What is 'Important'?

What is ‘Important’?

In life, many different things are important to different people. For something to be important, it means that it has value, meaning, worth, and is significant in your life or to you. (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=ig&defl=en&q=define:important&ei=fClqS6mDLIbX8Aaf47HPCQ&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAcQkAE) People have different views on subjects, beliefs, topics, and ultimately life, therefore certain things may be important to one person that may not be important to someone else. Opinions and points of view will lead people to believe that one thing has more importance over another. In life, we tend to have many things that are important to us for a variety of different reasons.

In my life, there are a few things that are extremely important to me. To me, it is the little things that mean the most, the things that each and every one of us takes for granted. The things that go by unnoticed everyday are the ones that are the most important. We need to learn to appreciate every small thing that we have in our life, because the truth of the matter is, these small things have a big impact on us. We take things like our health for granted, but we do not realize how important it is until we are sick or in need of care. I also have many important people in my life. My parents are the ones who raised me and have always given me the love and support that I have needed over the years. My sisters always have my back and are always there to listen to me. They will always be there for me and be willing to help me in my times of trouble and need. All of my extended family members mean so much to me. They have influenced me and helped to make me into the person that I am today. These people are important to me because I love them, they love me, and they have had a significant impact on my life. I honor the friends that I have, because without them, I would not have someone to lean on during rough times. True friends are there through thick and thin, and my friends mean a lot to me. God is very important to me, along with my Catholic faith and religious beliefs. These are just a few things that I find to be important, but others may find that different things are very significant to them.

People or things that could be important to a common person may be their children, parents, pets, values, and religion. If you look at a group of people such as the Egyptians, we know one thing that was very important to them: the afterlife. There are over a hundred pyramids in Egypt that span a period of a thousand years. Many of these pyramids are relatively unknown to most people, but to the Egyptians, they have a lot of meaning. (http://www.egyptologyonline.com/pyramids.htm) Pyramids were built as tombs for the Pharaohs, who were the rulers of Egypt. (http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/architecture/pyramids.htm) For Egyptians, death was not the end for someone, but it simply a transformation in life’s natural cycle. (http://www.egyptologyonline.com/the_afterlife.htm) Because the afterlife is a very big part of the Egyptian life, values, and ideas, a proper place was needed for pharaohs after death.

Mummification was also very important to Egyptians. In order for pharaohs to be placed in tombs and in pyramids, they needed to be prepared and equipped for afterlife. A lengthy process of about seventy days took place. The body was first washed in natron and the internal organs were removed, dried, rinsed, and put in canopic jars. The body would then dehydrate for forty days and be coated in resin. Cosmetics would be added in order to give the body its life-like appearance and the body would be bandaged up with a death mask placed over the head. (http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm) This process needed to be done exactly the right way in order for the person to successfully enter the afterlife and be well prepared. “Mummification was considered the transfiguration of the corpse into a new body which was “filled with magic”.” (http://www.egyptologyonline.com/the_afterlife.htm)

When looking at a group like the Egyptians, we know that their love of the afterlife and the significance of mummification and the pyramids have developed over a long period of time. This love and significance has been embedded in the Egyptians and these things mean so much to them. It is because of their culture and beliefs that they find these things to be important.

Feeling that something is important can depend on many things, such as your culture, family, morals, values, etc. Everyone grows up differently and lives in different environments, therefore they will find that one thing may be important to them that another person may not really care about. In the case of the Egyptians, the afterlife is extremely important to them, but as Catholics, we do not believe in afterlife and therefore it does not have importance in our lives. We have not been raised to believe in afterlife, but instead living in eternal communion with God in heaven. We focus on how we can strive to be eternally happy with God in heaven. The culture and values of the Egyptians lead them to believe what they believe in, whereas my beliefs lead me to find other things to be important. I may find that being nice to everyone is important, but someone else may say that if a person is mean to you, you should be mean right back to them. The importance of little things, such as being kind, helpful, loving, respectful, and so on, vary from person to person. The different environments we grow up in determine what we find to be important in our lives.

Defining ‘what is important’ all depends on your specific point of view and your perception of different things. It also depends on your upbringing, culture, and how you have been raised. A variety of different things can be looked at when determining what is important in life.

Works Cited

Egyptology Online. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://www.egyptologyonline.com/pyramids.htm>.

Egyptology Online. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://www.egyptologyonline.com/the_afterlife.htm>.

Egyptology Online. Web. 4 Feb. 2010. <http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm>.

Google. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=ig&defl=en&q=define:important&ei=fClqS6mDLIbX8Aaf47HPCQ&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAcQkAE>.

History for Kids. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/architecture/pyramids.htm>.

Picture Source: Flickr. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/elsa11/3592440773/>.

Extra Credit

Pyramids built in Egypt were built by workers at Giza. Slaves did not build them. Pointed to the north, the Great Pyramid was 146 meters high. Pharaohs were mummified, became mummies, and were put in pyramids. Natron was put on the body, along with cosmetics. Internal organs were removed and placed in canopic jars. The corpse was wrapped in bandages and a death mask was added. The process was over.

Monuments in Maryland and D.C.

There are many monuments that are known to people who live in the Maryland, D.C., and Pennsylvania area. Such monuments may be the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and for those who live in Baltimore, the statue of Johnny Unitas at Ravens Stadium. The Lincoln Memorial is in Washington D.C. and is built to honor our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. The Washington Monument, one of the main attractions in D.C., was built as a tribute to George Washington. Vietnam Veterans Memorial is near the Lincoln Memorial and is definitely more than just a wall. It is honoring those who served in Vietnam. (http://thewall-usa.com/information.asp ) One monument known to people in Baltimore is the statue of Johnny Unitas. Unitas played for the Baltimore Colts. When the starting quarterback went down, Unitas became the Baltimore Colts quarterback and won the MVP award. The next year he led Baltimore to their first of back-to-back championships in what sports historians call the "greatest game ever played." Unitas died in 2002 but is forever remembered in Baltimore. (http://monumentcity.org/2009/05/21/johnny-unitas-statue-baltimore-md/ ) These monuments, memorials, and statues are home to Baltimore and D.C. and have great meaning to those who live in these places.

Monument City. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. <http://monumentcity.org/2009/05/21/johnny-unitas-statue-baltimore-md/>.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. <http://thewall-usa.com/information.asp>.

Picture Source: Flickr. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/monumentcity/3556437975/>.

Egyptian Pyramids

During the Old Kingdom, a stable central government was established in the Nile Valley. Pyramids and other tombs were built to shelter the pharaohs in their afterlife. It was believed that when a pharaoh died he became Osiris, the king of the dead. The new pharaoh became Horus, god of the heavens and protector of the sun god. This cycle was symbolized by the rising and setting of the sun. The ka remained with the body, and if the corpse did not have proper care, the former pharaoh would not be able to carry out his duties.

Each pharaoh was mummified and put in a massive tomb, but that tomb was not always a pyramid. Pyramids were not built by slaves or foreigners. They were built by Egyptians who lived in villages overseen by the pharaoh's supervisors. Some builders were permanent employees of the pharaoh, and others were from villages and worked for a limited time. Some workers may have been women. Graffiti has shown that some workers took pride in their work.

"An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 workers built the Pyramids at Giza over 80 years. Much of the work probably happened while the River Nile was flooded." Architects were involved to make sure stones were placed correctly. Priests-astronomers helped choose the pyramids' sites and orientations, so that they would be on the appropriate axis in relation to sacred constellations. Every worker contributed to the perpetuating glory of Egypt.

National Geographic. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html>.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons. Web. 4 Feb. 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pyramids_of_Egypt1.jpg>

War As a Form of Technology

"War is a form of technology". Agree or Disagree.

Technology is known as "the practical application of science to commerce or industry." It may also be defined as "a study of or a collection of techniques." I agree with the statement that war is a form of technology. War definitely involves of a collection of techniques that are needed to win a battle. As a result of war, there have been technological advances such as advancement with guns and machines. War is one of the many forms of technology that we have in the world.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baltflot_mr.jpg>.

Google. Web. 2 Feb. 2010. <http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHMA_enUS350US350&defl=en&q=define:technology&ei=ybVoS8S3MIWN8AbGy8yzBw&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAoQkAE>.

The Process of Mummification

Sources:

"Ancient Egypt and the Modern World." BBC. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/egypt_importance_01.shtml>.

"Mummification." Egyptology Online. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. <http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm>.

Notes on Egypt

1. The earliest artifacts in Egypt were similar to those of the Neolithic
2. We are looking at 4500 BC, the Pre-Dynastic Period.
3. Egypt is split geographically into two areas. They are base on the Nile river, the longest river in the world.
4. Egypt is split into Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. The Northern part of Egypt is Lower Egypt.
5. Narmer is the great leader who unites Upper and Lower Egypt together into one.
6. Early on in the Egyptian society, the leader had ultimate power.
7. Egypt has been unified and now the first of the dynasties begins. (a succession of kings and rulers by birthright)
8. You cannot see any space between the legs in a statue if it is a true Egyptian sculpture.
9. The Old Kingdom last about 500 years, 2649-2150 BC. The Great Pyramids of Giza came here.
10. At Giza, there are three major pyramid named after the three Egyptian pharaohs.
11. The tops of the pyramids were clad in limestone. The top would glow white in sunlight.
12. Pyramid complexes are called mortuary cities.
13. Death is the single most important thing in an Egyptian culture.