Feb 4 Weekly

            The world today is extremely advanced in so many ways – technologically, scientifically, and socially; however, these advancements could not have occurred without an enormous amount of revolution and change in all of these areas.  Humans today have iPods, computers, cameras, smartphones, and access to just about every sort of information that it out there.  Industry has been developed to a point where humans can produce and sell just about anything.  There are also cars, airplanes, trains, and various other forms of transportation to support this industry.  In the political world, humans have gone from governing with a single ruler in a monarchy to full-fledged democracies carrying enormous amounts of freedom for its people.  Based on the many changes that have occurred history, change can be considered a good thing.  Over the course of history, humans have used their resources, surroundings, and knowledge to positively change their very way of life, which is turn has affected civilization to this very day.

            It is hard for humans today to really figure out what ancient humans were thinking and going through during their lifetimes; however, one of elements that gives us an insight of the ancient world it art.  The origins of art trace back to about 22,000 years ago, in the Paleolithic Era.  One of the most famous art creations of the ancient world is the Venus of Willendorf.  It could be said that “Venus” laid the foundation of basic art forms for the future.  It has given us clues of the ancient civilization that produced it.  For example, it is known that “Venus” may represent fertility.  Scientists can use this information to predict what people of the time cared about and took very seriously.  Art has definitely changed since then, but the Venus of Willendorf what the “starting point” of art as it is known today.

            People today can take a trip to the grocery store and purchase just about any food that they need.  Foods are grown in one part of the world, and shipped to another to be distributed and ultimately sold.  Food is brought to us, rather than the other way around.  Technology and transportation, however, are needed to accomplish this task of providing food to people.  Obviously, it has not always been this way.  In ancient times, humans used to follow the animals and live a nomadic lifestyle.  People eventually learned to farm, which allowed them to stay in one location – ultimately forming civilizations.  Without this change from a nomadic lifestyle to a heavily agricultural lifestyle, the lives of humans would definitely not be the same today.

            The idea of a city is nothing new to humans today.  There are hundreds of them in the world.  Some examples include New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Tokyo, Sydney, Beijing, Paris, and London.  In ancient civilization, however, things were not always this way.  Even after the form of basic communities following the agricultural revolution of the Neoclassic Era, ancient cities were still not nearly as advanced as modern cities of today.  Of course they were not, because most of today’s world is based on several forms of sophisticated technology, which did not exist back then.  Over time, humans began to discover new things and how to use those newly discovered things to better their world.  Cities and agriculture today are a product of the 20,000 year or so (and ever-going) process of sophisticating technology and the basis of community.

            Change has brought humans today so many wonderful things that have brought us to new levels of technological and scientific sophistication.  Groundbreaking and revolutionary inventions have arisen from human history.  All aspects of human culture today have been created and improved by the initiation of some sort of change by humans over the course of history.  Science, technology, art, agriculture, and many other cultural elements owe themselves to the humans of the past who had caused some sort of change.  Ancient people and civilizations have used their knowledge and skills to better the future of humans and the world with positive, driving forms of change.