IC sentences

There have been many cultures throughout the ages, and all of them have unique traits.  It is hard to study many of them, because they lack primary sources.  If we look at the  most notable differences between civilizations, then we see what the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Hindu societies considered a good life to consist of.  Was it lead by religion?  As in Egypt and in India, or forced such as in Mesopotamia?

 There are many different ways to describe what living a good life means.  Whether it is having religion, and living with morals, or having a law that greatly limits your ability to do bad.  Living a good life is mainly based on the society you are living in.  Although we imagine a good life a certain way, actually their view is much different. What is considered a good life in today society would not have been acceptable in the Egyptians society, but living a good life in the Mesopotamians society would not be considered to be a blessing in today’s standards. 

The Meaning of a Good Life

 

Jay Saunders

Thomas deMayo, Stephen Brandon

History and English Learning Community

 

The Meaning of a Good Life

 

There have been many cultures throughout the ages, all of them with unique traits.  It is hard to study many of them because of the lack of primary sources.  That being said, one of the most notable differences between civilizations is exemplified by what the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Hindu societies considered a good life to consist of, was it lead by religion, such as in Egypt and in India, or forced such as in Mesopotamia.

            The main way to live a good life in Egypt was to follow the religious code.  This code was made up of things not to do, for instance not being greedy was a virtue, not killing, cheating, or stealing were also considered to be qualities needed to cross over into the “Hall of Two Truths,” the ancient Egyptians afterlife paradise.  One of the unique traits of the Egyptian view of a successful life was the fact that it was an individual pursuit perpetuated by religion, and that one was not forced to obey these religious laws, as the Mesopotamians were forced to obey Hammurabi’s codes.

In ancient Mesopotamia, a successful life was shown by obedience to the law.  These laws were set up by King Hammurabi who conquered Mesopotamia between 1793

B.C. and 1750 B.C.(WoHp.58).  During this time there were many laws, many by our standards seem just, but there were also some that seem unjust to us.  One of these just laws is “If it should cause the loss of property, he shall replace anything that is lost; moreover, because he did not make sound the house which he constructed and it collapsed, he shall construct (anew) the house which collapsed at his own expense.”(WoH 61 232) to us this seems like a very rational rule, however a similar rule (If it should cause the death of a son of the householder, they shall kill a son of that builder.”(WoH 61) dealing with the same house collapsing becomes unfair to our moral standards by punishing the son instead of the father.  And even the ones that seem just have a very harsh punishment, such as, “If a child should strike his father, they shall cut off his hands.” (WoH 61) Now, I don’t know how well or strictly this was carried out, but the loss of both hands for one moment of anger seems pretty strict to me.  On the other hand (if you have any left) I bet the kids were very well behaved, and the parents respected much more then they are today.  Another unjust, but not uncommon, practice was how the rich were treated so much better than the poor in this law system.  Most of the time the rich could pay their way out of a crime, but the poor were simply killed.  The exception to this was when a noble committed a crime against another noble.  In that case the proper punishment was carried out.

The Hindus had a very interesting way of looking at life as well.  They believed that the best life one could possible achieve was to become one with the Brahman, or world spirit.  It was when, one could join Brahman that life really begin.  To join Brahman you had to devote your self to him and obey his teachings.  One of the ways to do this was self denial; another was to obey your duties.  The Hindus believed in reincarnation, the belief that your soul lives on after death and just gets a new body.  This

was related to their religion because it was thought that when you died, you would be judged and reborn according to your deeds.  Depending on how good you were, you would be born again in either a higher class, or a lower class, or maybe even as a pig or other lowly creature.  Another factor as to where you were born was based on your obedience to Brahman.  The main way to obey Brahman was to do your duties, which might include leading your army into battle, and devoting yourself to him by self discipline (WoHp.102).  One of the views I find odd about this religion is the fact that people should not worry about killing others, because the (soul) “does not kill, nor is it killed.”(WoH 98), only the body dies.  To the Hindus living a good life is all about following their religion.

There are many different ways to describe what living a good life means, whether it is having religion, living with morals, or even having a law that greatly limits your ability to do bad.  Living a good life is mainly based on the society you are living in.  What is considered a good life in today society would not have been acceptable in the Egyptians society, on the other hand living a good life in the Mesopotamians society would not be considered to be a blessing in today’s standards. 

Hello World!