The medieval church forbade usury and claimed that usurers went to hell. However, as the feudal system of the Middle Ages declined and merchants emerged as an emerging power, usury businesses amassed enormous wealth. Usurers donated their corrupt wealth to monasteries, and when they died, they could be buried there. It was a bonus that the donor usurer could receive the sacrament of confession shortly before death. Fear of the afterlife caused poor churches to accumulate wealth, used to decorate walls or build larger, more elaborate structures, leading to the Renaissance era. The unjust usury business sparked a literary and artistic revival. Let go of the illusion that only good things can change the world for the better or the right. The innocence of ignorance about how the world works makes it easier to accept sin and corrupts the world into evil. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Influence is not merely giving; it involves both giving and taking. Interaction creates change. Influence without change is simply a rumor. To truly give and take from one another, you must first embrace the world within yourself. If you do not open your mind and senses to the world and accept its stimuli and spirit, you cannot impact even the most abundant rumors. First, accept, and then react to the world. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”