Not so different

When Andrew George visited Berkeley a few weeks ago he mentioned briefly in passing the general apathy of the British government in regards to funding for the translation of the thousands of tablets currently stored in their country. This general apathy was caused by the feeling that there were better things that the government could be spending money on. It seems that we are faced with a similar challenge. We have within our own lives a limited amount of time. This time can be spent in a number of ways, too many ways indeed to allow me to make mention of all of them here. So amongst our busy lives does it make sence to make time for Ancient Near Eastern Literature? I feel each of us will answer this by our individual actions and that those actions will show how important this era of literature is to them. Looking back at my life I can see that I have already answered that question, and the answer has been yes. Like millions of christians I have devoted many hours to studying the bible, which is  without doubt the most famous and widely known piece of Near Eastern Literature. For me it does of course have religious value, but as we have learned the bible is not merely a religious text. It is a unique piece of literature which includes elements of history, phylosiphy, and even politics. The book has impacted the way I see the world and thus has helped shape who I am. Of course as we read other texts we can find a less one sided look at the Middle East. Through these pieces of literature we can better understand the cultures, languages, and the geography of these people. Surely it cannot hurt us to know these things as a society. Indeed perhaps it can do much to help us. In our high speed, super advanced world, perhaps it is good to take a look back and realize that we are still only human. Through the thousands of years of human civilization it is humbling to recognize that though separated by time and space we all have the same fears, desires, and needs. If nothing else maybe our society needs to look back and remember that.