Chapter 5: The Big 5

The Big 5
These 5 people or places however you want to take them have come to be some of the most influential in regards to religion or beliefs. These 5 are China/Confucius, India/Buddah, Hindu, Greece/Socrates, and Rome/Jesus.
Confucius:

• Born in China around 500 BC
• Wrote the Analects (collection of work).
• He did not come up with a system of religion .
• His way of living was said to lead to social stability

Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)

• Born in India as a prince around 500 BC
• He was raised in the Hindu religion
• The main goal of Buddhism is to reach (Enlightenment)
• The difference with Buddhism is that anyone can reach enlightenment during their own lifetime
• This way of life lead to social change

Hindu

• No individual created the religion of Hindu
• The main goal was to reach (Enlightenment)
• The way to reach Enlightenment was through the Caste System. (One can only move up a single spot within the caste system during their own lifetime).
• This religion lead to social stability 

Socrates

• Born in Greece around 400 BC
• He never wrote his own book. (Plato wrote a book based off the philosophies of Socrates).
• He never created a religion, but he did create "philosophy" (which is a system of rational inquiries).
• Philosophy was said to bring about social change 
• It also started the Humanist movement 

Jesus

• Born 0
• Lived during the Roman Republic/Empire (which brought about both an Anti-Monarchial and Empirical ruling).
• He created a religion that is still strongly practice 
• He never wrote anything (his words and travels were wrote by others, which were combined into the Bible).
• His teachings brought about social change.

The Superior Man: from The Analects of Confucius

The only quote that i felt stood out to me was XIV.29

XIV.29: The Master said, " The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."

This quote stood out to me because it was the one that i could relate to the most and it also struck me that someone that lived during that time could think that way because most people of importance were born into it. They didn't have to work for it nor did they have to work in order for people to respect them. Confucius thoughts were that someone who wants to do the right thing wouldn't have to talk about it to prove his point, his actions would be more than enough for others to understand.  

Chapter 2: The Revolution of Agriculture

Agriculture began about 12,000 years ago and was the beginning of the Neolithic Era.  There was enormous benefits to agriculture.

1. Settled villages. (People did not have to go out and search for food as much as they once had. They were able to grow and cultivate their own which allowed them to grow a more abundant amount for their tribe.)
2. Population grew. (With the security of settlement, people began to have more children.  No more did they have to worry about the dangers of traveling or the fear of seasons that could prevent the growth of families.)
3. Civilizations. (People started to evolve due to settlement. Culture became more important, as well as other things such as literature, language/writing, and laws that allowed them to live in peace amongst one another.)

With agriculture came the evolution of tools. Tools became a very important part of everyday living, because they were depended on so much to grow crops as well as common tasks. For the first time people also began  domesticating animals.  This single discovery proved to be a gift and a curse for those living during this period. People were able to do more work without the troubles they once would go through to do it. They also allowed themselves to be contaminated by these animals and disease became prominent throughout villages.