In A New Light

The catalyst that got everyone out of The Dark Ages 4 centuries ago was not a political system, nor was it an private league of professionals re-writing laws so as to secure their descendants economic advantage ad infinitum*, nor was it an actual 'leader'...as there's a strong tendency to kill those off as soon as one is detected, thus you'll notice no one is scrambling for the job.

It was art.

Art is what saw civilisation out of the Dark Ages. The Renaissance to be specific.

The individuals who created such art that brought us out of the Dark Ages, possessed a strength of character, a self possession and raw talent we don't seem to see anymore.

Why is that?

Their need to articulate, design, paint, draw, chisel, depict, reveal, educate, elevate others came from their need to create that-which-they-could-see, but weren't seeing around them.

They had vision.

They had vision without religion. These were the thinkers. They had, and made, their points, and put them in their work for all to see if we stopped to look and think too. And stop, think and re-thin people did.

They all lived approximately at the same time. And, not unlike the 4 minute mile, once we see what can be done, so it shall be done. Everything is learned. So while limits are self, or socially imposed, they are removable likewise.

So. What if...latent talent, might just be a dormant element within every one us?

...and that it is, in fact, the atmosphere, and current conditions, and climate of the social, economic, cultural and development of the times that might [or might not] bring it to light?

~ blasphemy ~ blas for you ~

Some of these individuals were Michelangelo, da Vinci, Rafael and Botticelli.
There were more..but we'll stick with the familiar, cause that's what we do on this continent.

But, don't look upon their names and throw your arms up in the air and say; "oh well hell, like as if I'm one of them..."

Because you don't honestly know to say that do you?

Were you ever explained marbles attributes and behavior, and the physics to know about balance, structure and weigth placement when you were young? Were you ever handed an old fashioned hammer and chisel, by a master craftsman, in front of a block of solid marble millions of years old when you were a teen?

And why is that?

Primarily because of someone else's economic concerns, we are not shown, taught or allowed to discover things we might seriously excel in.

At no point in our formative years are we sincerely shown and taught or given the freedom to find out that which, or as much as, we ought to be. Then in our early adult years there's no money. Then we get caught up, and under the bridge it all goes.

So who knows? We certainly don't.

So don't look upon these Renaissance men of old, or new if one somehow got-away as something to kick your jaw along the ground after.

Look upon these men are those few who refused what everyone else was doing, they did-their-own-thing, dedicated their lives to their skill & interests, figured things out, lived and walked a true, but lone path. But they never settled on anything but that which they were here to put forth and leave us.

They were their true selves.

(of course, they were allowed to be. They were supported and or encouraged in ways we strangely aren't)

Therein reside some of the vital keys missing in our current dim age.

But we do have history to show us how to get ourselves out.

Let's hope we never lose sight of our own history.

*referring to those self serving signatures at the bottom of the Declaration of Independence
~blasphemy ~ blas for you ~