Strayer's writings

Robert Strayer's writings can relate with Notre Dame de Namur's Hallmarks. The second hallmark, We honor the dignity and sacredness of each person, can relate with the Paleolithic era. They believe in equal rights amounts all people, women and men. Their relationships made a difference. They created environments that encouraged the development of people in the community. The fifth hallmark, We embrace the gift of diversity, this is shown throughout history through trade. Trade through the sea, sand and silk roads have shown different cultures interacting as one for one soul purpose. They do not shut each other down they all work together, as one, diverse with each other. This is where our social structure of diversity and cultures working hand in hand with each other came from.

Building Civilization

World History has taught us the build up of civilizations. Strayer writes about plenty of examples of civilization, but one that points out to me is the highways, most importantly the silk highway. That is an example in history that pointed out to me extremely. The silk road travelers ha to make new technological advances to make traveling faster, more convenient, and simpler. Technological advances that the silk road created has a long term impact on our global history. Since the silk road, globally people have been trying to find better faster ways to travel to get trade goods all around the world. The silk road trade system introduced a sort of social structure as well, the people who deliver, distribute, and receive. As a business major I find this fascinating how business still works the same way today.

Learning from the Paleolithic People

Paleolithic people lived a simple life, they were egalitarian with one another. They were a true community. Our world now are not like the Paleolithic era, we do not welcome each other as one. We put higher ranks on certain individuals. We do not see ourselves as one or as a true community, which we still need to learn from the Paleolithic peoples. What modern people must also learn from the Paleolithic people as well is their well nourished diet. They hunted their own animals found their own  wild fruits and vegetables, they did not have access to junk food. In modern world diets people seem to die more from heat disease, diabetes, or obesity due to our lack of well nourished diet. Paleolithic peoples seemed to have died from more natural disease, not diseases they put upon themselves from their food choices. Maybe the Paleolithic people did not have access to these type of poison our junk foods, but we can restrain from them as well. Modern people have much to learn from the Paleolithic peoples physically and mentally.

Negative Reputations

The Mongols have a negative reputation throughout history and I believe that they deserve that title. They do not deserve respect for creating a civilization with a long term impact on history. They cultivated their civilization by dominating or taking away ideas from other civilizations. Mongols were not an independent civilization. They were known to be the forgotten society due to no importance in bringing up their own ideas in their civilization. Mongols were better known as savage people. They conquered many people and caused them a lot of harm. They did not have a centralized ruler they were more individual not making them a civilization or a united society. Their religion was Muslim which they retrieved from Afghanistan, they did not compromise for this religion on their own beliefs. Later, they were Indian which they established from the Chinese. Mongols were a society that was anything but civil, they did not deserve respect for creating a civilization due to stealing from other civilizations. The Mongols deserve the bad reputation they have.

The Quran

The document of The Quran religious ways and practices, known as the first importance. The Quran shows that one should live in Gods righteousness and to stray away from sin. We must be the best we can be and the best person God intends us to become. We must be noble people and live a glorious life. We have a compassionate God so, we should not do wrong to honor him. The Quran's version Jesus Christ is similar to many other religions, as Mary being his virgin mother and him being the savior. The Quran teaches people to not sin and fill their life with nothing but good actions yet, a topic that stood out to me was "On Men and Women." The Quran wants all men and women to be equal and live with kindness, but it is contradicting. The Quran writes that men are the protectors and women are the obedient because men have more strength. If a women is not obedient or disloyal a man may beat them, showing aggression not equality and kindness. A man's strength does not give him the right to put a hand on a woman, instead he should protect her, not make her scared of his presence. Quran writes if a woman wants to return into her man's life she must show obedience and make sure she does whatever he needs. Which is contradicting when Quran writes, "Nor should you treat them with harshness..." I believe one should not treat their woman with harshness and enforce equality.

Renaissance

China did not experience as big as a Renaissance as the Renaissance in Europe. The Renaissance in Europe was known as a "re-birth," both had a cultural movement, yet, China's Renaissance was primarily for Taiwan. China's purpose for the Renaissance movement was to rebuild traditional thinking's in Chinese culture. It helped people in society who were materialistic or becoming materialistic, they wanted people to live with a spiritual life. Even though they wanted to influence their peoples cultural life, they did not unify Taiwanese and Chinese culture. In contrast to the Chinese Renaissance, the European Renaissance spread all through Europe and not just in a one region. The culture that spread influenced the people about Latin and literatures, as well as painting techniques such as perspective or a natural reality. Unlike Chinese Renaissance, European Renaissance spread throughout their politics and not just their culture. The European Renaissance was the start of the influence of many legendary historical artist. Not only did the European Renaissance influence Europe, but it influenced history internationally, unlike the Chinese Renaissance that only influenced a certain region in China.

Silk, Sea, and Sand roads, building civilization

Trade was a major stepping stone that made our world what it is today, diverse and international. In my personal opinion, I felt Silk Roads were the most progressive when reaching out to different people. Sand Roads stayed more along the Niger River, not giving them a wide variety of people to interact with. Sea Roads branched out more interacting with different people from different Islands and were able to actually carry more shipment. Yet, Silk Roads, I felt its trade flourished more and made a wider impact on the diversity with the people the merchants interacted with, even though they were on horseback. Silk Roads started a new way of interacting with different cities and states. It eventually was very well known by the people and they protected their travelers and merchants. Women were the main logic behind the trade system in the Silk Roads, showing how they could be the same as men and run the business. Women were well respected by the merchants and travelers. Showing, how the Silk Roads were good to evolve our people into the Modern Era, bringing diversity and culture into our society. Spreading our culture throughout the states and interacting with different people making our world international.

The Rock Edicts

Emperor Ashoka was a brutal murder who felt gilt for the crimes he committed turning him into the Buddhist religion. That is when the emperor made rules in his empire for everyone to see. He wrote them on rocks to make a statement that these rules were permanent and to be taken seriously. He made rules that one should not sacrifice another human nor kill in general, even though he murdered a numerous amount of people. He believed that people should practice their religion even if it was not the same as his. Everyone could glorify their own religion. He believed that one should honor their mother and father, one should not disobey them. The emperors new rules were the road to live in peace. He wanted future generations to live by these teachings. Unfortunately, these rules diminish within history, but we have learned over time that peace can only last for so long. The emperor surprised me and he shows that bad people can do good and have a change of heart. He realized his wrong doing and he fixed the bad in his life. He did not need the acceptance of everyone but he knew that he was doing good with his life. His gilt gave him an enlightenment of peace. This example shows that is one murder could do good in his life and influence all his people, people going down the wrong path can change their lifestyle to succeed. Perhaps these people should not be forgiven so easily, yet people can give them a second chance if they decide to live in the light of their God.

Mesopotamia's Civilization

The Mesopotamian Era is the first civilization, it explains the way society interacts with each other throughout history and currently in the Modern era. The Mesopotamian Era started division between people. Categorizing people into social classes such as the rich and the poor. They made higher powers that had privileges that no other people in the city had. Such as today, celebrities or people in power can usually get out of an offense of law unlike "normal" minimum wage people. The Mesopotamian people created this unfairness among all human kind. The Mesopotamian people divided women and men as two different people in society. The Mesopotamian people saw women as weak, they believed they needed man's help for everything they did. Their role in society was to work in the house tending to whatever their husband needed or male authority figure. Male's had the right to do what they wanted, they could perform adultery with other women or their servants, yet their wives could not perform adultery or they would be penalized to death. Conditions are not as harsh currently in modern times but, the idea that women belong in the house tending to their husband and men provide for the entire family still exists. Even though women's rights have been brought up throughout centuries behind us, women will always have that background as servant's to men. Society still keeps semi similar traditions the Mesopotamians embedded when making the first civilization. Even though now people know division amongst each other is not called for, people still live thinking the Mesopotamian ideas are correct. Why did society not keep the ideas of the Paleolithic people, who made men and women equal to each other? Without abuse or rape, without making people slaves and belittling people making them feel as if they are not good enough for society. One should revaluate an "ordinary" life according to society, by contemplating the equal roles people should have in our society.

First Peoples; First Farmers

Chapter 1's reading showed me how much simpler life was and how difficult human beings have made it over time. Homo sapiens lived with such simplicity, they were happy with being gathers and hunters. Equally sharing the gather and hunter roles with women and men, showing how each relied on each other. Women were the main providers and men did not question their masculinity. Abuse and rape did not exist, I just imagine how great the world would be if those horrors still did not exist. These assumptions are not factual based, yet the writers assume. In my defense, I still find those great assumptions. I wish people in the future would look back at our modern generation and say the same things about us. Talking about how great our society is without such horrific acts being exposed to the society.

Yay- I'm done!