The Janus Factor

"Life is Janus-faced, and the humourist invests his characters with a double mask; they stand for comedy as well as for tragedy." ~ Israel Zangwill

The two-faced Roman god Janus was known as "Keeper of the Keys" and as "Interpreter of the Mysteries."

The name of the Roman god Janus comes from Latin ianua, an entrance gate. He was the god of doorways and gateways; as doors can be passed in either direction, he came to represent both the past and the future. Because of that, his image was of a man with two faces, looking both forwards and backwards.

The Romans always put Janus first in prayers, because in particular he symbolized beginnings. But he could also represent success or failure, especially in war. He was the god of January, whose name comes from him (in Latin Januarius (mensis), the month of Janus), which had become the first month of the Roman calendar probably some time in the second century BCE. A person who is Janus-faced has two contrasting aspects and in particular is two-faced or deceitful.

A Janus-faced word is a contronym, a word like cleave that has two opposing meanings
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I stand at the gates
Two paths a-face

Crystal and jade
Chrysanthemums and Lilies

Should you choose to believe
Or Should you choose to suspend all belief

Where is the promise of release?
There is only the poignancy of internment

Where you go
may not be where you want to be

What you do may not be your calling
But what your calling may not be on the anvil

So where do you go?

Jump in Hell's Fire
Or Walk towards Heaven's Store

I am at that place
where the roads n' forks

Lead me away
Or Snare me
To ensnare

Entrapment
Or Freedom

~ Dev Khurana
Oct 20, 2010

Notes: The Roman god Janus was known as the custodian of the universe. He is the god of beginnings and the guardian of gates and doors. He is often depicted with two heads, back to back, representing the ability to look into the past and into the future.

Thats a very tricky thought, you know. You can never decide, for you dont quite know what awaits you. And you have equal opportunity at both.

I need to think a lot more before I can comment in detail!!!

Yah, I dont think this is just about Dev Khurana, its more of the thought process that we all go through every day of our lives before we choose our course of action!!

Jaan 🤗 Good one.

Janus has been regarded as a person symbolizing endings and beginnings. Life always leaves you at cross-roads. Wondering which one to take has always been life's greatest mysteries. The road not taken is the best way to describe this.

It is a dilemma we face in everyday life. Something that makes one happy may make someone sad. Someone whom you love might be hated by someone else. A moment in the past was a present at that particular moment. And a moment in the present will become a moment of the past soon. Only when a person is ready to enjoy life on the moment and be responsible for his actions every moment will be happy for the past, present and the future is as per his wish, his liking and his decision.

@Yash: @Ash: Thanks sweetipies and munchkins 🤗 - me likey likey ur additions

OMG..Bri..

i will have to read it..a couple of times..before..i can reply...

i'll be back.*schwazneggar style*

choices

to live a dream
to live a harsh reality

to be bound by duties
to be free of any chains

to love what you do
to do what you love

is all that one chooses to do
its the distinction between the two

to be what one wants
to be what is expected of you

to do the things one desires
to fulfill others desires

is there happiness to be found
or is it all within

does one know the purpose of life
does one live without a purpose

an answer is something you know within
it is the strength to follow your heart

that will determine
the choices you make
and to begin a dream....

life is never what you want out of
but what you make of it

to be perfect is a fallacy
to dream is foolhardy

for reality has something in store
that makes you not a star but a wh**e..

@Vru - 👏👏👏👏👏 I don't have words to write. Brilliant!!

@Rush: I can only bow to your intellect and the beauty of your thinking!! Muaaaaaaaaaah 👏

@Ash: Yeah, me thinks you do tend to push me to write more on these lines :-))

Its Brilliant + was a pleasure to read..Gud job Bril.