Confucius,
from the Analects is a Confucianism piece because it talks about good rulers
having respect of the people, and guiding by example of human wisdom.
Laozi Taoism says that through non action, action comes
about.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Confucius, Legalism, and Taoism
Prideful Greeks
I see the Greeks as more humanists then the Hebrews. For example the Greeks vocabulary was full of
words, and phrases that promoted themselves, such as “this great empire” (WoH 105),
“our homes are beautiful and elegant” (WoH 106), “Then, again, our military
training is in many respects superior to that of our adversaries” (WoH 1060 A
first rate example of pride. They also
said “The Thracians, I thought, made as fine a show as the procession as our
own people,” (WoH 110) which shows pride at least in people if not in themselves. It is clear to an viewer, however, that the
Hebrews weren’t quite as prideful based on there obedience and reliance on God proven
by phrases such as “He leads me” (WoH 221), and “You prepare a table before me”
(WoH 222)
The Early Church
The early
Church presents a revolutionary idea in religion that salvation is by grace,
not by works. (Ephesians 2:8) This is not to say that actions do not
matter, but that we are not saved by those actions. (Ephesians 2:10, James 2:14) To me this means that the actions are proof
of our faith. (Matthew 7:16)
These teachings
differ mainly in two ways. One is that
the Jews thought you had to become a Jew to be saved, where as in Christianity
you can be saved even if you are not a Jew.
(Romans 2:9-11, 10:12 )
Another belief is that in Judaism not everyone believes that Jesus was
the messiah, where as Christianity is based off of the fact that Christ is the
messiah.
I believe that
the similarities are more important. I
think this because “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9, 13) So for the Jews that
believe in His resurrection, and confess that Jesus is lord will be saved, just
as the gentiles will (Romans 10:9, 12)
Paleolithic and Neolithic ages
Hello, my name is
Jay Saunders and today I will be talking about the Paleolithic and Neolithic
ages. Now first let me say that my
textbook is still in the mail, so I did some research online (explaining any
discrepancy in my information and yours).
Let us start by comparing the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages to two Indian
tribes. First, I will compare the Blackfoot
tribe to the Paleolithic age. They were nomads
who wandered the plains following the buffalo.
Their whole life followed the buffalo, their teepees were made from the
skin, they used the bones for tools, and they ate the meat. They also made clothes, moccasins, and soap
from the buffalo. They were constantly
on the move so they were not able to build a city, and what they owned had to
be light and portable so it could be carried to the next camping spot. This left them with less time to work on
technology and play, but then again, hard working societies are often just as
happy as their richer counterparts.
Next we will look
at the Powhatan tribe and how it resembles the Neolithic age. The Powhatan’s were a tribe of people who
lived farming, hunting, and fishing.
They stayed in one place for long amounts of time so were able to establish
a village. Because they had more time
(they did not have to spend a lot of time moving) they could work on additional
technology, further improving themselves.
They also had better methods to store up their food for bad times. Another perk of the stable villages was that
they could establish trade routes, and allies. Both of these Indian tribes are a people who
should be acknowledged for their ingenuity, and ability to survive. Thank you for reading this and giving me your
response.
Jay Saunders
Buddhism, and Hinduism
Hinduism: Svetasvatara Upanishad
This it a Hindu source because it
deals with the class system. “master and
servant- both have existed from beginningless time.” (WoH 201) It develops the
ideas of Hinduism by elaborating on the death to life cycle. “Round and round it turns, and never stops.”
(WoH 201)
Buddhism: Gotama’s Discovery
This is a Buddhist source in view
of the fact that it looks to self mediation for enlighten. “he had gone to his place and was meditating
in seclusion,” (WoH 206)
Buddhism and Caste
This is a Buddhist source since it
talks about equality in all classes. “First
Assalayana, you bases your claim on birth, then you gave them up for learning,
and finally you have come round to my was of thinking, that all four classes
are equally pure!” (WoH 209)
Mahayana Buddhist: The Lotus Sutra
This source is from the Buddhist
belief. You can tell this because in the
Buddhist religion people often wonder the land for self enlightenment. “Before that Buddha had left home” (WoH 210)
One of
the differences between the Buddhist and the Hindu is that the Buddhist
believed all four castes were equal, where as the Hindu believed that the castes
were very distinct. “First Assalayana, you bases your claim on birth, then you
gave them up for learning, and finally you have come round to my was of
thinking, that all four classes are equally pure!” (WoH 209)
One of
the main similarities between the two religions was that both believed in
continuous reincarnation, until one with Brahman was achieved. “Hearing of the Buddha’s entry into Nirvana”
(WoH 212), Nirvana was the peace one found in Brahman “This vast universe is a
wheel. Upon it are all creatures that
are subject to birth, death, and rebirth.
Round and round it turns, and never stops. It is the wheel of Brahman. As long as the individual self thinks it is
separate from Brahman, it revolves upon the wheel in bondage to the laws of
birth, death, and rebirth. But when
though the grace of Brahman it realizes its identity with him, it revolves upon
the wheel no longer. It achieves
immortality.” (WoH 201)
Looking at Ancient Civilizations
There have been
many civilizations that we know nothing about, but the ancient Mesopotamians
are not one of these. Why might be
asked? Well one of the reasons is
because of their written language. This allows
us to study their work long after they are gone. One of their well known works is The Epic of Gilgamesh. This is an epic, a long poem telling about a
hero, about a king blessed by the gods.
From reading this we can learn many things about the Mesopotamian
culture. One of which is that they had a
king with some type of power (p.50 Worlds
of History). Another fact is that
they had enough free time to read for pleasure, resulting in the creation of
this epic (p.49 Worlds of History). That this poem is still around testifies to
the fact that writing greatly improved the record keeping of this time.
Numerous people
have heard of Hammurabi’s Code, but
do they really know that they are talking about a complex system of laws
instead of just a few famous ones. For
instance when people say Hammurabi’s Code
most people think about an eye for an eye, but do they know that the code
covers laws from theft(p.59 Worlds of
History)to legal agreements(p.59 Worlds
of History) and to family relations(p.60 Worlds of History)? In
reality there are countless laws covering many, many things. From reading this we know that this land was
in fact, a kingdom with a semi fare ruling system favoring rich. We also know
that they were militaristic because of the fact that Hammurabi conquered Mesopotamia . So next time you think about Hammurabi’s code remember all of the other laws
that were carved into the stone and not just the few famous ones.
Next we will be
looking at Advice to a Young Egyptian: Be a Scribe.
This is a story telling how every job is terrible, except being a scribe
(p. 62-65 Worlds of History).
As the name applies it was written about Egypt Egypt
The Egyptian
Book of the Dead is a small book that deals with dying, and the after
life. It is a religious text that proves that the Egyptians believed in
many gods (p. 66 Worlds of History). It also shows us that they believed in life
after death (p. 68 Worlds of History). This book might have been one of the items a
pharaoh would have had buried with him.
The pictures of Egypt
I would rather
live in Egypt
Hindu, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian religon
The Rig Veda is a story about the creation of the world. This religious writing uses the story of
Purusha to explain how the world was created by him. It is also used to explain the beginning of
the caste system by saying the leaders got born out of his mouth, and the
peasants got created from his feet. (His
mouth became the Brahman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two
thighs the vaishas; from his two feet the shudra was born. Worlds
of History p.92)
The Upanishads are a collection of allegories
about the soul of the universe, Bramhan.
To show its point the story tells of how a tree can be grown from a seed
that can not be seen, and of how when salt is dissolved in water it can be
tasted, but not seen (Worlds of History p.95,96). This shows that what is not seen can be there
and that what is not seen can grow into something that can affect your life.
The Bhagavad Gita is an interesting poem
about how life never dies, how it just keeps going, death into life. It exemplifies this by using the story of
Arjuna, a king who is forced to fight against his fellow family. When on the battlefield, Arjuna starts to
have doubts about killing his own family.
All of a sudden, his chariot driver says I am not your chariot driver,
but the Lord Krishna, who then proceeded to tell Arjuna about his beliefs (Worlds of History p. 97-101).
One of the
main ways that I see the early Hindu religion differing from the Egyptians and
Mesopotamians is that in the Egyptians and Mesopotamians religions the souls went
to an afterlife, where in the Hindu religion you were just born again, and
again, and again, and the only way to get out of this cycle is to find peace
with Brahman.
I find the ancient Egyptians beliefs more appealing because
the one death lines up more closely with my belief in Christ.
On Government, and Life
Meditation by Marcus Aurelius is a Roman piece that describes how
all will die. It also talks about how
you can only live for the present, because the past can’t be changed, and the
future can be taken away from you. (WoH 161)
The Fayum portraits are Hellenistic paintings found in Egyptian
tombs (WoH 192). We do not know the
artist. They portray how art has
developed through time, and culture.
I find Ciero’s piece very interesting because it tells of a
scenario I think quite possible for us as an American people. (lest we should discover, too late, when we
desire to save her[the government], that we are without the power” (WoH 155) Keep in mind that Rome
Bible Information
Genesis 1 and 2
“In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1
“And God said “Let there be light,” and there was
light.”
Genesis 1:3
This portion of the Bible tells how the world was formed,
and how God created life.
Genesis 17, Exodus 19, 20, and Leviticus 1
“When Abram was ninety-nine years
old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty[a]; walk before me faithfully and be
blameless”
Genesis 17:1
“I will establish my covenant as an
everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the
generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”
Genesis 17:7
“Now if you obey me fully and keep
my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.
Although the whole earth is mine,”
Exodus 19:5
“You shall not misuse the name of
the Lord your God, for the Lord
will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
Exodus 20:7
This section of the Bible tells of
how God started the convent between Abram and himself, and continues on into
some of the rules he expected the Israelites to follow.
Psalm 23
“The Lord is
my shepherd, I lack nothing.”
Psalms 23:1
“He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.”
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.”
Psalms 23:3
This psalm deals with how God takes
care of His servants.
Amos 5
“Even though you bring me burnt
offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.”
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.”
Amos 5:22
“But let justice roll on like a
river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
Amos 5:24
These
verses deal with how God it tired of worship that is not heart felt.
Daniel 2, 11, and 12
“While you were watching, a rock
was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron
and clay and smashed them.”
Daniel 2:34
“At that time Michael, the great
prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress
such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that
time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be
delivered.
Daniel 12:1
This tells part of the story of how
the world will be destroyed, and how God will save His people. (For more information see Revelations)
These Biblical truths differ from those of Mesopotamia and Egypt
“You shall have no other gods
before me”
Exodus 20:3
(Other religions had many gods.)
“You shall not murder”
Exodus 20:13
(In the Hindu religion it was
acceptable to kill people, because they never really died.)
Evaluation
Evaluation
This year I’ve
been very busy with classes and work.
One of the classes that is keeping me busy is English 111 by Stephen
Brendan. This is one of the classes in a
History-English learning community I am taking.
The purpose of this class, as cited from the learning outcomes, is to
educate one about adapting your personal writing process, producing text grounded
in evidence, demonstrating academic integrity, learning and using college-level
communications skills, and using traditional and digital technologies to
compose and present papers. Other
criteria for the class are to understand the rhetorical situations and
triangle. We are also expected to employ
critical thinking in reading and writing as well as developing oral
communication skills.
In the next part of this paper I
intend to evaluate my learning and my effectiveness in putting it into practice. First, I will talk about my writing
process. I started the course with an unspoken
and unknown writing process that I had developed in high school. Coming into this class I learn about the six
steps of the writing process: pre writing, drafting, revising, proofreading/editing,
publishing, and reviewing. I realize
that my own writing process was similar, but the amount of time I spent on each
step was out of proportion. My main
weakness was not spending enough time on pre writing or drafting. My main strength was that I did have the
process down even though I called some of the steps by other names.
Next, I will write about my text being supported by cited sources. When I started this course, I had a poor
concept about needing to cite sources. I
knew how to cite web sites and books, but did not, and still don’t, know how to
cite my opinions, as well as the information I’ve learned in past classes. I believe that this will be covered more in
the coming weeks.
In regard to the academic honesty policy, I understand it, and have no
problem obeying it. My strength in the
subject is that I was raised in a faith environment that appreciated these
factors. My weakness with this is that I
don’t know how, or even if, you need to cite knowledge learned in high school
so I might have accidentally not cited something I should have.
As for demonstrating college communication skills, my strength in this is
that I’ve been learning communication in this class I have also started this course
with a well rounded vocabulary. One of
my main weaknesses is that throughout my life, I’ve been a poor speller-- often
forgetting how to spell basic words. This
sometimes renders my vocabulary useless as I cannot spell the word that I would
like to use. It is also one of the
reasons I’ve developed a well-rounded vocabulary
since I often need synonyms to skirt words I don’t know how to spell. I often avoid the problem of misspelled words
in my paper by asking members of my family the correct spelling of a word or
speaking it into my ipod dictionary.
In this class I’m also learning how to use electronics to present my work
to a greater audience. I’ve learned
about blogs as well as Blackboard.
Coming into the class, I already knew about turning in hard copies of
papers. In this class we’ve also learned
about citing books and will learn about citing web sites.
In regard to demonstrating an understanding of the rhetorical situation, my
strength in this aspect is that I have paid attention in class and so know
about the rhetorical triangle and the allegory of the cave. My main weakness is that there’s still much to
learn. Adopting my form, formality, and
format also fall under the same category as above, where we have learned a
little, but there’s still much to learn.
My strength in this is that I have learned in the past about judging the
level of familiarity you should use with an audience. My weakness is that I am a relatively laid-back
person and what I consider fine vocabulary and grammar may not be the same for
others.
Another criteria for this clase is having an effective writing
process. My strength is that, as stated
above, I had a writing process coming into this class. My main weakness is that I often don’t leave
enough time for pre writing or drafting.
Part of this is because I’m very pressed for time, part of it is because
I don’t know about the assignments soon enough, and part of it is just because
of procrastination. I am also supposed to
produce 15 pages of informal papers and 12 pages of formal writing. My strength in this is that I have been
taking notes during all the classes and therefore have well over 15 pages of
informal writing. I also have over 10
pages of formal writing with several more writings assignments to do. I feel that my writing could be improved and
I should allow more time for pre writing and drafting.
Another criteria for this classis to integrate the ideas of others with
my own using appropriate documentation.
My strength is that I’ve already started this in this class working
together with others using Google documents.
My weakness is that I have not learned how to appropriately document co-written
documents. In this course I’ve also
started to produce blogs, having a j Sarge one as well as one of my own. In addition I have read the writing today
course text book.
Another part of this class is to participate in interactive discussions
and oral presentations as well as peer reviews.
My strength in this subject comes from the fact that I have done peer
reviews in the past as well as a small number of oral presentations. In class I
have also engaged in intense small group discussions. My main weakness is that, even though I have
done some oral presentations, I am still not comfortable standing in front of
large groups of people and presenting. By
the end of this course we’re also supposed to be able to use non verbal clues,
in order to pick up on audience opinion.
We have not learned much about this in class yet-- only covering the
very basics. I do, however, know a small
number of non verbal signs that I learned in my high school education.
The last criteria has to do with using digital technologies. We are to use them for drafting, reviewing,
revising, editing, and sharing text.
We’re also expected to be able to locate, evaluate, organize, and collect
material. I, of course, know how to use
a computer for drafting, reviewing and revising papers. I also
take advantage of the spelling and grammar checker on Word. I, however, need to work on my time management
skills when on the computer so as not to get on facebook or get caught up reading
a story.
This learning community is an excellent introduction into
the college world. The whole process of
attending this class, having homework due, and working is challenging, but I
can tell it is improving my skills. Overall
I believe that this is a much needed course to develop a foundation of academic
writing, communication, and knowledge. Based
on what I have learned in class I under stand why this class is required for
many degrees.
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