“Why Study Ancient World”

History throughout the world has given us the ability to the look into the future. The study of history may not be the most exhilarating, exciting, or entertaining. However, it is by far the most important. Many say “history repeats itself.” Others say “history is a precursor to the future.” However you want to word it, it doesn’t matter, all that matters is that through the study of history we can see mistakes people around the world have made in the past and learn from them so when the time arises for us to step up we will have the knowledge to know what to do. Also history can teach us how to except one another. When we learn about others cultures pasts we can see why they are the way they are and why they believe the way they believe. Lacking the study of “Ancient World History” one can easily assume that Muslims, Jews, and Christians a totally different people with different Gods; Allah, Jehovah, and God, respectively. In reality, through the study of “Ancient World History” this same person’s eyes can be opened, and thoughts broadened when they find out that Muslims, Jews, and Christians, worship the same God with different names; Allah, meaning total submission to God, and Jehovah meaning the exact same thing as God. Now with this new information this person has received, he can appreciate both religions for what they are and not come to an immediate assumption.

“Ancient World History” specifically, is a type of history where we as Americans are able to learn about the rest of the world with open eyes and open minds. Without “Ancient World History” we, Americans, would still look at the world with blinders on and a narrow mindset. Americans have many stereotypes of people around the world that we don’t give them a chance we immediately point at them and say you’re this and you’re that because of the color of your skin, where you’re from, or what you believe. For example we immediately assume terrorism when we see a person of Iraqi descent, or some think of Buddha when you mention India. Undoubtedly by studying “Ancient World History” It allows us to set aside our differences what we’ve learned in the past and focus in on how similar our beliefs may be.

“Ancient World History” is very important for people to study so people can better understand not just themselves but everyone else in the nation. Understanding our culture and society today would be very difficult if we did not have at least some knowledge of our past. As history goes from time to time, we are able to see how and why some civilizations have developed and either became successful or failed and the reasons for either. I feel like as an American, without history we would be blind to the world and would be much harder to make decisions and able to decide on what is right and what is wrong throughout life. It is very difficult for us as Americans to understand of other people and countries and why they do the things they do. The past helps us to explain why other nations are so different and why they do certain things. Our history is like a laboratory. This statement is said because with our past history and information we have somewhat of an idea of evidence on why countries act the way they do and the only evidence on the way they act is through the past. This evidence is valid because the past always seems to repeat itself. With information about other parts of the world, we can understand to an extent of why some places do the things they do because its happened before in history! This is why we have to study and learn the ways of other countries. We have to have knowledge of the past in order to understand the future! The past helps create the present, which eventually leads to the future. We have to look at the reasons why things happened before certain events such as the government or the economy in order to know what to do and what not to do. The only way to know how certain things might occur is to thoroughly study the past and history of past events.

The diversity of humans has also been noticed throughout history. The behavior of some human beings have been determined by the biological scientists throughout the ages getting more and more information, details and tests to see how people might behave as they mature. For example, families that have alcoholism in their family can tell if legacies to come have the chance of becoming an alcoholic. Such studies like that are reasons why the study of the past has become so important. We need to know what can and may happen to certain people to know what they are capable of.

I also believe that as an American citizen I deserve the right to know, as well as my duty to know what our country has gone through in many different aspects such as economically, politically, socially and military. With knowledge about your own country, you have a better understanding of what the laws and rules are and how they were accomplished throughout history. I believe studying world history is definitely an advantage to Americans.

Importance of history can be determined also by military aspects. Having the past experiences of our military and other military overviews are very important because as Americans we learn tactics as a military group to understand what can help a country win and what will lead them to sorrow and defeat. With military tactics such as high ground, man holes, natural barriers, trench fighting and etc., they can help lead a military group to victory. Military has advanced throughout history in many different aspects either tactics, technology and other things. Military technology has advanced through the history tremendously. Advancements in vehicles such as in the past they had tanks and airplanes that were not very sturdy or strong material. Military now has taken what the past has given us and been able to create tanks with steel that is impenetrable, faster on the ground and can fire many different types of bullets and missiles that can basically take down anything. The airplanes currently have been designed to fly at hundreds of miles per hour and travel across the country within minutes. Not only are these planes fast but they are durable and able to carry people, bombs and whatever necessary to get the job done. The planes that were flown back in the day, had the right ideas down and were a good, well planned out idea of what could be improved. Weapons, were another advanced military achievement. In the past military wars and battles, there was swords and single shot pistols and guns. Now in the present we have the ability to shoot targets from miles away accurately, shoot hundreds of bullets a second and basically have the most dangerous weapons known to man. People who enroll into the military have the view of what happens to people once they are in war. In the past when war first started to happen, people would start to die left and right. Once other people started to see what was happening to people, many did not want to partake in such activities. The war has different views for different people even though they know what the chances are of them dying. As Americans we are very patriotic and have many people that want to join and fight for our country. Other people protest and want our people out of other countries because we know what problems that may bring and how unnecessary it is. Having people in other countries cause many problems such as when we had people in Cuba during the Missile Crisis. Having people in Cuba caused a huge problem. The military, throughout time, has advanced only thanks to the ground idea of the military ideas of the past.

People who have knowledge about the past can learn how some people have weathered diversity throughout time. The people who were successful with their moral problems have helped people like us today to learn how we can be inspired to do morally right things and how to accomplish them. People who have good morals in the past that have helped develop today's societies are people such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Hudson Taylor. Mahatma Gandhi has morally helped people in the current day decide on the way to live their lives. Gandhi tried to tell people stories, and ways to live their lives. He said people should live their lives through peace and happiness and not rely on war and death for certain problems to be solved. Gandhi's morals were based around civil disobedience. He also believed that everyone should be treated with equality and that everyone should live in peace. These values and goals have led many people to revolt against war by striking and protesting in many different ways. People have gone through hunger strikes in order to get a point across that they do not want to start war and attack but tell them with non harmful actions what they want to be done. Gandhi had been a good example of why people should have civil disobedience and not just depend on violence. Gandhi has helped people of the present with their morals and values and to learn that war is not always the answer and that is why some people choose not being in the military.

Knowing about world history as Americans we can also learn our own self identity as an individual, friends and family. For Americans, studying the history of ones family helps describe on how your own family may react with historical change. If you know that your past family has been capable of change and how they take care of it, you know there is a way that you can handle change no matter how intense. Americans, use ethnic groups for identity purposes. Americans automatically assume things about certain ethnic groups based on what has happened in the past. People who are African American have a stereotype that they all steal, have guns, deal drugs and things like that. So at first Americans have a hard time trusting African Americans because they do no know what they will do. People think this because in the past this has happened a lot and no one gives each other a chance to give a first impression because they automatically assume things. Americans also have a hard time trusting people that look like terrorists. On September 11, 2001, we were attacked by terrorists with planes that crashed their planes into the Two Towers. Hundreds of people were killed and many injured. This devastating day brought great sadness and tears into most Americans. This incident took a big chink out of America. It is now on a very remember able date and will not be forgotten. Americans now a days do not trust anyone who looks like terrorists at all because they assume that they will be killed in a suicide bombing attempt or something like that. America does not trust people that look like this on planes anymore so they have to thoroughly search them and all their belongings to make sure they do not pull a stunt like that again. So events that happen in the past help give us Americans stereotypes about other ethnic groups which may last with us for a very long time. We need to learn the history of our ethnic groups around the world in order to know what they have done and what we have done that might cause other countries to not like us either.

Another reason to know about our world history is because it enables us to recognize dangers to our society and it helps us to know how to handle the problems if they were to arise. If we are in danger with other nations or whomever, we have an understanding on how to avoid the problem or how to get out of it because of the past experiences other countries have gone through. Problems with other countries always leads to us trying to come to a mutual decision with other countries because we have came to learn that with fighting, there is no winner. War always is a huge money spender and takes so much money out of everyone in the country. So why have one? That is why we try and handle all of our problems with other countries. We try to handle everything through talking and communication because without that we would be in fear and war all the time. We take note on different treaties and deals made in the past to help us understand what can bring countries together and not cause them to continue to fight and bicker. We have learned from the past what can help everyone be peaceful and not cause anyone to want to fight.

Knowing about our history enables us to appreciate the importance of institutions such as democratically elected parliaments, the rule of law, trial by jury, an independent judiciary and why we should protect those. We need to understand the why we should protect our government and the laws that we have because they are the base to our society. We need rules and laws in order to keep everyone in check. Our society as Americans needs our rules and laws because without it we would have a corrupt and wild society. Thanks to our past and other countries pasts government we can see what works as a society and what does not. We have a democracy as a whole because we have found out that in time, this is obviously the best choice for a society and government. A government such as a dictatorship no longer works because we have seen in the past with Hitler that it eventually ends badly. A dictatorship is when one person has complete control over a whole society. Hitler had complete say and control over the Nazis. He made his nation into a nation where everyone had to listen to him and if they did not listen to him, they would suffer the consequence. They would also suffer the consequence of being killed if they were not blonde haired, blue eyed people. Hitler ended up taking control and killing thousands of people. That is why we cannot have a dictatorship for example. Out democracy is the best choice because we give the people the right to vote and choose what they want for their society and what they want their rules to be. Throughout history our democracy has never really had its problem. Why change something that works and does not hurt a nation? Our government and nation is very strong as it is because we have learned from the past better than anyone else. We have learned the ways to keep a nation strong and what makes a nation fall. As being the strongest country in the world, we have clearly done a good job adapting to what is best for our country as Americans.

Another reason to know about our world history is because it enables us to recognize dangers to our society and it helps us to know how to handle the problems if they were to arise. If we are in danger with other nations or whomever, we have an understanding on how to avoid the problem or how to get out of it because of the past experiences other countries have gone through. Problems with other countries always leads to us trying to come to a mutual decision with other countries because we have came to learn that with fighting, there is no winner. War always is a huge money spender and takes so much money out of everyone in the country. So why have one? That is why we try and handle all of our problems with other countries. We try to handle everything through talking and communication because without that we would be in fear and war all the time. We take note on different treaties and deals made in the past to help us understand what can bring countries together and not cause them to continue to fight and bicker. We have learned from the past what can help everyone be peaceful and not cause anyone to want to fight.

I think that as a whole country that everyone should take world history in order to learn what our country and other countries have gone through in order to have the society we have now and how thankful we are for having what we have. All the things we do today are thanks to the help of studying the past and all its aspects because without them we would not be able to know what traditions and ways of life work and what do not work. The diversity between countries also helps a lot because we have more than one source of information instead of just the United States. World history is overall a much needed class because it helps you understand the world we live in.

So what is the overall importance of studying “Ancient World History”? The overall importance is to understand past events cultures religions and peoples of the world, so we can better understand world present day here in 2011.