Francesco Petrarca is known as one of (if not the) founder of
Humanism, the inspiration of Pietro Bembo, and the Tourist.
 |
| Casper David Friedrich, "Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog" (1818) |
Born in 1304, Petrarca unwillingly followed his father into the
study of law. Like the reverse of so many English students at BYU today, his
study of law led him into a love of literature and explorations of the human
condition. He abandoned the practice and set about Europe to recover lost Greek
and Roman texts. Unlike so many others of the time who traveled out of
necessity, Petrarca traveled for the experience of it. He climbed mountains for
recreation—practically unheard of at the time. As the nobles of the world
languished in soft homes and the commoner worked only as hard as necessary to
feed themselves, Petrarca the Tourist actively pursued a life of travel and
effort.
And
it paid off. Through his travels, Petrarca discovered and published a lost set
of letters written by Cicero. The ideas in these letters lent him credibility
and were foundational for Humanist thought. Adding his own view to the ideas,
Petrarca wrote essay, poem, and letter to disseminate many of the perspectives
that would shape Renaissance thought.
He
was a fanatical believer in studying ancient history and literature and worked
to convince others of the practical nature of such an endeavor. He taught that
humanity had been given their intellectual and creative potential by God for
the purpose of allowing humanity to use these abilities to their fullest
extent.
Unlike
our modern Instagrammers, the travels of this Tourist helped create, shape, and
inspire generations after him.
Image credit: "Casper David Friedrich: Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog" by Cybershot800i, public domain.
It's inspiring to see how one individual who pursued his passions, which didn't necessarily follow the status quo, was able to enlighten so many people. As you suggested in your final sentence, a lot of what we find on social media today seems meaningless; however, there's so much good to be found that does edify and broaden perspectives. Consider how the Church has utilized Instagram and other social media apps to publicize news about the apostles' travels or post uplifting quotes.
ReplyDeleteI think the the ideal of wanderlust is alive and well today thanks in part to modern Instagramers. Our generation is traveling more than gen x, switching jobs more than any other generation before us and I think that is in large part due to the social media of our day. We look to eachother rather than the older generation and really are influenced
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of something one of my old roommates said. Growing up, he lived in many different countries and got to experience a variety of cultures firsthand. Because of this, he felt that people should travel to try and learn about other peoples to try and understand and empathize with them.
ReplyDeletePetrarch's bold, enterprising lifestyle is especially noteworthy because, as you explained, he was a complete anomaly for his time. "Petrarch traveled for the experience of it": what a bold notion for an era emerging out of the horrific Black Plague and the grips of social stagnancy! Truly, was this not the Father of the Renaissance?
ReplyDelete