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”
Steve Jobs died of pancreatic cancer. I have often imagined what the world would be like if he were alive now. But how can we control our deaths? I certainly believe that there are some things that humans cannot intervene in. Whether we call it fate or luck, I think meeting a beloved spouse is also part of this, although we choose the spouse with our intentions. Some people believe that a person has been chosen and loved, but beyond that decision, I ponder whether there is a power with which humans cannot intervene... - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”