Consider the 1400's in the south of France as an example: the Inquisition flails around burning women and some men at the stake. Bubonic plague ravaged the world in 1358 and has made return calls regularly. In the first bout of plague one in every three people died. So many corpses they had to be piled into mass graves. Drought and famine resulted from a mini-ice age that would last through the 18th century. A simple cut finger might result in body sepsis and death. The streets of Avignon held open sewers on each side with human waste freely thrown from buildings lining those streets. The smell was so intolerable the Vatican decided against holding a ceremony there. I write this not to return to dark times but to put perspective on what we are experiencing today. Humanity has always been in a crisis. It is not new. What is new is our fledgling sense of group conscience: for the first time in history we believe rape is a bad thing. Consider this. We believe children ought to be protected. And for the very first time in our entire history many many of us want to protect trees, green life forms, animal life forms, all the different life forms that share breath with us in our short journey. It is a time of huge upheaval, greater than the chaos resulting from Galileo's truth. Yet here we are. And we will emerge on the other side with a more deeply layered understanding of our role as stewards on this blue dot, and an enriched empathy for all life. This is hope, yes, but also what history teaches us. We survived, and thrived, after the 14th century in Europe. We will again.
Great article Margaret. Well said.
Consider the 1400's in the south of France as an example: the Inquisition flails around burning women and some men at the stake. Bubonic plague ravaged the world in 1358 and has made return calls regularly. In the first bout of plague one in every three people died. So many corpses they had to be piled into mass graves. Drought and famine resulted from a mini-ice age that would last through the 18th century. A simple cut finger might result in body sepsis and death. The streets of Avignon held open sewers on each side with human waste freely thrown from buildings lining those streets. The smell was so intolerable the Vatican decided against holding a ceremony there. I write this not to return to dark times but to put perspective on what we are experiencing today. Humanity has always been in a crisis. It is not new. What is new is our fledgling sense of group conscience: for the first time in history we believe rape is a bad thing. Consider this. We believe children ought to be protected. And for the very first time in our entire history many many of us want to protect trees, green life forms, animal life forms, all the different life forms that share breath with us in our short journey. It is a time of huge upheaval, greater than the chaos resulting from Galileo's truth. Yet here we are. And we will emerge on the other side with a more deeply layered understanding of our role as stewards on this blue dot, and an enriched empathy for all life. This is hope, yes, but also what history teaches us. We survived, and thrived, after the 14th century in Europe. We will again.