Summer of Pandemic - History Blogs

Science in the 19th century challenged the faith of the enlightenment. Charles Darwin argued that life was a constant change and a struggle for survival. He believed evolution occurred through natural selection which created conflict with Christians. Karl Marx also highlighted pain and struggle in life and human civilization and in turn the start of socialism. Sigmund Freud concentrated on human emotions and thought that our conscience influences human sexuality and behavior such as aggression. In the 20th century, physics created a new view of science. Findings such as light bending, matter, and energy are equivalent and space can warp light. All of these scientists formulated the birth of our modern science today.

The world economy goes back further than our modern world today. Economic globalization is similar both now and roughly the early 1700's. World trades of spices, gold, silver, textiles, coffee, chocolate, and sugar are some of the things that were traded globally. By the 18th century, the trades touched so many places as items from global commerce made their ways to countries far and wide. Things such as Indian rugs, china eating dishes, and Mexican chocolate were in places far from their origin. This created a highly competitive market. In today's world, modern economic globalization picked up in the year 2000 when goods shipped out quickly and vastly across the world. Today, China continues to be a key player in the world of economy and global commerce.

The Great Dying is a reminder in today's world, that the history of the Americas repeats itself and pandemics have cycled around since before our time of COVID-19. The theory is the absence of pets or domesticated animals weakened the immunities of people to become ill with smallpox, malaria, yellow fever, the flu, and typhus. The Native American people died at alarming rates when they were exposed to the African/European diseases. Similarly, as in today's world, the ice age came about due to climate change of cool temperatures. Pandemic followed by a global climate crisis stemmed from the Great Dying and the Ice Age from 1450-1750. Who would have known nearly 600 years ago we would face the same type of issues of the spread of COVID wiping out mass amounts of the population, followed by global warming, which eventually leads to global cooling.

In the first half of the 2 nd millennium AD, approximately 1000-1500 AD China was growing quicker than ever and was the fastest growing economy at the time. When Europe also expanded, after 1500, both economies were expanding and were about equal in size and economic stability. Silver trades were done between Europe and China between 1400-1800 AD. Both China and Europe grew more successful year after year. China grew much quicker than in Europe prior to 1500 AD.  The Renaissance occurred between 1300-1700. Because China supported the trade economy with Europe, Europe was able to re-birth its country during this time and not China. Therefore, I do not agree “ The first half of the 2 nd millennium AD marked a period of rebirth in China that was just as significant as the Renaissance in Europe.” After the middle-ages, the re-birth occurred in Europe during the Renaissance, a time for cultural, political, artistic, and economy. 

We all have a right to breathe as humans. "I can't breathe," said George Floyd as his last few words before he dies by the knee of a police officer. We should all appreciate each breath we take, as it is a life we are breathing and another day of opportunity in this world. When we are breathing, we are blessed with life. Today's social injustices, of racial prejudices, is taunting America. It's time for the US leaders to listen and change things. We must not continue to repeat a history of murder for Black Americans. In other countries, such as Mexico, women are fighting to breathe. They are getting murdered at a quick rate and the Mexican leadership is said to have turned a blind eye. The people of Mexico are now protesting to fight and stand up to social inequality and gender issues. No matter what country you are in, prejudice and hate turn into anger, riots, death, and the destruction of the human bond to trust. We must value life and the breaths we should a...

I was able to find at least 3 good talking points for the Classical period of Chinese civilization.

  I was sad / disappointed / angry to read that… Though in early Islam, the men and women were considered equal in the teachings of the Quran, this may not have been fully the case. It was understood in the Quran that there was a level of gender inclusiveness and believers were both men and women. However; socially this was not the case. In the eyes of marriage, the Quran placed women as subordinate and inferior, leaving men with the power and overall authority. The Quran goes as far as to read, "Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient." JUST WOW! I could not believe my eyes when I read this. It makes me upset to read that women have always been put in dimmer light and the value of women has never been fully respected, not even in religion. However; we have evolved as human species to fight for equality and respect. To have authority over ourselves, to ear...

  I found it interesting to read that… The old folk character, Mullah Nasruddin, the Wise Fool of Islam expressed many different parts of the human ego. From vanity to lack of rational, his tales were used in these villages to capture spiritual life such as generosity, tolerance, and humility. These stories are jokes and communicate moral teachings about human and social behaviors. These tales were thought to expand the human thinking past the conformity and social conditioning of the way people think. 

Today in the U.S., people are fighting for social justice and racial equality; not to mention on top of a pandemic that has hit the entire globe and has taken over four hundred thousand lives and nearly 7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. The world seemed to shut down, people began to isolate and then the riots began in U.S.  In regards to racial and social justice, I believe it is now time to challenge and not to conform to the old ways of racism. It is time to make a change as we are far overdue in our nation. I believe all lives matter and together, united we are stronger than ever. We must remain vigilant and strong.