The Relationship Between People and The Environment During The Mesopotamia Ages

The relationship between human beings and the environment are connected very closely during the Mesopotamia ages. Why they are so closely connected is because of the specific humans which made Mesopotamia into what it was. Humans created various martials and resources which affected many empires in the future for the better. Civilization was also created, looking like a society we have never seen before. The Mesopotamia people brought enthusiasm into the society. The powerful artifacts and language that these people created and then left behind for other empires were not just an important part of their environment, but extremely important for the future empires. Mesopotamia lead the way for so many other empires to flourish the way they did. From the ancient story, Gilgamesh, an influential king-like leader who did not show anything but cruelty towards his people, while is largest priority was his home and his people. People of the Mesopotamia society ended up growing crops, which allowed others to adapt and even move to the agricultural areas. In the story of Epic of Gilgamesh, the author does not just talk about the adjustment to farming, but also allows us as readers to understand what life was like back during Mesopotamia ages, along with proving life today is not so different then it was back during the Mesopotamian ages.

The relationship between the ancient Mesopotamian times and today’s society, is not too different. One example of the environment not changing very much is the dictatorship that still continues today. Readings indicate Gilgamesh not being a great leader due to his lack of accountability, harassing tendencies, and often let down the people of the Mesopotamian society.

Throughout history, starting in ancient Mesopotamia, and continuing today, leaders and or presidents tend to let the citizens of their land down. Our current president shares some of the same negative qualities that Gilgamesh had. Even though both leaders are two different people, with two different sets of morals, leading thousands of years apart, they both have and had the power to create laws in order to control their citizens. Dale Launderville states, “The key question was the extent to which the oversight of authority figures in the lives of ordinary people was vitalizing or oppressive. In the midst of the ambiguity and indirect of sexual dynamics, the particular judgements of authorities are of greater import than general principles. For equilibrium to be maintain in individual and collective bodies fueled by desire, it was essential that authorities and individuals alike foster a discipline attentive to competing forces.” (Launderville, 2010, p. 25.) What Launderville is trying to get across is that Gilgamesh wasn’t not a good leader and was actually an oppressive leader which did not end up benefiting the people in the Mesopotamian society. Relating Launderville’s idea to today’s environment, some believe our current president and other leaders in the world are repressive and use their power for tight control over their land and people. The relationship between people and the environment back in the Mesopotamian time period and today, hasn’t changed much. In both environments, Mesopotamia and the twentieth century, contain stories, myths, legends, and self-discovery, along with many changes in today’s society. Both time periods have politics, leaders, and laws that people continue not to follow for different reasons. No matter what time period, country, and or empire one is focusing on, there is one major thing in common. That one major commonality is law following. In every society, there are have been political rules and laws that people don’t follow for multiple reasons.

In the book, Epic of Gilgamesh, it is communicated the Gilgamesh would destroy and kill living critters. The overall meaning is that whatever one does to the environment will come back to get the ones who have been destroying any part of the environment and nature. Without the environment and nature, there would not have been so many empires along with life today. Our environment today and Mesopotamia’s is not much different also for the reason of taking care of our environments. During the Mesopotamian society, the environment was taken too care well of, similarly todays environment. When the environment isn’t taken care of, disease and sickness is easily spread which sometimes can be life threatening to the humans in the society. The environment in Mesopotamia, did have positives for humans which is one of the reasons why societies continued to form, grow, and expand. Not all humans destroyed nature, many of them grew crops and nutritious foods that still keep us surviving today. Without the citizens of the Mesopotamian society, agriculture and nature wouldn’t be so highly valued like it is today. Agriculture was treated almost like a tradition during the Mesopotamian time period. Unlike today, technology wasn’t around so farming is the majority of what people did. The relationship between humans also contributes to the overall environment of Mesopotamia along with todays environment. Environments and societies are not just about nature, but also the people which make up the environment. Even though Gilgamesh was a harsh leader, his perspective shifted, and he focused on the overall environment of Mesopotamia. Once his brother passed away, Gilgamesh apparently focused more on his relationships with other, including the relationship he had with his environment. Gilgamesh changed his outlook which caused his mentality to become more positive, introspective, and grateful. With the new and productive Gilgamesh had, he realized how important it was to build a stronger relationship with his society to better improve his and his people’s environment. N.K. Sanders writes, “The gods, who do not die, cannot be tragic. If Gilgamesh is not the first human hero, he is the first tragic hero of whom anything is known. He is at once the most sympathetic to us, and most typical of individual man in his search for life and understanding, and of this search the conclusion must be tragic.” (Sanders, 1972) When Gilgamesh has this personality and perspective change, the society appreciates the change, and value him and his leadership more than ever.

In conclusion, the relationship between people and the environment, specifically looking at Gilgamesh’s relationships corresponding with his environment, Gilgamesh improved his environment by improving his attitude and respect towards other. Some will argue his was a cruel and unjust leader while others will argue his positive actions make up for his cruel leadership at times. Just like life today, people will agree and disagree, just like the people of Mesopotamia did. The people of Mesopotamia learned in order to function as a society, they had to take care of their relationships and environment properly. Once the environment was appreciated and valued correctly, lives became better for all. If people today focused more on improving and having productive relationships with themselves and others, our environment would be positively impacted greatly.