The New Medieval Period
Welcome to the New Medieval Period.
No, this is not about the quirky, fun dinner show, or the multi-week celebration that presents itself to Texas every October/November. This is a resurgence of the kind of narrow-minded and intransigent thinking that characterized that period of time between the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Renaissance.
"Wheels within wheels in a spiral array, a pattern so grand and complex. Time after time we lose sight of the way. Our causes can't see their effects."
It is said that time moves in circular patterns. Another perspective claims that time moves in a spiral motion where events seem to repeat, but on different levels and under varying conditions. In either case, we find ourselves presently witnessing a fascinating twist in the helix of time - an epoch much closer to the resurgence of a different kind of civilization that, in my opinion, carries a particularly valid connotation most often associated with cruelty and ignorance.
I'm Darren, and I'll be your host on this fascinating journey into a modern recurrence.
"When the ebbing tide retreats along the rocky shoreline, it leaves a trail of tide pools in a short-lived galaxy, each micro-cosmic planet a complete society."
Feudalism, a social, economic, and political system, dominated the period where land ownership and power were concentrated in the hands of a few. Nobles and royals (i.e. the upper class) were the most likely to have wealth and education. Knights and lesser nobles (gentry) (i.e., the middle class) might have had some wealth and education. Peasants and serfs (i.e., the lower class) were most likely to have no wealth or education.
[Article Link] People "Knew Their Place"
It used to be "nobles, gentry, and peasants". Now it's "women, foreigners, and anyone who thinks differently than we do".
"In their own image, their world is fashioned. No wonder they don't understand."
During this period, monasteries preserved knowledge, giving the church a central role in society. As a result, the church had an overwhelming effect on feudal life; most of the educated people (outside of the nobles and gentry) were priests and were thus heavily biased in their opinions toward church doctrine.
Scientific curiosity, philosophy, sociology, and literally anything else deemed "non-ecclesiastical" was prohibited or considered inherently suspect. Anyone simply accused of participating in one of these non-ecclesiastical actions was quickly "inquisited" (full pun intended) and anyone caught in the act, or admitting to such a crime was usually murdered in such a way as to set an example for others NOT to follow.
Fast forward to our modern era and almost every American is given an education starting in childhood, so is at least familiar with the concepts of reading or writing (even if we never do either). We're scientifically literate (except for conspiracy theorists, "flat Earthers", and climate change deniers).
[Article Link] Censorship, or "What I Know That You Shouldn't"
"Welcome to the New Inquisition. Your Grand Inquisitor, Torquemada II, will be with you shortly. Please be patient while we group you with other people who share your particular flavor of depravity. We will then deal with you according to an arbitrary depravity hierarchy which we don't have documented and probably won't follow anyway."
For at least 1500 years, the city of Jerusalem has been revered by the three most prominent world faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The problem was that, during the medieval period, Jerusalem and most of its surrounding area was controlled by the Muslims, who revere the area as the place where the Prophet Mohammed began his ascent into heaven to meet Allah.
Christians, however, were incensed that the area where Jesus lived and taught was under the control of heathen barbarians. So, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Urban II, called for an armed pilgrimage to Jerusalem with the intention to conquer Jerusalem and its surrounding area in the name of Christ. This was the First Crusade.
"All the busy little creatures chasing out their destinies. Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea."
For the next 250 years, dozens of religious wars were initiated, supported and sometimes directed by the Christian church to keep the holy city under Christian rule.
[Article Link] The Rise of Christian Nationalism
Welcome to the New Crusades. As the saying goes, "If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, then the mountain will come to Mohammed."