After studying this module, look again at the basic characteristics of a civilization. Think about these elements, and suggest at least two improvements in the society you live in. If you are new to Canvas, follow these directions Links to an external site. for participating in the discussion and to review the academic expectations for your submission. Contribute a minimum of 200 words to the initial post. It should include at least two academic sources, formatted and cited in APA. Why we Study Humanities We study humanities for many reasons. Some of them might be to learn from our mistakes, realize we are part of a great thing, get ready for the important questions, propose alternatives to the challenges we face, and become the high-level professional we want to be. As we move further in this course, you will see that we have made many mistakes. We fought many wars that could have been avoided if we had thought about our conflicts further. The more we value and appreciate our humanity, the less likely we will hurt each other. We have also hurt the environment. We are just realizing recently that we are part of the environment and that everything we do to it will haunt us back. We are now "thinking green" and trying to slow down the damage we caused to the planet. Hopefully, we still have a chance. We formed ways of living that sometimes were not just. As we look at ourselves, we realize we need to improve our methods of organizing in societies, in the ways we worship, and in the ways we govern. But we should also study humanities to see how we are part of a great thing. We are seekers and explorers. We won't stand in front of a mystery without trying to conquer it. We have created science, medicine, art, philosophy, literature. Many of these creations have turned our lives around. Humans can abstract to create and imagine pushing the boundaries constantly by asking brave questions. We are also good. At the speed we are going, there is a need for most of us to engage in high-level thinking. Progress is good if most people's lives improve with it. Are we heading in that direction? Humanities allow us to explore that question. As we face those questions, we might come up with answers that will help us avoid falling back into solving our problems through force and violence. We might prevent a new war. The environments in which we find ourselves as time passes are different. Development and change occur as we live. The challenges we have today might be others tomorrow. But the constant element is us, the human element. First Humans You and I have been on earth in this shape and form (homo sapiens sapiens) for 200,000 to 150,000 years. When you look at the time the planet has been in existence, which is around 4 billion years, we just showed up. We must look at our development as humans keeping in mind that everything around us – plants, other animals, and even the environment – has been evo.