Blog 3

During the mid-afternoon on Sunday, I read chapter two in Ways of the World, called First Farmers. At first, when I glanced at the title of the chapter it made me feel extremely tired, as it most likely would anyone; however, I pushed my thoughts to the side and read the first paragraph about Elsie Eiler. Elsie Eiler was the introduction the book used to tie in the topic of the chapter: the Neolithic Era or in other words the Agriculture Revolution. This was a time when farming over took the beginning of the world; this action formed how we humans live our lives. There are two types of agriculture. One being domestication, which means a change in the environment for humankind such as less wildlife but more human resources for the people, and the other intensification: the making of more resources on less land. These are what I call the bittersweet characteristics of agriculture. Some see it is better for humankind to use the earth to keep improving their resources; yet, others find it immortal for us to destroy the world from its natural environment.

       One of the many things that stood out to me was how the global warming from the Ice Age sparked the Agricultural Era. The first actively lived areas were the Middle East, Australia, and the Amazon. I thought this was extremely ironic how the Middle East was one of the first to have agriculture. I thought this because it gives a reason for archeologists to believe in God since the first humans were from the Middle East, example- Adam and Eve. From an archeologist’s standpoint, I don't understand how one cannot believe in the Bible. There are facts that show the first human existence being in the Middle East coming from the area of Africa right where all of the Israelites lived. Throughout all the different interpretations of how our world started the Bible makes the most logical sense, but who am I to say what is right and wrong.

       Another fascinating fact that was brought to my attention is how agriculture spread throughout the world. For instance, it made me chuckle how the book proposed the idea of how the early societies developed were by copying their neighbors for ideas to grow and prosper their land. It made me re-think of how our society is now with the way we imitate each other for recipes, clothing, housing ideas, and many many more that I feel like I do not need to clarify. They looked at each other for ideas and thought they could better it by replicating it but changing a few things about it, just like how we do. Also, by this gradual change of agricultures that the early societies produced, came the vast differences in languages. This is why some languages sound the same but differing in minor ways. Because the environment kept transforming, most went along with it but the gatherers and hunters refused to give into the new ways. This is when characteristics of humankind come in: open minded and willing to try new things verse stubbornness and thinking one is always right; the key characteristics in humans shown in early history. This chapter has made me think a lot of how our world would be different if we still followed the ways of the gatherers and hunters instead of the new societies ways.