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”
We often find that the more intelligent people are critical of the world. However, a wise person does not use their superior abilities to blame others but to help others. When used foolishly, superior abilities can harm the world; when used wisely, they can help the world. Superior intelligence should not be judged by the extent or depth of its knowledge, but by the fruit it produces. Most of the world's abilities are judged by the value of their use rather than their effectiveness of utilization. A tree should be evaluated by its fruit, not its roots or trunk. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”