England in the 1600s. The nation of shopkeepers didn’t discover America but staked their claim to a rich slice of it, tasted world economic power, liked it, and wanted more. More land grabs. Africa, India, Asia. More money. More freedom to make it, to do so as entrepreneurs free of old restraints. Capitalism not gone quite mad but evolving away from feudalism and a quaint, antiquated order that blocked it. They had to unchain themselves from the old order to accelerate capital. To unchain themselves they had to kill the symbol that fettered them. Charles I. So they chopped off his head and replaced him with a CEO, Oliver Cromwell. But Cromwell, a big man, died irreplaceable. The industrialists made money but were small men. None were dynamic enough to govern the state, which required a strong hand to steer its course. Britain hadn’t been leaderless in eight hundred years. It needed an authority more than ever -- one a nation weary of a ruthless business dictatorship could cling to. So the symbol’s son was invited back. Charles II became King and the first pop star ruler in English history. The common folk were so happy to have him they unearthed Cromwell’s corpse and hung it up till it rotted away. But the captains of capitalism taught Charles II a lesson. He was the CEO, but their votes counted as much, if not more, than his. They were free to make and hoard the money while he kept his head. He took charge of what he could: style and fun. He astonished all with his sense of joy and for that he was loved. But he never forgot who and what destroyed his father or the absolute monarchy that would never be again. Charles understood pain and loss. This knowledge gored his soul though none could see it -- so determined was he to hide pain through rule by the senses. Through it all, he evolved a deeper power that no one could challenge. The healing power of joy. The Deeper Sinn is a tale of his healing power, and its effect on some arrogant, angry, and estranged hearts. |
BACKSTORY
