The Renaissance is not an isolated occurrence in the general history of the world. From ancient China to the civilizations of South and Central America, we encounter instances of the revival of extinct cultural values.
These periods of rebirth indicate to us the periodicity of significant historical events and the fact that everything created is subject to change. Every culture has its birth, development, prime, old age, and ultimately death. This is an expression of natural laws that apply not only to material forms but also to cultural and spiritual forms that manifest themselves through cycles of decline and resurgence. Therefore, we can say that throughout history, humans are reborn, changing the forms of their expression, thus making “new barrels for old wine.” In every renaissance, more perfect forms of the same eternal cultural and spiritual values are realized, such as beauty, justice, freedom, truth…
When in 529 AD, by the decree of Emperor Justinian, all philosophical schools were banned and their properties confiscated, the initiators of the old class formally died. it was long before the decline of the ancient world began. Its light gradually faded during the decadent period of the Roman Empire, although it had an admirable level of civilization. For example, the people of that time felt like “citizens of the world” within the borders of the Empire, which is still an unrealized dream of Europe today. However, over time, this way of life lost its meaningfulness and what was once an advantage became a burden. The lack of substance in life was compensated by means of survival that were unworthy of a civilization, known by the saying “bread and circuses”. The great Empire collapsed from within and the Middle Ages began.
With the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe fell into the darkness of ignorance because it did not inherit the cultural and spiritual legacy of the past. Moreover, thousands of verses by the Greek poetess Sappho were burned and books were used to fuel the ovens in the libraries of Alexandria. The knowledge that the Earth is round was forgotten, and many other ancient knowledge were lost.
Stumbling. Through the Crusades, communication with the Arabs was established, revealing elements of a rich cultural heritage. Works of Plato and Aristotle were translated, and fundamental philosophical questions were once again raised, prompting a search beyond established dogmas. Ancient maps, such as Piri Reis’s world map showing that the Earth is round, were discovered, initiating the exploration of the New World.
Galileo confirmed Copernicus’s heliocentric system with the aid of a primitive telescope, and Gutenberg invented the printing press. Renaissance gave birth to versatile geniuses who were philosophers, scientists, and artists at the same time. They brought about a cultural rebirth, paving the way for the construction of our present-day civilization.
Renaissance was a revival of the ancient cultural light, ignited by the new candle of knowledge and improvement. Today, this candle is flickering. Once again, a void of existential content has emerged within the achievements of civilization, which is being filled by artificial means. Survival and various forms of “bread and circuses”. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about dehumanized “needs” of consumer society, mechanical absorption of information, or superficial way of life… We know that beauty, justice, freedom, and truth are lacking… Therefore, it is necessary to light a new candle of humanism and renaissance that will embrace the dying light so that we don’t fall into the darkness of the Middle Ages again.