Chapt. 5 Eurasian Culture Traditions

As new cultures arised in 500 BCE Eurasia, so did the new religions and ideas that shaped the way people perceived the world. Each culture had (and still do to some extant today) it's own look at the relationship humans have with the world, society, and the Gods and Godesses they worshipped. For some time, people looked to their superior beings (Gods) for divine connection with everything and everyone around them or to forgive them for their sins. The Gods were interpreted as beings similar to people, but more powerful. In contrast to these beliefs, the new traditions in each culture started to wain away from the belief that one supreme being or many started it all and turned their focus towards morality and creating a new source of order to maintain the societial establishments. Many ideas came out of this era on how a nation should assure its people prosperity and order. In China, the Mandate of Heaven was the source of the country's political and religious unity. At around the time of the Zhou Dynasty, it began to crumble and China soon slipped into chaos. Chinese thinkers immediately sought to create a new kind of order to help everyone in their nation to feel united instead of divided. The concept of "Legalism" was formed to spell out the rules and laws that enforced a system of rewards and punishments for everyone to abide by. Eventually the harsh terms under legalism didn't last as long since many Chinese couldn't meet the standards written under the laws. A teacher and thinker by the name of Confucius felt that China needed no laws to keep its people in line, but morals from superiors to set examples of harminous society. Confucius' idea spread vastly throughout China, stressing the importance of family values. Along with Confucian, new ideas and tradition emerged from the Hindu and Buddhist faithes. Hinduism's central message is aimed at the individual human soul and what direction it goes, depending greatly on how the person lived their life. Buddhism, on the-other-hand, focused more just the individual and how well they are connected to themselves, spiritually. People have to take responsibility for their own actions, without the assistance of authority or some supernatural beings. Men became monks and vast numbers of women became nuns, due to the amount of freedom and independence they could have with dealing in their affairs. It's truly fascinating, yet understandable to see how sensitive the concepts of religion have been throughout history. Tensions have often rised between historians and religious practioners on the matter of there ever being change in religion. Some religions see themselves as everlasting practices that will continue to help followers reflect on their belief systems. Even so, branches from different religions have spread from the original 'norm' of their faith to practice their beliefs without persecution. These vast, different systems of belief are so unique compared to the Western way of life that many people in the United States have grown so accustomed to.    

Chapter 3 1st Civilizations

A lot of the earliest civilizations had some fascinating features that made them stand out in their time. They gave people structure in their lives, economic stability, and governments that enforced laws to maintain the established order. However, there were pockets of people that felt man mustn't forget his connection to nature, of which is where he sprang from. This, in some way, can be seen today by small numbers of people, who have grown tired of the complex, structural benefits of society. Back during the times of the first civilizations, society was organized in the manner of how the leader saw to press the progress occuring within his reign and maintain discipline among his people. A lot of the times, leaders would go to harsh extremes to compel obedience from the people, who did what the leader proclaimed to be wrong. Vast skills in economics, wealth, and status often divided people unequally, which were the main causes for many to leave the comforts of scoiety. The old days of the Agricultural Revolution were not like this in the sense that everyone was equal, economically and socially. Often, civilizations would devour another way of life and force those people to assimulate into their own. Back in the days of the Old West, this was the perfect example of what the United States of America did in order to deal with its Native American population. Similar to how the ancient civilizations stomped over small pockets of nomadic tribes, US troops had many battles with the Indians and forced a large number of them into reservations, which were of the poorest conditions. The Native Americans were looked down upon as blood thirsty savages who stood in the way of progress. They were to either assimulate into American society or be wiped out. Now while many ways of life were exterminated, different kinds of civilizations arose. Egypt and Mesopotamia are the one of most recognized civilizations for their different forms of written language, cultures, and yet they both had their differences. Egypt was more an unified terretorial state, while Mesopotamia had a rich culture that spread much of its customs to the regions surrounding its boundaries. I thought it was interesting reading about Norte Chico, a rather unknown, distinctive civilization that didn't rest entirely on grain farming, but largely on fishing. They had no pottery, no written language, and no farming of any kind. Archeologists could find no traces of warfare that took place in Norte Chico, while interestingly enough, the cities were not guarded by any defensive walls. It was self contained civilization that sought no trade or commerce with any outsiders, aside from the collecting of corn. Another advanced civilization came out of this ancient within Mesopotamia, Uruk. Many people in this city had different hobbies that helped keep the city alive, while there were bureaucrats that adminstered the city. Equally impressive was the sister city of Mohenjo Daro, which had incredible plumbing and a complex sewer system Two - three story houses were all lined up along the streets and magnificent public buildings gave the city its grace and dignity. It's truly captivating how these civilizations progressed even when they didn't have the technology we use today. Then again, how they were established and improved laid the foundation of societial progress for every generation. We can build houses, cities, cathedrals, fountains, churches, etc. in a similar fashion that our ancient ancestors created and expand on it if desired to.