Man is the Measure

One piece from the book that has stuck with me is the idea that “man is a measure of all things.” This quote really makes me wonder why are we here and what we stand for in life. When I think about how small our world is compared to space and its seemingly non-existent walls, it amazes me how much meaning we have created. In an article on Wisdom.tenner.org the authors, Ioan and Daniel tenner state “Something inconceivable; infinity does not see anything looking at the human, because it does not look – man is a speck of dust in the blind eye of the universe; if human looks at himself from the eyeless point of view of infinity he sees nothing of human interest.” This quote makes me realize how insignificant we are to the functions of space, yet we have gotten so wrapped up in competition and being the best that countries go to war to gain power. The book talks about the history of communication and noting that its usefulness could not be over looked as just a natural thing we all know how to do, but much more complex and intricate. That is why people study it and there are jobs that focus on it. The better a group is at communicating determines the overall health of relationship, which plays a big role in the groups function. A family is an example of a group where very particular communications happen which tie you closer together. Old stories our family members tell us connect us to our past and create the values and morals we hold true to our self. Over time the meaningful stories have the ability to become traditions or celebrations. These stories and events are what create different cultures as everybody can experience their own successes or hardships. What each individual culture values the most, has the ability to reflect an image of that group to the people who may not be apart of it. As I see that the particular groups we associate with define us, Protagoras the author of the quote means that who you are and what you do is the measure, which defines humans. Ultimately you will always be a part of some culture so your actions will always reflect onto something. Sticking to the values of the group will result in praise where veering from the correct path could get you in trouble.