Throughout our time in the History of the West in the Pre-modern, I have found the most applicable lessons to be found in the civilizations that took part in the Second Crusade. There are three main lessons to be taken from these people and they are that one should be passionate about their beliefs but not to the extent of blindness, that one should not persecute another for their personal beliefs, and that unity is the only way to success. These three lessons are applicable now and will serve an even greater importance as I head out into the fleet and lead young sailors or marines.

To start, the civilizations taking part in the Second Crusade taught me that my own beliefs are something to be passionate about. The Second Crusade brought together the Germans, French, and the people of the Holy Land all fighting for one cause, Christianity. Our beliefs are something that we can find common ground in and as a future officer, I must learn to use that to my advantage while working with a wide variety of people on a daily basis.

However, with that being said, it is extremely important not to persecute another person just because they believe something different than you. Differences have their values, just as similarities, and must be respected and learned from. People of varying beliefs have countless lessons that are unique to themselves and by persecuting them, we immediately lose out on learning from these lessons. By attacking Damascus, the fighters of the Second Crusade broke a truce all because the people there were mainly of Muslim background (A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea, William of Tyre). In the end, this led to major losses in the Crusade as a whole. Learning from this battle and the entirety of the Second Crusade, we need to understand that we cannot attack those who do not follow our beliefs. We need to find common ground and live together as humanity.

Lastly, I learned from the fighters of the Second Crusade that the only way to success is working together. If the Germans, French, or the people of the Holy Land tried to win the Second Crusade on their own, it would have ended much quicker and with a total defeat. Even though these people all came from different lives, they realized that banding together was the only way to success and that is very similar to how our military must run as a whole. We must maintain our alliances with foreign militaries and as stated before, find value in our differences.

Word Count: 435

Since our discussions in class and the readings assigned, it is extremely easy to see multiple similarities between Christianity and Islam that were not clear before. Coming from a very conservative Christian household, my parents rarely entertained conversations about religions other than their own and made the views of other beliefs seem scary in a sense. I was ignorant to beliefs other than my own and I was okay with that. However since my time at the United States Naval Academy, I have been exposed to so many people from backgrounds that are all over the spectrum. Through this experience, I am able to see that Christianity and Islam are more similar than most people let on.

Starting from the basics, both Christianity and Islam believe that there is only one true God. Whether you call Him Allah or God, the ideology is the same. Furthermore and most surprising to me, both religions believe that Jesus was a man of God and had a major role to play in each faith. Before knowing this, I just assumed that Jesus Christ was exclusively a Christian figure but this is in fact wrong. Also surprising is the fact that both religions believe that the Bible is a legitimate religious document and is vital to the beliefs of both Christianity and Islam. Lastly, each religions views on angels and the End of Times are extremely similar and almost interchangeable with one another. Islam and Christianity both see angels as messengers from God or Allah, revealing themselves to man in order to pass along God’s word. The End of Times are also viewed to be same for both religions, with followers of God ascending into heaven while those who were not faithful are left on Earth until their repentance.

With all of this said, I still believe that Islam and Christianity are two religions that are mutually exclusive of each other. Christianity is a religion that is completely based upon the fact that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and rose from the dead. While Islam acknowledges Jesus as a person, it does not see him being a divine entity and worthy of worship. Muslims do not believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, thus compromising the foundation of Christianity completely. The Christians also refuse to see Muhammad, Islam’s central religious figure, as a person holding any religious merit and sees him as an illegitimate prophet. Based upon these two points, the core teachings of both religions will never align and are therefore mutually exclusive.

 

Word Count: 427

Sun Tzu’s Art of War is definitely a collection of knowledge that should be taken to heart when preparing to become a military leader in the heated political and social environment we live in today. Throughout his text, Tzu stresses the importance of intellect in all areas of life. Whether this be knowledge of your own being, of the territory you will be conducting your war efforts in, or of your enemy, Tzu states that an effective leader needs to be competent in a wide variety of topics of war. Tzu makes this abundantly clear as he says that “victory belongs to the side that scores the most in the temple calculations before battle”, showing that this knowledge which is required of our leaders is vital to our success as a military and that it needs to be well developed far before our engage in combat (Chapter 1).

I find that Sun Tzu has an extremely familiar philosophy to that of the United States Naval Academy. Here art USNA, we are put under strong pressure every day in order to prepare ourselves for the stresses of war that we will be experiencing after four short years. Throughout this time, we gain knowledge of ourselves, our own military, and of the military of our adversaries. This falls directly in line with the main concept surround Tzu’s teachings, especially with his statements made in Chapter 7. When saying that “If you march fifty miles in order to outmaneuver the enemy, you will lose the leader of your first division, and only half your force will reach the goal. If you march thirty miles with the same object, two-thirds of your army will arrive” he shows that a leader needs to be extremely knowledgeable of his/her own people, especially when in high stress situations. It is very easy to lose sight of your own people when your main goal is defeating your enemy.

Over all, I think that the strategies of USNA and Sun Tzu follow the same basic principles but I do see some advantages of Tzu’s teachings which should be implemented into the studies at the Academy. Tzu stresses the high importance of being able to overcome your enemy without using force. Being able to negotiate with your enemy, break the alliances that your enemy has, or financially weakening your enemy are all great practices that we do not cover in great depth. These ideas would encourage Midshipmen to think outside of the box more often when looking for solutions and could potentially save lives on both sides of conflict.

 

Word Count: 429

Before the 3rd Century C.E., it is completely understandable that the Romans and the Roman Empire itself would be extremely fearful of the rising religion of Christianity. As the Roman Empire grew, it began to take over new lands and with them came many new customs. One of the more terrifying of customs to be introduced to the Romans was that of Christianity. When a group of people start to follow one person as a God figure rather than see their emperor as the symbol of supreme power, obvious problems will occur. This shift in the power dynamic threatened the Roman Empire’s grasp over this foreign territory they were occupying, showing that their power could be challenged.

When the story of a man being the living form of God spreads across an empire, hysteria can be expected to follow. This man directly upsets the control that an emperor has over his subjects. It poses the question that if God can be found on our Earth in human form, then why should the citizens of Rome submit to an emperor? If Jesus is all powerful, why would people follow anyone else? When faced with these questions, any emperor of Rome would feel extremely threatened and anxious at the thought of losing his power and control.

Seen through the correspondence between Pliny and Emperor Trajan, drastic measures were taken in order to uproot the rising conflict between Christianity and Rome. Execution, torture, and imprisonment were all means that were used in an attempt to stop the spread of this religion, setting a precedent for future followers of Christ. Pliny acted in a way that he thought would preserve the image of Emperor Trajan, persecuting any and all suspected Christians and making them renounce their religion and praise the Roman gods. As heinous as these acts were, they were meant to secure the power of the Roman Empire. With this in mind, as an empire, the Romans had the right to oppose any opposition that threatened their control. They treated Christianity as a foreign invader and attempted to crush it at its roots rather than give it the chance to grow into a force to be reckoned with. It may not have been the most morally sound decision made by the empire, but it was viewed as a necessary act that would show the superiority of any emperor over any challenger to the throne.

 

Word Count: 402

Sam Heideman

Prof. Sagstetter

HH215 Section 2002

2 OCT 18

Blog Post 2

I personally believe that the current representative form of democracy is superior to the Athenian’s direct democracy. During our RTTP exercise, the class saw how difficult it was to decide how to define who was allowed to vote and then how to incite those capable of voting to actually turn out for their civic duty. A representative form of democracy serves as a streamline system for a government that is highly efficient when running as it should be. In theory, this form allows those who have been elected to represent their communities and states to make decisions in a manner than is faster than a direct democracy which requires votes from all citizens. Instead of millions of people taking the time out of their days to vote, this allows those who we hire to represent us to make educated decisions. The representative form of democracy is also highly beneficial to those who choose to vote AND those who choose not to. For those who choose to vote, this allows them to vote into office someone who will align with their political and ethical views, ensuring that choices made by the representative are decisions made from the views of the people they represent. For those who choose not to vote, the representative system allows them to be indirectly represented by those from their district or region. Most people in a district tend to have similar political views so their ideas are still supported even though they did not choose those who represent them. Representative democracy also helps ensure that the minority has a voice in decisions made for our country. Instead of having millions of votes outweighing the thousands who have a differing view, representatives in Congress all have an equal say so those who are elected by the minority will have some ground to stand upon. Some problems with the direct democracy is that some people who vote are doing so without any knowledge of the legislation they are deciding upon. They simply show up to the polls and make decisions on the spot without all of the necessary knowledge in front of them. This is almost eliminated by a representative democracy because voters tend to elect competent representatives who understand the process to pass or turn down valuable legislation. This is their job, something that they get paid to do so they are supposed to do it well.

 

Bibliography

“Crystal Lombardo.” Samsung Galaxy Blog, 28 Jan. 2016, thenextgalaxy.com/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-direct-democracy/.

 

Sam Heideman

6 SEP 18

In our current culture, a fascination with our past is extremely common to come by. Seen through video games, novels, or movies, people present the history of civilization in a way that fulfills our curiosity; however, their stories are not always accurate. Through the motion picture 300, one is able to understand how bias dominates history and that the story of our past is often manipulated in order to maximize profits. From the beginning of the film, the audience is able to see huge exaggerations in the telling of the tale of the Spartan warriors against the Persian Empire. Rather than sending a Persian envoy into the depths of a well as the story is originally told, the modern interpretation shows this unlucky man falling into what seems to be a bottomless pit. This exaggeration is meant to make the story itself more dramatic than it actually is, bringing in a larger audience that enjoys the violence, making more money for those who produced the new rendition of the Spartans defiance. Furthermore, the film depicts the Spartans battle with the Persians as a major military victory, stopping the Persian conquest in its tracks. In reality, the battle of 300 Spartans only stopped Persia from advancing further into Greece. Already controlling the majority of the land from the boarders of Greece to current day Iran, Persia did not lose any ground after this defeat in Greece; they merely did not gain anything. The reason the movie portrays this alternate reality is for artistic interest only. As the Spartans supposedly gained a huge victory against Persia, a story of grandeur and heroism is created that is madly blown out of proportion. Frankly, with Sparta winning this battle even after losing all of their men, the story becomes much more interesting to the modern day population. However, there are accurate portions of the film. The movie depicts the Spartans in little armor and clothing, resembling their ideas of minimalism and masculinity. The film also shows how the Persians had the exact opposite view on material items. Showing them covered in gold jewelry and extravagant suits of armor, the film makers accurately display common Persian fads. This is supported through Greek art, depicting Spartan men fighting almost naked while the Persians are wearing clothes, something viewed as feminine during this time. All in all, the film 300 skews the story of the battle between Sparta and Persia in a way favorable to Sparta, making them the heroes in an attempt to sell a classic tale of good versus evil.