The Middle Road or The High Road

In the reading, Erasmus takes a very conservative approach. He says "I must confess that I have not yet formed a definite opinion on any of the numerous traditional views regarding the freedom of the will." Throughout his writings, he makes arguments for both grace and works, and ends up with a middle of the road approach. I feel looking at his logic and way of thinking help us understand perfectly why he was attributed to Christian Humanism and called the "Prince of the Humanists." By neither straying to the far left or far right of the argument, he typifies the ideas of Christian Humanism, who combine the often opposing ideas of the individual and of Christian principles. On the other side, the arguments of Martin Luther assert a strong position, in which he holds true to the doctrines he puts forth. His attitude is attitude is more reflective of the Reformation and the need for change.

These two approaches were reflective of the audience that they were trying to appease to. Erasmus's conservative approach appealed to the conservative, who may have had an open mind like Erasmus, but did not take strong action to the new ideas of the time. However, Luther, in addition to protecting his own reputation, was striving to help relieve any possible worries of those of the Reformation by presenting a strong, confident rebuttal to Erasmus.

These approaches can be seen in our time as well. It definitely depends on the audience being spoken too. Leaders of nations with different cultural backgrounds must also strive to see all sides of the arguments by looking at the current and historical context. However, an example of the stronger approach might be a leader of any social movement. The leader would have to attempt to retain followers and gain new followers by using a confident approach that appealed to reason and emotional strength.

Of Expressive and Meditative Personalities

I know, experimentally, the disposition of nature so impatient of tedious and elaborate premeditation, that if it do not go frankly and gaily to work, it can perform nothing to purpose.

The above quote describes a main feature of Mantaigne's essay "Of Quick or Slow Speech." The article debates where different types of speakers should be placed in society. For example, he argues that preachers should be slow speakers, since they would have time to mediate what they would say. He provides another example, where he argues that those of the courtroom should be quick speakers, since they will have to respond to interruptions more.

To fully communicate one's ideas, which personality would be better? The gift of quick speech was highly valued in the Renaissance. Castiglione, who wrote The Book of the Courtier, came up with the term Sprezzatura, which is the skill of making others feel that what one does or say is done without any effort. The art of Sprezzatura could (and I would argue still does) allow people to create a strong impression of themselves, which will allow them to better persuade others to their expressed ideas.
This same idea is seen today by at least some degree. I know that this skill is used by many in job interviews to make themselves seem more qualified. However, in addition to creating a self-image, quick speech can allow us to make a difference in the world, a world where it is "the disposition of nature" to be "impatient of tedious and elaborate premeditation." Without quick speech, much would be left undone.

On the other hand I feel that the slow speaker, or the deep thinking introvert if I may call him or her, has a very useful purpose in this world. I myself probably fall more so into this category, as I often premeditate many of my thoughts and responses before speaking. I remember one time I was with a friend who had a very talkative personality. My friend and I were talking to someone else, and while my friend excitedly continued the conversation, I noticed that this person had tears in their eyes. Afterwards I talked to my friend about this and said that he had not noticed. Later we found out that this individual was going through something difficult in their life. In general, I feel that the art of the quick speech can be useful in many situations, but if one does not take time to be quiet and listen, one will not be able to see certain important things that introvert might be more inclined to notice.

Climbing the Mountain: Disappointment Instead of Inspiration

While Petrarch beat me to the punch on the mountain thing, I too have been entranced by the idea of climbing a mountain. I grew up in Farmington, Utah and not only did I live close to the mountains, but my friend who lived across the street had the mountain for his backyard. Since I was a young child, I loved playing with my friend on the mountain just above the house. To this day, there are few things I love more than a view from a good lookout.

One day, my friend and I decided that the age of 10, we were going to climb to the top of this mountain. Apparently there was a trail that lead to the top of this mountain but we didn't know that (our parents didn't know about our endeavor either). As we started hiking, it wasn't too bad, and our confidence was pretty high. However, as we got closer to the top, we began to have a harder time as we were swimming through trees and getting a little scratched up. We reached a giant rock, and while taking a break, we came to the conclusion that we weren't going to make it. We didn't know how far we had come, but as close as we could have been, we didn't think continuing would be worth it.

The path down the mountain seemed way worse than on the way up for some reason. Once we got down we had an eye-opening moment. We could see the giant rock in the distance: we only made it up about a fourth of the mountain. While Petrarch's climb was filled with inspiration and perspective, my experience was one of sorrow and crushed 10-year old dreams. The mountain, and the world for that matter, was a bigger place than we thought.

However, despite the disappointment, the hike created a great memory. My friend and I still reminisce about that experience when we see each other. If we had made it up that mountain, we may have had great feelings of achievement, but we would have missed out on the humor of talking about our innocence and miserableness. I also learned a great lesson about preparedness. Morale of the story: always start your adventure with at least some sort of plan.

From Gutenberg to Facebook?

Facebook. Just like cell phones, I don't remember what life was like without it. For good or for evil, it has revolutionized the way we keep up with each other's lives. Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press. His technology revolutionized the ways ideas were spread. No longer were multiple handwritten copies of a single book needed in order to spread the ideas of writers. Can we adequately compare the historic invention of the printing press to the modern gadgets of communication and information such as our beloved Facebook?

I think in some ways we can. The printing press allowed civilization to obtain more information since it increased the efficiency of printing, which not only allowed for more books, but also decreased the price. People who were not able to afford books previously now could. Also, new ideas could take form more quickly than in the past. Who knows how much more could have been accomplished in the Middle Ages had the printing press been available?

Now I would argue that Facebook has not revolutionized the world in information like the printing press has, but it might of revolutionized relationships in a similar way. While information was already widely available during its birth, Facebook revolutionized our world by allowing humans to maintain and restart relationships. No other technology out there had allowed people to connect with long lost friends so easily. I remember many times when I've heard people older than my generation say how they had connected with old buddies that they thought they would never have seen again. And while Gutenberg's invention lowered costs, did I forget to mention that Facebook is free?

However, some may argue that Facebook would be taking us in an opposite direction than the printing press took us. Movable type allowed great thinkers to help us see the world differently. While it allowed for increased communication throughout the world, I doubt that it distracted people from their own personal relationships like Facebook is often accused of doing. I wonder how Johann Gutenberg would have reacted if he had been able to see the information age. Would he have been excited by the almost unlimited communication and information available or would he have been terrified of the consequences of the dramatic change in culture and civilization?

Connecting Generations: Pioneers, The World Wars, and 9/11

   As I tried to think of history, as well as my own history, many of my thoughts were drawn to big events in the world that I or my ancestors have personally witnessed. I remember several times sitting together as a family as we listened to some of my grandparents tell stories about our ancestors, or perhaps their own stories in connection with larger events. Many of the major stories included miracles from faith-filled pioneers or my own grandparents' experiences in the world wars and the great depression. While I gained a knowledge of these historical events in other places, I did not always appreciate the significance of the history. But, after learning that some of my own ancestors had made a personal footprint in these larger stories, I found that I had a greater personal connection and my appreciation increased.

   What about us? Although we are only college students, I feel that many of us already have made connections with larger events that we can share in order to make the next generations feel more connected with the past. I remember the day 9/11 happened. I was getting ready to go to my elementary school and my parents were watching the television. I didn't understand exactly what was happening and neither did many of my classmates. Our lack of understanding was clear when one of the other students had starting making airplane noises and making gestures with his hand of a plane blowing up into a building. My teacher quickly intervened to explain to us the seriousness of the situation. I remember that moment to be the first time that I began to understand the concept of great human loss and suffering.

I know that all of us probably remember the day 9/11 happened. I'm also sure that many of us have other stories that have connected them with larger events. While I believe history will always be taught by experts to benefit humans, I believe it is a personal duty of ours to help our descendants and other close ones to connect with the past through our own personal stories.