Chapter 232 Poor countries are the true reflection of rich countries
The world is very big, and Palestine is just a tiny place.
However, such a small place has condensed thousands of years of tragedy.
Ever since the ancient Israelites conquered the city of Salem, the seeds of strife have been sown.
Jacob, the "wrestler with God", changed his name to Israel. His 12 descendants gave rise to 12 tribes in the land of Canaan, and they were divided from each other in the civil war.
There were two left in southern Israel, namely [Judea] and [Benjamin], and the other 10 in northern Israel were destroyed in the war. As time went by, they gradually lost their identity as Israel.
This period of history took place from the 10th century BC to around the 8th century BC.
What remains in southern Israel is Judea, which regards Jerusalem as its holy city, while northern Israel regards Samaria as its holy place.
As of the 21st century, there are still [Samaritans] continuing.
But those 10 tribes did not disappear, but only gradually lost their identity as Israel. Their bloodline still spreads in this land.
They became Palestinians, some became part of the Arabs, and some were assimilated into Greeks...
Of course, even traditional Arabs actually claim to be descendants of Abraham, descendants of Ishmael, the brother of Israel who “wrestled with God.”
The same bloodline divided into different ethnic groups, and because of various disputes, they killed each other for thousands of years.
In this bloody place, countless corpses have been buried.
But, so what?
In this world, in corners that have not been recorded in history books, there are not only generals, ministers, princes, heroes and heroes from all walks of life, but there are also suffering people who have been crucified on crosses.
When the dust of history falls on them, it is like a boulder rolling down the mountain, and they, those who are inferior to the dust, are like Sisyphus, pushing the boulder up the mountain day after day.
However, unlike Sisyphus, most people do not have a chance to do it again.
The boulder called life, rolled down the hillside by a mistake or accident, could easily crush them.
To this day, the descendants of northern Israel, the descendants of brothers who are of the same race as the Jews, are still serving the hard labor of Sisyphus.
December 1188, Tire
Another night passed. Many people failed to survive yesterday, but that was not everyone.
Those who managed to survive welcomed the morning of a new day in the humid air of autumn and winter in the Mediterranean climate.
While many people were still sleeping, Aaron had already climbed up from his pile of straw.
These straws were just bought from outside the city this year, so they are still fresh and more comfortable than the land.
With the addition of a layer of sheepskin that's almost gone, it's actually quite warm.
However, the bare feet couldn't be covered, so I couldn't help but feel a little dizzy, and my nose even twitched and I even sneezed.
Without paying too much attention, Aaron randomly found a piece of clothing that was full of holes and unpatched and put it on himself.
When he carefully opened the door to his room and heard the door squeaking, Aaron's hair stood up and he turned around to check whether the figure smelling of alcohol appeared behind him.
Fortunately, my father was too drunk and slept like a dead pig, so he was not awakened by this movement, so he didn't have to face his anger when he got up.
14-year-old Aaron is one of the poorest people in the city of Tire. His ancestors can't tell whether they are Franks or locals, and they just drift with the crowd from generation to generation.
Aaron was illiterate, and his ancestors might not have been illiterate for several generations, but they had probably been relatively well-to-do. After all, there was still a house left for them in the city as a place to stay.
The only problem is that not only their family lives in this house, but also his uncle's family. They share the property rights of the house with them, and there are no spare rooms for rent.
Of course, apart from this room, the few remaining possessions were the clothes he wore, or the jingling coins his father put in his pocket to exchange for wine.
There are not many families like his in the city of Tire, but they are not few either. Tire is a busy commercial port, and a large amount of goods need to be loaded and unloaded every day. After all, working hard on the dock is still a way to survive. .
His father is one of the dock workers, so his father can get some money into his account every day.
Especially after Balian's group came, all the original gangs at the port were reorganized. No one dared to blatantly ask for tribute money anymore. The jingling in his father's pocket would sometimes turn into a clanking. .
When I returned home after drinking, I was able to give some coins to my mother.
"Thank God, thank you to Her Highness Isabella, and those Paladins..."
In the past six months, my mother's face had been smiling more and more often, but my father was still drinking and beating himself as usual.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh before going out.
However, Aaron would not hate his father. After all, although he liked to beat himself, he was still the backbone of the family. He even saved a sum of money with the copper he dug out from the wine money and used it to find a shoemaker for himself. Master.
How nice, shoemaker...
Aaron's feet felt a little cold as he stepped on the stone slabs. He might be able to have a pair of shoes in a few days.
Because his father can help him find a master, Aaron feels that he is better than at least 30% of his neighbors, and he is not the worst among the bad people.
Starting a month ago, Aaron would go to the master's place to work and learn the craft as an apprentice day after day, just like today.
This month has been windy and rainy, and I haven’t had a free day. Even if I have no work, I have to stay at the master’s house and serve the master, his wife, and his son...
I pick up the water at the master’s house by myself, wash the clothes at the master’s house by myself, and sweep the floor at the master’s house by myself...
With such painstaking efforts, he could also feel that his master's attitude improved slightly, and he began to reveal some tips on measuring the soles of the feet.
Just like what my mother said, you have to be comfortable serving the master, only then can you learn the true craftsmanship. Only then will you have the opportunity to rely on this craftsmanship to make a living, and then accept your own apprentices.
As for why you don’t steal from your master?
These days, if you work as an apprentice for someone else, if you secretly learn a craft without the master's permission, no one will care if you become disabled.
What's more, I'm not a bad master. I can take care of my own meal at noon, and I'm a good person compared to 30% of the craftsmen. I can be considered one of the good people.
Walking on the street, you can still see traces of yesterday's celebration from time to time. This is one year since the city of Tire was liberated from siege.
For the city of Tire, this was indeed a festival. His master even let him go home half a day early. It was obvious that his master was quite happy.
In other words, my master is actually quite supportive of His Highness Isabella, and he often complains about why Her Highness has not been crowned yet when meeting people.
Now that Isabella is here, their life will be easier! Once the Paladins get to work, the city of Tire will be free of thieves!
Since farmers outside the city were taxed less, more people came to the city to buy shoes.
Life seemed to be getting better, but nothing seemed to have changed. My father earned more coppers and silver coins, and had more food every month, but my mother complained a few times every month.
"Ahem, it's gone up again! It's gone up again!"
The extra money I earned went into other people's pockets due to various expenses.
Aaron was a little speechless. He was uneducated, so he couldn't think of any words to describe his emotions.
His father made more money, and the kingdom exempted him from the poll tax, but his life did not get better. It seems that things shouldn't be like this, but it is actually natural.
Such is the case with those who have never seen the light.
People who are sinking don’t know what sinking is.
Those who are truly numb will not feel numb.
Only when he saw the patrols led by the Paladins on the street did Aaron's heart palpitate.
Those figures are like torches, bringing a hint of warmth.
In the past year, because of these Paladins, the gangs at the docks have been rectified, and there are fewer gangsters on the streets. Even the thieves and pickpockets in the market are also taken care of.
These Paladins are free.
They seem to be born to live under the sun, full of the breath of life, full of inexplicable faith and hope.
Yes, he is indeed a person in two different worlds from himself. He is just a rat in the gutter, peeking through a crack to see the beauty that does not belong to him.
However, as soon as he reached the intersection, his originally groggy head began to hurt more and more.
Aaron pinched his eyebrows, his body was shaky, his walking was unsteady, and the sky and the earth were shaking at the same time.
At this moment, a group of people rushing on the road bumped into him.
Without paying attention, Aaron fell to the ground, twitched and lost consciousness.
Before fainting, Aaron seemed to see the sun setting beside him in a blur.
……
Garris returned to Tire in a light carriage. Without informing anyone, he, Alexandros and several Paladins mixed in with the refugees on the border and entered the city of Tire.
Garris's current status is very special. Apart from being a knight, he has no praise in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The Order is now lurking beneath the water, so he is not the leader of the Second Kingdom.
In fact, publicly speaking, the only position he holds is the head of state of Cyprus.
But in fact, the head of state is just a false position. The real person in charge of Cyprus is Archbishop Antony of the Church of Cyprus.
In the second kingdom, he was neither a king nor a leader. Like Samuel, he was conveying God's will and changing the country as a prophet.
【At that time, the words of the Lord were few and far between, and revelations were not always given. 】
[When Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, so that none of his words failed. All the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba knew that the Lord had made Samuel a prophet. 】
[Samuel offered a suckling lamb as a whole burnt offering to the LORD and cried out to the LORD on behalf of the Israelites, and the LORD answered him. 】
This kind of identity is currently only available in the three counties of Transjordan and has not been implemented throughout the Second Kingdom.
After all, now that the Third Crusade has arisen, Gareth doesn't want too many changes.
Even if you want to preach in the future, it should be when you have a well-established system and a large number of missionaries under your command, so as to reduce the impact of being read crookedly.
As such a "prophet", Garris wanted to see the city of Tire, the city that he handed over to Isabella and the others without staying long.
I want to know what this city has become.
As far as personal senses are concerned, the city has indeed changed. There are more workshops outside the city and there are fewer refugees in the city.
A doctor from Transjordan opened a hospital here...
"Jobs have increased, taxes have been reduced, and the economy has developed, but have people's lives improved?"
In a ward, Garris asked Alexandros beside him.
Now, the two of them are in Tire Hospital. Next to them is a child in tattered clothes and bare feet.
"Duce, the life of farmers has indeed improved, I am sure of this."
Alexandros thought of the wedding he met on the road. Although it was still poor, it was full of life, and there was a roasted whole lamb to share.
"Farmers' lives have gotten better, I'm sure of that," Garris said with certainty.
"Most of the farmers around Tire hold their own land. As long as we lower taxes, they can eat more. What's more, there are troops stationed near Tire and purchasing various foods from surrounding farmers. This has significantly increased their income.”
"But what about the city residents? These are the poorest people living in the city. They have no money and no land of their own. Have their lives really become much better because of our arrival and economic development?"< br>
The issue Gallis mentioned actually had similar discussions in Latin America in the 1960s.
From the perspective of modernization theory, underdeveloped regions such as Latin America need to "integrate" with developed countries and become developed countries by learning from the modernization experience of developed countries.
In other words, we must repeat the path of our predecessors, repeat the path of the rich, and become rich through development.
And this theory, in a sense, is bankrupt in the 21st century.
The opposing theory, and the theory that is the cornerstone of liberation theology, is dependency theory.
The basic point of dependency theory is that the prosperity of rich countries and the poverty of poor countries are inseparable and are in the same historical process.
It is poor countries that are dependent on rich countries. Poverty is not a necessary prerequisite for wealth, but the consequence of being plundered.
[The Lord once said: "There are poor people in the world because there are rich people; there are rich people because there are poor people."]
[A poor country is a true reflection of a rich country. The hunger and distorted faces of the poor are exactly the sins of the rich. 】
[The rich abandon the poor today to death just as they abandoned Christ back then. 】
"If you don't do the investigation, you won't have the right to speak. We need to explore this issue."
Garris patted Alexandros on the shoulder, he looked quite disappointed.
Everything is changing irreversibly.
The wheel of the times is rolling because of Gareth, and this rolling is bound to move in a direction that has been anticipated.
"Hopefully, this time it will be better."
Continue to retreat and code.
(End of chapter)