A little history of the world

An amazing book by Ernst Gombrich. On my first day of holiday I travelled from the icy and prehistoric fields of Europe towards present time. A surprisingly clear and well constructed written ‘epos’.

How Gombrich in a few strokes of words (it feels like painting) the most complex historic facts and interrelations reduces to a honest, clear and above all direct and understandable facts. He explains things so clear. Surprisingly and essential.

But what lasts is the enormous greed and power there was, the hardness and the harshness of the rulers and politicians (in those days of course) and the massive of pain our ‘fellow’ citizens have had to go through, if not beheaded or burnt alive. I ask myself, was there really no other way to settle things? And are the rich and the poor always as far apart as described by Gombrich. What are the lessons learnt, I ask myself? It is the contra dictio of civilization. There seems less progress in how we handle problems and issues, reading this book. Maybe there is a need for a new Enlightenment or even Renaissance!

Enough for today. Well, a good glass of wine at the beginning of my holiday will probably help me overcome this impressive feeling. The next book should be a ‘lighter’ one.