CH.6 Africa and Americas

When I first think of Africa, I think of all of the vast animal species and the different regions. From the zebras and the savannah grasslands. It is truly an amazing content where there different environments from the tropical rain forests and the hot deserts. This large land mass is split in half by the equator creating the most tropical continent. With its harsh living conditions and disease-spreading vectors, it is amazing to see how humans were able to survive in these environments.

One of the civilizations, the was Nubian civilizations, which eventually came to the city of Moroë. The city of Moroë was a monarchy, which surprised me with the fact that on several occasions the rulers were women or co-ruled with women. Like the female pharaohs of Egypt, but they were presented as women, not men. They help equal power to other men's prominences.

The city was considered to be the old kind of African/Nubian civilization while there was also Axum. It seemed that the city of Axum showed much more success with agriculture and even trade. Within the capital city there could be found famous, royal buildings. Could this be the reason of the fall of the Moroë?

Ch. 4 Documents

The Good Life in Eurasian Civilizations

In the first document, The Analects, you truly sense of the influence Confucius gave over his writers. Throughout the document he was addressed as "The Master". After reading all of his teachings and lessons, he is truly a remarkable and started an enlightenment in China.

One of my favorite of his advice was when someone asked him how to get submission of the people, he says, "Advancement the upright and set aside the crooked, then, the people will submit. Advance the crooked and set aside the upright, then the people will not submit ". I thought this is very interesting answer. I believe he meant that if we allow the people who cheat their way up to success and not the people who work hard through the right way, then why would someone follow the rules.

And then I imagined. What if this was truly expressed in today's society. A lot of people could say  there are people today that have gone through the "bad" road and still achieved success while others who followed regular guidelines have not. Is our society the opposite of what Confucius believes of what a society should be?

Then I continued to the reading of Plato, or a Socrates document. In the reading he was giving a speech to defend himself to a jury. He begins with saying that he will show if a man is wise or not. Or in other words, innocent or guilty.

He then also talks about the young, rich men who accuse others with "ready-made charges". As if people could charge anyone with anything. I certainly don't want to be the end of that stick.