day 190: in which I feel a little brainy

Kazzy

day 190: in which I feel a little brainy

The other night my husband and I were talking about Castiglione, the Renaissance author whose life wrapped around the end of the 15th century, into the beginning of the 16th century.  Being that Geo did his PhD dissertation on renaissance writing and pedagogy, we sometimes like to talk about world views and trends during those times.  I think it is interesting to realize innovative thinking during various historical periods.

Castiglione was an Italian noble who spent time also as an ambassador for the Catholic church, and later as a writer.  He died young, at the age of 51 years, from the plague, sadly.  In his later years he wrote The Courtier, a book about the ideal renaissance gentleman, referring to his experience and his connections in that realm.  He made people think about their time, shining a mirror up to the current systems and philosophies. 

And, this is tender, he also wrote a series of imagined letters to himself from his wife who had died.  swoon

But the main thing that we talked about, and that spilled into our family time Monday night, was Castiglione's idea that a person living a spiritually-driven life would have a literal change of countenance.  That it made sense that the spirit and body were that united.  I don't believe that every single person, without fail, that is living right and feeling a closeness to spiritual things, will have a magical make-over.  We have flesh and bone that sometimes is disobedient with illness or other maladies; however, I believe it is entirely possible to see a physical change in someone's outer self once the inner self finds peace.  Good discussion from my kids on this, with my 13 yr-old standing his ground against me.  Invigorating stuff.