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.