2016 Presidential Debate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Am6ovK7s

After watching about 10 minutes of the presidential debate, I realized how unorganized it was. Lester did not seem to have the proper control over the candidates going back and forth during most of the debate. In relation to the Confucius handout, I noticed many rules of the superior man that the candidates did not meet.

For example, rule XIV.29, Trump was far from modest in his speech. During my viewing of the debate, Trump bragged about his proposals and his money around 23 minutes and 36 minutes. In Clinton's case, I just feel that she does display some modesty in her speech sometimes but needs to prove her actions. Actions speak louder than words, and it would be nice to see Clinton try to implement her proposals.

Concerning rule XVII.24, Trump constantly slandered Clinton to her face about her proposals and views which is what the superior man hates. This occurred around the 25 minute mark.

In rule XIX.9, Trump's language is never firm or decided. Around every minute I watched, Trump was quick to say something offensive without thinking.

Regarding rule IV.5, Trump was quick to move away from virtue and went straight to interrupting Clinton with his comments.

XV.36, I would say that Clinton is merely firm, not correctly firm. In Trump's case, I think that he does not have a firm bone in his body.

Even though most of these rules reminded me Trump's actions during the debate, I am not saying that Clinton is an angel. I just think that it is easier and quicker to point out Trump's outburst and flaws during this election year.

Intro to Part Two and Chapter 3

One thing I found interesting in the reading was how the second and third wave civilizations were responsible for the start of philosophical and religious systems like Christianity and Confucianism just to name a few. The large and prominent Persian Empire was interesting to read about as well. Even though the Persian Empire consisted of up to 50 million people, the Persians remained to have a cult of kingship. The Persians idea of having an unapproachable monarch that makes all of the rules seems wrong but still right in some ways. It would seem impossible to hold a vote for kings with so many citizens during that time period. However, the Persians' cult of kingship makes the empire seem shallow and not for the people. I think that the Greeks idea of political life directed the path of the future of politics concerning citizen participation. Even though it is stated to be slightly different from modern democracy, political life in Greece reminds me of the start and role of democracy today.  

What philosophy of life comes across in the Gilgamesh story?

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the philosophy that comes to mind would be the mindset that life is not permanent. When Gilgamesh tried to search for the gift of immortality, the gods told him that man was not created to live forever. One of the gods told Gilgamesh to live life to the fullest. The philosophy of life claims that life is not forever. Nothing is forever. Therefore, life is to be appreciated and enjoyed as much as possible until the end. I think that it is very interesting how the gods told Gilgamesh that life is not permanent because it is very relatable to today. You never know when you are going to die, and we only live once. As a result, people should enjoy the life that they are given for the short amount of time that they have on this earth.

Chapter 2: First Civilizations

After reading Chapter 2, one section really caught my attention. In the section Hierarchies of Class, the book explained the start of slavery. Back then, it was normal and not frowned upon for people to own other people for labor. As history went on, slavery played a major part of civilizations. It was interesting to learn about the start of slavery and how the thought process changed over time concerning the idea and practice of owning slaves. Furthermore, inequality concerning class was always considered normal during the First Civilizations. After learning about the inequalities associated with the First Civilizations, it shows how much history is still repeating itself with some governments, especially the U.S., are still struggling with inequality. Gender was another interesting topic during the First Civilizations. It was not surprising to learn how the First Civilizations favored patriarchal societies. Men were allowed to have multiple wives and sometimes exchange women. Women were meant to be in the home and submit themselves to their husbands without question. Even though history changed its mindset concerning patriarchal societies, there are still judgments placed on women based on the old ideas of the First Civilizations.

Nisa's Story

To be honest, Nisa's story was very weird to me. However, it is interesting and fascinating of how Paleolithic life might have been like. One thing that stuck out to me the most was her idea of God, especially when things did not go her way in her life. In my personal religious beliefs, I clearly disagreed with everything she had to say about God, but it was something different to learn about how other people think and feel about how life works. I further believe that Nisa'a love life, her description of her fourth marriage and the affairs, are still applicable to today's way of life and how people decide to handle their love life and relationships. Nisa'a early life of living in the bush seemed more relatable to how Paleolithic life was like. Lastly, I felt that the healing ritual reminded me of hypnosis which is still relevant to today's life as well. Overall, I enjoyed reading Nisa's story because it was different in its description of certain situations that still reminds me of lifelike situations and relationships of today. I think that the Paleolithic era is important to learn to see how far we've come as a human race from gathering and hunting to agriculture and even further to technology.