People often ask me why I write medieval fantasy. Well, the answer is simple. I love the history, art and passion of the time. Middle ages folk lived by the land and their raw talents.
Yes, they had unscrupulous kings who milked the people of their hard-earned wages and well hygiene standards in most places were appalling. But amidst all the brutality of the period, it was a time of chivalry and emerging cultures. A time when the great architectural minds produced magnificent cathedrals which remain awe-inspiring centuries later.
Chivalry, a moral code for medieval knights, emerged in the middle ages and many of the lessons are ones we should instil in adults and teens alike. Life was simpler back then, but in many ways, it is still the same.
As a species, humans are prone to inertia, which is a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged. We have a spectrum of victims, heros and then there are people who follow as blindly as sheep.
In modern society we think we are enlightened and advanced and yet, the average person reaches the end of their life without making a mark or leaving a legacy for future generations and I am not talking about leaving an inheritance for your children… I am talking about taking those dreams that float in our minds and breathing them to life.
We all have that power. It lies in our dreams and manifests in our ability and desire to create. What we often lack is the confidence to act on those dreams. As a parent, I know that the easiest word for me to tell my children is “No.” The word no comes from a desire to keep our children safe, to stop them from stepping into the unknown. But somehow we keep repeating that darn word.
We tell ourselves:
No, there is not enough time.
No, I won’t be good at that.
No, I don’t have enough money for that.
No, I can’t cope with that change.
No, I am too old.
No, I am too young.
According to historians, the architect of Cluny Abbey, Gunzo had a dream, which brought to life the former Benedictine monastery in France. Scroll down the bottom of the newsletter to have a peak of the Abbey.
In fact, anything you can touch and feel came from a thought. What we think shapes us and our futures. It is why Nadine’s tutors in the Chronicles of Nadine push so hard to get Nadine to manage her thoughts. Because our thoughts have power.
So what are you saying to yourself today?
