When tempted to unrighteous anger at what is beyond our control, we should follow the example of some saintly and joyful medieval peasant. He has little practical use for such trivialities as global news because his priorities are organized in importance from the local to the distant. After all, the harvest must be brought in, the Church roof is in need of mending, and Christmas festivities are right around the corner. Why fret over what is outside one\u2019s own humble slice of this earth?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
We should tone down our obsession with the news, with what is happening in Washington or Ukraine, and focus on our own lives and our own circles of relationships.<\/p>\n
There is a measure of wisdom here.\u00a0 Some of us probably do get fixated on the news\u2013and politics, and solving the world\u2019s problems\u2013more than is healthy for us.\u00a0 We should sometimes take a break from that\u2013or a fast\u2013and relax a bit.\u00a0 And channel our zeal onto our \u201cown humble slice of this earth.\u201d<\/p>\n
I worry, though, that adopting the medieval peasant\u00a0 mindset will encourage our leaders to adopt the medieval nobility mindset.<\/p>\n
Yes, the medieval peasant didn\u2019t have to worry about his government, its foreign policy, or the quality of its decisions.\u00a0 He had no say in such matters at all.\u00a0 There was no being liberal or conservative.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have a political ideology.\u00a0 He let his masters take care of the complicated business of governing.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n
I can see the attraction of that.\u00a0 Lifting the responsibility of self-government from our shoulders would take away a great deal of stress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
And yet, the image of the happy, carefree peasant is surely romanticized.\u00a0 Actual peasants did all of the back-breaking work while their masters\u2013not them\u2013enjoyed the fruits of their labor.\u00a0 When the kings bungled the economy, they were the ones who starved to death.\u00a0 When the king launched a war to defend his honor, the peasants were the ones who died, if not as cannon fodder as the victims of marauding armies, who \u201clived off the land,\u201d often by plundering their own countrymen.\u00a0 Peasants were brutally used and abused.<\/p>\n
We have blogged a great deal about \u201cintegralism,\u201d the Roman Catholic neo-medieval political theory that rejects \u201cliberalism\u201d\u2013that is, democracy, free markets, and individual rights\u2013in favor of a Christian empire under the authority of the Pope.\u00a0 Most discussions of integralism focus on issues of ruling.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if Lamansky favors integralism, but he does us a service in reminding us of the perspective of the ruled.<\/p>\n
In the Middle Ages, there were three Estates:\u00a0 the nobility (those who ruled); the commons (those who worked); and the church (those who prayed).\u00a0 The nobles supplied the political authority, the commons supplied the labor, and the church supplied the religion.\u00a0 These were three distinct classes.\u00a0 A person was a member of one Estate or the other.\u00a0 Theoretically, they all worked together for the common good, but in practice they comprised separate subcultures.<\/p>\n
Luther countered this perspective with a brilliant and revolutionary innovation.\u00a0 There are indeed three estates, which God Himself established for human flourishing.\u00a0 They are the household (that is, the family and its economy), the church, and the state.\u00a0 But for Luther, everyone inhabits every estate<\/em>!\u00a0 Everyone is a member of a family and everyone works to sustain it.\u00a0 Every baptized Christian is an equal member of the church.\u00a0 And everyone is a citizen of the state.<\/p>\nFurthermore, we all have multiple vocations<\/em> in each of these estates.\u00a0 As a husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter; as an employer or employee in the vast division of labor; as a pastor, layperson, or other church worker; as a ruler or citizen.<\/p>\nAs a result, we all work.\u00a0 We all pray.\u00a0 And\u2013in a corollary that took some time to become a reality\u2013we all rule.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Illustration:\u00a0 Painting by Peter Brueghel<\/a> (1614) via Picryl, Public Domain<\/em><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A writer suggests that we adopt the medieval peasant mindset–not worrying about politics or keeping up with the news, focusing our attention on our local communities. I worry, though, that doing so will encourage our leaders to adopt the medieval nobility mindset.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":72395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,19,35,36,38],"tags":[6938,4934,14414,11323],"class_list":["post-72342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-economics","category-government","category-philosophy-2","category-politics","category-reformation","tag-integralism","tag-luthers-doctrine-of-the-estates","tag-medieval-estates","tag-peasants"],"yoast_head":"\n
Becoming Like Medieval Peasants<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A writer suggests that we adopt the medieval peasant mindset--not worrying about politics or keeping up with the news, focusing our attention on our local communities. I worry, though, that doing so will encourage our leaders to adopt the medieval nobility mindset.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Becoming Like Medieval Peasants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A writer suggests that we adopt the medieval peasant mindset--not worrying about politics or keeping up with the news, focusing our attention on our local communities. I worry, though, that doing so will encourage our leaders to adopt the medieval nobility mindset.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cranach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-27T11:00:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-02-24T00:20:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/305\/2024\/02\/pieter-brueghel-de-jonge-de-bruiloft-dans-1614-32c79d.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"473\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gene Veith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gene Veith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/\",\"name\":\"Becoming Like Medieval Peasants\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-27T11:00:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-24T00:20:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1\"},\"description\":\"A writer suggests that we adopt the medieval peasant mindset--not worrying about politics or keeping up with the news, focusing our attention on our local communities. I worry, though, that doing so will encourage our leaders to adopt the medieval nobility mindset.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Becoming Like Medieval Peasants\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/\",\"name\":\"Cranach\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1\",\"name\":\"Gene Veith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gene Veith\"},\"description\":\"Gene Edward Veith, Jr. is a writer and retired literature professor, serving as Provost Emeritus at Patrick Henry College. He has authored over 25 books on Christianity and culture, literature, classical education, and theology. Dr. Veith previously held academic and editorial roles at Concordia University Wisconsin and WORLD Magazine. A respected voice in Lutheran and classical education circles, he holds a Ph.D. in English and several honorary doctorates. He and his wife, Jackquelyn, live in St. Louis and have three children and twelve grandchildren.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gene_Edward_Veith\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/author\/geneveith\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Becoming Like Medieval Peasants","description":"A writer suggests that we adopt the medieval peasant mindset--not worrying about politics or keeping up with the news, focusing our attention on our local communities. I worry, though, that doing so will encourage our leaders to adopt the medieval nobility mindset.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Becoming Like Medieval Peasants","og_description":"A writer suggests that we adopt the medieval peasant mindset--not worrying about politics or keeping up with the news, focusing our attention on our local communities. I worry, though, that doing so will encourage our leaders to adopt the medieval nobility mindset.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/","og_site_name":"Cranach","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/","article_published_time":"2024-02-27T11:00:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-02-24T00:20:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":473,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/305\/2024\/02\/pieter-brueghel-de-jonge-de-bruiloft-dans-1614-32c79d.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gene Veith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gene Veith","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/","name":"Becoming Like Medieval Peasants","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-02-27T11:00:47+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-24T00:20:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1"},"description":"A writer suggests that we adopt the medieval peasant mindset--not worrying about politics or keeping up with the news, focusing our attention on our local communities. I worry, though, that doing so will encourage our leaders to adopt the medieval nobility mindset.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2024\/02\/becoming-like-medieval-peasants\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Becoming Like Medieval Peasants"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/","name":"Cranach","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1","name":"Gene Veith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gene Veith"},"description":"Gene Edward Veith, Jr. is a writer and retired literature professor, serving as Provost Emeritus at Patrick Henry College. He has authored over 25 books on Christianity and culture, literature, classical education, and theology. Dr. Veith previously held academic and editorial roles at Concordia University Wisconsin and WORLD Magazine. A respected voice in Lutheran and classical education circles, he holds a Ph.D. in English and several honorary doctorates. He and his wife, Jackquelyn, live in St. Louis and have three children and twelve grandchildren.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gene_Edward_Veith"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/author\/geneveith\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1281"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/305\/2024\/02\/pieter-brueghel-de-jonge-de-bruiloft-dans-1614-32c79d.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n