Thief of Time

With Luther, the individual became important. One must find their calling and get to work. People who worked with their hands deserved respect and he banged home the idea that nobody promised you anything. Luther hints that the idea of slavery was wrong. This is groundbreaking since at this time, slavery was entirely commonplace. Dutch, King Henry, and John Calvin are heavily influenced by Luther. Calvin took over where Luther left off,. He had the new idea of taking religion into the world. A difference between Calvin and Luther is that Calvin believed in original sin while Luther did not. This divided the Evangelicals into two groups: the Lutherans and the Calvinists. North America is primarily composed o Calvinists.

With the idea of linear time came the realization that there was no starting over. The only way to move was forward; toward better things. Choice and individualism was now strongly pushed, as was the idea that you are not your family. You create you. By 1600 the world was changed. The geography on the Atlantic was present. The politics of the world had changed with the introduction of cities and national territories. Free markets and trade drove economies, and finally Reformation and Mission led to a radical change in the importance of strict religion in one's life. All these ideas have not much changed even today in America. The individual spirit remains bright, and the free market system has becomeway of life. Tinkering and evolving has not yet stopped. Religion still plays a role (albeit a smaller one) in the lives of most Americans, but life itself, the work, is what is most important. And of course, time is money.