Egyptian Vs. Greek Gods

Many of the earliest civilizations believed in polytheism and had a god to represent almost every part of their lives and the products provided to them by the land and earth around them. Where the greek and roman empire were more centered around culture and all the emotions and actions of life through there gods, I.E Apollo-god of music, healing, plague, prophecies, poetry, and archery; associated with light, truth and the sun, Ares- The god of war, bloodlust, violence, manly courage, and civil order, son of Zeus and Hera. Egypt was more focused on the calendar and the movement of time, shifting of seasons and there gods reflect accordingly. Egyptians believed in gods that were representative to their leaders as well as leaders of which protected and nourished there society. The most well-known would be that of Horus, the hawk headed individual who was held as the keeper and protector of Egypt, the Pharaoh/ Queen at the time was known as “The living Horus.” As far as Greece goes, there is a more mythological story line behind each god and the remnants of the gods still exists today in regular society in the media. The forever famous “Hercules” the 1997 production by Pixar inc. was a animated film that up roared the box office telling an animated version of the story of Hercules, the son Of Zeus(god of the gods) and Hera( goddess of childbirth and marriage, who was married to zues in strife and courted unsuccessfully). Besides all the factoids when we get down to the specifics, we have two societies here- Egyptians and Greeks, both polytheistic, but with gods based on totally different reasoning. The greeks were based more on culture, the gods being the ones who blessed them with their surroundings- Love and Lust, Marriage, Childbirth and so on with a leader of the gods that kept them all organized as a some-what symbol of reason within chaos, if you will. The Egyptians seemed totally dedicated to there “Living Horus” or there leader, Pharaoh or Queen who was seen as a living God to the people. There gods- Amun (there god of the gods, who controlled the chaos and was supreme over all just like Zeus to Greece.), Anubis( Overlooking god of the dead, there watcher), and Horus(protector of the ruler of Egypt). With these gods we see similarities with position, both having a leader of all the gods and also being substantially different with Egypt being more centered toward watching there leader and there people while greeks gods were more focused and based off the world and culture/ moods and personalities of the people.

Does the Roman Empire still exist?

      In 1998 Hugo Chavez was elected president of Venezuela. Since his arrival, Venezuela has suffered a social class division and a separation of the political placement. Furthermore, his regime has poisoned and destroyed what was once known as a great economic and productive country. His government, as part of a political strategy, started attacking verbally and physically any attempt of the opposition to question Chavez’s decisions. Subsequently, Chavez has campaigned throughout the continent in an effort to spread his ideology. This campaign has increased the national debt, and has impacted the economical structure of the country. In an attempt to build an empire, as cyclic history has showed us, Chavez will face the fall before the rise.

It took centuries for Rome to finally fall, although it still debatable the exactly time or specific reason. Many will argue that Rome was transformed from a military power to a religious power. Others will say the Rome Empire collapsed because they became too large or the emperors failed to lead in the right way. Senators empowered politics instead of pushing society forward. Some scholars blamed Christianity, monetary and military problems. All these factors might have caused the fall of Rome, but the idea of imperialism still exists. Before and after Rome, empires have risen and fallen.

     Today, empires still exist within the limitations of our current society. We have seen empires rise and fell dramatically. The Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991, separating into 15 different countries.

The United States have more military bases around the world that any other country. Their military power is astonishing, but it has fired them back with an anti-imperialist sentiment from the rest of the world. Recently, many countries in Europe have joined their efforts to become a more strong and powerful union. They have worked hard to bring down boundaries and build a common European constitution, including an European military force. Will this be the next Rome Empire? Time will tell. But, what we can be sure about is that the human nature never changes. Power, competition, desire of expansion, and even greed are part of our nature. History repeats itself, the only difference is that it will take years instead of centuries for the next empires to rise and fall.

Great Wall of China (largest cemetery)

The Great Wall of China was worked on for over 1700 years. So with each emperor who came to power pieces of the wall were added to protect their dynasties. Contrary to what was believed the wall is not a solid wall. It was a line of disconnected barricades.

When the Qin Dynasty ruled (221 – 206 B.C.E.), Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi wanted a much better defense barricade to protect his empire from invaders from the Northwest. Emperor Qin wanted a strong wall 30 feet wide and 50 feet high. In order to accomplish such tasks many laborers were needed. Emperor Qin used peasants, captured enemies, criminals, scholars, and anyone else to work on the Great Wall without pay. It was slave labor.

I can see how Emperor Qin’s idea to protect his empire made sense but at the same time at what cost? Over 3,000 people worked on the Great Wall for the Qin Dynasty, but it is believed that over 1 million have died during the construction of all parts of the Great Wall. If the wall was to protect the empire then why would they kill their own to build it? I agree the Great Wall itself was a good idea to see any possible invaders from afar and be able to send signals to where the invaders were heading, but not at the cost of the lives of the very people they were to protect. I disagree with using peasants or scholars instead of just using criminals or enemies they captured to work off their punishment.

It’s been said that every foot of wall took one human life. After all the years and evolution of humans, science, medicine, etc. we would think we would never see this kind of disregard for human life again but sadly it still exists all over the world.

What did Classical Greece give us?

The classical period in Greece corresponds to the 5th and 4th centuries BC. It was succeeded by the Hellenistic period which lasted until the defeat of the only successor-state to Alexander's empire left in 30 BC. These periods provided politics, art, scientific thought, and philosophy that continues to influence our modern world. One that greatly affects the United States is Democracy, which was first seen in 507 BC and started the classical period. The thing that interested me the most about this period was their use of the golden ratio. Although they were not the first civilization the recognize this mathematical principle, they used it to produce amazing art in the form of architecture. The Greeks built the Parthenon using the golden ratio for aesthetic reasons and believed that the golden rectangle was a mathematical key to beauty. You can see Greece’s influence on architecture in the Jeffersonian architecture movement and the Greek Revival architecture movement.

top photo: Nashville Parthenon

bottom photo: Virginia State Capitol

The Virgina State capital resembles the Parthenon, and in 1897 an exact scale replica of the Parthenon was built in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville became known as the “Athens of the South” because of the well accredited colleges in the area. The Watergate Tower (aka Sykes tower) in Downtown Tampa was built using the golden ratio, with 1,880 windows and 13 feet tall rooms from floor to floor. The “garden” of the Sykes tower and the two cubed buildings in front of the actual tower are based on the golden rectangle as well. Aristarchus of Samos, a Hellenistic Astronomer, proposed in the 3rd Century BC that sun was stationary and planets revolved around it while everyone else stilled believed in a geocentric model. This was the first documentation found that states this theory.

The Prophet Jesus in the world of Islam

The religion of Islam begins with an extraordinary story. The founder of Islam Muhammad was an average man in his neighborhood. Muhammad had the same religious beliefs as Christians. However, after seeking God in an isolated cave, Muhammad is said to receive messages from God. These messages that were received cultivated the teachings of the Quran.

Islam believes in the oneness of God, and believes Muhammad is God’s final prophet; the Quran is considered the ultimate word of God. Islam also accepts that the Torah, Psalms and Gospels are sacred scripture. Last but not least the Islamic believe revere Jesus as a great prophet.

Islam acknowledges Jesus as a prophet sent by God, Islam does not accept Jesus as God (as the Christians do). I question Islam inclusion of Jesus as a prophet. According to the Islamic definition, a prophet is a messenger sent by God (Surah Al-Baqara). According to the gospel, Jesus ascribes himself as “Son of God” and deity (Matthew 27:43). Since it is obvious that a prophet is accredited by the message he brings; clearly Jesus’ message (as indicated) was that he is God. However, Islam believes Jesus to be a “truthful” prophet, yet they refuse to accept his message (which is he is God). If Islam doesn’t accept Jesus as God, the fact that Jesus attested to be God should be enough to cast him away as a false prophet. I find this contradiction in the Islamic beliefs system to be quite astonishing.

Life-filled or Lifeless?

Have you ever gone to an art show and just go so bored at looking at what feels like the same piece of art over and over again? Yes? Well, imagine going to a museum back in the Aegean Culture (3000-1100 BCE) where their art was simple, had nothing to it. Art was lifeless. Personally I would have taken one look and walked right out. As much as we like to believe that simplicity is bliss, their kind of simple compared to todays is like staring at a rock with a few holes in it here and there and think it is actually something.

In the Aegean Culture their art was non-naturalistic anatomy compared to ours nowadays. For Example: In the Cycladic Culture the Statuette of a Woman all you can see is that she has a round head, cylinder neck, long torso, widened hips and she stands seemingly uncomfortable. One of the most noticeable features on her however is her broad nose. No facial features, no ears nothing exists that would bring this art to life; However, in our sculptures that you see today, you see muscle tone, extravagant facial expressions, hair, ears, body positioning. An example of this lifefillled sculpture is the famous sculpture of David. This piece of art is full of life and something to actually look at. The anatomy involved in this art work is exquisite. Muscle tone through the abs, arms, legs and along the back. You can even see the veins throughout his hands. In my opinion I would much rather look at the stautue of David opposed to the Aegean statuette of a woman in a museum.

In my opinion the most amazing thing an artist can do is bring their art work to life. Make it look like your actually looking at the real person and have their life brought out and shown to the world. Comparing these two pieces of art you see the transformation from the Aegean basics to what is now so detailed sometimes your not sure if you are actually looking at the real thing; however, in all fairness to the Aegean culture if it wasn’t for them creating the basics the chance of us having what is now fantastic art would probably not exist or still be in the discovering phase.

What is Strength?

What do you see when you look at our troops? When the majority of the population looks at our troops, they see heroes, people who are willing to die for our freedom. These people are some of the strongest people in the world to us because of everything they do. Not only are the physically strong but they have something else about them. Leaving their families for 6 months to years at a time, it means everything to us (I know it means everything to me). Now flying back into retrospect, in the 12th century the Japanese Samurai Military began to rise and control everything, It was very important for the members in this military to be strong not only mentally and physically like our military but they were also expected to be visually strong. Does that go to say the Samurai was stronger?

When I look at the Samurai, I see the strength automatically. In the way their dressings were and how they were presented. They will layers, upon layers to make themselves look bigger to the enemy, which psychologically would probably make them seem a lot more dangerous to their enemies. Their presentation was very stern, not like the little England people that weren’t allowed to smile but they were very focused, they were very strong in every way.

Comparing the Samurai strength to our American Army strength is in no way different except for the visual strength. We go through basic training, boot camp everything to prepare us for what we have to prepare for in battle. We have to mentally be ready to pick up the phone in the middle of the night and leave for deployment at seven a.m. the next morning. In both of these militaries strength is if not the most important thing, one of the most important things, and that is one thing both of these armies had/have.

I believe that there are many ways you can show strength. In the Samurai, visual strength worked for them just like our mental strength works for us. Our troops have done an extraordinary job throughout the years protecting our freedom, just like the Samurai did in protecting Japan during their reign. In all similarities, no matter how it is shown there is no stronger strength than that to a country then protection and piece of mind.

The Forbidden Dance

She dances with her partner while the crowd calls her a prostitute. The church during the renaissance would scold the idea of scientific technology. Tango, an Argentine form of dance was treated with the same hatred. The new advancement of the renaissance brought new instruments, new genres, and different styles of musical composing. Many of the composed pieces in music and instruments were created for the church and chapel services. Instruments used for personal gain and with intent to distant people from the church were not allowed. The Tango was a dance developed in the slums that was viewed with negativity for its dramatic display. Only men would dance the tango with each other when it first originated because women were looked down upon if they were to sing or dance it. The dance of Tango would stage stories of a pimp and his prostitute, a duel between two men for a woman, and a lost love. In the new age of the Tango it is danced by displaying a story of love and passion. The lute, organ, recorder and harp in the renaissance which gave ideal bringing to the guitar, accordion, flute, and famous bandoneon are used in the Tango. The renaissance writers composed poetic Italian songs that were distributed by the new technology of the printing press through inexpensive books to low income families so they could learn music as well. The Tango is composed of poetic and theatrical words of the Argentine culture that mix many Italian and Spanish linguistic versus that even experienced singers of the genre may sometimes not understand its true meaning. This is a part of my culture that I have to thank the renaissance for influencing the building of the Tango. It is a very popular genre in the Argentinean culture which I hope to see flourish into new heights because of how tiny a seed of influenced history rooted into a tree of ideas. The Tango Renaissance Association has brought the history of significant power to our modern day life.

http://www.tango-renaissance.com/

The Real Debate, How’d we get here

It’s the age old discussion of man that has and will always spark up controversy when discussed in today's time and in the future to come- How did man come to existence. From The religious stand point of us all being created by a higher being (God) and in some religions even multiple gods (polytheistic) one thing is for certain…we don’t have enough clues to have a definitive answer. Speculation that we were brought to this earth maybe from another civilization is popular, like a type of slave nation that would eventually be taken over and controlled by another being. But what thing’s for certain, we didn’t just “poof” here to this planet we know as earth out of know where…or did we..( http://youtu.be/HY-03vYYAjA) Many of the theories of our being come from the thoughts and ideas of those who lived long before us…many cultures went towards the elements, as did the Egyptians and Mayans, cultures very oriented toward polytheism(belief of many gods). Those who believed that we went through human evolution which refers to the genus(scientific category) Homo..believe we may have come from primates or some sort of monkey. But studies of human evolution usually include other hominids, such as the Australopithecus, from which the genus Homo had diverged by about 2.3 to 2.4 million years ago in Africa. Aside from aspects of evolution , we see some of the earliest documented acts of religion dating to...well...whatever you may believe as well. Alot of people state that Judaism may have been one of the earliest forms of religion and the foundation for many other religions today, dating back as far as Th3000 years, the equivalent to around china began forming it's country. but this really all comes down to what you feel as a person is "religion" in the years leading to Christ(Ado Domini) we see some cave art that shows that the Neanderthal-like new humans to earth thought of there surroundings as all being gods, that when pleased, would lead to prosperous outputs of food and nourishment, and when displeased would lead to some terrors that we call natural disasters today. Today, what may have been believed as works of the gods in the Ado Domini period, is categorized as weather...changes in barometric Pressure, Lightning, even Rain Storms...considered Rewards and Punishments from the Gods. Greek Philosophy saw a Polytheistic view as well, But had one centralized God of the Gods (controller of chaos if you will) who kept the gods in line and made overall decisions. But there gods were more of culture and surrounding life control, the changes and shifts of attitude and emotion believed to be the work of gods in there eyes as well(Examples--Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty, and apollo The god of music, healing, plague, prophecies, poetry, and archery).

Power and Inequality

The Hindu caste structure is an ancient system that has lasted for thousands of years. It is divided into four main Varnas or categories: the Brahmins (priests or scholars) the Kshatriyas (politicians and civil authorities), the Vaishyas (professionals), the Shudras (laborers) and finally the Out-castes whom don't even get to be in this structural system. The higher castes are the ones that hold the power while the lower castes, and especially the Out-castes, are kept at the margin of decisions that only benefit those in power. Doing this sets boundaries to those who are at the end of this system of inequality. In addition, it also keeps the higher castes economically stable because they don't have to compete or defend themselves from the lower castes. While they get richer, the lower castes get poorer and have no opportunities to change their situation. Most Americans probably think that this type of caste system is appalling and that this would never happen in America. But do we have something similar here? Right now there is an important national and recently turned global movement that is getting a lot of attention which is the Occupy Wall-street movement.





Protesters are rebelling against the big corporations and the wealthy 1% who are getting richer while the rest of us are stuck with no opportunities similar to the lower castes in the Hindu caste system. While we may not have such a strongly defined class system, we do have a higher class that continues to take advantage of the rest of us. Much of India's inequality is due to the rules of their caste system, while ours is due to the unfair rules that government and big business play by.


What I see here in the US is an economic system that seems to work for those at the top and keeps those who are not fortunate enough to be in that position oppressed. In addition, statistics have shown an inequality that can't be ignored anymore. Although India has their own version of the Occupy Wall-street Movement, their aim does not seem to be towards their caste system; but rather they want to stop government corruption. Their caste system has been part of their society for thousands of years so we may not live to see their caste structure change. Conversely, the Occupy Wall-Street movement here in the US keeps getting more support and attention and we might live to see a change. It seems that people are tired of this higher class that has left the rest of us 99% behind.


For more information about this movement visit Occupy Wallstreet