It was surprising to learn...

that in chapter 2 - An Urban Revolution, it describes the transition from the Agricultural society to the Urban thriving mega-metropolis' in North, Central & South America. We are so used to reading how the Greeks designed astronomy, hydro architecture to water their fields and form a thoughtful and advanced civilization. To read that before the time of the Greeks, possibly thousands of years before Rome, the rise of the Ming dynasty that there were even more advancements happening in the Americas.

Knowing that the regions where the Aztec, Mayans, Incas and many more civilizations in the west cultivated art, music, science, the written manuscript shows the drive of every human. Evolution flourished in all parts of the world simultaneous, not in chronological order. For me, understanding history was linear in time, but I had associated it with written knowledge in our education system. It is marveling to see how diverse in the flourishment of other regions of the world were so advanced that we are still unable to determine how their systems of old were constructed, let alone support hundreds of thousands of millineals ago.

Keep in mind that before recorded history, vast cities, cultures and mega civilizations lived in an advanced state rivaling our current status of high-life. To have running water, complex tunneling systems for wealth distribution, and isolated sewage was something that did not happen in most of Europe for thousands of years later, is shocking to say the least. I re-watched one of my favorite time movies, Apocalypto to revisit this mega-metropolises to regain a taste of the ancients. It seems that our mother-earth has hidden many of her secrets which still dumbfound us today.

I was Disappointed to read that...

humans evolved from a Hunter Gather life thousands of years ago to grow to invent electricity and space flight whilst having less and less leisure time. The sections on Economy and the Environment discusses how Materialism has consumed our societies and caused us to work ourselves to not having enough leisure time. You mean, tens of thousands of years ago, they had more PTO!

It is ironic to think that once you have the basic living items completed, time for a break. We, today have the somehow even squeeze our two-15 minute breaks into our busy days. Yes, we have "more things", we are walking upright, and that we have the science to possibly extend our life!  And for what! To work even more and have less downtime. 

Social Media, our mentors, our society tells us to strive and somehow invent or find a way to freedom from our jobs, to be successful to a point of financial freedom. Knowing this fact on materialism, it seems to me that the hourglass of time has just been turned upside down. The smarter we become, the less time we have to live within all of these accomplishments isn't' that ironic.

I found it interesting to read that...

in the modern age (2020) there still is a civilization in Northern Tanzania today, that lives and survives in the same manner as ancient people from 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Having a society that is actively fighting the agricultural way of life in which the rest of the world has adapted is shocking to say the least.

I do believe that our "return to our roots" behavior is inherent to humans seeking out to reenact our primal beginnings in the form of roughing it like camping, hiking, and backpacking. This is not to say that these outdoor sports are primal, but that they place us in a vulnerable scenario of ages past. The survival of the fittest is the best way of relating to the "Hunter and Gatherer" way of life.