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”
Feeling fear often can lead someone with a strong will to try to compensate for their weaknesses or prevent dangers. However, if that person is also smart, they may easily overcompensate. In worldly affairs, change and wealth arise from taking action, not merely from thought. If people experience a lot of fear and are both strong-willed and intelligent, they are more likely to become poor. This happens because they might believe they can achieve their goals through only thinking instead of taking further action. What these individuals often overlook is the value of time, which money cannot buy. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”