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.