Historical Insights: Thoughts on Rome and What People Really Want

One of the smartest aspects of Gate: Thus the Japanese Self-Defense Force Fought There! is that a town, then a city, begins to grow up near the JSDF force's compound in the other world. 

It starts out as trade. Then more people--both refugees and people simply looking for a better life--arrive and build shelters, which become houses and inns. Then, extra businesses arise near those houses or out of those inns, not simply the businesses associated with trade with Earth but businesses associated with haircuts, clothes, and so on and so forth. 

It's a point that Marx kind of got but failed to take to its natural conclusion. People care about money but honestly, it is less about power (class systems) and more about "I woke up this morning and my front lawn wasn't a crater."

Socialites, philosophers with monetary support, and wealthy societies don't always get this. But lots of Roman citizens did. As historians point out, Rome lasted a very long time because even when Rome got invaded and taken over, the conquerors continued to use the infrastructure, sometimes even the lingo, attached to Rome. 

People really do want peace but not for the fuzzy "I love humanity" reasons extended by peace movements. They want peace because they want to trade and get haircuts and create art and visit family and take care of their kids and hold shindigs and go to Comicon and relax in bathhouses and shop and read yaoi (yup, characters do that in Gate!). 

They want ordinary.