William the Conqueror

It is amazing to me how quickly a person of such great impact can be forgotten so quickly. I enjoyed reading about William the Conqueror. He was definitely a very smart individual who did not let greed or vengence get in the way of making smart decisions. Although I do not think he was a fair or grateful to those who served him as was Augustus, he did not foolishly make enemies by denying them some reward. While Augustus earned the loyalty of those around him, it was more like William bought it or secured it through intimidation. Knowing this he was very shrewd in what he gave people, guarding well again any likely rebellion against him. You have to give him credit for his shrewdness in protecting his land and patience in obtaining the land. But then again I guess you'd have to in order to survive. Despite all his intelligence and grateness, I would sumise from his death that he never had respect. Again, a big difference between him and Augustus. I am dumb founded at the never-ending fighting we have read about. I've been reminded on occassion of how many wars American has been involved in the century alone. WWI, WWI, the Korean War, Vietam, Desert Storm, Afganistan, etc. But it was not better, if not worse for these people. They fought for centuries to gain land, to keep land, to avenge family, to claim inheritance, to change religious belief, and on and on and on. It a wonder sometimes that we have so much beautiful poetry, music, and architecture from a world so full of bloodshed and hatred. Thank goodness for the optimist. And may be all be realist in learning from the past.