The "I Had No Time" Phenomenon

The worst thing for anyone with a Type A personality to feel is failure. The point at which one realizes they have not held up their commitments.

At the beginning of the year, I promised 365 days of World History. What happened? Life happened.

The sad thing is that "I had no time" is not a viable solution to most problems. 

We are allotted 24 hours in a day. If you hold 8 hours for sleeping and 8 hours for work or school, you are left with 8 hours for everything else. Eight hours to complete homework, eat, exercise, and god forbid, to travel from home to office/school in traffic.
Completing homework obviously should not take eight hours, and it never will. At maximum, homework and studying takes about four hours. But with the combination of a phone and unlimited access to social media, homework seems to take about six hours.

 "Wait, you mean that tweeting about tomorrow's chemistry test doesn't count as homework? Oh." 

Nevertheless, breaks are absolutely necessary. It's okay to indulge every once in a while, but I honestly should have spent my breaks writing rather than scrolling through my news feeds.

The point is that "I had no time" is usually a personal excuse we use to push the blame off of us and onto something inanimate. Something that no one can team up with. We live in a culture where there's so much to do and so many choices to make, so of course not everything is possible. We all struggle with the same ugly beast, time. Therefore, we are forgiving of one another when commitments are not met. "She had no time to do it." And we accept that because we have been in the same situation.

Just as of a few hours ago, my opinion was that there's no such thing as "having no time"; we have to make time for the things that matter to us.

But all of a sudden, I feel tied in to a sensation I cannot name. It's as if I'm surrounded by limitation.
We are granted the gift of choices. The gift of freedom. The gift of education. The expanse of the graceful gift is almost endless. And that is almost the problem.
Each individual has hundreds of decisions to make but only 24 hours to make them each day. To go to school or to not go to school? To play tennis or to do dance practice? To go for a jog or to visit the new restaurant? To be or not to be? (Okay..maybe not that dramatic)

Each hour we get can be turned into something so valuable, or it could be wasted stressing about how we wish to spend the next upcoming hours. And the "I Had No Time" Phenomenon is simply the result of trying to fit 25 hours of possibilities into 24 hours of productivity. Originally, I wanted to inspire you to "make improvements, not excuses", but that would be a tad hypocritical. Instead, I want to inspire you to make each hour of your day worth it. Worth does not imply something necessarily productive. You may not get to everything you planned on, but make it enjoyable.  Taking time out to just breathe and relax is definitely worth it. Take time out to just be.

Month 1: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

"O brave new world..." By some malice of his memory the Savage found himself repeating Miranda's words. "O brave new world that has such people in it."
                                                   -Aldous Huxley

In this modern classic, Huxley plays on social hot buttons like stability and collectivism.

(Be careful if you wish to read on; many spoilers await you) 

In Brave New World, the reader is introduced to the future in which there is no such thing as "mothers" and "fathers" and "marriage" and commitment". This brave new world shames these ideas plus others including "solitude". 

We often hear activists argue for "a more stable world" or "a more productive workforce", and they often pitch their methods of attaining those qualities. But after reading Brave New World, one starts to wonder, "Is it really worth it?". 

The first chapter of this novel describes the fundamentals of this new world, where people are not born, but decanted. The Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning  leads a tour group of boys through the fertilizing room, the predestination room, the embryo store, and the conditioning room. It is terrifying to see how inhuman the whole process of bringing a human to life is in this novel. The reader learns of the Bokanovsky process, which produces several identical embryos that will later serve identical jobs. 

Of course, stability doesn't just call for uniformity; there are various niches that must be filled (not everyone can work in a hatchery- who will man the golf courses and planes?). To predetermine those who fill these various niches, a caste system composed of Alphas, Betas, Deltas, Gammas, and Epsilons exists. Alphas and Betas fill the most prominent  positions working in the hatcheries or as heads of other important departments. The rest serve other dutiful jobs that "create the core of civilization". But it is absolutely despicable how the hatcheries create individuals of each caste. Creating individuals of a lower caste involves decreasing the amount of oxygen their bottle receives while developing. In a way, this is a process of purposefully injuring an unborn (undecanted) individual all to maintain stability.

Throughout the novel, you meet the character Bernard, who is quite "odd" in this new world simply because his enjoys solitude and has a shorter stature than most of his peers of his caste. He takes great interest in exploring the Savage Reservation in New Mexico. He takes along Lenina, who is frightened and disgusted by the savages while Bernard enjoys their free will and social life.

At the Reservation, Bernard and Lenina meet John, the Savage who happens to be the son of Linda (a "civilized" woman who was left behind at the Savage Reservation) and the DHC. Upon John's arrival in England, the DHC (and the general population of the new world) is humiliated at the fact that he has a son.

John's growth at the Reservation with his once "civilized" mother explains a lot of the disadvantages with striving for stability. For example, John would often question Linda about subjects of science, but Linda knew nothing but her one task at the hatchery.

In parts of the novel, Mustapha Mond, the great World Controller, revises all the new literature being submitted for his approval. Oftentimes, he'll find a piece of work that is delightful, or insightful, or plain wonderful, but he cannot have it published because of the wild emotions it would bring to the readers.

He picked his pen again, and under the words "Not to be published" drew a second line, thicker and blacker than the first; then sighed, "What fun it would be," he thought, "if one didn't have to think about happiness!"
                                             -Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) page 177

The above quote made by Mustapha Mond describes how machine like and senseless this stable world was. In the last part of the novel, Mustapha Mond explains to John, Helmholtz (an emotional-engineering expert), and Bernard why emotions were such a ruckus. Emotions allowed the population to believe that their life was not perfect as it is. John stated that he enjoyed things like passion and faith rather than impulse and demand. But, creating desire was not appropriate in this world, for then it would also decrease their work productivity.

Also, Bernard is constantly haunted by the threat of being sent to Iceland for his next post, but he fails to recognize that this is an honor; those sent to Iceland (or any far away island) meet others who also had curiosity and did not enjoy the same things as the majority.

After reading this novel, one realizes that striving for stability can lead to sacrifices in individuality, emotion, and diversity. The tragic end of the novel (and of John) depicts the stress and ignorance built up in this work-oriented society. All of John's sacrifice and work was being mocked by those who have never experienced true struggle or patience themselves.

So, at the end, is it worth it? 

I recommend this novel to anyone who wants more of a reason to put faith in today's society or to simply discover an alternate world that will change their way of thinking forever.

Day 4: The Civil Rights Movement (An Overview)

After World War II, America faced a long going struggle against racial discrimination. As a nation, citizens were feuding with one another about the rights of each citizen. Although some regulations were put in place, African Americans did not receive equal treatment. Different cases challenged segregation and the validity of the Jim Crow Laws. Protests were organized to bring attention to the public and government. Methods of protest included sit-ins, boycotts, and marches. Marches were necessary to bring awareness for disfranchisement, or the denial of voting rights. The South constantly imposed laws to prevent African Americans from voting.

Education was also a big deal in this time frame. Many court cases ignored the previous ruling of Plessy verses Fergusson, which gave the right for things to be “separate but equal”.  Also, a young African American girl attempted to enroll into an all white school in Topeka, but once she was denied enrollment, the NAACP helped their family sue the board of education. By 1955, many whites were against the whole idea of integration. When questioned by the Sibley Commission, the majority of the public said they would rather close public schools than integrate them.

In December of 1955, Rosa Parks sat down on an Alabama bus. A white told her to remove herself from the seat. She was arrested once she refused. This event triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Headed by Martin Luther King, it was planned that African Americans would avoid using the bus in means of transportation. Many African Americans followed through, yet some were arrested for this. Due to the boycott, the American public started to learn of the unfairness that was occurring.

In 1960, a Supreme Court decision stated that bus stations could not be segregated. To test this ruling, Freedom Riders would come and sit on various buses throughout the south and watch the reactions. Freedom Riders were both African American as well as white.

So, who inspired the Civil Rights Movement? Various heroes had a part in making the Civil Rights Movement come to life. The one we most commonly hear of is Martin Luther King Jr. His inspiring “I Have A Dream” speech left citizens speechless, yet wanting to make a lasting effort. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ensured that racial discrimination within education and employment was prohibited.

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee assisted African American southerners register to vote. They organized a march in Selma, Alabama to raise awareness for voting rights. The march moved forward towards Montgomery, Alabama. However, disapproving locals and police attacked the protesters. Due to this shameful act, the American public became further aware of racial discrimination. Soon the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, ensuring everyone could vote without interruption.  

Day 3: Nubia, The Dark Horse

Retlaw Snellac Photography

In History class, we learn that Egypt and Nubia are both considered "the gifts of the Nile", implying that both had similar riches and periodically benefited from mutual trade. However, we are more inclined to hear of Egypt's vast natural riches and historical treasures than of Nubia's success independent of their neighbors to the north. In fact, Egypt sported a Nubian pharaoh for at least three quarters of a century.

Nubia was a stretch of land primarily where [North] Sudan is today. Egypt, lying above Nubia, had been unified under Menes, an early ruler dating back to 3100 BC. Menes and his successors continued ruling Egypt as pharaohs, often associating themselves with gods like Horus (the sky god) and Amon (the sun god). Egypt continued to thrive under pharaohs during the Archaic period and the Old Kingdom. However, Nubia also grew during this period, but independently of their neighbors. 

Charles Bonnet, a Swiss archaeologist, attempted learn more about Nubian history by exploring the pyramids of Sudan (which greatly outnumber those of Egypt). Bonnet's findings show that a complex, heavily populated urban center existed in Nubia; this center had rich fields and large herds, and benefited from the trade of gold, ebony, and ivory. This settlement and empire is believed to have risen around 1785 B.C., when Egypt's Middle Kingdom declined. Soon, Egypt grew fearful of their strong and clearly independent neighbor. From 1539 to 1292 B.C., Egyptian pharaohs set out to conquer this Nubian empire and incorporate Nubians into their own bureaucracy. Soon, the most powerful Nubians had been endorsed with Egyptian culture; many intermarried as well. 

Around the ninth century B.C., Egypt had become divided and torn apart by various warlords. In 730 B.C., King Piye of Nubia saw this as an opportunity to reunify Egypt. But how? His threats we not taken too seriously, for it is believed that he had never ventured to Lower Egypt before then.  Yet everyone's doubtfulness vanished as he campaigned north on the Nile River, terminating each leader in his way. The leaders of Egypt offered Piye the right to their finest jewels and temples in exchange of their lives; Piye listened to many of these requests. Piye took the treasures he was offered, and returned back to Nubia, but now as "The Lord of the Two Lands". Following his death, his ancestors followed his footsteps in controlling both Egypt and Nubia for seventy-five years. 

According to Robert Draper, several renowned historians used to pictured Nubia's leaders as light-skinned Egypto-Libyans ruling over the primitive Africans (p. 40, 2008). However, this is now disproved, as artwork and pyramids in Sudan clearly show King Piye as dark-skinned. However, race and color was completely irrelevant in the ancient world, and the mistake in Piye's race only shows the previous neglect of true Nubian history. Thus, the attention has been on Egypt all this time (for it is immensely rich in history), but perhaps Nubian culture and history is worth a second glance. 

Citations:

Draper, R. (2008, February 1). Black Pharaohs. National Geographic, I, 34-59.

Day 2: Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia occupies a rich and arable area known as the fertile crescent. The name Mesopotamia comes from two Greek words meaning "the land between the rivers".

The Mesopotamian civilization is one of the first river valley civilizations on earth. Characteristics of this civilization include trading across long distances, advanced cities, specialized work force, a writing system, and the existence of new technology. To be titled as an "advanced city", there must be irrigation and set paths. The Mesopotamian writing system, Cuneiform, was created in order to keep record of commercial transactions. Technology used by Mesopotamian society consisted of the wheel, sail, plow, and bronze.
An additional factor in marking Mesopotamia as a civilization was a large population in comparison to the preceding hunter-gatherer societies.

A major contribution from Mesopotamia is The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest piece of literature in the world. The Epic of Gilgamesh tells readers a lot about Mesopotamian culture based on its core moral values. The story plays on archetypes, or universal themes, like death and courage.

Having a form of writing allowed Mesopotamians to study mathematics and astrology in depth, giving us knowledge and conventions that we still use today. For example, they are responsible for the twelve month calendar and the sixty minute hour (and sixty second minute).

The influence of Mesopotamia can also be seen in terms of borrowed themes and symbols, for flood stories as the one in The Epic of Gilgamesh are seen in the Bible as well as other cultural/religious texts. Furthermore, Mesopotamian gods were borrowed by early Hebrews.

Day 1: The Neolithic Revolution

(Image from www.landscapesofengland.co.uk)

The Neolithic Revolution marks the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture. The term Neolithic era means "the new stone age", epitomizing the shifts of practices made by the world's inhabitants at the time. This agricultural revolution took place over many centuries as humans learned how to cultivate crops and domesticate animals. 

The earliest evidence of agricultural activity dates back to after 9000 BCE, when people of Southwest Asia (today's Iraq, Syria, and Turkey) cultivated wheat and barley while domesticating sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle. Between 9000 and 7000 BCE, Africans inhabiting the southeast end of the Sahara Desert (today's Sudan) domesticated cattle, sheep, goats while cultivating sorghum. From 8000 BCE to 6000 BCE, people of Sub-Saharan West Africa (near today's Nigeria) also began to cultivate yams, okra, and black-eyed peas. In East Asia, residents near the Yangtze River Valley began to cultivate rice as early as 6500 BCE, while their neighbors in the Yellow River Valley raised crops of millet and soybeans starting 5500 BCE. Although these facts seem to be well outlined chronologically, each region began their agricultural journey independently. 

Once established, agriculture spread rapidly. Early techniques like slash-and-burn cultivation involved the frequent movement of farmers. A community would slash the bark on a stand of trees in a forest to prepare the land for cultivation. Then, the patch would be burned, resulting in a weed-free area of rich and fertile soil. Once the soil lost its fertility, the farmers were prompted to move to another patch of land, slowly establishing agriculture wherever the moved in the east and west hemispheres. 

One of the most important things related with agriculture is population explosion; having a reliable food source (as opposed to having to move around for food) was a relatively new factor in the Neolithic era. 

The existence of specialized labor is another major point; three major craft industries arose: pottery, metallurgy, and textile production. 

Many changes made during this revolution are still seen today. For example, the discrepancy between genders became far more numerous. Previously, both men and women served jobs of travel and finding food. Now that people could settle down, women started to tend children more, and take care of household affairs (which also was relatively new in this era). Men continued to do farm work like crop cultivation and animal domestication. This is the point at which patriarchal societies began to form. 

The Neolithic Revolution created a paradigm shift for the whole world as it allowed way for the world's first civilizations. 

365 Days. 52 Weeks. 12 Months. 1 Year.

 

It is too often that we let the years pass in anticipation for the next. It is too often that we group each individual year of our lives into stages: your teens, your twenties, your thirties, and your god-knows-how-oldies. It may be fair to epitomize one's social development into such categories, but one's academic development- that's a crime.

The human brain is not a limitless space in which you can retrieve information encoded years or decades ago without effort. The phrase "Use it, or lose it" applies perfectly here. Neural interconnections made from processing information must be strengthened.

We, as intellectual beings, deserve to treat our brains to more than just 180 days of learning. We deserve to understand life to the fullest. To study life to the fullest. To make the most of our time and to test our brains' capacities.

Let's see how much we can learn in one year. 

"But we already learn at school, and this isn't exactly new material that you're covering."  Call it what you want, but my purpose is not just to learn, but rather reflect.

Think of this of a public diary regarding my academic interests (with a hint of teenage philosophy).

My New Year's Resolution is to write at least one blog post each day, and by the end of the year, to have expanded my knowledge and understanding of History and Literature.

Let's learn together.