A Writer on the First Day of a Renaissance
01.01.2021 — How this New Year’s Day may mark the beginning of a new era of creativity, innovation, ingenuity, equity and justice — a modern Renaissance.
I woke up today feeling that a profound shift had taken place while I slept. While nothing has objectively changed in the last 24 hours except for the year on the calendar, a collective psychological shift beyond the horrors of 2020 has occurred and I contend that is a powerful thing.
The pandemic isn’t over, but we have closed the door on the difficult year that saw it spread across the globe and kill nearly two million of us. Even with mitigation, the virus will continue to spread until the vaccine is widely administered. We will need to social distance for months to come. More of us will lose our lives.
Despite this stark reality, today feels different. Although it is impossible to point to any concrete reason, a day like today is worth recognizing nonetheless. I can’t help but feel that today marks the beginning of a modern Renaissance.
What was the Renaissance?
The Renaissance was a time of accelerated change in almost all areas of life throughout Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. With its roots in Italy, the Renaissance marked a period of feverish scientific innovation, political and economic restructuring, cultural and literary abundance and unbridled artistry. It was Europe's rebirth following the dark days of the Middle Ages.
Beginning in 1350, early Renaissance scholars revived the ancient concept of Studia Humanitatis — a system of education and discourse based in the literary, scientific, and philosophical works of ancient Greece and Rome. At the core it, these scholars were looking to history for a new path forward — which is equivalent to the oft-repeated modern notion that “a society that does not know its history, is doomed to repeat it.”
How Did the Great Plague Set the Stage for the Renaissance?
Those living through a moment in history rarely have an awareness of the significance of their time as they are living it.
For Italian citizens and scholars in 1350, they were simply doing their best to pick up the pieces of their lives that had been left shattered by the Black Death that stalked their communities since it was first detected in Messina, Italy in 1347.
Between 1348 and 1350, Italy lost between 30 to 50 percent of its population within certain effected areas. Florence, with a population near 90,000 in the middle of the 14th century and considered one of Europe’s great cities, was particularly hard hit.
“In the summer months of 1348 Florence may have lost as much as three-quarters of its population” — Paul Grendler, Historian for Encyclopedia.com.
But in 1350, Florence was also the birthplace of the Renaissance, despite their great losses. Today, historians pinpoint the Great Plague of 1347–1350 as an important antecedent to the Renaissance movement.
What Changes Came to European Society During the Renaissance?
The Plague would re-emerge and spread across Europe throughout the Renaissance, which lasted three centuries. Just as it took time to bring the Plague under control, likewise, the social issues associated with the Middle Ages lingered. Change came to Europe gradually, and it was still a time of significant social stratification.
“It was an age of conspicuous consumption and great imbalance of wealth.” — Paul Grendler.
However, as the Renaissance progressed, so too did the social transformation of Europe. Social services were established to aid orphans, the sick, and the poor. These services were likely a direct response to the devastation brought on by the Plague.
As the Renaissance progressed, literature flourished with Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in 1450. By 1500, approximately 255 printing presses were in operation in cities throughout Europe, each publishing predominantly in their own local languages. Prior to this, almost all publications were printed in Latin and inaccessible to those without an education in the Church.
There was also an increase in ties between nation states that allowed for the flow of ideas and culture throughout Europe. Diplomats were exchanged between states, and would stay in the capitals of foreign cities to act as ambassadors for their home countries.
In today’s world we too are experiencing a deeper connection between nations, but on a much more personal level. If one so chooses, citizens from any place can connect with those who struggle for justice in any part of our planet.
In 2020, we saw unprecedented global support for the citizens of Minneapolis, of Lagos, of Beirut, of Delhi and beyond as they fought for a new way forward.
Breaking from the Middle Ages.
Renaissance scholars broke from the prevailing world views of their teachers and predecessors.
“Renaissance scholars inherited from the Middle Ages intellectual views and approaches to philosophy, medicine, and science, and challenged almost all of them.” — Paul Grendler.
As citizens, scholars and statesmen embraced these new Renaissance philosophies, this led to the end of serfdom and feudalism; to the prolific expansion and dissemination of literature and ideas; to profound innovations in arts and culture; and to what we now consider the hallmarks of modernity.
What Must we Reject as We Go Forward Into a New Era?
Scholars in the early days of the Renaissance set out to dismantle the systems that came before them. If we, a society in the grips of a pandemic and on the brink of a new Renaissance, desire change — what antiquated systems should be in our sights?
Many cracks in many systems have been exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Today we are seeing an emerging rejection of 20th century ways of thinking about economics, history, environmental sciences, and inadequate notions of social and racial justice.
2020 has sharpened our focus on inequity and injustice and we are now actively confronting the detrimental influence of colonialism, racial injustice, environmental degradation, and the stratification between the rich and the poor. As in 1350, we must meet these challenges with creativity, innovation, ingenuity, inclusivity and justice.
An Almost Imperceptible Shift.
While New Year’s Day is an arbitrary marker, today I have sensed an almost imperceptible shift in the energy in the world. If you are paying attention, you can feel it. With a New Year ahead that promises mass vaccination campaigns there is room for optimism. We can ready ourselves to move forward into a new era with new potential and possibility.
While we will not see the changes we desire come to fruition all at once, today we are experiencing the first contractions of a collective rebirth. We cannot go back to the way things were before the pandemic. There is hard work and pain ahead and it will not be easy; it was not easy in 14th century Florence either.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
GRENDLER, PAUL F. “Renaissance.” Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. . Retrieved December 19, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/renaissance
“Black Death.” Encyclopedia of Population. Retrieved December 21, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/black-death-0
