In “Enchiridion” by Epictetus, the claim in selection number 7 is that humans should not get attached to material things because when nature calls them to return to it, they will have to leave their material belongings. The human desire of materialism is often too difficult to satiate. As humans start to gain material possessions, they tend to forget the great value of nature which surpasses that of materialism. Sooner or later, humans will be disappointed by materialism since they placed their entire faith on it, instead of placing it on nature. According to Epictetus, humans only borrow material things, those do not belong to any person and therefore humans do not have control over them. However, Epictetus suggests that nature is part of humans, it is what dictates their fate and it is in what humans should relied on since nature is the reason for everything that happens. Therefore, people should be willing to leave their material possessions whenever nature calls them, it is beneficial to concentrate on the guidance of nature to fate, and not on materialism that will disappoint them when they cannot have it anymore.
For instance, American Indians relied on nature to form their civilizations and traditions. Raw materials such as gold, silver, and copper, were not as valuable as they are in modern times since American Indians were aware that nature provided every material thing that they used. Moreover, they recognized that not even a single rock belonged to them, instead,
The book “Changes in the Land” by William Cronon in summary is based on environmental history where science, social science, the way society affects human nature and vice-versa is all combined into his narrative. With that being said, he believed that humans are dependent on nature, and nature is something that’s either made or broken by humans. Same goes for vegetation and land area. He wrote about conflicts between two cultures, where when the settlers came in to New England, they took over the Native American’s home. The power the settlers had over the Native Americans grew so strong that it got to a point where the rule of usufruct was put in place, where Native Americans could make use of any natural resource on earth as long as it wasn’t being needed by another person.
As humans, one of our most important natural instincts is survival. The Indians were an ancient people who were developed important survival skills and pass them down to the next generations. They were mostly hunter-gatherers with simple yet efficient lifestyles usually supported by the agriculture and wildlife. They were able to conserve water from streams, springs, and rainfall for irrigation, weave baskets to store foods derived from wild plants, and eventually create pottery, a more efficient way to store or retrieve resources. They did not wear a lot of clothing, but what clothing they had was from the hides of animals, woven from plant fibers. They were expert hunter-gatherers and created their own weapons such as spears, bows, and arrows. Some tribes were known to have tracked their prey and
There were two world altering centers of invention: the Middle East and central Mexico. All the inventions in the Middle East traveled all over Africa and Eurasia but the Americas had to do everything on their own. The America’s excelled mostly in agriculture and nearly half the grown today were developed in America. The Indians were very good at exploiting the land. Instead of just taking the land how it was they would shape it to what the needed primarily by burning it. When the Indians were gone all the areas they had made into savannahs became forest. A growing number of researchers believe that Indians had a large impact on the environment around them especially the jungle. Many people believe that the Amazon rainforest is an area totally untouched by man when in fact it is believed to have been either directly or indirectly created by human. Indians were also the keystone species of their environment and when they were gone it caused a huge shift in the ecological system. The population of many animals exploded,
In ancient Rome, there was this philosopher who was born a slave. His name was Epictetus. According to Traylor in his book The Epictetus Club, Epictetus’ master crippled him when he was young, and as a result, Epictetus endured poor health for the rest of his life. Instead of growing resentful of his circumstances, he chose to allow his difficulties to bring good. He made “himself stronger, kinder, and wiser” in order to live a healthier mental life (Traylor, 2004. P 11).
The native americans had many things that helped them survive today,you will learn about the desert regions
The first of all, native Americans were very smart and they knew how to survive in that different kinds of environment . Because they understand how to get foods from nature and they knew using traps to hunt animals
The Native American’s way of living was different from the Europeans. They believed that man is ruled by respect and reverence for nature and that nature is an
In the story, “Man’s Dependence on Animals,” it is clear that the Native American culture understood the importance of the relationship that existed between man and animals. In keeping with the tradition of storytelling, the storyteller carefully uses his words to describe man as a helpless being, needing his animal friends to survive. “At birth man was helpless. Again it was the animals who assisted the spirit woman in nourishing the newborn infants by bring fruits, vegetables, berries, and drink, while the birds and butterflies brought joy” (Animal 62). This interdependence of man with his environment is clearly illustrated in this story. To further illustrate this interdependence, the storyteller talks about how the animals sacrificed their flesh to feed man. It is clear from the many passages in the story that the Native American understood the close relationship that exists between himself and his fellow animals. The message expressed by the storyteller in the story is clear, conservation of the resources provided by Mother Earth is key to the survival of man. This concept is now referred to as “Going Green” and it involves conserving our limited natural resources. The storyteller goes on to talk about the consequences of not being grateful for the gifts provided by Mother Earth. “At last, weary of service, the
Rich source of misunderstanding between Indian and White Anglo-Saxon cultural analysis is the different attitude of most Native Americans to such concepts as Nature, the environment, and social values.
Art is a very realistic aspect among the Native Americans. In fact, what we call primitive art is actually symbolic objects from the process of a sacred ceremony. This concept is one not easily understood. Furthermore, this concept by Sam Gill is explained in Native American Religions. Sam Gill shows that Native American Art is different in meaning because of its contents then what modern societies consider art. Nonliterate people produce objects of beauty through ceremonial performances and rituals that keeps the cosmos in order, while modern societies over look these factors.
They used what is known as a diffused substinance pattern. By this we mean that by using resources available to them lightly as opposed to intensely using the same resources, they were conserving for the future. These tribes would spiritualize nature. In this culture everything was significant. They held reverence for the environment and a strong kinship with nature. Often these people observed respectful guidelines to avoid spiritual retaliation. For instance, the bones of the beaver would be returned to the river where it had been trapped. This was believed to keep the beavers there plentiful.
The concern topic is an essay that concentrates on the fact of living a good life. It is from the reading of Epictetus, the strategy of good living could be introduced to the human being in this world. The teachings of Epictetus has based on the living a happy life such that the human beings are satisfied with their birth and their livelihood on the earth. His teachings mainly dealt with the happiness that is found from doing work and satisfying the life of the people from the earning.
Have you ever wonder how the world was created from another culture’s perspective? Native Americans used creation myths to explained to their people how the world was developed overtime. Creation myths are a big part of the Native American culture. they have been passed down from generation to generation. In the creation myths, harmony with nature, rituals, and strong social values are shown in each myths. The purpose of having strong social value in these myths is to teach younger Native Americans valuable lesson if they ever do something bad. These myths reveals how the rituals were created and their intentions for doing it. Creation myths has harmony with nature in it to show a very close kinship between them
"What is man without the beast? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are interconnected. Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of the earth...If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves...Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." (Perry, 1971)
Most indigenous cultures had a profound respect for their environment. They believed that their relationship with nature was very sacred, they believed the earth needed to be treated with dignity and reverence, they believed in harmony with their surroundings. Speaking of indigenous religions, Lewis (1995) wrote,