Cogito ergo sum

Dance challenges, lip syncs, recipes, pranks: TikTok contains all sorts of things. But the latest viral trend might be the strangest yet.

The video-based social media platform is full of people asking men a simple question: "How often do you think about the Roman EmpireLasting from 27BC to 476AD, the Roman Empire controlled regions around the Mediterranean in Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. ?"

The trend originated after an influencer challenged women to ask the question to their male partners and relatives. The hashtag #romanempire now has 1.1 billion views.

Many were shocked by just how many men think about Ancient Rome - and just how often. One said "every day". Another said "constantly."

An interest in the Roman Empire is nothing new. The ancient civilisation left behind grand monuments and incredible poetry. Today, many films, TV shows and novels are inspired by its bloody sport and bloodier politics.

It has influenced the modern world, through the languages we speak to forms of government. As classicistAn expert in ancient Greek and Roman language, literature, art, architecture, or culture. Mary Beard writes: "Rome is ingrained in our political, cultural and literary traditions, and ways of thinking."

But not all roads lead to Rome. The trend has encouraged people to share their "Roman Empire", the thing they think about all the time.¹

Basketball player Aliyah Boston said soca, a Caribbean musical genre. Playwright Sandy Rustin thinks about stopping gun violence. And for comedian Natasha Vaynblat it is both alien life and motherhood.

Perhaps everyone has a special interest that sticks in their mind.¹ The things we think about are one of the things that define us. Our interests form part of our personalities.

They determine the activities we do, the books we read and the things we watch. They also shape who we spend time with. People are attracted to those who share similar interests.

Yet others claim there is much more to us than our interests. Our personalities also include our reactions to others and emotional patterns, which seem a million miles from ancient history.

Two people fascinated by one thing might differ in all other respects. America's Founding FathersThe men generally thought to have played the most important role in creating the United States of America, by leading its military forces during the War of Independence or by writing the documents on which it is founded and still guide the country today. and Italian fascistFollowing fascism, a set of ideologies that advocates dictatorial power, political violence, suppression of opposition, traditional gender roles, and official racism. leader Benito Mussolini shared an obsession with the Roman Empire. But few would consider them political allies.

Are we defined by our "Roman Empire"?

Yes: Lots of things define us. But our interests have a particularly big influence on our lives. They shape the places we go, the people we meet, the views we form and the conversations we have.

No: The things that occupy our mind are important. But they define us less than our actions, the things that actually affect others and the world around us. No one is defined by their thoughts alone.

Or... Defining a person is a futilePointless. It is derived from a Latin word meaning "leaky". task. Each of us is a slippery mixture of thoughts and emotions, interests and instincts. We change all the time, sometimes gradually, sometimes moment to moment.