Reflection 2

                                                                

While reading through the chapters I found history is definitely interesting information. I was surprised that the countries’ civilization, empires and religions were born at about the same time. While Persia and Greece collided, China and Rome were doing similar things; such as governing, size of their population, land occupied, and they both wanted to control the world, yet that had no contact with one another. I was impressed with Rome’s original ruler at around 509 B.C.E. how quickly the government recognized the unfairness toward plebeians and immediately came out with a system to protect the poor by giving them equal rights as the patricians. If every Empire  kept the same policy like he did there would not be so much poverty on earth. Unfortunately, human history is full of unfairness, inequality, and exploitation of human life. I understand why slave owners think that slaves were unreliable, immoral and lazy, had they treated their slaves a little more humane like they would had different thoughts of them.

How was it possible that all countries were developing their empires, and at the same time different religion in different countries were born? All religions teach people to be benevolent; some were more motivated then others. I agree with Strayer, I would never think or act like Zhuangzi as I grow. At this point of my life my thinking is more like Confucius, so my action is not for myself, but for the society as a whole as we strive for moral improvement and good government. On the other hand, when I retired then I would think like Zhuangzi, for I have contributed to the society and have earned my retirement. At that point of my life I would choose to live a simple life.  I was impressed with how advance Chinese were with their elaborate bureaucracy to hold the empire together without collapsing. As of today’s Chinese government, I can’t help but wonder; what happen to them? China today is still considered a third world country. Yes, according to their economy they have advanced, but the country still has a big percentage of poverty. To the other side of China there was India; according to Strayer Ashoka was a great emperor. Why such great emperor had no followers?

Patriarchies in the Classical Era was another interesting topic, again, how did that happened? How did women let that happen in the very beginning of the “old stone age?” If anything women should be the hierarchy of men, because not thing they can do women cannot. On the other hand, there are things women can do, but men cannot; such as child bearing and beyond. Women should be highly respected for that and not be looked down at. It was sad that women were treated so low. According to Strayer women were unavailable elsewhere in the Indian society.  “The Law of Manu,” in the classic Hindu text “In childhood a female must be subject to her father; in youth to her husband; when her lord is dead to her son; a woman must never be independent.” This saying was widely used in the Chinese culture. It made me laugh while reading how Chinese use their upper-class women to serve as musician for high officials. I like how women were treated in Sparta, to me, that is the kind of treatment women deserve.

World History reflection 1

While the question; “which comes first the chicken or the egg?” left unanswered to this day, we are trying to find answers to other unclear history of humankind through evolution.  Human being spent 95% of the time as Homo sapiens in Paleolithic era hence that era resonate still in the twenty-first century. I agree with Strayer, if there were no writing, there couldn’t be any documentation of any kind perhaps that history of human existence could have been longer than what’s documented.  Just because there was no written documentation human experience should not be ignored.  Strayer had mentioned due to time and climate records and/or evidence of human existence could have been erased. The simple was that Homo sapiens had lived I think it was due to climate condition not that they had a small brains. I think it was the ice age condition had left them nothing to think about but to migrate to warmer weather for not thing could have survived in thick ice. But I wonder how they know which direction to go for warmer weather? How the communicate at that era was fascinating to me. I also wonder how and where did they get the ink and the color of it lasted to this day. Unlike animals, Homo sapiens had feelings and that showed love and emotions through burial sites that archeologist found.

After reading chapter 2 The Agriculture Revolution in world history, I was amazed how that era impacted Paleolithic people’s think. Considering their brains were not very active then, the agriculture era had definitely nourished and activated their brains. For all the crops they had harvested made Paleolithic era people thought of ways to store it by creating potteries. It was fascinating to know that after countless millennia of human life without agriculture global warming was the account for it. I wonder, during that era how did they know what was edible and what was poison? Did they have researches? Agriculture was the reason that people were not able to move from place to place as freely as before perhaps they didn’t have the need to. It made sense that people were settling down in one place for they had reliable food sources. It was interesting to me that Agriculture revolution was the reason for human population increase. At the time, how did they manage to control the outbreak of epidemic diseases for their large human and animal population?

In chapter 3 Strayer talked about hierarchy, and government. It amazed me how women in Mesopotamia were treated, and to this day after many, many, many millennia the requirement of be veiled outside have unchanged. The inequality of human life; how did we allow the men to rule us this way to begin with? Why did we not stand up for ourselves? I like how everyone was treated equally in the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. And Egypt women were recognized as legal equals to men.

Times were thought, human being had come a long way. That said, we shall not takes things for granted, but try to help preserve nature by recycling and act more heavily into a more benevolent nature setting as Strayer had mentioned. After all, it was nature that brought us here. 

Katrina H

I am ready