The Best of Times, the Worst of Times

Yeah tell me about it! Talk about your triple witching! uch:

 

Luchaire, don't be a dictionary, please. It gets annoying.

 

I like it. Makes me feel smart when I understand other people's big words.

And nbrosz - methinks it's a bad idea to complain about other people's verbosity, because your contributions are sorely lacking in substance*.





*There's still some, but try not to bitch too much about people who go to the trouble of typing up long things to share, mmkay? It's not like he standing in your living room, pinning your eyelids up, and forcing you to read his posts.**

**I hope...

 

Alright, then. Sorry.

 

That's the word i wanted to say! But I forgot how to spell it so I was trying to use other words for it That's the period I'd like to live in!! :nod:

 

As long as the Black Death doesn't getcha!

 

I'm already Black and Death :lol: Don't worry it won't spread :thumbup:

(well only by injection anyway.... :hump: )

 

OK, I've only read the first page, but...

I think the plague was only in the 1300's and 1600's (not quite sure, though).

Anyway, I'd have to go with Windmills and Luchaire on the 'Age of Discovery' choice. Or the Renaissance(?spelling?).

The late 1800's would've been great too -

1. I love that whole 'Amazing Gadget!' attitude of the commercial inventors back then.

2. I think the whole etiquette system would've been more suited to me than today - I'm seen as kind of eccentric by some people... not that there's anything wrong with being eccentric (proud of it!) .

Also, It'd be fantastic to live through the first wave of space exploration and colonization - not an established rule, but a ' Space Age of Discovery'.

At ease.

 

The Black Death: First arrived in Europe (Messina, Sicily) in October, 1347, brought from Crimea by some Genoese fleeing the war there. It was over by 1351, but returned approximately every 10 years for the next 300 years.

Little known, however, is that the Black Death continues to crop up periodically even today... all over the world.

 

Ah, I didn't know about the continuing epidemic - I thought it died out after the 1300's bout, then came back in the 1600's on the barges.

 

It was a toss-up, to be sure. However, being an avid Renaissance Faire actress (I'm usually a washer wench, originally at the Southern Florida Renfair, and later at the Carolina Renfair in Charlotte) I've learned that being a female in the renaissance was not all it was cracked up to be. The lower classes had the brunt of the housework to be sure, and although there was room for entrepeneurism for women in that age, I think if we wait just a bit later, toward the enlightenment, the opportunities open up even more. But then, feel free to correct me on this Luchaire - after all you're the historian - I'm just a physicist who plays a wench in her sparetime. Although, like I said, it was a toss- up. I am a Renn-girl in many respects.

Some might argue, however (And i'm sure you've heard these arguments far more than I have) that the enlightenment was a sort of "renaissance" of its own. Some have even called it a "second renaissance" of sorts.

A time I would not have wanted to live in? I'd say China around the 1950's - the "Great Leap forward" and the "Cultural Revolution" and all this. If you're not aware of how horrible this time was, you should try to rent the movies "To Live" or "The Blue Kite" or "Xiu Xiu - The Sent-down Girl" ...I think "Farewell My Concubine" addresses this period as well, but I saw it a long time ago, so I don't quite remember. I mention movies because they're a quick and relatively painless way for a person not too well acquainted with the culture and history, to become so. Books and articles will as a whole, be more informative, but very few people will get the idea as quickly. Nevertheless, the time was plagued with brainwashing, ripping apart of families for minor ideological differences, destruction of a HUGE portion of CENTURIES of chinese artifacts, religion, and culture. It's something China is still in the midst of, lest we forget. And something (considering my husband is chinese) that I try to speak out for whenever I can. What the chinese do to their people is horrific.

Anyway. Ok, I think you get the picture. ;-)

 

I consider myself fortunate to be living in this current time period. Technology is on the rise, yet it hasn't taken the world over completely yet. There's still enough wilderness to be appreciated in certain areas, and everything is in the balance. Everything. It could go one way or another, and I feel that I'm lucky to be able to witness the direction the future of the world will be taking. The Industrial Revolution may have started the fire, but right now we are determining which direction it will burn, what will be consumed and what will be saved.

That being said, I often wish that I lived several hundred years ago, when life was simpler. Not necessarily better, but simpler. It could be better, or it could be worse. My optimum periods would be around the golden age of Greece, when all the important philosophers were around (and I'm well aware that some of them were separated by hundreds of years). Other than that, Rome during the reign of Augustus Caesar when it had it's 200 year period of peace (which eventually lead to it's downfall due the Legion's lack of...practice, but hey, to live during that time would have been nice) or during the Renaissance. Whatever time, Europe was definitely where I'd choose to be at. World power may have historically moved west (think about it), but it lingered in Europe a helluva long time.

 

Well said, Windmills. You are right about Renaissance women, though of course there are - as in almost every case - exceptions to the rule. Calling the Enlightenment a "second Renaissance" (or "Renascence" as it is occasionally spelled by the Brits) is not a far stretch either.

I'm not too familiar with the 50's China you mention, but it sure doesn't sound pleasant!

Also well said. I'm not sure I completely agree about everything being in balance right now, but then again, the modern world is not my specialty.

The "Golden Age" of Greece would have been interesting. Yes, some of the great philosophers were far apart in time, but many were right close together... and in such great sequence: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Zeno, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus - all 5th and 6th Century B.C. Then, of course, Socrates and Plato (and others) in the 4th and 5th Centuries B.C. One could hardly have lived in Greece in those centuries and not have been exposed to these great thinkers...

Rome, of course, is always a mixed pot. But I agree about Augustus's Pax Romana - I'd like to have been there for that...

 

Well said. I was going to say something, but I can't get my thoughts straight, I don't even know what I think.

At ease.

 

You can't possibly imagine how much I love such posts.

 

Is that a one-smiley post kind of love, or a "If-Jinxed-doesn't-get-you-I-will" kind of love :-? ?

 

*zzzt, zzzt, zzzt
checks blade
Yep, seems to be sharp enough.*

You were saying?

 

Beware the Blade!!!

 

You?re driving me really close to bribing Jinxed&Calis to give Jarinor mod powers. Worse even I?ll sue the whole lot of you and you?ll have to pay for my psychiatrist.

 

Got enough question marks in this post? It makes one really doubt the honest intent behind this post. :roll: But alais at least you are considering a psychiatrist and even that is a vast improvement

But to try and get this thread back OT since the "posting pro's" can't seem to get finish with there own personal spams (which of course is understandably legal in a do as I say world, no can's needed for them no sir :roll: ) .....

What about living back in ancient South America? During the times of the Mayans or the Aztecs? I would really like to find out more about the Mayan Calander and how it was made and the logic behind why they considered the year 2012 (2014?) the end of time.....