The differences between the modern world we live in and the days of long ago are quite significant. If we just look at differences in buildings, we can see that the way things were created, such as a modern chandelier and a traditional chandelier, the way an ancient Roman building is created versus one of modern times, or the changes between cabinets and the things we keep around the house. These changes come about for practical reasons such as the tools and materials at hand, but also because of the mindset of the civilization which created it.

If we note the design of churches in ancient times, we can see the way the church wished to have their ideas represented. Paintings were designed as “icons”, symbols of the stories from the holy book that were meant to be worshipped as something from above by the people below. The Sistine Chapel, for instance, is a massive roof painted by Michaelangelo that creates the sensation of awe within the viewer.

In today’s society, we live a more fractured life, in which one dominate way of believing is not adhered to by all. We can see in the artwork of Picasso or Salvador Dali an always-changing range of styles, as they tried desperately to not repeat themselves too much. Someone taking the stylistic chances that these artists took in older times would be laughed out of the city, if not burnt at the stake!

It’s often believed that in modern times, we’ve achieved the most advanced way of living. This is certainly true in terms of the technology we utilize, it’s now simpler than ever to achieve any number of tasks that even as little as a hundred years ago would have needed weeks or months to achieve.

However, our comprehension of the way our mind is attached to any sort of higher power has been massively decreased. Many would note this as a good thing, as the truth of no existence of a creator has been finally revealed. This outlook obviously has an impression on the way our lives are lived. With no conscious creator to please, many have turned to artificiality and consumerism as a way to attain satisfaction. Our trust in science has lessened the role of the church, and in the sense of community within the places we live. Now a great number of our issues are solved by drugs, but the rate at which these chemicals are being consumed points to the possibility that the issues are not actually being resolved.

While finding a higher spiritual being may be impossible, it’s important that we don’t become arrogant about living as the most superior race in history. There are still lessons to be learnt about what those before us have thought and how they lived their lives. By exploring the art, architecture and history of those who came before us, we can learn methods to improve our own style of living in the world.