Lately I've been reading The Histories by Herodotus, which reviews some major historical events while Greece and Persia are the major world powers. I am facinated by ancient history, partially because it's very close to fantasy, but also because it lays bare the fundamental problems and charms of humanity. Everything goes happens and bombards us so much in our day to day life it is difficult to even remember what life was like before the internet. In those ancient times news took a long time to travel, and news was pretty much all word of mouth. It helps me appreciate just how much we rely on each other, and how bizzarre it is to be antisocial. Really everything we are and can be relies on our ability to interact with others.
I always thought of myself as independant and uninterested and also not depending on other people. Nothing could be further from the truth. All my entertainment involves interacting or voyerism of other humans (via tv shows, movies and the internet). As hard as I may try to get away from these things, it will only lead me to other things directly connected to human interaction. Hanging out at coffee shops, dancing, anything.
Another impression left on me by The Histories is the insignificance of the individual human's life, in the grand scheme of history. People who did really amazing, brave and massively difficult things get a mere mention in this book that only a small percentage of Earth's population has even read. People rarely consider the artisans who constructed beautiful statues, buildings, tools and do not even know their names. They are washed away in a sea of people, most of whom are talented in some way, remembered indirectly or forgotten entirely, their work destroyed by other nameless people or even eroded by time itself. It helps impact on me that longevity is not something to be concerned with, merely that making things important and a priority to you is the only real reward you can hope for.
