The Builder's Daughter

David Crockett, that dude who died at the Alamo, was both an anomaly, and a typical, member of the Crockett clan. His anomaly was that he became a politician. He was typical because he was adventuresome. That’s what saved his reputation. If he hadn’t died in Texas, he would have become another forgotten ass-head in congress.

Do you think politicians are adventuresome? Nah. Neither do I.

The words that come to mind when describing a member of any legislative body in the United States are these: Narcissists, manipulators, grandstanders, liars, and whores. Not all of them, mind you. The ass-heads are those who promise the moon and deliver wars, unnecessary regulations and inflation.

When women ran for political office it was thought that they would bring some morality into the game. Surprise! They turned out to be the same as the guys in the game. Let us not forget some of the most beloved women in many a city, were, and are, madams. If you have read Gone with The Wind, you know who Belle Waltling is. A business woman, a madam, who deals in men’s appetites. Just like politicians do.

Corruption, thy name, knows, nor favors, any one sex. In the world of business and capitalism, anyone can play. Money can be made on anything that is for sale. That includes human beings. And time. Modern humans sell their time. Their lives are parceled out, hours at a time.

Back in the day, humans didn’t sell their time. The peasants, and serfs exchanged skills and goods for a secure place to live. The landowners, or aristocrats were in on the exchange. They supplied the land and some of the housing. It was a more streamlined existence, as no one travels to work. The work is under one’s feet, or in the home and outbuildings. At the day’s end, one walks home, most likely along with those who either live in the same home or next door. It is, to be succinct, communal life. No one is ever lonely, no one is born outside their mother’s bedroom, and no one dies alone. We refer to this system as feudalism.

I am a neo-feudalist. Because of all that I have described above, and because moderns in spite of their pursuit of enlightenment, have found themselves dehumanized with the massiveness of huge cities, big corporations, that have no faces, godless standards of etiquette, which means abusive behaviors, and work that is meaningless and disconnected to others.

As a neo-feudalist, you will not hear me praise the Constitution or its supporters. I will not applaud capitalism, or think that a president can save the nation. I do think of those involved in politics as pickthanks or those who enjoy beating their heads against the wall. The feudalist in me tells you that human beings are not able to live this way. They can exist, certainly. But joy does not come from politics or politicians.

Back to the Crocketts. The Crocketts, or Croquets, the French spelling, came into being during the Gothic period of the Middle Ages. My guess is they were a part of the building team of cathedrals and palaces. A “croc” is a hook in Latin. A croquet is a specific, decorative design that uses a curve, like a hook, with leaves or flowers attached. Though it is a gothic style, you can also see it in the art nouveau repertory of applied art forms. Used on the exterior of buildings, especially cathedrals, it was also used on metal works and furniture. That would mean Crocketts were involved with carpentry and black smithing

Carpentry is big in my paternal side.

To have such skills meant there was always work. Construction workers, no matter their role, are team players. Community minded folk. The feudal world was oh-so team minded. The only people who were not a part of the group were hermits. But even they played a part in the larger scheme of things. Which meant everyone was useful to the whole. And the hierarchy appreciated all people in the community. There is an understanding that the society will not work without everyone participating. I'm sure there were some deadbeats around. And certainly robbers and brigands. The few deadbeats could be tolerated, whilst the bad element was avoided by never being alone. And when one traveled, one always traveled with a group.

Because human beings are community oriented within the core of their being, no one is compelled to be a part of the whole. Human beings cannot live without others. We do not thrive if we have no one to touch us. We internalize too much if we are alone. We need others to give us feedback. It is the loaners who cannot get over themselves. True, such an age is set up for the extroverts, people who love people. But the introvert also had ways in which to experience life. Aside from the hermits, they would be woodsmen, hunters, and the everlasting philosophical types living on top of the mountain or in a cave. Women introverts could hide away behind their looms, weaving for hours on end, and no one would think anything of it. Or, introverts could retreat into monasteries and convents.

I have a sneaking suspicion, however, that introverts were not plentiful. The milieu of the Middle Ages was highly sociable, and yet, it gave time for prayer and introspection.

Are you liking the Middle Ages yet?

What you know about feudalism could probably be put into a teaspoon. History classes in high school don't really touch it, except to say it was some sort of dark age. It was not. Yes it didn't have our technology or healthcare but when you were sick, there were all sorts of people to take care of you. Nor did it have an over imposing government. You are not taxed for your land or taxed for your food or taxed for growing food. There is no sales tax or income tax. There are tolls on roads, tolls on bridges, but these are only collected when you use them. There is revenue raised if the army is called out. If you are a part of your lord’s army, you will be called up. But you have been given land to fight in that army. If you're a serf or peasant, life goes on for you when the army is out. If you are a blacksmith, you will make the weapons and shoe the horses. A carpenter? You will make wagons and wagon wheels to move the army to the battle fields. All the items of war will be made locally, not by some big corporation that is paid by your tax dollars. Everything is local.

And the women? They are the other half of life. They have jobs. Making clothing, making bed linens, making rugs and wall hangings. They milk the cows, make the butter, make the milk, and bake the pies. Aside from milking the cows, a woman can keep her kids with her. There is always somebody to watch over the children in such a community. There are no helicopter parents, or children left alone. What is even more astounding about this era is that people worked less than we do. There are no 9 to 5 jobs. There is no daily grind. And there are holidays a plenty. They truly did have 12 days of Christmas celebrations. Remember, Ebenezer Scrooge is a creature of the industrial revolution.

Not only is there no constitution, there are no thousands of laws dictating every part of life, and all those fees and fines you must pay. And remember, usury is forbidden. There is no credit card debt. There is a free market. Yes, you heard or read that correctly. You can set up shop, without a license, or the fee that goes along with it. And all things are hand made. No mass production of goods that will end up in landfills, but items that will be passed down or repurposed.

Did they have problems? Of course they had problems. There could be terrible drought or freezing cold winters. They would go hungry at times. And there were those diseases. But they had one another, the community to help them get out of the troubles. They shared, and no one compelled them to share. Because the entire community had a vested interest in keeping it a thriving organism. That includes the monarch, the aristocracy, the peasants, and the serfs.

I like their attitude. And that is what endears them to me. This valuing of human life. And the appreciation of life itself.

My crazy fantasy is that I travel with others to a planet that will support human life. And there, we set up a medieval village complete with a castle that the Crocketts will build in that magnificent, gothic style. The builder’s daughter, that would be me, is, of course, the duchess, the grand, grandma. Not because I want to tell others how to live-there will be no politics-but to care for them, to guide them, and then to see them thrive.

Do you think it can get any better than that? Nah, neither can I.

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