Chapter's 1-3

As I read the first three chapters I kept getting the feeling that although humans have come some far, our lives with so much technology can really make things complicated.  The relationships between human beings in the Paleolithic era seemed the most civil.  There didn’t seem to be any formal rulers which allowed them to live in an egalitarian society.  I appreciated that men and women shared job responsibilities and they seemed to possess similar skills.  History has shown us that through the ages, men have typically been the leaders and women have taken a more passive role.  The roles of women have been changing in the last couple of centuries but in my opinion women still have a long way to go to be viewed as equal.  I hope I live to see the first female US president but I won’t hold my breath.  I also appreciated that the Paleolithic peoples respected the earth.  Since they were nomadic, they moved as the seasons changed and the food sources changed.  I’m sure this was a very hard life but it I admired how they did not seek to upset the earth by trying to change it.

Reading about the Neolithic era made me think about our society today.  The text said that farmers were “actively changing nature” for the benefit of man.  While there were many impressive discoveries I couldn’t help but think about hybrid-fruits and vegetables that are grown today.  I always wonder when I see things like “grapples – grape apples” or “craisins – cranberry raisins” if they are really safe for us to eat.  If they are not naturally growing why are we creating a man-mad fruit?  The text also talked about the domestication of animals and how they were bred to produce more of what farmers wanted.  I couldn’t help thinking about today’s concerns like cows with hormones and meats pumped with antibiotics.  I’m glad I live in a world with so many so-called advances but many times I wonder if our society is going too far.