resurrecting ancient civilizations

Of the ancient civilizations that were overpowered by another civilization, it can be argued that those remaining in a unique geographic area, with a unique ethnicity, language and social structure - such as the Eskimo civilization of 1100BC-1850BC - can once again become a separate and unique civilization by gaining independence and eschewing the values of the civilization that overpowered it.

If civilization is a stage in the evolution of society, then reverting to a former stage does not negate viability and may, in fact, protect that society from extinction.

India, for instance, was once part of the British Empire and in all practical purposes for the period of occupation it adopted the values of its western conqueror. With independence, it successfully regained its separate and unique status as a civilization - as if the British had never been there!

An interesting scenario for the future of mankind would be the resurgence not only of all of the ancient civilizations but all of the ancient cultures, too. That the American Indians and the Australian Aborigines are asserting the uniqueness of their race and culture is something to be applauded.

If western civilization can put heritage orders on structural, environmental and animal treasures - and spend millions to preserve them - then it is only good sense that distinctive peoples should be given the same rights.

the religions of india, china and japan

The years between 600BC to 551BC represented a golden period for the birth of great thinkers in the eastern as well as the western lands.

In 600BC, the founder of Taoism, Lao-tzu was born in China.

In 580 BC, Pythagoras, a great mathematician as well as the founder of the dualism of the body and soul, was born in Greece.

In 563BC, Siddhartha Guatama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism (and, by influence, Japanese Shinto), was born in India.

In 551BC, Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, was born in China.

Unlike the bloodthirsty polytheistic and monotheistic religions - demanding a blood sacrifice of one sort or another in order to placate a god and gain whatever it was that worshippers wanted - the major religions that developed in India and China after the 6th Century BC were a lot more civilized and centered more on ethics, social behavior and personal enlightenment than organized worship of a god.

In India, Hinduism - encapsulating karma and the rigid caste system, without which man has no place - derived from the fears and ignorance of the early Indic civilization before 3000 BC and continues to the present day. Ancient Hinduism was, of course, an influencing force in the rise of the new thinkers of the 6th century BC, particularly Buddha, an Indian prince, whose four Noble Truths and the eight-fold path makes no provision for a god.

In China, Confucianism - advocating reverence of ancestors - differed from Buddhism and Taoism in that there were no temples or priests. Taoism, as represented by the magnificent White Cloud Temple in Peking, differs from Buddhism and Confucianism in that it has many gods - all for mundane purposes, such as the kitchen god that still exists in superstitious Chinese households - but it, too, is concerned wholly with man's benevolence.

In Japan, Shinto was developed as a particular form of Japanese Buddhism - worshipping Nature in the form of mountain and forest gods - and, like all of the far-eastern religions, it is particularly strong on truthfulness. In 1871, Shinto was proclaimed the Japanese national religion.