Chapter 1

In chapter one, I learned valuable information about the origins of human life and human nature. The hominid species were the first to walk up right. Walking up right was very valuable in many different ways. After imagining all the possibilities an individual can do when they are walking up right, I then began to wonder how long it took for them to begin to run. I imagine that the quicker the group learned to run, the more their hunting strategies improved. In addition, running could have made it easier for individuals to escape from danger. On the contrary, the more they ran the more calories they would burn causing them to require more caloric and protein rich foods, like meat, in order to survive. Another point I found interesting was that women were respected and equal. If not, possibly viewed as divine. As the community grew and became more spiritual, it was found that there was a special interest in fertility and the cycle of life. Given that women are able to bear life, our ancestors could have respected women at a much higher level than they do today. Stone artifact female figures, Venus Figures, could have been proof that women were honored.  However, I can imagine that the more the individuals practiced their running the more meat they would need to consume putting a special emphasize and dependency on the males who hunted. This could have possibly been one of the many reasons men were began to be seen as "superior".  In addition, the migration and traveling of different groups across harsh lands tell us that curiosity, restlessness, and courageousness is human nature. The human instinct to follow food along with the restlessness and curiosity of our human nature gave rise to agricultural intensification. Agricultural intensification allowed us as human beings to grow in numbers and being to dedicate our time to exploring and discovering. This led to the diversification of languages and the exchange of different crops and cattle with other regions. However, along with the good, there was also a bad. Not only did groups benefit from exploration and exchange, but they were negatively affected. Through exploring different regions, different diseases and climates came into play resulting in the death of many. If a member of your community suddenly dies it is traumatic and painful. A situation like this one could have given rise to the blaming and discrimination of another group for the killing of a community member. Also, they could have thought that there was a certain "evil" lurking within that region. Fear can generate a multitude of feelings and ideas. It is interesting to look at examples throughout history and ponder on the idea that along with the good, bad must come too.