Chapter 3 to 6
Reading through chapters 3 to 6 I found quite a few things very interesting. First off, reading about Strayer comparing the Roman Empire to the United States, really threw me for a loop. The question, "is the United States the new Roman Empire?" made me think. These days, I try to think as little as possible about whats going on in the world, but this section really brought a lot to light. After seeing the comparisons with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the invasions the US has had, I guess in a way we are similar. When Strayer talks about how the Roman Empire became corrupt and dictorial at home, I immediately thought of our government today. If things continue this way, we will fall just as the Romans did. History has a way of repeating itself, and I am hoping this will not be one that we fall victim to.
When Strayer started discussing the Persian Empire, I was stunned to learn how people mourned. I'm unclear as to why Persians were to shave their heads, and horses manes were cut short when the king died. Also their ways of following orders is not to far off from how we follow orders today. When Darius said, "What was said to them by me, night and day, it was done", I compared it to how we follow orders from higher authority. When we are told to do something, usually without question it is done. Also having the spies all over the empire might sound bad, but this is also something we still do today.
What I have always questioned, was why the Greeks and Persians were enemies. It seems they were similar in many ways, and could have been great allies to each other. After reading about the Greco-Persian war, I came to understand this conflict came from the needs of expansion. This is an issue that will never go away. Nobody is ever happy with what they have, and they will always want more. This is especially hard, when you have people running a society that are very thick headed, and cannot come to a conclusion civilly. I feel the only people that should be to blame are the kings of Persia and Greece. The civilians were only following orders, just as our military does today. Many people do not see this, and immediately start blaming the soldiers fighting. But they must look at the leaders controlling whats going on.
Moving on, I like how China was not trying to build something new, but restoring something old. I wonder why people think that building a wall will solve their problems to keep people out. It obviously didn't work for China, and it will not work today for the US. I wish more leaders looked into ways of keeping a hold of their empires just as the Emperor Wudi had. Its interesting to see that the Roman Tradition had "good laws", and Chinese tradition had "good men".
I have always been intrigued by the Buddhism , and reading about the history of it was fascinating. It interesting that a man, born a prince, left everything he knew behind for a spiritual quest. It made me feel more at ease, when I read he was 35 when he finally saw the light. I also lived that he shared when he learned with his new community, and was given the nickname Buddha. I love the quote "I teach but one thing, suffering and the end of suffering." I agree that suffering is experiencing life as unsatisfactory, and I feel we must learn how to understand what God has given us. I always tell my students that their road ahead will not always be a smooth ride, but to always remember what they were taught, and never forget to take a moment for mindfulness and reflection.
When Strayer started discussing the Persian Empire, I was stunned to learn how people mourned. I'm unclear as to why Persians were to shave their heads, and horses manes were cut short when the king died. Also their ways of following orders is not to far off from how we follow orders today. When Darius said, "What was said to them by me, night and day, it was done", I compared it to how we follow orders from higher authority. When we are told to do something, usually without question it is done. Also having the spies all over the empire might sound bad, but this is also something we still do today.
What I have always questioned, was why the Greeks and Persians were enemies. It seems they were similar in many ways, and could have been great allies to each other. After reading about the Greco-Persian war, I came to understand this conflict came from the needs of expansion. This is an issue that will never go away. Nobody is ever happy with what they have, and they will always want more. This is especially hard, when you have people running a society that are very thick headed, and cannot come to a conclusion civilly. I feel the only people that should be to blame are the kings of Persia and Greece. The civilians were only following orders, just as our military does today. Many people do not see this, and immediately start blaming the soldiers fighting. But they must look at the leaders controlling whats going on.
Moving on, I like how China was not trying to build something new, but restoring something old. I wonder why people think that building a wall will solve their problems to keep people out. It obviously didn't work for China, and it will not work today for the US. I wish more leaders looked into ways of keeping a hold of their empires just as the Emperor Wudi had. Its interesting to see that the Roman Tradition had "good laws", and Chinese tradition had "good men".
I have always been intrigued by the Buddhism , and reading about the history of it was fascinating. It interesting that a man, born a prince, left everything he knew behind for a spiritual quest. It made me feel more at ease, when I read he was 35 when he finally saw the light. I also lived that he shared when he learned with his new community, and was given the nickname Buddha. I love the quote "I teach but one thing, suffering and the end of suffering." I agree that suffering is experiencing life as unsatisfactory, and I feel we must learn how to understand what God has given us. I always tell my students that their road ahead will not always be a smooth ride, but to always remember what they were taught, and never forget to take a moment for mindfulness and reflection.
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