Topic for Doc3

The topic I will be addressing is the Yan state. The Yan state was a Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Its capital, Ji, is what is now known as Beijing. Yan's government is based off of a monarchy, meaning that there is a ruling king or queen, primarily king. The state was established in the 11th century BCE, in Western Zhou. After the fall of the Zhou king, Yan became one of the strongest Chinese states of its time, being the last to fall to Qin Shihuang during the Warring States period. The state fell before the declaration of the Qin Empire in 222 BCE. In 207 BCE, Yan experienced a brief period of independence before falling to Han. In the state, the currency that was used is quite odd. The state utilized knife money, spade money, as well as other ancient Chinese coinage like Ban Liang coins and Wu Zhu coins. Throughout Yan's history, there has been a record of 36 rulers.

Quran and the New Testament

It is known that the Bible (New Testament) and the Quran have many similarities, besides both being a holy book. Both share similar teachings, narratives, and poetry, as well as, they both teach the creation of the world by a single almighty God who commands humans to follow the morality set out for them. Moreover, both books share similar figures, such as Enoch, Imram, Ishmael, as well as similar narratives, such as Saul and Gideon, and Haman, Pharaoh, and Xerxes.

Furthermore, the Quran and the New Testament share a somewhat similar view of what heaven would be like. In the Bible, heaven is typically depicted as streets paved with gold, tranquility, etc. In the Quran, heaven is depicted as a "Garden graced with flowing streams". Even though this mostly relates to the Garden of Eden, in the Bible, it still describes that the Quran details of a heaven just like in the Bible/New Testament.

Even though these two books are from two different cultures, both share similarities but still have differences that separate them.  

Roles of Daodejing

Daodejing, a Chinese text, is a fundamental text that describes Taoism, as well as influenced many other school teachings like Legalism and Confucianism. Additionally, one of the topics it discusses, it explains the separate roles between male and female. The male role is represented by Yang which complements the female role. The female role is represented by Yin, which emphasizes the quiescent qualities of nature. Together, the two create Yin and Yang, which is a balance, or complementary, force.

Presidents to Confucius

The basic teachings of Confucanism is to have a focus on family and social harmony. In comparison to the presidential candidates, I personally believe that these teachings closely resemble Ben Carson.

Ben Carson, a retired nuerosurgeon that grew up in Detriot, declared his presidency on May 3, 2015. Ben Carson believes in the unity of the family. Additionally, to increase the protection of the family and the society, Carson believes that firearms should be better regulated in larger cities and places with higher crime rates, as well as the fact that he strongly believes in the Second Amendment. In accordance to health care, Carson believes that the Affordable Care Act is like slavery. Additionally, on same-sex marriage, Carson believes that it should not exist and that marriage should only be between a male and female; however, in a later interview, he corrected himself by saying that he was wrong for saying that and that he loves and cares for everyone, gay or straight. So overall, Ben Carson relates to the teachings of Confucius to an extent; however, I still feel that he is one of the good choices for presidency.

The Soul

The basic definition of a soul is that it is the immortal essence of a living being. Furthermore, the soul has been researched to have both a scientific and religious meaning. In religion, specifically Christianity, the soul is an essential part of the human body. The soul has sensations, thoughts, desires, beliefs, and perform intentional actions. Additionally, it is believed that each person's soul is to be judged by God when he/she dies. It is then that God decides whether he/she goes to Heaven or Hell. On the other hand, in science, the soul is thought to be a relationship between the mind or the body (these are two different views). The two fields that represent these relationships are neuroscience, which is the study of how the brain works, and physics, which in my opinion is literally the study of everything, haha. Overall, the nature of a soul is that it is the immortal essence of a living being.

The Changing Tides of Life

Life is full of many different experiences. Many can be good experiences; however, most can also be terrible, both have the capability to be life changing. One of the most impactful changes in my life, more or less a decision, was when I decided what I wanted to get my degree in.
In my first year of college, I was going to major in Biology, hopefully to be a Veterinarian; however, I took a class at West Georgia, my second semester, which made me rethink my choices on what I wanted to major in. In effect, transferring over here to Middle Georgia, I changed my major to something that I have always been good at ever since I was a toddler.
My new major is Information Technology and my concentration is between Gaming Development or Cyber Forensics. I've always loved gaming but I also like puzzles and challenges. Thankfully, the program here is generous enough to allow me to take classes in both sections just to see which one I would be more interested in.
This is only one change in my life, a good one I might add. I know that down the road life will throw curve balls at me to where I have to make a decision that could have a permanent effect on my life. Even though that frightens me a bit, I look forward to what the future holds for me.