History Book

Swampmelia
THE ANSWER TO WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL

CIVILIZATION
Melissa Block
Block, Melissa Thursday, June 5, 2014 11:20:12 AM Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:b0:07:45
SECTION 1
The dark murky water completely covers the
landscape. Down in the depths of the water, the
moss tickles like a soft feather. The water is as
crisp and cold as a dark cave, the extended trees
reect upon its glassy surface. The prickly algae
is layered across the top of the water. The moist
air lls the environment like morning dew. The ra-
diant sun beams down behind the trees, as the
shade covers the environment endlessly. The
breeze wafts, branches sway far and near. A chill
This civilization will become a determined and healthy civilization of Swampmelia.
Introduction
1
comes and goose bumps form. The water goes on
for miles, a never-ending mirror to the treetops.
No at land is apparent, near impossible to plant
a single crop. As hundreds of tree stumps relax in
the view, the canopy of leaves peek through,
awaiting a baby blue sky.
It is a favorable geographic environment that
the civilization of Swampmelia will be founded. It
is a civilization whose design takes its inspiration
from the study of past civilizations such as the Ar-
abs, the Aztecs, the Greeks, the Mayans, the Meso-
potamians, and the Romans, among others. This
book will document the necessary steps to take in
order to create a successful civilization.
2
The swamp is dark and cold, yet there is always blue sky wait-
ing to peek through the trees.
good-wallpapers.com
People are children of their environments
-Shinichi Suzuki
CHAPTER 1
3
Modifications
SECTION 1
Part I- Analysis of the Problem
The rst step in building a successful civilization
is to secure basic human needs such as food and
water. Due to its geography, the major challenges
in the Civilization of Swampmelia faces in achiev-
ing a basic food and water supply including the
following:
1.) Swampmelia is built on moss and water, so it
is extremely hard to get a healthy food diet. There
is no way to plant crops and farm in this swampy
4
area. The only way for the citizens of Swampme-
lia to get food is to catch sh or hunt birds and
other animals up in the tree branches of the
swamps. This is appalling for their bodies, as the
citizens need the nutrients from the crops to stay
in a good physical shape. A healthy food diet is a
vital part of a strong civilization. Although there
could be other ways to get food, the farming is a
signicant part of durable civilization, and some-
how this needs to get xed.
2.) The water of Swampmelia is murky and
dirty; it is a huge challenge because the citizens
would have to clean the water and make sure it is
fresh and somewhat sanitary. There are also a lot
of leaves, weeds, and branches that could get
caught in the water. Their water is sickening and
could cause a terrible disease from drinking it, or
using it to clean off their bodies. This problem
needs to get resolved as soon as possible to help
this civilization become stronger and more deter-
mined.
Part II- Proposed Solutions
For Swampmelia to thrive as a successful civi-
lization, the citizens will have to adapt and mod-
ify their environment so that they will have a sta-
ble food and water supply. An adaptation is when
humans change themselves and the way they
5
The murky water makes it difcult to hunt and to get
clean and sanitary water.
http://natureye.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Pandanus-forest-th
at-might-be-axed.-Observe-the-murky-water-condition-300x224.jpg
would live to help them overcome challenges, and
a modication is when humans physically change
their environment to benet their survival. Adap-
tations and modications are extremely important
to survival and ultimately a thriving environment.
An example of a modication is; living in a hilly
area with no at land to grow crops, the people
there could modify their environment to build
earth steps to grow the crops on. The civilization
of Swampmelia will excel and become a strong
civilization through modifying and adapting the
environment.

1.) Swampmelia is created in the swamps, so there
is limited land, which makes it quite difcult to
grow crops. To x this problem, the citizens built a
dam to block the water. They did this because
then the citizens would be able to grow crops in
the empty land, but still have a majority of the wa-
ter left. This environmental modication similar
to the one made by the Mayans, helps the
swampy areas grow more food. In the Swampy
lowlands, the [Maya] constructed raised earth
platforms surrounded by canals that drained off
extra water (Frey 268). The Mayans created this
as a Platform above the water level to grow the
crops on. Whereas the citizens of Swampmelia cre-
ated a dam to save the water, but block it from
6
This is a dam that is used as a barrier to hold back wa-
ter.
http://www.earthgauge.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/beaver-da
m_fws.jpg
spreading too far and leaving space for farming
and crops. In conclusion Swampmelia built a dam
to make the civilization a better place to live.
2.) To overcome challenges with the water
supply, the citizens created an irrigation system.
There is a plentiful amount of water as it is a
swamp, so building an Irrigation system will
spread the water out over land. This may also
help clean the water as there wont be as much
pressure and it will ow. This irrigation system
will help with crops, washing, and supplying
clean water to drink. This modication is similar
to the Aztecs when they created an irrigation sys-
tem. The city boasted other technological mar-
vels, like the aqueduct that carried fresh water for
irrigation (Frey 275). Fresh water will help the
civilization of Swampmelia thrive.
7
The nished Irrigation system in Swampmelia.
The peoples good is the highest law.
-Cicero
CHAPTER 2
8
Law and Government
Source:http://www.bluffton.edu/%5C~s
ullivanm/washdc/supremecrt/frontangle
SECTION 1
Lessons on Democracy
One of the most important lessons that Swamp-
melia has learned from past civilizations is to
have the right amount of people in their govern-
ment so the system will run well. In Athens they
had a Council of 500, by having this amount of
people, they would have more ideas and a better
outcome as they could choose the best ideas for
their civilization. Whereas in Sparta, there was a
Council of Elders, this had 28 members over the
Maintaining Civil Order
9
age of 60. (Frey 265) This was a very few amount
of people so over years there would be less ideas
and the government would weaken. Swampmelia
wants to encourage their ideas, but not have too
many as they would still like a debate amongst
their people. So, the Swampmelia government
would like to follow in the footsteps of Rome.
Romes council known as the Senate had 300 peo-
ple, this was good as there would lead too a plenti-
ful amount of ideas, but people can still debate
and vote for what they would like. This led Rome
to
a successful government as a republic and will do
the same to Swampmelia. The government of
Swampmelia will continue to grow and a council
of 300 is going to make great decisions happen.
10
A government helps create laws that maintain the civi-
lizations order. These laws will make sure all citizens
are equal.
http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/lookandlearn-preview/A/A0
00/A000117-03.jpg
A council made important decisions in order to help Rome be-
come more powerful.
http://www.historyles.co.uk/images/Europe/Romans/Rome_CouncilN
icaea01_full.jpg
The second lesson learned from the past civiliza-
tions is to treat all citizens equal. In Rome, the Pa-
tricians (higher class citizens) got treated easier
than the Plebeians (lower class citizens). As said
in Frey, Angry over the lack of power, the plebe-
ians marched out of the city and camped on a
nearby hill. They refused to come back until the
patricians met their demands(Frey 319). The pa-
tricians demanded more political rights and 95%
of the population were plebeians so overtime the
patricians and plebeians knew they had to com-
promise. Swampmelia has to make sure everyone
has a fair say and is treated right. If not, this could
lead to a rebel just like the plebeians and Swamp-
melia does not need that to happen. Swampmelia
wants equality and all the citizens to be happy,
and to do this each citizen will have a say in the
government and how the civilization is run. The
citizens get to express their opinions and make
Swampmelia more equal. Swampmelia will en-
courage equality throughout so past experiences
wont reoccur.
The third lesson learned from the past civiliza-
tions is how the right age for the people in the gov-
ernment could affect decisions. The government
in Swampmelia would like the age limit to be 18
11
The Patricians and the Plebeians ghting.
http://sbceo.org/~vms/carlton/Rome/Romangovt2.jpg
years and older. This way the government will be
fresh with ideas and not repeat any bad things
that occurred years before. The government will
still have older members to help with ideas. The
only down side to having the age limit be so
young is that the government wont know as
much about Swampmelia as if starting with an
older age. Swampmelia admires the Athenians
and would like to have the same age limit as they
did. Athens is a strong civilization that had
thrived for many years and Swampmelia is en-
couraged to do just the same. Swampmelia has
learned several important lessons from past civili-
zations that they will take into thought when
building a civilization so large.
Code of Laws
1.)
12
Swampmelia is a powerful civilization, although
for it to become a more successful area it will need
laws that concentrate on property, justice, health,
safety, and trade. Swampmelia doesnt have a
huge amount of land, so the important laws are
the ones affecting property. In this land the citi-
zens dont want robberies and murderers happen-
ing often so it is important that there is a law that
will help Swampmelia stay in order. Swampmelia
has learned that in Hammurabis code of laws
there were laws relevant to robbery and how the
robber was put to death after doing something so
horrible. So, the government of Swampmelia
needs to keep this in mind. Trade is another impor-
tant subject to have a few laws on, as it can be a
threat. Justice is an important category because
the citizens need to know that they should listen
to the court. When having a civilization heath and
safety are always an important factor of a success-
ful area. Swampmelia has to create laws address-
ing health and safety and make sure they are
used. All of these meaningful laws will help in-
form the civilization and make it more successful.
2.)It is written that all people shall follow these
laws:
I. Must show up to court or else the government
will force you there- because court is serious and
if you dont go you could be guilty or part of the
crime, and they need you there.
13
Having these laws written down will help make sure
everyone is behaving and will create a more successful
civilization.
II.
If someone is ill they are not aloud to leave there
property or else they will have to be sent out of
the land for several weeks Swampmelia does
not need more people sick so following this law is
important
III. If a person is to trade with another citizen and
lies about the value, the person will serve in jail
for 6 months and the victim gets double the
amount they were going to get traded for free.
No lying is allowed in the civilization and espe-
cially with prices
IV. If a citizen has murdered someone they shall
be put in jail for life- this is important because this
is a serious crime and Swampmelia doesnt need
this to happen again and the person doesnt de-
serve to have a normal life after they killed some
person
V. If a citizen does not listen to what the court
says, they should be exiled. this is important be-
cause the court is in charge and the citizens need
to learn what is right and wrong.

3.) These laws and penalties for the Swampmelia
14
The Romans shared their laws with the citizens by
posting them on stone slabs, called the Twelve Ta-
bles. Swampmelia shares their laws in the govern-
ment building.
http://romacitizens.com/12tables.jpg
citizens will help Swampmelia become a success-
ful civilization. Having laws about safety and
health will keep the civilization secure and the
population will continue to develop. If someone is
sick and stays around the town then the disease or
cold will spread out and this could affect the
amount of citizens working and healthy. It is also
essential to have laws on murdering and robbing,
as it will also help Swampmelia stay safe. The law
addressing murdering will help decrease the
amount of people murdering which will help
Swampmelia become a better civilization. Another
important law is to have one explaining how the
citizens should listen to the court, this is impor-
tant because the court has the power and the
Swampmelia citizens should know that. These
laws are all important in their own way and this
will help Swampmelia grow more successful.
Lessons on Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar was a man that understood his peo-
ple and what would do best for his job and his citi-
zens. When Caesar got the job as a dictator in 45
B.C.E. he knew that a major threat in Rome was
unemployment and he was going to x it. He
wanted to make his people happy and he wanted
them to feel his support. He did incredible things
for his people, as stated in an article titled Julius
Caesars Rule as Dictator, He gave work to thou-
sands of Romans by starting projects to make new
roads and buildings. He immediately became a
powerful person. By doing these good things for
his people it would help encourage his citizens to
like Caesar and having Caesar be liked by many
people will help him become a better dictator and
a more powerful person. He knew what to do the
moment the Senate chose him and his creative
ideas were ultimately the key of the Roman repub-
lic. Swampmelia needs to use these ideas effec-
tively and understand their citizens. The Swamp-
melia government needs to help their citizens in
important ways that will help Swampmelia be-
come more successful. Swampmelia has learned a
lot from Caesar and his great leading skills and
15
Swampmelias government will try and do their
best to incorporate his techniques.
Lessons on Augustus Caesar
An important lesson incorporated from Augustus
Caesar is to beautify Swampmelia with the qual-
ity of life and safety. After Julius Caesar was killed
Augustus took power as rst emperor. He made
important improvements to Rome by making it be-
come more suc-
cessful. Augus-
tus built the rst
library in Rome
and had art be-
come more popu-
lar, this helped
Rome become
more beautiful.
The library
would help edu-
cate his people
and encourage
them with crea-
tive ideas for the
civilization of
Rome. Swamp-
melia wants education to be a major part of their
civilization, so having the resource of a library
will furthermore help them learn and become
more creative people. As stated in (Political Lead-
ership of Augustus) Augustus placed an in-
16
Augustus made many smart deci-
sions that helped solve the problems
in Rome.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HwY83FTGs_8/UYjQvWtvruI/AA
AAAAAAARM/LbrvgQzOVzY/s1600/Augustus.jpg
The civilization of Swampmelia will develop a deeper under-
standing of school subjects.
http://www.studenthandouts.com/photo_gallery/Pics1/AncientRo
me-4.jpg
creased emphasis on learning and the arts. When
there is more art around Swampmelia, Swampme-
lia will become more colorful and pretty, this will
also make the citizens happy and give them some-
thing to do during there free time. Education and
art will allow the citizens to address there feelings
more creatively and help them become more bal-
anced people. Augustus managed to be an em-
peror for over 40 years and his strong leading
skills will help Swampmelia become more success-
ful. In conclusion, A library and art will help
swampmelia become better populated and a
stronger place.

Lessons on the decline of the Western Ro-
man Empire
Part 1:
The main reason for the Decline of the Western
Roman Empire was because of the decline in Mor-
als and Values. The morals and values played an
important role in Romes civilization, and Rome
soon became less interested in following them,
which led them to a downfall. The citizens of
Rome showed bad behavior and crimes made the
streets unsafe. People thought that their behavior
didnt matter, but they were wrong, it was a bad
inuence on the younger citizens. By doing
crimes and violence the citizens werent following
the values that Rome had. Another reason for the
downfall of Rome was when the emperors used
their money on unnecessary events instead of
other important things like public housing, aque-
ducts, and education. Emperors like Nero and
Caligula became infamous for wasting money on
lavish parties where guests ate and drank until
they became ill (Decline of the Western Roman
Empire). After years of Rome thriving, the emper-
ors and citizens stopped caring about Rome and
didnt follow Romes morals and values. The de-
cline in Morals and values affected Rome more so
than other things, and that is why it was the major
17
reason of the decline of the Western Roman Em-
pire.
!
Swampmelia will make sure their citizens are fol-
lowing the laws to help prevent a decline in mor-
als and values. If Swampmelia has strict laws in
place, it will be harder for the citizens to do bad
things. Swampmelia will also try to enhance their
police force, which will help catch crimes that
may occur and make sure that the citizens are fol-
lowing the laws. In Rome when they had crimes,
the streets became unsafe, but with a stronger po-
lice force it will help x the problems and main-
tain a successful civilization. Crimes of violence
made the streets of the larger cities unsafe. Even
during Pax Romana there were 32,000 prostitutes
in Rome(Decline of Western Roman Empire).
This shows that crimes were a serious issue in
Rome, because many of the citizens were unem-
ployed and they didnt have anything to do, so
they committed murders and robberies. This is an
unacceptable thing to do and thats why Swamp-
melia will be motivated to follow the laws. When
Swampmelia citizens arent following the laws,
the police force will take them to jail, just as what
happens in the world today. Swampmelia wants
everyone to follow the laws so they can trust their
citizens and be a community, and having a police
system will help monitor Swampmelia and make
sure everything that is happening is good and
safe. Swampmelia will make sure that the citizens
Swampmelia's jail and police force helps catch crimes and keep
Swampmelia more safe.
18
follow the laws so there will not be a decline in
Morals and Values like there was in the Western
Roman Empire.
Past civilizations have taught Swampmelia to use these im-
portant architecture designs, as these things create a success-
ful civilization.
Swampmelias Infrastructure
19
As a [person] believes, so will the person act."
-Sam Harris
CHAPTER 3
20
Belief Systems
Source:http://mms.new-paradigm.net/sites/default/les/knowthyself-2.jpg
SECTION 1
Importance of Belief Systems
Belief systems will help teach citizens what
makes for a successful life and how to be a com-
munity. When having a belief system people will
be able to believe in the same thing so there will
be less arguing. It will help create a happier envi-
ronment without ghts and there will be fewer
problems. The Belief systems of Buddhism, Hin-
duism, and Confucianism understand what
makes for a successful civilization and they be-
Impact of Belief Systems
21
lieve differently on how a successful civilization is
formed. Belief systems are important to a civiliza-
tion because they teach citizens how to care for
each other and the inuence of others.
To better understand the role of belief systems
within a civilization and how they can inuence
the actions and decisions of a people, consider the
following moral dilemma:
In Europe, a woman was near death from a
special kind of cancer. There was one drug that
the doctors thought might save her. It was a form
of radium that a druggist in the same town had re-
cently discovered. The drug was expensive to
make, but the druggist was charging ten times
what the drug originally cost him to produce. He
paid $400 for the radium and charged $4,000 for a
small dose of the drug. The sick woman's hus-
band, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow
the money and tried every legal means, but he
could only get together about $2,000, which is half
of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife
was dying, and asked him to sell it cheaper or let
him pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I discov-
ered the drug and I'm going to make money from
it." So, having tried every legal means, Heinz gets
desperate and considers breaking into the man's
store to steal the drug for his wife.
If a Hindu were to decide the decision for
Heinz in this scenario, Heinz would have been al-
lowed to steal the drug for his wife. In the Hindu
religion it says, You should care for ones soul,
this being said Heinz needed to help his wife by
getting the medicine. Heinz would have to break
into the store, but it was a life or death moment.
The Hindus also believed to love life, so they
should do everything they can to save Heinzs
wife from dying. The Hindus say that non- vio-
lence isnt the answer, but they wouldnt just let
the women die. As Stated in Frey, Hindus be-
lieve that all life forms have a soul, so Hindus re-
spect all forms of life and avoid doing them
harm(148). If all life forms have soul Heinz
should be able to save his wife, and do a little
22
harm.The Hindus dont allow citizens to do harm
to others, but this can be an exception as they are
caring after ones soul. When a civilization cares
for each other and ones soul, they will be a hap-
pier community because people will understand
each other. In conclusion, the Hindus believe in
life and caring about ones soul, so they would let
Heinz get the drug to save his wife from dying.
In contrast, A Confucianist would not break
into the store and steal the drug for his wife. In
the Confucianism belief system, they have to have
good character and honesty. If Heinz were to
break into the drug store and steal the drug, it
would show bad character and would be a poor
inuence on others. The Confucianism religion
cares a lot about setting examples. As stated in
Frey, In return, those with authority, such as rul-
ers, fathers, husbands, and older siblings, must set
good examples(208). If Heinz broke into the
store, it would affect the lives of people around
him and set a bad example. Confucianism does
not allow Heinz to break in the store because they
want their people to set good examples for
younger people. When a civilization has strong
leaders, the citizens will have better examples to
follow from. This also shows for a powerful belief
system, as the citizens will understand what is
right and wrong from the inuence of older peo-
ple. The Confucianism religion believes in setting
23
Hindus believe in non-violence, respecting, and caring
for ones soul.
good examples, so Heinz would unfortunately
have to let his wife die.
A Belief system is important for a successful
community because it brings the citizens together.
When people believe in the same lifestyle, the citi-
zens will feel trust and it will be a happier commu-
nity. There will be less ghting and the people
will care for each other. It is important to set good
examples on younger citizens as they can watch
and learn from those examples. A Belief system
helps explain what can be right and what can be
wrong. It helps to clarify life and understand peo-
ples roles in their civilization. The belief systems
help with important decisions in specic areas, for
example the Buddhist, Confucianism, and Hindu
religion all had their own beliefs on particular
ideas. Beliefs help shape up civilizations and are
extremely important for a community to thrive.
The Role of the Catholic Church and its Belief
System in Medieval Europe
The Roman Catholic Church in Medieval
Europe grew in both economic and political
power after the collapse of the western Roman
Empire in 476 C.E. Economically the church was
the largest landholder in Europe. The church
could grant land from the citizens, and higher-
class citizens gave land as gifts to the church. The
churchs economic power also grew from the tax
(tithe) given to the church by the citizens. The tax
collection was used to maintain the military and
for individual needs. Each person was expected
to give one tenth of his money, produce, or labor
to help support the church(Frey 33). By receiving
the money, the church became wealthier and as a
result became more powerful. Not only did the
church grow economically but the church had
more political power because of the church of-
cials ability to read Latin. Only a few people
could read Latin. These were known as the clergy.
The Clergy was a body of people who had relig-
ious duties in the Church. As stated by Frey, In
medieval times, the clergy were the people most
24
likely to be educated(38). They memorized and
studied prayers and passages from the bible and
learned Latin. By only having a few people learn-
ing Latin, meant that the ofcials could keep the
history and change ideas, because they were the
trusted advisors. This gave the church authority
and political power. The church also had political
power over everyone because they could grant sal-
vation and they were the voice of God. The
church had the authority over the king because
the church understood their faith the best and
were the closest to god. After the collapse of the
western Roman Empire, the church grew more
powerful because of its authority and because of
its guidance in peoples daily lives.

The citizens thoughts and actions were inu-
enced by the Catholic Church and were demon-
strated by Pope Urbans Speech in Clermont.
Pope Urban made a crucial speech to the Chris-
tians that inuenced them on ghting back
against the Muslims. In his speech Pope Urban
tells his people that all should ght no matter
what class ranking they are. He encourages even
the lower class citizens to ght for a double honor.
Pope Urban says, All who die by the way,
whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the
pagans, shall have immediate [cancellation] of
25
The authority of the church was helped by the Clergy and the
Clergys high education.
http://www.medievaltimes.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/clergyghentaltar
piece.jpg
sins (Two Sides in a Crusade/Invasion). The
idea of the citizens getting salvation if they ght
against the Muslims is a real big factor to why so
many citizens went and fought. There was no
chance that the citizens will come back with the
land conquered but no matter what they would
get a free trip to heaven. Pope Urban was such an
inuential person because of the way he moti-
vated the Christians and that motivation played a
big role in the citizens thoughts and actions dur-
ing the Middle Ages. Pope Urban and the Catho-
lic Church impacted the actions and thoughts of
the Christians, and created strong ideas for the
Christians to follow.
The Belief System of Swampmelia
In an effort to create a successful civilization,
the people of Swampmelia have established their
own belief system. It shares similar religious be-
liefs and teachings with other world religions and
helps the people of Swampmelia care for one an-
other and learn from the inuence of others. Here
are some examples.
The rst tenet in the belief system of Swamp-
melia is called Melaships. Melaships are the form
of considerate relationships to others. Melaships
26
Figure 3.1 Pope Urban
Pope Urban inuenced the Christians and
played a big role in the Middle Ages.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TCCsMX_zeLk/UD63Whir1GI/AA
AAAAAABZ8/N8m2ET4B7c4/s400/pope-urban-ii.jpg
helps people to be respectful and polite to older or
higher-class citizens. During school, the children
learn the proper ways of speaking to others and
they understand how to be kind and friendly peo-
ple. There are monthly events explaining different
ways of following the Melaships, which can help
teach all age citizens. The idea of Melaships was
elaborated from the Confucianist belief of treating
others, as you would want to be treated. Me-
laships and Confucianism are similar beliefs as
stated in Frey, All people must respect and obey
those above them. In particular they must respect
their elders(208). Both Confucianism and Me-
laships help create behaved and respectful citi-
zens. The people of Swampmelia will care for one
another and talk appropriately to other citizens.
By being able to have smart relationships with oth-
ers, the citizens of Swampmelia will have unity
and they will better understand each other. Me-
laships will help create a strong civilization be-
cause they will respect each other with their rela-
tionships and set good examples.
The second tenet for the belief system of
Swampmelia is Melspect. Melspect shows citizens
how to respect life and others. Melspect is an or-
ganization that donates money to the poor and
needy. Having all of the Swampmelia citizens do-
nate money to Melspect makes them more
thoughtful people. The money that is donated will
go to school supplies and funding of schools, or-
phanages, shelters for homeless people, food kitch-
ens, and several other needy areas. By sharing
their money with others they will be fortunate for
what they have and they will respect each other.
Melspect is real similar to Zakat, a Muslim belief
of sharing wealth. Muslims believe that wealth
becomes pure by giving some of it away and that
sharing wealth helps control greed(Frey 98). Mel-
spect will also create equality between citizens, be-
cause the wealthy will share their nances with
less fortunate citizens. Melspect is a considerate
way of helping out the poor and it lets Swampme-
lia citizens care for each other and learn to be help-
ful. Melspect is important for a civilization be-
27
cause it creates a community where the citizens
will be compassionate to the less fortunate and all
citizens will be cared for and respected.
The third tenet of Swampmelia is known as
Melblem. The concept of Melblem shows citizens
how to be a creative problem solver when a chal-
lenge comes up. To help the citizens overcome the
challenge the community will meditate three
times a day. They will meditate to clear their mind
and hopefully nd an answer to help solve a prob-
lem in their lives. If the citizens dont have a chal-
lenge in their own lives, they can help solve other
citizens challenges, and be a community. Solving
their peers problems will help the citizens care
for each other and be a strong inuence on each
other. Melblem is similar to the Muslim belief Ji-
had. Jihad represents the human struggle to over-
come difculties and do things that would be
pleasing to god(Frey 101). Melblem is similar to
Jihad because Jihad tells their people to overcome
personal difculties and Melblem tries to solve
the same problem of difculties. Solving a chal-
lenge in a difcult moment helps create a smarter
mind with better ideas. The citizens will care for
one another and help their peers when they have
a challenge. Melblem is important for a successful
civilization because it will help the citizens solve
Zakat was a helpful way to share wealth with the lower
class citizens.
http://www.archive2012.faithfreedom.org/wp-content/u
ploads/zakat.jpg
28
problems in their lives and learn to help others
with their issues.
Meditation is important for peoples daily lives and it
will help people clear their minds and pray.
http://www.oismidwest.org/images/prayers.jpg
29
The Symbol
The Fountain
The Kaba
The Temple
Swampmelias Sacred Space:
A [person] may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.
-John F. Kennedy
CHAPTER 4
30
Ideas
Source:http://pas-wordpress-media.s3.amazonaws.com/content/uploads/2014/04/Ideas-Make-or-Break-Your-Business.jpg
SECTION 1
Humanism:
In the 1300s, a group of Scholars called Human-
ists from all over Europe taught people to think
differently about ideas. Their mindset taught peo-
ple that everyone had the ability to be great as an
individual and that each person was able to
achieve greatness. Through this philosophy there
were several advances in the Renaissance time pe-
riod, but some important advances were in sci-
ence and mathematics. The scientists and mathe-
Power of Ideas
31
maticians began to prove ideas themselves. They
analyzed and then questioned what the Greeks
and Romans believed. As stated in Frey, Instead
of relying on old books and theories, scientists be-
gan to preform experiments(329). They observed
the world and became more curious individuals.
The Humanist mindset makes for a successful civi-
lization because the citizens believed in them-
selves to become better people. The citizens under-
stood that they had the capability to be great, and
this encouraged new ideas and ways to live. They
began to become passionate about ideas, and used
creativity to create their own ideas. Furthermore,
the humanist mindset created new ideas and a bet-
ter philosophy towards life in the Renaissance.
Contradicting the Church:
In the 1300s, a priest named Jan Hus believed
that the church was loosing its religious standing,
and he began to contradict the teachings of the
church. Hus had characteristics similar to an indi-
vidual with a humanist mindset. Hus questioned
the traditional teachings from the church. He be-
lieved that the church had wealth, and he spoke
against the popes authority. Hus questioned the
church because he believed that Jesus was the real
head of the church and he didnt like how much
power that the pope had. Hus wanted to purify
the church and return it to the people(Frey 351).
Hus was against the church to such an extent, that
he was arrested for contradicting the ofcial teach-
ings and the pope. A year later, Hus was burned
at the stake. There are different ways to deal with
the opinions from citizens. In this case, the church
excommunicated
Hus from the
church and ar-
rested him; he was
then later on killed.
But, if the church
was to consider
Hus ideas, it could
have led them to a
32
Excommunication: to of-
cially exclude (someone)
from participation in the
sacraments and services of
the Christian Church.
Source: Apple Dictionary
more successful church with stronger power. Per-
haps, a better understanding of what people
thought, could lead the civilization more success-
fully. When a person such as Hus questioned the
church, other citizens could agree with Hus (or
the leader), and this inuence could change the
civilizations power. A church is a powerful way to
lead, but the negative affect on the church is when
the individuals begin to question its teachings and
this could threaten the civilization.
In Swampmelia, there are traditional beliefs that
have their own unique purpose in the civilization,
which could cause an individual with a humanist
mindset to question different teachings and be-
liefs. In Swampmelia there is a strong belief sys-
tem, with tenets that help guide the citizens to
their everyday lives. One tenet known as Me-
laships helps guide the citizens to have strong rela-
tionships with others. A humanist might disagree
with why the civilization should have that, be-
cause Swampmelia said that the citizens were al-
ready working as a community. This could
threaten Swampmelia because the inuence of
other citizens plays an important role in a civiliza-
tion. If Swampmelia were receiving a complaint,
Swampmelia would try and compromise with the
idea. New ideas are an important way for Swamp-
melia to grow as a civilization and the civilization
wouldnt just want to turn down ideas that may
be helpful as time comes. Some ideas may be easy
to compromise with, but if they are more challeng-
ing Swampmelia will have to consider their ideas
and try to create new ideas that could interest the
person. In Swampmelias second law it says, If
someone is ill they are not aloud to leave their
property or else they will have to be sent out of
the land for several weeks. A humanist could
question this law because if an important member
of Swampmelia were ill, how would Swampmelia
keep on thriving without them? Swampmelia
would probably have to compromise with this
suggestion. To compromise, they may have to ex-
33
plain why; in the rst place, Swampmelia came
up with that idea. Then, they would have to make
the humanist interested into how that is an impor-
tant law. The strategy of compromising could help
Swampmelia, because new ideas blending with
the old should make a unique and strong civiliza-
tion.
William Shakespeare was an actor, poet, and play-
wright. Shakespeare was born in 1564, in the Eng-
lish town of Stratfrod-on-Avon. He was an impor-
tant gure in the English Renaissance. He was a
quiet man, but he was curious and thought
deeply about life. Shakespeare inuenced and ad-
vanced writers. He had an enormous talent for
expressing thoughts and feelings in memorable
ways(Frey 342). He had an understanding of hu-
man behaviors and human emotions. His achieve-
ments are still well known and his poetry is ad-
mired. In Swampmelia, a well-rounded individual
34
William Shakespeare
http://marfapublicradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Willia
m-Shakespeare-500x500.jpg
This is the law in Swampmelia that explains the circumstance
of when a citizen is ill.
like William Shakespeare would be benecial be-
cause he had a broad knowledge of many areas.
He understood politics, history, art, and music,
and these subjects would help the citizens become
better-balanced individuals. But, most impor-
tantly, his understanding of human behavior
would help the citizens get along with each other
and work well together. William Shakespeares cu-
riosity and his thoughts make him an individual
that would advance the civilization of Swampme-
lia.
35

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THE ANSWER TO WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL

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