Here a monk, there a monk, everywhere a monk monk!

NO NO NO... wrong Monk!

Was that a great video today or what? 

Okay, okay... maybe it wasn't the best, but it was a little fun, no? Hopefully you picked up some new things about the wonderful world of monasticism. We earliest impressions of monks came from this bit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail:

Probably not the most historically accurate thing out there...

Both your textbook and the video emphasized that the quality of a monk's life was supposed to be hard. They were dedicating themselves to complete focus on God. Anything "worldly" was a distraction from that purpose. To up the ante, some monks would put themselves through physical suffering so that they could further understand Christ's suffering during the crucifixion. Although this is a bit much:

Original gangsta

Fundamental to monastic life is the idea of living in community. 

Not exactly what I meant.

Every task and chore at a monastery was shared equally among the order. In a way, monks were sort of the original communists. 

Some of the many duties required of monks

Are you smarter than a 5th grader? 

Well, to answer that question for the Middle Ages... no! But, the monks sure were. So much learnin' and stuff! 

Ah Aquinas... you rascal! As we'll see coming up in a few weeks, These educated monks are going to be at the forefront of A LOT of change that takes place in Europe. As they learn more and more, and apply their studies to theology and the Bible, they are going to start questioning some things over at the ol' Vatican!

Soundtrack of the Week:

Welcome back to our occasional exploration of music type stuff. 

You may have noticed, but there seems to be quite a bit of political engagement in America right now. No matter what you think about what's happening, I hope you can applaud the American citizenry getting involved in what they believe in. This is what America is all about. 

With that in mind, I thought we might listen to some music that sought to right some wrongs in the United States. I don't necessarily think of these as "protest songs", but more songs of civic engagement; drawing attention to issues that these artists believed in. 

First out of the gate is one of the more misunderstood songs in modern American history. When Bruce Springsteen released "Born in the USA" in 1984, people clamored to what they thought was a wildly patriotic song celebrating American awesomeness. (people really need to listen more closely to lyrics, eh?) Ronald Reagan himself even sought to use it for his presidential campaign. (Springsteen told him "no") But, despite its rousing anthemic chorus and highly emotional style, this is a song sharply critical of how the USA responded to and treated its war veterans; specifically those returning from Vietnam. America had not yet really come to terms with that war and its effects. If you don't believe me, check out some of the great films from that time - Platoon, The Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket, etc. 

Springsteen's song gave voice to the traumatized veteran who was just looking for a job and a sense of home after coming back to a country that didn't seem to want him back. You couple the profound lyrics with the images in the music video, and you get a pretty visceral experience. It is a powerful song that still resonates with us today as we see so many men and women returning from our extended wars in the Middle East. 

Here is "Born in the USA":