Changes of Religion & a Glimpse of Utopia

Well, we didn't end up having as much class this week....in fact only one real day and on Friday I was one of the ten who came to class because I didn't see the e-mail soon enough, but oh well....anyways...
Both classes focused on the Protestant Reformation and the actions of Martin Luther.  This was a time of vast disruption in the church.  Also, the printing press was developed, which assisted in the the furthering of literacy, especially that of the church.  Can you imagine what would have happened if the printing press was never developed???  I also found it interesting to hear such a thing as the dancing craze came about and all from the powers of rye??  That is crazy!

Last of all was all about Martin Luther and his blossoming ideas that were developed.  It was especially interesting for the idea of predestination to reemerge since I had recently had a conversation with a guy on whether predestination or free will is the most accurate.  I think that I believe a combination of both because God is all knowing yet gave us free will yet He knows what we are going to choose.  In the end, I believe that this is a concept we may not fully comprehend on this earth.  Until watching the movie on Friday, I did not fully know the extent of Luther's life.  I don't know what I thought, but I did not know that his parents were so unsupportive and that he started out as a monk in the Catholic church.  It was interesting how they worded that he felt he'd never please either of his fathers, earthly or heavenly.  I am so glad he came to his senses seeing that salvation is achieved just by believing and that he then shared this idea with the world!

As for Utopia, I was really looking forward to reading it, mostly because it is mentioned in the movie "Ever After," which I love!  However, the first book was quite disappointing.  It was confusing and was mostly talking about the downfalls of society.  I am really looking forward to the part describing this utopia because it seems a way to escape the icky realities of this world!
Also, this is the week of our midterm...I'm hoping for the best, but am a bit scared with a few of the broader questions....then it's off to Europe with the choir to see places possibly involved in stuff we are talking about in class! :)

Is Ignorance Bliss???

Besides a little discussion about Renaissance art, specifically Durer, this week's discussion was mostly on Erasmus's Praise of Folly.  His ideas were a big part of Northern or Christian Humanism.  His goal was to reform the church from within.  He went back to the sources of the writings in order to develop his ideas.  I found how Prof. Tucker summed it up, "If you can't have what you desire, desire what you have."  I would actually say this is somewhat how I was brought up or at least strive to be.  My view is that in the end, even the difficult things are somehow blessings from God.

I also found it interesting how big of a deal it was with the translation of "metanoya" to "change of heart."  This demonstrates how difficult it was to get everything accurate and with the same meaning when moving from one language to another.  Sometimes it still seems today that we have troubles with words with multiple meanings.  One little mistake and it could anger someone to an extreme level.

The first part of the book basically focuses on how in all actuality, foolishness is what brings people happiness.  At one point it even goes so far as to say that one must have wisdom in order to be foolish.  In a way, this makes sense because some of the foolish things people do often seem quite foolish.  And sometimes unfairly, it seems the "foolish" people get out of some miserable stuff too.  Another interesting quote that I read said that "speech is the least deceptive mirror of the mind."  Even though I'm not entirely sure what that means, it seems that oftentimes what people say reveals a lot and it is hardest to hide things in speech.

Then we skipped to reading the end of the book (although I may be weird and go back and read the rest...), which again showed specifically how princes seem to be deceitful and foolish in order to get their way.  Although I found it difficult to see, Erasmus is actually against princes acting this way.  He also makes fun of bishops, cardinals, popes, priests, etc. because of the symbols that they wear and how these don't describe the way they act at all.  They are instead only concerned with themselves and are the opposite of what their title means like father & overseer.  He also compares the pious man and the ordinary man by showing how the pious is mostly concerned about his soul while the ordinary is concerned with bodily things.  To sum things up I want to bring up a couple of interesting details I found while reading.  At one point it said that "to shed tears is weak and womanish."  Guess that's me and actually I feel that the expression of emotion should not only be reserved for females.  Then I thought it was interesting how they worded it that blood holds the church together.  I guess if the church in fact is centered around Jesus and his death on the cross, that would be very accurate.  

So now I am left wondering if the act of striving for wisdom is in vain and useless...is foolishness the path to happiness???  Where shall I go from here???

What does it take to be the best prince?

We continued on the journey through "The Prince" to see more of Machiavelli's views on how a prince should be.  In the midst of the issue of whether it is better to be loved or feared, a shocking statement about loss appears.  It says, "men are quicker to forget the death of a father than the loss of a patrimony."  Personally this is so disheartening and can be compared to our materialistic society today.  Why have objects become more important than even loved ones?  I guess this again connects to the idea that people at this time were more concerned about the ends versus the means.  While in some minor senses this might make sense like in order to protect a loved one, a small lie might have to be made.  However, by other examples, it can be seen this can get quite out of hand.

To again address the issue of whether to be feared or loved, I believe that there should be a mix between the two.  One should be feared to such an extent that he/she is respected, but the one in charge should present him/herself in such a way that the subjects admire the person in a loving way.  I can compare this to my belief of God because he should be feared because of all the power he does have to use as he sees fit, however, he is also so full of love and wants what is best for his children.  

One other part in the book that shocked me was the part comparing fortune and women.  It seemed offensive how they said women should be "jogged and beaten" because she will submit better to boldness versus cautiousness.  Obviously, this reveals the time period's view of women.  While I would like a man bold enough to pursue me, I definitely do not feel I need to be controlled to this extent.

We also watched another part of the video about the Medici family.  Wow, does it look like a dangerous family to be in or what?  I found it interesting to hear how they hired an artist to paint undergarments on the Michaelangelo's "The Last Judgement."  This kind of surprises me considering how much of the art at the time contained indecent elements.  Last, in the Scientific Revolution, I found it interesting how they described wine as light held together with something and then used a fish bowl to demonstrate the earth orbiting the sun.  The fish, like people on earth, can still live normally while revolving.  And to finish off the week, a beautiful spring day with cancelled class, so I enjoyed a walk through the slush! :)

How to Be a Prince or Courtier Part 1

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli is written to be either a manual for princes or a satire about the princes of the time.  I have found the first part of this to be difficult to read and understand because most of it concerns part of the history of the rulers of the time, which I am not very knowledgeable about.

I really enjoyed reading The Book of the Courtier so was really disappointed that we didn't get to discuss it.  Some of them are quite humorous like about playing chess or dancing.  The spelling of many words threw me off...made the read a bit more challenging!  My favorite had to be the one about showing love towards women...especially, "to love better the beawtye of the minde, then of the bodie."  If only guys today would take heed to all these qualifications.  I also think one should be added about gentlemen opening and holding open the doors for all ladies.  I have recently realized how special that little of a thing makes me feel.  When looking at the qualifications for a gentylwoman.  I found the one that read, "Do not lead the poor boys on." to be quite humorous.  Hoping I'm not guilty of that unconsciously, or does the "poor" refer to the guys social class or their emotional state.  I also love how it ends that if all of these are followed, "...the Dream comes alive."  If only, if only...

One of the most interesting parts of our class discussion on Friday was about gun laws.  Although I have no strong opinion being brought up in a home against the use of guns, yet I also understand the use of them in beneficial ways.  Biggest surprise:  Switzerland's law about owning an automatic weapon.  I thought they were supposed to be neutral...hence why I have always been named Miss. Switzerland in arguments...  I guess it does make sense that if no one is weaker, without a weapon, there are less people who could be put in jeopardy.

I am anxious to see how this idea of it being "safer to be feared than to be loved" will be developed in the chapters to come of the book.  I think it may also be interesting to try to compare our politicians of today and princes/rulers back then.