Anthropology, 210 (Australian Nationalism)

The issues facing the Australian population in terms of national cohesion is not a foreign concept.  Colonization affected relations between indigenous people and settlers due to the self entitled methodology European settlers adopted as they took over the rest of the world.  In Australia, the concept of terra nullius, the idea that before Europeans arrived the land had been owned by nobody, was used by settlers to push native populations, or Aborigines, from the land to new locations.  The rationality for this was that Aborigines were foragers and therefore did not need fertile land to live upon, while settlers were improving the state of the land with their ownership.  Racial profiling and a mentality that the Aborigines were a dying race also played a part.

Just as in the United States, the suppressed group was pushed out of their native lands and cut off from resources by settlers with an ethnocentric belief that said groups did not need nor properly use the land they inhabited.  Modern Australia has been trying to solve these historical issues by writing laws to help Aborigines regain their lost lands and incorporate more culturally encompassing legislation and symbolism for the country.  There has been a lot of criticism of these attempts, as with many heated points of contention, with every step forward two steps are taken backward.

Anthropology, 210 (Marriage Response)

 I feel like my time in the military plus coming from a home which resulted in divorce has possibly coloured my impression of marriage in a negative way.  I feel like marriage is more of a social obligation, that couples can live together and have strong meaningful relationships without needing a ceremony to affirm said relationship.  

In the military, couples tend get married quickly, often within 30 days of meeting each other during tech school.  These couples are fresh out of Basic Military Training, a high stress and emotionally trying time, only to move to another stressful and emotional situation.  I know from personal experience, you tend to cling to the people who transition with you, and some form romantic bonds which burn hot at the onset.  Couples rush into marriage with someone they may not know very well because they want the change to get to know them and the easiest way to do so is to become man and wife for the military to recognise a couple and station them together.  This situation is a way for couples to continue to get to know each other and possible have a strong lasting relationship, and if not, getting a divorce is easier than being stationed apart for 2 or 4 year tours, others use it purely for the benefits and extra income.  Seeing this happen multiple times made me feel disenfranchised with the idea of marriage as a sanctimonious union and more as a means to an end.

Anthropology, 210 (Marriage)

Marriage can have a different meaning depending on the culture and subculture it is being defined within. There are many aspects as to why two parties decide to become united, be it for power, security, finances, or even obligation. Personal and familial obligations have a profound affect on the decision making process involved in marriage. Anthropologically speaking, it is defined by how it transforms the status of the participants, carries implications about permitted sexual access, perpetuates social patterns through the birth of offspring, creates relationships between the kin of partners, and is symbolically marked. (Anthropology: What Does it Mean to Be Human? pg. 379)

 Although that definition covers the direct social impact of what a marriage dictates, it does not include the literal definition of the parties involved. Some cultures believe one man and one women while others believe a man can marry a man and a woman can marry a woman. Some believe one man can marry multiple women, or one woman can marry multiple men. These different point of views have often caused clashes among members in the same society as well as between differing societies. These beliefs are often religiously backed, deeply rooted in tradition and deviance can be grounds for righteous retribution. In modern times, especially in the West, people are now using the option of civil unions instead of marriage, to gain the economic benefits of a legally binding “marriage” in lieu of any religious alignments.

Personal Health and Wellness, 110 (Behaviour Change Paper)

I have been under the impression of having a relatively healthy lifestyle; I don't drink, smoke, do drugs, and maintain a healthy body weight. After taking the lifestyle evaluation at the beginning of the chapter, I realised that wasn't necessarily the case. My three weakest components were a 2 in nutrition, 5 in fitness, and 6 in emotional health (WW #1). A month earlier, nutrition and fitness would have been my strongest components. Without the mandatory meals and physical training enforced by the Air Force, and the large shuffle of moving back into civilian life, these fundamentals slipped away. I chose nutrition because I assumed it would be a relatively easy lifestyle change to bring back into my life.

History of Civilizations, 111 (Columbian Biological Exchange)

The Columbian Biological Exchange

Mixing of cultures is viewed as a positive occurrence in the modern world. People from different walks of life, with different practices and celebrations coming together to share their cultures with one another. In the ancient world, civilizations were still neophytes in sharing across empires, sometimes trading more than the tangible goods they intended. An example of this is the Columbian Exchange, an interaction between the Old World and the New World started by Columbus landing in South America in 1492 which led to the exchange of ideas, diseases, crops, and people between Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

When Columbus set out from Spain as Admiral of the Seas, he left in search of a direct sea route to Asia from Europe which did not require circumnavigating Africa. Europeans previously used the Silk Road to safely trade goods with Asia under the Pax Mongolica, but with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks, they were in need of a safer route.

Bartolomeu Dias sailed around the tip of South Africa in 1488, but Columbus believed there was a faster and more direct route to the west by sailing directly across what was then called the “Ocean Sea” or modern day Atlantic Ocean. Columbus' plan did meet with some controversy. Scholars of the time had long since believed the planet was round and also correctly believed that Asia was a greater distance away than Columbus estimated. Although there was no knowledge of the Americas, most scholars of the era believed the best path was around the tip of Africa.