Why was this the case? Where, why and how did this sudden explosion of development start? We were as a species doing just fine minding our own
business bee-bopping through the jungles, forests and across the vast plains then something changed and we were rocketed into a seemingly mindless mad
dash towards development.
There is not a single God
God is within you in the form of a set of rules and beliefs
There are no aliens
Only thing IMO that drove the
civilization is the basic necessities and dietary habits. One can research the basic ingredients of crops and ingredients to understand a region or
history. Lets take a single simple example Salt. The most basic ingredient of any cooking. It has been linked to Religion, Economics, Warfare etc.
The simple ability of most creatures on earth to use their intelligence through the process of evolution/adaptation is the key. Nature throws
elements which has a domino effect since the first time we learned to use tools. This is not by design. Even many experiments prove the
intelligence, adaptation and learning abilities of creatures in the labs that given a circumstance, the subject improvises and adapts to the
surroundings.
As far back as 6050 BC, salt has been an important and integral part of the world’s history, as it has been interwoven into the daily lives
of countless historic civilizations. Used as a part of Egyptian religious offerings and valuable trade between the Phoenicians and their Mediterranean
empire, salt and history have been inextricably intertwined for millennia, with great importance placed on salt by many different races and cultures
of people. Even today, the history of salt touches our daily lives. The word “salary” was derived from the word “salt.” Salt was highly valued
and its production was legally restricted in ancient times, so it was historically used as a method of trade and currency. The word “salad” also
originated from “salt,” and began with the early Romans salting their leafy greens and vegetables. Undeniably, the history of salt is both broad
ranging and unique, leaving its indelible mark in cultures across the globe.
SALT
If you study the art of cooking, many of the regions/civilizations/countries have a rich history about how to use the ingredients available locally in
the region. What prompted them to use a certain plant over another to determine its health benefits and/or nutritious values? I would assume its a
trial and error phase where HUNGER drives the instincts to seek calories to sustain the life as we know it. However with the genetic design and
bipedalism and ability to grasp, observe, taste, smell and sense the objects around us, the envelope was pushed with trial and error (use of stone
instead of a wooden log to break open a nut/human/object
In addition, ability to survive the forces of nature (fire, water, hurricane winds etc), instincts drive you to seek protection from all the elements.
I'm sure the landscape which indefinitely formed much much earlier then humans provided much of the shelter to the earlier humans but as they
expanded their territory for scavenging (as the animals do), it enabled them to contemplate and make use of the elements that helped them survive the
forces of nature such as fire, wind and hurricane force winds. Stones, Rocks, tree barks, leaves, animal bones etc. In some regions certain natural
resources were abundant due to the weather such as the tropics where thousands of species of vegetation thrives where many of them are edible. With
the increase in numbers, certainly the ability to adopt to vegetation increased which IMO also shapes and aids to the development of the brain and
physiology overall such as ability to think, skin texture, bone structure, etc. Needless to say that much of it happened over several generations
where its 'watch and learn' process of habits/skills that were perfected for the basic necessities (Farming???) Just a simple case of watching edible
seed fall to the ground and germinate during a single hungry season can be enough to drive the curiosity as per its origin. Drop few more and you
have more germinated plants. The chinese are the masters of survival as they can pretty much consume everything thats available to them in the
natural world as they are very well adapted to their environment. However they also share a deep history in ancient medicines just the way other
cultures do. Its a process that is perfected over several generations to accept a method or ingredient or way of life. Everything else is nothing
more than expansion for resources just the way we still do in the modern era if you believe it or not. Oil, Gold, Mineral Ores, Food, Energy etc etc.
However the competition is stiffer now then it was during the stone age
Just a knee jerk comment after reading the posts so far.
edit on
7-12-2012 by hp1229 because: (no reason given)