Term Paper on "Ancient Cultures the Purpose of Human Life"

Term Paper 4 pages (1299 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Ancient Cultures the Purpose of Human Life

In ancient cultures human life was the center of interest for everything. The entire construction of civilization was based on the human as main preoccupation and the most important element in the world. Modern concerns about the environment, animals and other conflicts that place humans on an equal position with the rest of the planet were weak or nonexistent many centuries back, when the sole interest that captured the attention of common people was to understand how their own society worked.

Referring specifically to the Roman and Greek culture, we can see their ideas about human life and human nature reflected in the many messages they left behind. Art manifestations are the most eloquent note left from those cultures and speak clearly about their spiritual vision and ideas. They reveal the need to answer the eternal question that tortured philosophers all through the Classic Period, about the purpose of human life and the role humanity played in the world. In their conception, humans' goal was to reach a divine harmony and force that would elevate them to the same level with the gods.

Their manifestation of culture and social behavior spins around the importance of human life. Science, astrology, philosophy and any other kind of intellectual activity was focused on studying humans and trying to figure the way life functioned, in order to reach the key to control their existence and destiny. Art was concerned with showing the beauty of human anatomy, while poetry was focused in recreating the human soul, and philosophy in understanding its complexity.

The human was the main subject for all the forms of expression in ancient societies, from art forms like poetry and theatre, to practical activities like politics. Their humanist vision left messages about their way of living and thinking, their spirit and preoccupations, ideas and feelings. The human life itself is the very subject they reflect in all of their artistic and intellectual expression.

Roman and Greek society had almost the same vision about human life and manifested their ideas almost in parallel ways, due to the great influence that the Greek society had over the Roman world. They valued their leisure and commodities in a way that modern civilization would never understand. For them time was relaxed and positive feelings cultivated. In the ancient conception human life was created to enjoy and grow spiritually, not to constrain and suffer as it was conceived in later centuries. They worshipped leisure and inner peace in the same way that modern society worships hard work and effort.

Work was then seen in a negative light, reserved for slaves and foreigners: the lower class. Of great importance were socializing activities such as attending public baths, walking on corridors specially arranged for this purpose and cultivating their minds with theatre and poetry. For the Greek one favorite activity was taking part in political meetings, where they could participate in decisions concerning the polis they lived in. A main part of their lives was occupied by art, music, theatre. Those events were created from religious festivities and were of value to cultivate their knowledge about mythology and traditions. Education had a main role for ancient civilizations as much as it does in the present. However attending school was not an obligation for children, their basic education taking place at home. Myths and legends were an important part of such education. Ancient societies valued creative culture as much as they valued science and technology. For them the human life needed to stay in contact with its spiritual nature in order to progress.

Their own ideas portrayed human life as something steady, reliable, predictable, something that people had control over and could understand, eluding the cruel reality of feeling lost and vulnerable against the forces of nature and the unpredictable future. The conviction of balance and strength helped their societies develop and… READ MORE

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