Would an Athenian from the 5th Century BCE approve of our present day government?

In the Athenian times, the voice of the people was highly valued. Having it that one mans opinion could actually have an effect on the entire population. Now, the system has changed completely. Our representative democracy, gives one man the power to “rule” over the rest of his country. We elect this ‘president’, but other than that we don’t really have a say in the ultimate decision. We vote according to the man or women that represents our case, thoughts and opinions the best, and hope that they will com out on top, ready to take their position in the white house. But of course we are let down by who we thought would do the best job, and they end up not taking action on all of the situations they said they would try and fix. So now, we approach the ultimate conundrum. What can a person in their everyday life do to fix the other situations they feel need handling. Nothing. An Athenian would here be able to interject, and show us that their government was better, and catered to all the peoples needs. Without one central position making decisions each individual could pitch in their ideas making sure their voice was heard.

There are so many connections!

It would seem as if the ways, traditions, and values, of the ancient Mayans would have slowly disintegrated throughout time. Yet, many of the simple things we do in our daily lives, relate to some of the main traditions the Mayan’s valued, starting with the food that we put into our mouths. Popcorn, did you know that the Mayans had popcorn? Although their way of making it was different, and the spices they added are definitely ones we don’t put in ours, it is interesting to think that people from many generations ago ate the same type of food we still enjoy today. They Mayan food is now more associated with Mexican cuisine, however, there are still many connections we can recognize in the ingredients put into our food. There were three main ingredients that were the base for the Mayan diet, corn, squash, and, beans. Today, corn is an ingredient that can be found in most any food and product, beans are a staple for many household meals, and some of the ways they prepared their squash/pumpkin, is the same as today. Food is only a small aspect of the Mayan culture, but I still find it delicious that we can relate so easily to ones living here so long ago.