The moon over San Miniato's bell tower, one hard week ago. Remarkable Michelangelo, wearing his military engineer hat, ordered cannon emplaced up in that tower during the Siege of Florence. A famous graffito during that ten-month siege in 1529: "Poor but free." The armies of the Pope and his Spanish and French allies finally prevailed, marking the end of the free Republic of Florence and the installation of the Medici as autocratic rulers of Tuscany.
Enjoy odd facts? Michelangelo died the year both Galileo and Shakespeare were born: 1564.
The ancient seeds of the memory of Greek political freedom were germinating, back then. The pursuit of freedom, self-reliance, and dignity is an endless battle for mankind, is it not, against those who seek power and authority over us, and "responsibility" for us? Like we are weak, or children. Give me God's, or even nature's fate - not man's. I will deal with those.
Like those Florentines, I do not trust human power, because it is always the wrong sorts of folks who seek it: people who want to be too big for their boots. Bush, however well-intentioned, and all the rest included. While the regular people just want to live life in God's amazing and scary world, or to figger out how to. But che bella vita, and to Hell with all of the power-seekers. Which circle? Dante knew. That's all I have to say, today, on a holy Sabbath.
For those who had trouble posting to Friday's San Miniato post, try here.
