Looking at ancient China, I think a future officer can draw key takeaways from Sun Tzu and his rule of the Zhou Dynasty. Sun Tzu is known as being one of the most respected and well-rounded military generals of all time. He led with strength, professionalism, and honor. Many of his lessons are expressed in his publication Art of War and are useful to any leader, in fact, Tzu’s writings can be specifically beneficial to military officers in ways that are still relevant thousands of years later. It was such a powerful piece and was reflected in his dominant rule of China during his time as ruler. The one specific lesson of the many that I think is most important to officers in the fleet is professionalism.

As young adults in a more or less college setting, we are faced with a quick transition upon graduation. This shock of going from contained, small scale responsibility escalates to real life challenges and leadership in a matter of months. The ability to establish and maintain a professional manner in front of your sailors and marines is absolutely vital to the success of a unit. Sun Tzu’s Art of War offers a young junior officer important words and lessons on professionalism that can be directly translated into fleet scenarios. “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.” A quote from Tzu, shows the importance of treating your subordinates with care. Being firm when you need to, but also being understanding and someone they can trust are all things that encompass the father like figure, Tzu portrayed to his men. Sailors and marines who respect and trust their leader will do anything to complete the mission. These same ideas apply today and officers who grasp them will ultimately be better for it.

Another quote on professionalism that illustrates this idea is “Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate”. It speaks volumes to the idea of preparation and upholding the standard. Tzu believed that being the more prepared force was ultimately decided battles. In modern context, always being ready for conflict to arise is achievable through an officers professionalism and commitment to upholding the standard.

There are many pieces of knowledge expressed in Tzu’s Art of War but none are more relevant in the modern day conflict than professionalism. Being able to rally your people around a common goal or mission in a way that upholds the standard of excellence is what will make our Navy and Marine Corps the best fighting forces for years to come. (473)

Searching for an article that used the term crusade in it was not only easy but quite time relevant as well. Choosing a proper article was actually a lot harder than simply finding an article within the last few years. It makes me question if the term crusade is potentially losing some of its historical relevancy, and becoming all too common in the polarized political society we live in today. I tried to find a fair source that tries to steer away from bias and I came across an article from ABC News titled “A conservative’s crusade: Loyalty to Trump defines the GOP rivalry in Mississippi’s Senate special election”. I looked up what the actual definition of crusade is and it turns out, as a verb, it is very relevant in describing campaigns.

I figured the elections were as relevant as anything going on in our country and the article centered on the idea of President Trump going on a “crusade” of his own to try and maintain a republican dominated house and senate. Specifically, this article looked at Cindy Hyde-Smith, the first female senator from Mississippi. She is expected to win the race, given that Mississippi is a majority republican state, also with help from the White House, and her supporters showing out at the polls. By campaigning in states across the country, people are calling Trumps advocacy for his republican counterparts a crusade. He is travelling and promoting candidates of his party to try and secure political dominance for the rest of his presidency. Ultimately his goal is to eliminate opposition to his reign as president. Given the definition as a verb, I think it is a fair word to use in describing Trumps actions during the time leading up to the elections.

While crusade is a fair word for this article, after learning about the real crusades in class, I think there is potentially a better word. To use a word with as much magnitude as the crusades, is a little bit of a stretch. It certainly is an attention grabber, but to describe a political campaign in the same context as a war for land and freedom, where so many people died, it seems like an over exaggeration. Considering there were tens of other articles using the word crusade in their headline, it puts into question the weight of the word itself. If used enough, it has the potential to lose its historical value, and there may come a time when people hear crusade and ignore its historical significance and recognize it solely for its political implications. While interesting and relevant to the time we live in, the article could have chosen another word and been just as effective in sending its message. (457)

Sun Tzu’s Art of War analyzes the most crucial elements of a successful leader in war. The overarching theme stressed most in Art of War is knowledge. Knowing yourself and knowing the enemy and what you are up against are the most assuring signs of a powerful and dominant leader. Someone who knows his men that serve beneath him in and out and can utilize their potential optimally will see the best results. Much of what Sun Tzu stresses is used in many modern contexts from coaching to corporate business. As a Naval Academy Midshipman, I can personally say we embody many of his teachings whether we consciously know it or not.

From day one we are taught the importance of teamwork and unity. Doing small things to build comradery in the early stages ultimately will help us effectively serve as brothers and sisters in arms in the fleet. Art of War places a heavy emphasis on caring for your team, and throughout our progression at the Academy we learn the important value of looking out for our people. The caveat to taking care of others that Sun Tzu makes clear, is that the most effective leadership comes from ruling with toughness. Upholding the standard of honor and duty couldn’t be more in line with the mission of the Naval Academy. Knowing what’s best for your people, even it means not being liked by your subordinates, is the most important thing to building a strong unit. A leader aims to be respected, not liked. Fraternization and doing favors isn’t the job of a leader. Completing the mission is the most important factor at the end of the day and Sun Tzu would agree that winning is at the core of why we fight wars in the first place.

Another interesting thing acknowledged by Sun Tzu that resonates with Midshipmen is thriving through challenge and accepting failure. Knowing what your people are capable of, and challenging them is the most effective way to get the best from your people. Most Midshipmen would say that they always have a full plate, and often feel overwhelmed. Sun Tzu would say that this pressure will make people better in the end. Making mistakes now, when the stakes aren’t high, allows Midshipman to learn the importance of prioritizing and allows them to fix their issues before they are met with real world challenges in the fleet. This also gives them a realistic sense of what their people in the fleet will be capable of. Not working your team to death, or giving them unrealistic tasks are important to not only completing missions successfully, but also earning the respect of your people.

The bottom line is that Art of War is not only relevant, but a tool for any Midshipman trying to be the most successful leader they can be. The lessons taught by Sun Tzu are still relevant thousands of years after. A leader who is prepared, knowledgeable, and reasonable will have the most success in leading others in any field, military or not.

(509)

The idea that Romans would have a fear of Christianity is very valid considering the circumstances of the times. Christianity, while destined to grow and expand, was seen as a genuine threat to the Roman Empire leading up to 3rd c. CE. Its ability to conform mass groups of people was unlike any religion prior, and at a time when the stability and future of Rome was potentially uncertain, the idea of another large group of people coming together under common ideas could easily be seen as trouble by Roman leadership. Fear that a religion could change an entire way a society operates was alarming for the Romans and by taking steps to keep it under control, they could maintain order and mitigate potential uprisings. Looking at the course of history, religion is one of the major themes of conflict. By suppressing Christianity, the Romans could focus solely on the maintenance and expansion of their empire.

A monotheistic religion, at the time, went against the grain of religious and spiritual practices of the early Roman Empire. Not only considered strange, it was something that underwhelmed the state, and caused tension between its citizens. This idea, that Rome’s own citizens could cause its collapse, was more realistic and dangerous than any outside threat and was one of the reasons Christianity was looked down upon.

The idea of a new religion shaping the structure of a fragile republic was not something to be taken lightly. In a society that viewed their ruler as a sort of God, Christianity takes away an emperors validity by focusing on only one true God. Christianity showed how fragile the Roman society really was. It was cult like and taboo, but had the potential to completely change Roman culture. Christianity didn’t exude the same warlike, rallying call that polytheistic Roman religions offered prior. It was a genuine threat to their dominance as an Empire and something the Romans really couldn’t control without apparent force.

Christianity ended up having a direct impact on the empire when Constantine accepted it and moved the Roman capital. The aftermath of this split the Empire in two, making Christianity officially accepted after being put down for so long. Like many things that are different and new, Christianity was genuinely feared by the Roman Empire. The implications of accepting a new religion in their society would completely shift Roman culture. The end result was a powerful and captivating religion that changed not only the Roman Empire, but the course of history as a whole.

 

(421 Words)

The idea of Democracy in both Athenian government and modern day US government falls upon the similar pillars of the public having a voice and equality among its citizens. However, there are outlying differences between the two. The main difference I would like to focus on is the civility and strength of the structure of government, and the procedures taken to handle adverse situations. Thousands of years have molded and formed the democracy we know today and as we have progressed socially and as we have developed human rights, some of the steps taken in Athenian democracy to handle these potentially world shifting swings in policy are much different than how they are handled today.

Thousands of years ago, the people of the Athens were always concerned as to whether or not an overthrow in authority was coming. In the case of the Mytilenean revolt in 428 BC, there was genuine disagreement over whether or not the Mytileneans should gain control of all of Lesbos or not. Having been prepared for a revolt even before the Peloponnesian War, the Mytileneans were ready to challenge the Athenian democracy head on, with a fleet of their own, as well as an established military. While their revolt ended up failing, the idea that at any point someone could be plotting to take over the government is something we simply do not have in today’s society. The US democracy is one of the strongest in the world and the thought of being challenged by a state or group of people is outrageous and virtually impossible. While this is heavily dependent upon the faith in the structure of our democracy, the sheer size and strength of our military would never allow this to happen. One could compare the Civil War to an Athenian democracy in terms of the fragility of their respected systems but speaking in modern day, something like this could not happen.

Another major difference in the two democracies is handling the critics and wrongdoers involved in government. In Athenian government one could be exiled or even killed for going against the state, whereas in modern day US government, those who commit crimes are handled in a more civil manner. This falls heavily on the progression of human history and how we as a society have developed in handling human rights over time. Looking at something like Watergate, a situation where our own president committed crimes against the US, Nixon was still afforded the opportunity to step down and live out his life in a respectable manner. He wasn’t exiled or killed, he just paid for his crimes in a different way.

While there are certainly similarities between Athenian and US democracy, as a whole, the two have remarkable differences that make them unique to their own time period. The idea of strength of government and civility in process are too large to overlook when comparing the two.

• Oliver Smith
• Word Count (485)

From the Trireme to the geography, Assassins Creed Origins is a unique representation of ancient Egypt. The creators seamlessly incorporated historical accuracy with dynamic gameplay to create an experience enjoyable for historians and gamers alike. The creators invested genuine time and effort to make the game as historically accurate as possible, while maintaining an action-packed piece for everyone. The geography and architecture alone are worth noting due to their shear detail. And while actual events and actual scale of the playable map are altered, they still follow relatively accurate timeline. It would likely not be as an enjoyable game from a player’s perspective if the game was completely true to history and it is easy to see why some details and events in the game are altered by the creators to make it more fun to play. In almost every way this game offers a chance for people to actually learn about history while having a good time.

The art and open world aspect of the game are designed so that players can actually go into certain areas of the map to take actual tours of museums and libraries. The storyline itself depicts Cleopatra, Alexandria, and ancient Egypt to the point where someone who didn’t even care to look through the game can come away with historical context and still learn a lot about that time period. While I wouldn’t go straight to the game over my textbook, I think there is still much to learn from the game from a big picture perspective.

It is my personal belief that something like this is a creative way at making something potentially unappealing to younger kids into something really educational. Yes, it is violent and bloody, but I would rather have my child play this than Call of Duty or Evil Within. They certainly would actually come away with some sense of history than any other game out there today. Using a platform like video games and media to reach kids that are growing further from books and studying is a great way to adapt to learning styles. Assassins Creed Origins does not only deliver a great experience, but offers players a chance to learn about the world and history in a different way.