of your success as per our second point, this could have a knock-on effect for your promotion prospects. After all, the ability to work as a team is one of the most sought-after attributes for both graduates and long-term employees.4. Higher expectationsUltimately, if you’re known for being intelligent, you’ll make it more difficult for yourself because people will automatically assume that you’re able to do things. In fact, once you’ve earned a reputation for being intelligent, it’ll stick – and it can often lead to huge amounts of pressure from senior management. If you work as part of a team but you’re perceived to be the most intelligent, it’ll be you who gets hold accountable for performance.ConclusionUltimately, being smart has its advantages, but if you want to succeed at work then you’ll need much more than basic intelligence. You’ll also need common sense and an ability to play the game – most offices have their own internal politics, and smart people tend to find themselves becoming a target. Modesty is key. No matter how smart you are, there’s always something else for you to learn. Don’t allow your ego to get the better of you and focus instead on humility. It’ll make you even smarter in the long run – which will come in useful if you make yourself too invaluable and need to switch to a different company. Smart is good – most of the time. Make it work to your advantage.About author: Olivia is a journalist who always tries to see the bright side of things. She likes to inspire people in her writings and enjoy a mysterious beauty of twilight. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.