Welcome travellers!
During the next eight months we will embark on an epic adventure of religion, art, and history, as we voyage across the Silk Road. Join me as I follow the trail that has impacted countless cultures over the years, setting the stage for religion as we know it today.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Week 7: The Struggle With Social Class

Greetings travellers,

My adventure continues, as I embark on a slightly different path in my studies. Thus far, I have been focussing on art and religious influences, however, the influence of the Government during the Tang Dynasty played an equally powerful role in the makeup of these ancient peoples.

Changan was highly controlled and run by the government, placing strict barriers regarding social class and ideal jobs for its inhabitants. From their homes to the market place, the government had control over what they wanted to see, ensuring it happened. The idea of social class is an issue that troubles families all over the world, regardless of age or race. Even in North America the boundaries an family's status forms prevents them from living an equal life, with equal opportunities. Although this idea of everlasting peace and equality is a positive goal to aim for, achieving such a goal continues to move farther and farther from being accomplished. Why are we continuously trying to break free from the bonds tied by our historical roots? How is it that history continues to repeat itself in more ways than one? Reading articles and memoirs of people in Changan during the Tang Dynasty illustrated to me their everlasting struggle to escape their doomed role in society, and the governments unwavering stance in their expected roles of the people. As I look around my hometown and other places to date, I still see this problem . Let's hope that with this new year we bring productive growth and change to the world.

Tune in next week as I continue my adventure along the Silk Road.



Yours truly,
~A.V.

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