Early Classical Era

Early Classical Era (Blog # 2) 

Reading about the Greek Empire and their ideas of democracy makes me realize that many countries, including United States have adopted these ideas resulting in the inclusion and respect of all people living within the boundaries of a country. The idea of “citizenship”, originality described by the Greeks, was to give people the freedom to participate in state affairs and to make them equal before the law. This idea has been also adopted by the US with a small difference: in the Athenian democracy people directly participated in politics while in modern democracy people decides on political matters by choosing their political leaders who agree with people ideals. Another similarity between Greek and modern democracy, at least until the beginning of the XX century in the US, women, slaves, and foreigners were prohibited to participate in political affairs.  As the Greek and Roman Empire unified its culture by assimilating other communities into their society, in the same way, US have integrated people from all part of the world to its society by providing a standard education, speaking the same language, and respecting people’s customs and religions.

Religion has taken an important role in human history. Some religions have transcended and others have evolved changing people’s traditions throughout time. Hinduism changed from ritual and sacrifice to devotion and worship, Buddhism changed from non religious tradition to give emphasis to the supernatural, and Christianity first originated by poor people became an imperial church run by powerful religious leaders. In accordance to the book, religion seems to be consistent on one thing: it has justified social and gender inequality, it has helped people to endure difficulties, and in occasions it has stimulated reform and rebellion. At least, rebellion helped to end slavery and patriarchy later in history. It made me mad to read about slavery and patriarchy and I could not reconcile my thoughts even when I read the ideas that justified such human behavior. Why humans thought that they had the right to own other humans? One scholar according to the book suggested that the idea of slavery comes with the early domestication of animals. In which way humans are compared to animals? Also, why males believed they were superior to females? In one hand, I understand that male invented these ideas to keep themselves on top of the hierarchical spectrum and yet, I am puzzled to observe so many contradictions as history was written. Fortunately, slavery has ended but I am not so sure patriarchy has.