The Aftermath of A Pandemic

How We Choose to Show Up in Life Matters

The black death pandemic, unleashed in medieval Europe in the 14th century, changed not only the lives of many people but also the structure of society. According to historian MT Anderson, there was unrest with many who survived and found themselves facing new realities.

The gap between the elite and everyone else increased with many finding ‘work’ futile and challenging. Many quit their jobs en masse or refused to go back to their roles. MT Anderson, shares, “Tired of being overworked and underpaid, they feel they deserve a better life.

Workers of all kinds — farm laborers, artisans in the cities, even poor parish priests who’d had to minister to the dying — looked at their lives once the pandemic had eased and reassessed what they were worth. They saw a system that was tilted impossibly against them.”

Peasants, builders, clergy, artisans and merchants banded together to claim their rightful and honorable place in society. Old contracts were broken and rural and urban folk came together around a shared purpose.

The struggle over earning a fair wage and feeling valued accelerated amid a growing labor shortage. Eventually, a wave of violence engulfed Europe on all sides.