On an otherwise ordinary day in England, a shadowy figure wearing a Guy Fawkes mask enters the state controlled television studio and at gunpoint, forces its employees to broadcast a specially prepared video addressing the people of England. In the video, the very same mysterious masked man chastises the English people for their disregard for the once cherished values of duty, freedom and honor, values shared by many ancient civilizations. While at first glance, western culture as represented in the movie, V for Vendetta, may seem drastically different from those of ancient societies, many underlying philosophical similarities do emerge deep down. Even though modern westerners enjoy enhanced lives due to technology, medicine, and education, they share many similar values and cultural beliefs with the societies of Ancient India, Rome, and China.
The civilizations of Ancient India and the Modern West cherish the idea that all individuals have a responsibility to contribute to society. However, because these two different civilizations existed in drastically different epochs of history, Ancient Indians and Modern Westerners have different perspectives of what constitutes duty. Ancient Indian society divided itself into a caste system of five different groups of people: priests, warriors, merchants, commoners, and the untouchables. Once a person was born into a certain caste, Indian society ascribed certain duties and obligations based on his particular caste. Priests performed religious ceremonies, warriors fought in battles, merchants sold goods, and untouchables cleaned the streets. In the Indian epic, the Bhagavad-Gita, a reluctant warrior named Arjuana refuses to go to war because he worries for the lives of his brothers and un...
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...ndians conform to a rigid caste system and Modern Westerners demand a responsible government, they share the similar concept of personal responsibility and duty. Ancient Romans and Westerners both cherish freedom, even though the Roman Empire had a drastically different form of government. Westerners and Ancient Chinese have extremely different perspectives of honor, but both societies expect its members to conduct themselves in a manner that is agreeable to all.
Works Cited
Confucius. "The Analects." Trans. Arthur Waley. Prentice Hall Literature. Prentice Hall: Person, 2004. 242-44. Print.
"From the Bhagavad-Gita." Prentice Hall Literature. Trans. Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood. Upper Saddle: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. 182-89. Print.
V for Vendetta. Dir. James McTeigue. Perf. Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving. Warner Brothers, 2005. DVD.
From the beginning of humankind, people have constantly had to deal with inner battles. Many of these issues cease to exist as time goes on, while new ones arise to take their place. There is one issue, however, that has remained consistent throughout time – morality. For centuries, humans have fought against the outside world and themselves to keep their morals properly aligned. The issue of morality is so dominant that it is still plays a vital role in today’s society. This can be seen in wars, law systems, codes of conduct, and religious texts. An example of a religious text where this can be seen is in pages 185 - 188 of the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna, also referred to as “The Blessed One”, guides Arjuna through his inner struggles between
V for Vendetta Dir. James McTeigue. Perf. Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea and John Hurt. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2006. Film
24 Amore, Roy C. and Julia Ching. The Buddhist Tradition. In Willard G. Oxtoby, Ed. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. P. 221
According to Socrates, “True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” To include, Proverbs, 3:5-6 states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Bible). In like manner, throughout the sacred text of Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna, has a difficult time understanding life and does not want to partake in his natural-born duty as a warrior. On the other hand, Bhagavad Gita, means, “Song of the Blessed One”, and it is based on Hinduism. Hinduism is a well-known religion and The Bhagavad Gita is based on its ancient principles. However, although the sacred text of Bhadgavad
The ideas of Confucius seem to be authentic in the Analects. The Analects was based on words spoken by Confucius and were used by many Chinese generations, showing that there was great importance in this words to this culture. Some of the words that he writes can still be used today. For
Inglourious Bastards. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Perf. Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. The Weinstein Company, 2009. DVD.
A large amount of ancient texts contain themes relating to violence, power, and war, while others, such as The Bhagavad Gita and Confucius’ Analects, focus on individual and collective development through a series of selfless acts. The two texts provide an in-depth system of duties and learning created to provide direction for the betterment of the self, as well as society as a whole. The Bhagavad Gita places a greater focus on the duties of individuals that must be fulfilled to achieve an enlightened state with the divine forces. Contradictory consequences are presented for those who choose to act in an egotistical manner and deny their duties. Confucius’ Analects, on the other hand, places its main focus on collective development and responsibility
The differences and similarities between Ancient China and Rome’s culture are pronounced and merit analysis. Both cultures were very innovative technology for their time. Some of their practices were also very diverse. In the end, both cultures were very similar.
Human Values and Social Structures It can be said that Golding describes the moral of the book in relation to the scientific mechanics of society. This is found as a major theme in the book, which is actually fear. The boys on the island view this ideal in the form of the "beastie". The "beastie" is an unseen figure on the island, which is symbolized by the dead parachutist. This fear, however, represents the potential evil found in humans.
We are lucky, today, that the majority of the world’s nations are democracies. This has only been the case in very recent times. For the greater part of human history, society has subscribed to the belief that birth is the most important determinant of one’s future. In Elizabethan England, this was especially true. Those born into the nobility enjoyed a lifetime of privilege, while those born outside of their ranks mainly existed to serve them. A century later, the British encountered an even stricter form of this belief when they conquered India. The Hindu caste system, which dictated one’s future based on birth just as British society did, was deemed even by the English to be excessively restrictive. After gaining control of the Subcontinent, the conquerors attempted to supplant the caste system with the semblance of a meritocracy. The new subjects of the Empire, instead of embracing this imposition of a foreign culture’s values, responded with general unrest and discontent, showing that no society, no matter how unfair or prejudiced, tolerates interference well. Shakespeare’s King Lear demonstrates the same concept: that any violation of society’s conception of the natural order brings chaos, and that the only way to restore harmony is to conform to the expectations of that society.
Analysing The West: Unique, Not Universal. Throughout history, Western civilization has been an emerging force behind change in foreign societies. This is the concept that is discussed in the article, the West Unique, Not Universal, written by Samuel Huntington. The author makes a very clear thesis statement and uses a variety of evidence to support it. This article has a very convincing point.
The Western culture has evolved over a span of several years with various civilizations specializing in specific aspects of life or nature. In essence, Western civilization dates back to the BCE periods when Ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Rome reigned. Each of the Western civilizations came with a clear lineage that portrayed such attributes as property rights, free market economy, competition, personal freedoms, and innovation (Perry, 2013). Besides, the western civilizations came at different periods with some of the attributes evolving or remaining unchanged throughout the lineage. However, the non-western civilizations contributed towards such attributes to a given extent, primarily because of the interactions among
Philip J. Ivanhoe. Confucian moral self cultivation. New York : P. Lang, vol. 3, 1993.
The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most famous, and definitely the most widely-read, ethical text of ancient India. As an episode in India's great epic, the Mahabharata, The Bhagavad Gita now ranks as one of the three principal texts that define and capture the essence of Hinduism; the other two being the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras. Though this work contains much theology, its kernel is ethical and its teaching is set in the context of an ethical problem. The teaching of The Bhagavad Gita is summed up in the maxim "your business is with the deed and not with the result." When Arjuna, the third son of king Pandu (dynasty name: Pandavas) is about to begin a war that became inevitable once his one hundred cousins belonging to the Kaurava dynasty refused to return even a few villages to the five Pandava brothers after their return from enforced exile, he looks at his cousins, uncles and friends standing on the other side of the battlefield and wonders whether he is morally prepared and justified in killing his blood relations even though it was he, along with his brother Bhima, who had courageously prepared for this war. Arjuna is certain that he would be victorious in this war since he has Lord Krishna (one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu) on his side. He is able to visualize the scene at the end of the battle; the dead bodies of his cousins lying on the battlefield, motionless and incapable of vengeance. It is then that he looses his nerve to fight.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Dir. Michel Gondry. Perf. Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet. Focus Features, 2004. DVD.