Ancient Traditions and Board Games

     Ancient civilizations brought about many wonderful developments. Through Ancient India we saw the invention of the calculated value of "Pi", yoga, Ayurveda (ancient medicine), a brilliant surgeon who was know as the "the first plastic surgeon", a correctly explained solar and lunar eclipse, the zero digit, and the art of navigation. Many of the things we know now came as a result of their contribution to the world.
     Through Ancient China, we were given TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), which includes acupuncture, cupping therapy, herbal medicine, nutrition, exercise, massage therapy, and acupressure. These practices are still used today. Their concept of Yin and Yang influenced our concept of homeostasis in the body. The ancient Chinese had many interesting beliefs concerning their religious practices too. They strongly believed that their deceased ancestors could be summoned for guidance with the help of a priest. Does this sound at all like the "Ouija" board game? Speaking of games, I learned a lot of new ones today. Wow! I had no idea there were so many interesting games out there. Maybe interesting is not the word; perhaps weird is a better word. Why do babysitters die in these stories?
     The ancient Europeans also offered us a look at many things, but the most interesting was their Druids. Druids were members of a class among the ancients Celts. They acted as priests, teachers, and judges. They were known to frequent oak forests and perform sacrifices there. They settled disputes among people, decreed penalties, and resorted to violence when they felt it was needed. Very interesting priests indeed. They studied ancient verse, philosophy, astronomy, the lore of the gods, and spent as much as 20 years in training. Their principal doctrine was that the soul was immortal and passed at death from one person to another.

      We discussed lots of things today, but one of the most interesting was the stories about friendship and honor. As stated by Confucius, "I daily examine myself on three points:- whether, in transacting business for others, I may have been not faithful;-whether, in intercourse with friends, I may have been not sincere;- whether I may not mastered and practiced the instructions of my teacher." These are interesting questions to ask oneself each day. Am I faithful in what I do, do I treat friends with sincerity, and do I practice and master the assignments I am given? Do you do these things? Or do you give your friends ridiculously hard tests to pass in order to gain your friendship? Perhaps they need to make you laugh and cry in one day, or feed you a meal, or save your life. Would a friendship like that work? It at least makes you think about how you treat your friends, right?




Homework:
1. Read Unit 9
2. Study for test next week on Units 5-9