Medieval Castles and the Long View of Things
September 16th, 2008We live in throwaway times. Everything is instantaneous and disposable and I think there is something lost in that.
I am not going to launch into any kind of soliloquy about that but there are two points I really want to make in this post. There are two distinct types of long view and this thought stems from a guy in California who has been building his own medieval castle brick-by-brick on weekends and vacations for the past twenty years.
And this is a good example of the first example of long view: It is very difficult for us in this world to take a “long view” look at our lives and the things we do. This problem is very evident when it comes to those of us who are involved in the web where everything is instantaenous and last hours news is a distant memory.
I think it is quite remarkable that this man set out to build himself, by himself, a medieval castle and he has kept after it for twenty years. Kudos to him for taking the long view.
And the beautiful thing about his project is that it is perfectly wrapped in an example of the second long view - the long view that is really long and extends past you; and this is where Medieval Castles come in. Castles, Cathedrals and buildings like that were built in a time where they took the long view of things - they built in stone and with the intention of making sure they endured. Why don’t we do this kind of thing anymore? Wheres the long view?
Anyhoo, I have a couple of interesting links for you:
A few years back I visited a medieval castle that was built around the 7th century. It is still in perfect condition and I have an essay about it and some pictures here: Inside a Medieval Castle circa the 7th Century
Also: Here is an article about the gentleman who is building his own medieval castle: Brick by Brick, a Weekend Warrior Builds a Medieval Retirement Home
A Quick What’s coming next on this blog: I have a whole bunch of stuff coming including my review of the phenomenal Terry Goodkind book: Wizards First Rule; It’s the book that the new ABC series: Legend of the Seeker is based upon.
