"Silk Road"
To some of this internet age, the name vigor's the senses and creates mindful dialogue internally on how illegal things can be bought free from the governments tentacles.
When I read Chapter 7, truthfully, I had no idea that this pathway to exchange goods was around? I think at this time, I am going to write my past WH teachers and ask why this wasn't covered? The text clearly made a point in explaining how important this access was and how treacherous the journey being. Again, as usual, women are held at lower kinship and their hard work disregarded. The reading touched on my senses on the women having to bear the stress of how to gather silk and stress on how to get money for a wedding dress (PG. 320). I hope the man of the family stressed the same however, remembering back to my blue-collar working class upbringing, more than likely not. The mom is the true patriarch and like the silk that ties fabric together, it's the mom that holds the mindfulness and promotes love that truly ties the bind together.
Yes, the more people that come into contact with one another, the more disease will be spread. In those days though, there wasn't an insistent government that promoted public health lowering the passing of bacteria or viruses to one another. Nor did "Dial" exist or the quick-tap anti-bacterial gels that have become the modern genre for restaurants or entering medical facilities. The benefit of having such a pathway such as the Silk Roads was the introduction of cross cultures and religions. Being a 3rd generation East Oaklander, having a multi-tier of racial, religion, and beliefs, make living less bigoted or so I hope.
Like today, there has to be an alternative to travel. The Silk Road was great and in proved its amazing attributes. The introduction of the Sea Road was going to be another dangerous pathway to sell goods and introduce cross cultural awareness. Let me think. I would probably bet that the camel was much more reliable than the sea going vessels of those days.
Chapter 8 was even more interesting. Probably because a Nancy and I are putting together a power point presentation related to Chinese Dynasties and going to show off our lack of knowledge to the class coming up this Wednesday.
It's not because I am married to a Chinese woman that I adore this amazing power. I have to take a complete look to see that what they established and bringing the country together with the three dynasties, was not easy and it proved to be a positive for the people. Sure, there were negatives and I didn't like the treatment of women and the means to keep them subordinate within the family. Also, I may be a fan of stocking incased legs but please, give me a break. What is so appealing of binding of the feet? The picture on page 372 resembling this practice is enough to send the food I just ingested into the toilet. In their defense, what looks appealing is based on opinion.
This chapter also serves as a reminder that no matter how big and luxurious an empire might be, there are internal problems that arise. Poverty, power struggles, religion, and differences of opinion, are the passed and modern issues within any large countries attempting to be prosperous.
Chapter 10 was a bit out of place for this assignment. I was getting energized and cheering for the people on the Silk Road and smiling from time to time reading about the Chinese Dynasties. In this portion of the text, religion, however a delicate matter to discuss, is now in front of me to read. Christianity is the topic and reading this chapter, I get reminded on organized religions attempt to take a piece of the pie within their own legacy.
The crusades is marked with strife as again, forcing a belief onto others or die by the sword. Christendom was used regularly in this chapter and it creates a contrast to how I feel today with ISIS. I am sure that the same tactics were very similar to one another in order to force the population into a belief system. Whatever the religion belief, those are deep strong visceral feelings that once faced to defend it or promote it, takes a potentially violent path. "Beginning in 1095, wave after wave of Crusaders from all walks of life and many countries flocked to the eastern Mediterranean, where they temporarily carved out four small Christian states." (PG. 486). How different is that concept different today of what's going in Iraq and Syria. Common core belief systems are not an easy machine to disassemble.
See everyone Wednesday.
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