Pocca

Pocca
WHAT MAKES A CIVILIZATION SUCCESSFUL

Robbie Wilson
Wilson, Robert Friday, May 30, 2014 11:46:16 Mr. Dr. Professor Sir Robbie Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:c8:87
A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how
to grow in rows.
- Doug Larson
CHAPTER 1
1
Introduction
The shimmering desert stretches for as far
as the eye can see. Forty-foot tall sand
dunes stretch on for miles, unbroken in
the intense heat. The radiant sun beats
endlessly down on the earth, and in the
distance a sand storm moves forward on
the horizon ceaselessly, the sound eerie in
the dead silence of mid afternoon. Some-
where off to the side, a small rodent scuf-
es into a hole, in the shade of a small,
weathered tree, the only thing standing
for miles, it may seem. But, below the
next dune, an oasis lies in the midst of the
desert. Lush palm trees and grass lay
near the water, seeming to burst with life.
The smell of manure rises in the hot air.
By the edge of the water, large desert ani-
mals are bent down, drinking from the
cool water. It is in this unfavorable geo-
graphic environment that the civiliza-
tion of Pocca will be founded. It is a civili-
zation whose design takes its inspiration
from the study of past civilizations such
as the Arabs, the Aztecs, the Greeks, the
Mayans, the Mesopotamians, and the Ro-
mans, among others. This book will docu-
2
ment the necessary steps to take in order
to create a successful civilization.
3
"The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
SECTION I
4
Analysis of the Problem
In order to create a successful civiliza-
tion, the rst step would be to secure ba-
sic human needs, such as food, water,
and shelter. Due to its dry environment,
the biggest problems the civilization of
Pocca will face are nding enough food
and water to support a large amount of
people.
Water In the middle of the desert, water
is not that easy to come by. The best place
for Pocca to settle is by an oasis, even
though it could possibly evaporate, or we
could use it all up by drinking and bath-
ing. In addition, even if an oasis were big
enough to last for years, we would have
trouble nding a way to transport it to
higher ground, or over the sand dune. If
the people of Pocca could nd an oasis
big enough to support a civilization, then
we will be able to expand our civilization.
Otherwise, we will die off within a few
days for lack of water.

Food Behind water, food is the most im-
portant thing a man needs to survive.
But, unfortunately, nding food in the de-
sert is not so easy, so there could be many
food shortages to deal with, which was a
problem for the Mesopotamians (Frey 34).
For animals, living in the desert is as hard
as it is for humans, so animals will be
scarce. Most of the desert will be covered
in sand, and it will not be easy to nd fer-
5
tile soil to grow crops well enough to sup-
port Pocca. This will be one of the most
important things to establish in order to
keep Pocca from dying out.
6
It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can
best manage change.
- Charles Darwin
SECTION II
7
Proposed Solutions
For the civilization of Pocca to last, it has
to learn to adapt and modify its environ-
ment to support a large amount of peo-
ple. An example of a modication is
building a series of canals and irrigation
systems to transfer water to the people of
Pocca. An un-resourceful civilization that
cannot adapt and modify the environ-
ment to suit their needs will denitely
fall.
One of the most difcult challenges
that the Maya will face was to grow
enough food to feed their growing popu-
lation, which is a problem the civiliza-
tion of Pocca will face (Frey 268). A solu-
tion is to set traps for small rodents,
though that would create an unstable
food supply. Another idea is to attempt to
nd soil in the oasis. Then we could put
the soil in a raised box to create space to
farm crops that would do well in the hot
environment, such as rice, tomatos, pep-
pers, squash, melons, dates and cucum-
bers, such as the Arabs did (Frey 78). If
this provides a stable food supply, then
we could also grow spices that do well in
the heat, such as basil, and trade with
other civilizations for things we dont
have and need.
By settling by an oasis, like the Arabians
did (Frey 78), water may not be a prob-
lem, until we use it all up and have to set-
tle at another oasis. We will dig a network
of channels leading up to the crops to irri-
gate them, and to the houses, to provide
water for the people, such as the ancient
Mesopotamians did (Frey 37). Everyone
would have their own small pool of water
8
that they can use for various things
around the house, and to keep plants and
animals cool in the intense heat. Most ma-
jor cities have a very advanced irrigation
system, and that will be the single most
important thing in making Pocca an ex-
tremely successful civilization.
9
No man is good enough to govern another man
without the other's consent.
CHAPTER 2
10
Law & Government
- Abraham Lincoln
Lessons on Democracy
An important lesson to learn from the
Greek city-state Athens is to give equal
opportunities to all citizens. In Athens,
all Athenian citizens were allowed to say
what they wished about new laws in the
Athenian assembly. This is known as a di-
rect democracy, where everyone has a
say. In the US, we have a representative
democracy, where a few people represent
each state. To make it fair, 500 citizens
over the age of 30 were chosen as the
council of 500, who suggested new laws
to the Athenian assembly. This process in-
cluded everyone, but didnt always allow
great ideas to come through. If a citizen
had a great idea, and he didnt get
picked, then that idea would go to waste.
The Spartan government had some
good aspects of their government, and
some bad one that led it to its downfall.
They were led by the council of elders, a
group of 2 kings and 28 men over the age
of 60. They were expected to serve life
terms, and today were considered an oli-
garchy. The council of elders would pre-
sent new laws to the Spartan assembly,
which was made up of Spartan citizens.
They could only vote yes or no, and
couldnt debate. They had little power
over the law making.
Both of these city-states in Greece
started with a Monarchy, or one ruler
11
who inherited the throne from his father.
They were advised by a group of wealthy
men who, after a while, came into power.
This was known as an oligarchy, or a few
people share power, like in Sparta. Since
the rulers were only wealthy, they
couldnt care less about the poor. Eventu-
ally, the poor decided to take charge.
They over threw the rich, and took power
for themselves. This was known as tyr-
anny, where someone takes power ille-
gally. In most cases, the new rulers power
went to his head. In both city-states, these
changes in government caused people to
decide to change the way things were
run, and governments that treated all citi-
zens equally were established.
From looking at these examples of gov-
ernment, we can learn that everyone
needs a chance to take part in govern-
ment. In Athens, their government
worked well because people are happy
when they can decide what rules should
be made. The Spartan government was
run tighter, and didnt give everyone a
chance to participate the way they
wanted to. I think the most important les-
son to learn is to give all citizens equal op-
portunities in the government. This is
also a big part of the Roman republic
Roman Republic
As I said before, it is important to give
people what they want. By 509 B.C.E. in
Rome, the kings known as the Etruscan
12
kings had been taken over and replaced
with wealthy landowners, known as Patri-
cians. The senate, a group of 300 men
who served as government ofcials, ad-
vised the consuls in leading the army.
Now, this only included the wealthy peo-
ple, so the lower class people, called ple-
beians, which means many in Latin, were
left out of the government. Not only that,
but the Patricians were creating unfair
laws that were changing all the time. The
plebeians took up 95% of the population,
and were used for military forces. As a re-
bellion, all of the plebeians left the city,
leaving it unprotected from attackers dur-
ing a time known as conict of the orders
The Patricians had to give the plebs
power in the government. By 451 B.C.E.,
the plebeians had 10 people who repre-
sented the plebs in the government, and
what was known as the citizens assem-
bly. They were known as the tribune of
the plebs. Also, the council of the plebs
could veto, or say no to any law that
seemed unjust. That meant that the patri-
cians couldnt make the plebeians do any-
thing that was unfair, and could also
make laws that only affected plebeians.
By 367 B.C.E., the laws were written
down on what was called the twelve ta-
bles. This way, no new laws could be
made. Eventually, the plebeians had as
much rights as the patricians, and this led
to a very stable government.
13
Code of Laws
My laws are different from Hammurabis
laws because mine are less like an eye for
an eye. I give people a chance, and give
them a slash on the wrist to mark a
wrongdoing. If you hurt someone under
Hammurabis laws, you will get hurt
also, while in my civilization, you will
just receive a warning in the form of a
slash. I give people a chance to stay in my
civilization, and prove they can help,
while help, while Hammurabi just killed
them. My laws are more like Romes
laws, and dont govern the people as
hard. This creates a place where people
can fell safe, but not feel pressured with
every step. Hammurabi kept his people
from getting great ideas, because they
were so afraid, and I recognize this. My
civilization will ourish if people dont
feel too much pressure.
The following sentences contain my
best laws. If anyone revives 3 slashes they
can be put to death, or you can be exiled.
There are various crimes you can commit
to receive a slash, and, as it states, if you
get 3 of them, there is a punishment. Also,
all children must attend school to take
part in the government. This creates a
very stable government, and everyone
who participates has a education. Finally,
if anyone tries to doge taxes, they will
pay double taxes for 5 months. This way,
no one can cheat the government. These
14
laws are strict, while they keep the people
happy. By looking at the code of Hammu-
rabi and the 12 tables, I realized that all
people shouldnt live in fear, but they
should still be governed tightly to insure
safety.

It is written that all people shall follow
these laws:
I. If any one citizen receives 3 slashes (a
slash being a knife cut on the wrist), they
will be put on exile, or put to death de-
pending on the severity of their crimes.
II. In times of peace, if someone steals
something, they will pay the amount of
money it cost, and get one slash.
III. If a citizen lies to get out of trouble,
they will receive 1 slash and be brought
to court.
IV. All citizens must be present at a meet-
ing they are required to be at, and will be
brought to court if not present.
V. If a citizen damages anothers prop-
erty, they will pay for repairs and be
brought to court.
VI. Slaughtering someone elses farm ani-
mals will result in a slash.
VII. If someone is in dept., they will not
be able to buy anything until they pay it
back
IIX. All children must be given an educa-
tion. If they are uneducated, they will not
15
be able to participate in any government
meetings.
IX. All citizens are to be treated equally,
rich to poor, male to female.
X. The top 20% in each class will serve the
government for at least 3 years, and at
max 6 years
XI. Each city will have their vote, and
they will appoint 3 people to represent in
the main city
XII. If anyone tries to doge taxes, they
will have to pay double taxes for 5
months
XIII. All taxes will go to funding for the
empire, not the king
XIV. You cannot deface any statues. If you
do, you will receive 1 slash.
XV. Murder is punishable by death or ex-
ile
XVI. All men must serve in the military at
least 2 years
16
Political Leadership
Julius Cesar
All leaders can learn from Julius Cesars
mistakes. All of the mistakes he made led
him to his death. If people look at the
things he did wrong, they will see what is
required to be done to keep the people
happy. Also, they can see that it is still im-
portant to give other people power to
keep the rich happy. This is the one mis-
take that Cesar made, not giving other
people enough power. On Frey 17, it
states He took power from the senate.
This was the single most crucial mistake
that Cesar made, and that led him to his
downfall. In my view, Cesar was a great
leader, and didnt do anything wrong, be-
sides taking power from the senate. He
really just did the things that helped the
people most. I think that it is important
for people to give everyone equal status
in the government, and no one thinks
they have more power than anyone else.
In conclusion, a lot can be learned from Ju-
lius Cesars mistakes, and by studying
these mistakes, a person can become a
great leader.
Augustus Caesar
A lesson to be learned from Augustus Ce-
sar is not to get to involved with family
life. He is considered the greatest ruler of
all time. He was considered a god. The
17
one mistake he made was he got too in-
volved with family life. Some people
didnt want to get married, or didnt
want to have kids, so they were taxed
more than other people. If he had not
done this, he would have probably been
the perfect ruler, and, in Freys text, The
Romans answered him by honoring him
as a god. Not to be to critical, I will ex-
plain why he was so loved. He rebuilt all
the important infrastructure. The city was
in ruins, and it was more beautiful than it
had ever been. Also, he established a re
and police department to keep the city
safe. Also, he could take criticism. That
meant you could make a comment with-
out being killed. This is what helped him
rule for 41 years, and die a god. In conclu-
sion, family life is usually a very personal
matter, and I dont think that he should
have been so strict about it. He was a
great leader, and I think most Romans
were able to over look that. Augustus Ce-
sar was a great leader, and much can be
learned by studying him.
Decline of the Western Roman Empire
There were many reasons for the fall of
the Roman Empire, but I believe that po-
litical corruption was the main reason. Af-
ter the death of Augustus Cesar, Rome
fell into turmoil. The Pretorian Guard
were created to protect himself, but after
his death, these guards got to choose who
was to lead Rome, But they frequently
18
chose leaders that would reward them
rather than those who were best pre-
pared (Frey 8). This meant that the very
rich patricians were chosen for their
wealth, instead of their leadership. Politi-
cal Corruption could have been pre-
vented in Rome if they had a stable gov-
ernment. The reason for the Political Cor-
ruption that took place in ancient Rome
was because of the governments deci-
sions. If you do not have a stable govern-
ment that holds your civilization to-
gether, then your empire will come to a
quick fall. There are many things that we
can learn from the mistakes that the Ro-
mans made.
My civilization can learn from the politi-
cal corruption that took place in Rome be-
cause it shows you how important a gov-
ernment can be to an empire. One of the
ways we are going to prevent this is by
making sure that everyone in the govern-
ment is full of people who are graduates
and know what to do in political situa-
tions. Our civilization will also have the
citizens vote on who they want to rule
the civilization. This can be an advantage
in many ways because if the people of the
civilization vote on who they want to rule
the majority of the people will make the
decision on which man will be best. Plus,
if the people vote on who they want they
will most likely be happy on who they
voted on so it will lower the amount of
19
rulers over the span of time because there
will be a ruler that the people are happy
with. The reason for this decision is be-
cause if the government picks wealthy
men, it doesnt t the votes of what the
people want and just on what the
wealthy want. This is one of the reasons
that many believe that led to Rome's fall,
just because they had a vote that didnt ac-
count for all of the citizens so the rulers
kept on getting murdered. In conclusion,
if you dont have the majority of the peo-
ple vote on the ruler, then the ruler may
not be that great or the people may not
like him which leads to death, which we
saw in Ancient Romes downfall.
20
Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.
- Napoleon Bonaparte
CHAPTER 3
21
Impact of Beliefs
Why does every civilization need a belief
system? There are many answers to this
open-ended question, however the main
reason why every great civilization has a
belief system is because belief systems
hold everyone together morally. If you
look back into to history, and study an an-
cient civilization, chances are, they proba-
bly had a strong belief system that held
them together. People would believe that
if they did something bad, something bad
would happen to them. People would
have something, or someone to blame for
the unknown. The world would be very
simple to everyone.
In order to further understand the impor-
tance of a belief system on society, and
their inuence on their followers, ac-
knowledge the moral dilemma below:
Roger Smith, a skillful swimmer, is out
for a leisurely stroll. During the course of
his walk he passes by a deserted pier
from which a teenage boy who appar-
ently cannot swim has fallen into the wa-
ter. The boy is screaming desperately for
help. Smith recognizes that there is abso-
lutely no danger to himself if he jumps in
to save the boy; he could easily succeed if
he tried. Nevertheless, he chooses to ig-
nore the boy's cries. "Why should I incon-
venience myself for this kid," Smith says
to himself, and passes on.
If Roger Smith were a Hindu, his next life
would take a turn for worst. By leaving
22
the kid to die, it would be bad for his
Karma. Karma was how, Souls were re-
warded or punished for the good or bad
they had done (Frey 149). By letting the
kid die, he would be reincarnated into a
lower caste, or animal. A Hindu would
probably do anything so that they could
rise up in the caste system, where it was
important to follow your Dharma, or
your duty. Each caste system thought it
was important to follow their Dharma, or
Varna Dharma, to help with their Karma.
By letting the kid drown, he is making
the chances of reincarnating as a y
much greater. If Roger Smith were to call
himself a Hindu, I wouldnt believe it. He
didnt show any signs of respect that all
Hindus should show.
If Roger Smith were Buddhist, he would
be breaking almost every rule of the
Eightfold Path. The Eightfold path
teaches us to have the right understand-
ing, right purpose, right speech, right ac-
tion, right way to earn a living, right ef-
fort, right mindfulness, and right conver-
sation. Also, the Four Noble Truths is
the idea that all things change (Frey
159). It tells us that nothing should suffer,
and that suffering is caused by craving.
By just passing by, he isnt helping him
with his suffering. He isnt promoting
good actions, and if the kid survives, he
will have been promoted with evil ac-
tions. He also doesnt show the right
mindfulness by being too attached to his
thoughts. By having a sense of your
23
mind, but not being attached to it, he
couldve been thinking more of the kid,
and less of himself. By letting the kid die,
he is breaking almost every code of Bud-
dhism.
If Roger Smith were Confucius, the out
come of this situation would be very
much the same. Based on the teachings of
Confucius, there are ve basic relation-
ships. They are, in order, Ruler and
subject, husband and wife, father and
son, older sibling and younger sibling,
and friend and friend (Frey 208). Basi-
cally, you should respect all others above
you. It could be said that Roger Smith just
wanted to have some peace and quiet,
and the boy was disturbing that. But, Con-
fucius taught that you shouldnt do to oth-
ers what you would not want done to
you (Frey 208), and I dont think that he
wants someone to let him die. By saving
the kid, he would be setting a good exam-
ple for the kid, and in turn, the kid would
set good examples for others. Confuciuss
teachings would lead Roger Smith to save
the boy.
Belief System of Pocca
Now you can see how moral values have
a big role in keep people tied together.
Whether you practice Hinduism, Bud-
dhism, Confucianism, or any other be-
lief system, it will teach you the power of
your actions. They help guide people
24
through life, and promote good actions. It
gets involved in our actions, and pushes
us to go the right way. Society needs to
know what is right, and what is wrong
and without it, our moral codes will crum-
ble, and civilization will fall apart.
My Morals - In an effort to create a suc-
cessful civilization, the people of Pocca
have established their own belief system.
It shares similar religious beliefs and
teaching with other world religion and
helps the people of Pocca live with strong
moral values. Here are some examples:
Trkat - Trust
The rst moral value of the civiliza-
tion of Pocca is Trkat. Trkat means to
be trusting and trustworthy, and places
an emphasis on building a strong society.
If you know that you can always trust
your neighbor, you will feel much safer. A
safe society leads to a stable civilization,
and a stable civilization is one of the step-
ping stones to a great, successful civiliza-
tion, which is the ultimate goal of Pocca.
There is no need to meditate, or go to any
religious place to fulll the obligations of
this pillar until you have reached adult-
hood. All you have to do is be trusting
and trustworthy. If you are able, once you
have reached the age of 30, you must
make a journey through the spirit caves
to learn upmost trust and respect. By mak-
ing this journey, you will learn to trust
yourself to make the right decision. After
this, you must teach what you have
25
learned to others. This is similar to the re-
ligion of Buddhism and its Eightfold
Path, and its teachings of right speech
and right action. Making the right deci-
sions on what to say, while making sure
that you are not harming others is impor-
tant. It is also important to make the right
physical decisions, and not hurt someone
who trusts you. Trkat reminds people
of these things, and is another step to-
ward a successful civilization.
R!mk Respect
The second moral of the civilization of
Pocca is R"mk. R"mk means to re-
spect all things, and do not harm them.
R"mk places an emphasis on keeping
things together. If someone follows
R"mk well, then they will not damage
or harm houses, people, or public spaces.
This will lead to a peaceful society, and a
peaceful society is another stepping stone
towards a successful civilization. Once
again, there is no need to meditate, pray,
or go to a religious place every day. In-
stead, once in a lifetime, you must travel
to the spirit caves, where you can journey
through mazes of rock to learn how our
earth has a much greater power than any
man. Once you know this, upmost re-
spect has been achieved, and you must
try to teach your learnings to others. This
value is similar to the Buddhist values of
right action, right living, and right mind-
fulness. If you make the right actions, do
the right thing for a living, and express
26
right mindfulness, you are showing signs
of respect, which is the goal of R"mk.
Ld - Do the right thing
The third and nal moral value is
Ld, which means to do the right thing.
Everyone should try to be the best they
can be, and make the right decisions. By
following Ld, you are being the best
you can be, and it is believed that it is re-
warded. But, doing the wrong thing is
punishable by the gods, and affects your
day-to-day life. This is related to the
Hindu belief of Karma, because they both
reward good things, and punish bad
things. The more good they do, the better
the chances they have of being reincar-
nated in a higher caste. The more bad
things they do, they may be reincarnated
into a lower being. In the civilization of
Pocca, there is a way to get out of your
wrongdoings, of course. You can go into
the confession room, where you can ad-
mit what you have done, and plead for
forgiveness. If everyone in the civilization
of Pocca is the best they can be, then no
crime or harmful things will be commit-
ted. This will lead to a prosperous civiliza-
tion, which is another thing that all suc-
cessful civilizations have. If the people of
Pocca follow these three morals, then
Pocca can rise up to become one of the
greatest civilizations the world has
known.
27
Pocca Sacred Space
In Pocca, the enlightened caves help to
promote the moral
values of R!mk
and Trkat, or re-
spect and trust. A
journey through the
caves teaches you to
respect things, and
trust others and your-
self. Throughout the
caves, there are
places you can medi-
tate, and help contact
your inner self to
learn these things.
Each one of the meditation spots empha-
sizes different things, like respect ani-
mals, respect natural things, and trust oth-
ers. This is similar to
some of the Buddha
beliefs of the eight-
fold path that relate
to respect and trust,
like right speech,
right action, right liv-
ing, and right mind-
fulness. All of these
things are examples
of what the people of
Pocca are expected to
embody, and are also
the stepping-stones
toward a successful civilization. Pocca
Meditation spot embodying respect your elders.
Gallery 5.1 Religious Spots
28
will become a great civilization, with a
helpful community, and a stable society
The Middle Ages
I - Middle ages - Rise of Feudalism
Appendectomy - In Hospital
II - Middle Ages - Decline of Feudalism
There were three main reasons for the de-
cline of feudalism in Europe, drawn out
wars, widespread disease, and political
change. In England, political changes in
the 12th and 13th century took away
power, and gave power to certain people.
The rst change came from the Magna
Carta, a written agreement that limited
the kings power, and strengthened the
nobles rights (Frey 55). Also, Habeas Cor-
pus allowed fair judgment, as you had to
take someone to court to imprison them,
instead of unfairly throwing them right
in. These allowed various people to gain
more power, and throw off the course of
feudalism. Another large factor in the de-
cline of feudalism was the bubonic
plague, which was believed to have
started in China. It was carried by eas
and was the known as the black death be-
cause the victims would have black and
blue blotches on their skin. This disease af-
fected everyone, and no one was safe
from it. It ended up wiping out about 24
million Europeans. After the plague,
there was a shift in power from the no-
bles to the pheasants because of the lack
of workers. The pheasants then were able
29
to demand more power and money, be-
cause the number of people left was low.
This also led to many
pheasant rebellions,
the most famous
known as the Eng-
lish Pheasants war,
where the pheasants
actually made it to
the king! Another big
factor in the decline
of feudalism was the
hundred years war.
The English were pay-
ing their peasants to
ght, and they saw
this as an opportunity to make good
money. When they returned from the war,
they had lots of money, and didnt want
to work on the manor anymore. This
meant that manors
didnt have enough
workers to till the
elds and tend to the
animals. All of these
events had a hand in
the decline of feudal-
ism, and al had a last-
ing impact on the
world it left behind.
II - Middle Ages -
The Plauge
The plague had the
biggest impact in preparing Europe to
move from the Middle Ages to the Age of
The manor house is 2 stories
Gallery 5.2 Medieval Manor
30
Enlightenment and the rise of Humanism
because after all the suffering and death,
peoples faith in god diminished. They
stopped focusing on life after death, and
more on life itself. Also, everyone thought
that it was a curse from god, which didnt
help to strengthen the peoples belief in
god.
From Feudalism to Humanism
The plague had the biggest impact in pre-
paring Europe to move from the Middle
Ages to the Age of Enlightenment and
the rise of Humanism because after all
the suffering and death, peoples faith in
god diminished. They stopped focusing
on life after death, and more on life itself.
Also, everyone thought that it was a
curse from god, which didnt help to
strengthen the peoples belief in god. Peo-
ple really realized that life was more im-
portant than life after death, and they
thought about the contributions that they
could make to the present. The death of
so many people Speeded changes in
Europes economic and social structure
that contributed tot eh decline of feudal-
ism, and the rise of the renaissance (Frey
57). Power shifted, the economy changes,
and suddenly, everyone had more free
time on their hands. And what better way
to use that time than to make art, or do
science! This is what people started to re-
alize, and all of a sudden, art and science
were ourishing. Although there were
31
many reasons for the decline of feudal-
ism, I rmly believe that the black plague
was the biggest cause for the changes.
32
"If at rst, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it."
- Albert Einstein
CHAPTER 4
33
Power of Ideas
Humanisms Effect on Europe
The European society decided to
changed as a result of the new questions,
ideas, and ways of thinking that were
brought on by the humanist mindset of
the renaissance. A couple of big changes
that occurred during the renaissance was
the changes of government. People
decided to separate the church from the
state, taking away most of the churches
power. An`other change that took place
during the Renaissance was in the social
standing. In the times of the Feudalistic
hierarchy, if you were born in a class, you
had to stay in it. But, ...Renaissance
thinkers prized individual achievement
more than a persons class (Frey 321),
and people could be paid for skill, and
could move up in the social standing.
Another thing that changed with the rest
of society was the Catholic Church. After
it was separated from the state, it lost
most of its power. Also, people were
starting to question ideas and beliefs
taught by the Church. Finally, there were
many advances in sculpture, painting,
science, mathematics, and literature.
People began to really look at depth,
emotion, and challenged previous beliefs
and ideas. Art became much more vivid,
and mathematical, compared to the at,
unrealistic art of the middle ages. Science
became much more accurate during
demonstrations, where scientists would
34
cut open dead bodies to take notes on the
insides. Everything was challenged
during the Renaissance, and many of the
things learned then are still used today.
Humanist Ideas in my Civilization
In my Minecraft civilization, the human-
ist mindset would change some things,
like our culture, but I believe that my gov-
ernment system and my Belief system
would not change very much. The ques-
tions and ideas that the humanist mindset
would bring would promote new ideas
and traditions that would change my civi-
lization for the good. My civilization
gives room for new ideas, and a humanist
would thrive in my civilization. I think
that it would make the social standing in
my civilization much better, because hu-
manists would bring the idea that ...All
people had the ability to...achieve great-
ness. (Frey 320). With this in mind, and
many other humanist beliefs, my civiliza-
tion will be ourishing with culture, art,
science and math. But, I do not believe
that the humanist mindset will affect my
government system. I believe that my gov-
ernment system is very fair, as only the
best-educated people will be chosen to
participate in the government, and they
cant participate in the government for
more than 6 years. This makes sure that
no one can get to powerful, and have too
much control. This is something that the
people of the renaissance think is impor-
35
tant, and that is already enforced in my
civilization. Also it is written in my laws
that all citizens should be treated equally,
from rich to poor, and male to female.
This is another thing that humanists think
is important, and I already have it in my
civilization. In conclusion, I think that hu-
manists will help to make the arts, sci-
ence, math, and social standing much
more fair, but my government will not
change.
The Protestant Reformation
There were many questionable teachings
and practices of the Catholic Church that
caused people to think the church was cor-
rupt. One example of corruption in the
church were indulgences. People could
buy indulgences to get out of their sins,
basically like a pardon from the church.
An example of this is if you kill someone
that you dont like, normally you would
get in trouble with the church. But, if you
hade an indulgence, you would not get in
trouble with the church. Also, simony
was going on in the church. If you were
rich, you could buy simony, or an ofce
in the church. People could become a
bishop anytime they wanted! Also, there
ended up being two Popes, one French,
and one English. The Pope war that pro-
ceeded is known as the Great Schism.
These are just some of the ways that the
Catholic Church was corrupt.
36
The ideas and questions of reformers
such as Martin Luther differed from the
traditional beliefs of the Catholic Church
and threatened its power. Heresy was the
act of speaking out against the church,
and claiming that the beliefs and prac-
tices that individuals were forced to do,
were in fact corrupt or not Christian at
all. John Wycliffe was an English scholar
who believed that the bible needed to be
translated into English so that all mem-
bers of society could read the word of
god. The church hated him for this, and
they ended up burning him at the stake.
But, a priest in Bohemia named Jan Hus
read Wycliffes writings, and agreed with
his ideas. The true head of the Catholic
Church should be Jesus Christ, and not
the Pope. It is said that he prepared the
people of Europe for the reformation. Un-
fortunately, he too was burned at the
stake.
Martin Luther was a German scholar and
religious gure who was fed up with the
Catholic Church and its many forms of
corruption. He became irritate when the
pope sent out hundreds of bishops to sell
indulges to help pay for this large project.
He went to a church in Wittenburg, Ger-
many, and posted his 95 theses, which
were his arguments against the church.
Then, he read all 95 of his statements
aloud. After this, people began to listen to
him, and soon he had lots of followers.
He soon became a huge threat to the
37
Catholic Church, but they were too afraid
to kill him or burn him at the stake. They
decided to just convict him at what is
known as the Trial of Worms. There, he
was convicted of heresy, and he went into
hiding for a while. A little while later,
there was a large pheasant uprising, in
which the German princes were ghting
the pheasants. The Catholic Church
thought that Luther would side with the
peasants, but instead, he sided with the
princes. He gured that the princes had
enough money to fund his new church.
By the end of the war, the princes had
killed 10,000 peasants, and Luther had
enough money for his new church, the Lu-
theran Church, and Christian branch. To-
day, there are many Lutheran churches all
over the world.
Famous Renaissance Figure
William Shakespeare further advance and
improve the success of my civilization.
He was a famous English poet and play-
wright who was most known for his tal-
ent for Expressing thoughts and feel-
ings in memorable ways (Frey 342). His
plays and poems helped to advance peo-
ples interest in literature and writing,
along with leaving a lasting mark on the
English language. Almost all of the 38
plays that he wrote are still performed to-
day, and his magnicent combinations of
History, romance, politics, prejudice,
38
murder, suicide, and war (Frey 324) are
still revered. He had a deep understand-
ing of human emo-
tions and behavior,
and used this skill to
create magnicent
plays and poems. His
plays were able to in-
uence many people
to become more
learned in all elds,
and had a great inu-
ence on writers, from
the time that he lived
to today. If he existed
in my civilization, I
strongly believe that. His achievements
would, like in the times of the Renais-
sance, would advance the minds and
thoughts of the everyday people, and cre-
ate a much smarter
civilization. This will
be very advanta-
geous for my civiliza-
tion, as we may be
more advanced, and
peaceful than other
civilizations. People
will pass their time
watching his amaz-
ing plays, laughing
and crying. Writers
will change the way
that they write, creat-
ing much more enjoyable literature. My
civilization will ourish with education
39
Gallery 6.1 William Shakespear
and entertainment, while maintaining the
humanist mindset that others have
brought. I strongly believe in the poten-
tial that William Shakespeare could bring
to my civilization, and would like to have
him in my civilization of Pocca.

40
CHAPTER 7
41
Bibliography & Images
Bibliography
Frey, Wendy. History Alive!: The Ancient World. Palo Alto, CA. Teachers Curriculum
Institute, 2011. Print.
Frey, Wendy. History Alive!: The Medieval World and Beyond. Palo Alto, CA. Teach-
ers Curriculum Institute, 2011. Print.
42
Images
http://www.wallpaperup.com/43/Nature/Deserts
http://no.wallpapersma.com/wallpaper/landskap-natur-desert-oasis.html
http://www.discoveryuk.com/web/survival-zone/how-to-survive/desert/desert-pr
ecautions/
http://www.irrigationmuseum.org/item1.aspx?id=129
http://museumchick.com/museumchick/architecture/page/5
http://adnxrs.com/3d-wallpaper/rocking-wallpaper-american-ag-pin-hd-image-wa
llpaper-for-fb/
http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Portal:Contents/Religion_and_belief_systems
http://www.agencypost.com/the-myth-of-the-light-bulb-idea/
http://elgarblog.wordpress.com/category/book-reviews/
43
http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323#awesm=~oFLPtT5
DLhqbU4
https://www.historicalcutouts.com/H79024-William-Shakespeare-Cardboard-Cutout-
Standee
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