1. Religious diversity
It was interesting to see how Cyrus the Great was able to maintain religious diversity, and how the "Cyrus Cylinder" inscribed the citizen's right to freedom to religious practice. It's weird to think of how I think that diversity an acceptance is a relatively new concept, yet it's something that we've seen historically in the most significant empire of its time. It's also interesting to see how it also fell apart, and it makes me think that we move in a cycle between acceptance for diversity and then go the opposite way, as we are even seeing today, and have seen from various historical moments that we learn. It makes me think that human subjectivity on tolerance to diversity shifts due to recency of events and the needs of people in its relation to power structures and the culture they live in. Shift from Persia to Iran....
2. Persepolis
The assumption I keep on having to undo is the complexity of past civilizations and this civilization is no exception. To see the size of the structures is amazing on its own, since they did not have access to modern technology and knowledge, but also the intricacies in the beauty in the scale its created in is something even greater than what most buildings have today. Seeing all of this makes me think we have a collective hubris about the scope of our knowledge and the potential we have, compared to the people in the past we think of as less knowledgeable and able.
I really appreciate how you connected the cyclical nature of tolerance throughout history to present day society, that’s a very deep insight. Your point about collective hubris and recognizing the brilliance of ancient civilizations shows mature critical thinking.
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