(Within a Tokyo Skyscraper...)Seven Global Empires
There have been seven global empires in human history:
1. Hellenistic Empire – Prevalence of Greek Civilization from the Mediterranean to Pakistan to prevent invasion of Persians to the Mediterranean and Europe, significantly but positively influencing Buddhism.
The era of the Empire started with Alexander the Great around 300 B.C. and ended with the death of Cleopatra around 30 B.C.
2. Roman Empire - Prevalence of Greco-Roman Civilization from the Mediterranean to North Europe to cultivate various European tribes, eventually as a vehicle of the Vatican.
The era of the Empire actually started with the death of Cleopatra around 30 B.C. and ended with the invasion of Hun from Central Asia to the Italian Peninsula in the 5th century.
3. Islamic Empire – Unification of Arabs and other tribes in the Middle East and Central Asia to prevent European tribes or the Vatican power from invading into the Middle East and Central Asia.
It began with the rise of Muslims in the 7th century and ended with the invasion of Mongolians into the Middle East in the 13th century.
4. Mongolian Empire – Introduction of a new global view by occupying regions from the Korean Peninsula to Asia Minor, while suppressing both the Vatican power and the Islamic power and then preserving Buddhism.
It started with their first emperor Genghis Khan in the early 13th century and eventually kept an influence over Central Asia till its descendant the Mughal Empire ceased to exist in India in the middle of the 19th century.
5. Spanish Empire – Colonization of Central and South Americas as well as the Philippines, paving the way for global dominance of Europeans and the Vatican.
It started with Columbus' adventure over the Atlantic Ocean and ended with the Spanish–American War in the late 19th century.
6. British Empire – Colonization of India, North America, Australia, part of East/South Africa, part of the Middle East, part of South East Asia, and part of China, establishing the industry/finance-based global power system and confirming dominance of European Christianity over Islam.
It fully developed with the establishment of the Indian Empire under control of the U.K. in the late 19th century but lost its hegemony through WWII.
7. American Empire – Established itself as the only Europe-origin power that could contain the rise of the then Asian super-power the Empire of Japan after WWI and over WWII, thus exercising its military, cultural, financial, and scientific hegemony over the world to date, while functioning as another or a new homeland of Judaists having been driven out of Europe.
Indeed, there have been seven global empires in human history as prophesied in the Bible.
Most importantly, as U.S./Israeli troops are now deployed from the border to Egypt to the border to Pakistan, mankind still lives in a great historical paradigm that started with the marching of Alexander the Great's troops to the east.
Accordingly, we can simply admit the three great global/regional cultures:
(i) European Culture...(Christianity)
(ii) Islamic Culture...(Islam)
(ii) East Asian Culture...(Buddhism/Confucianism)
However, the 21st century can be the last era for all these paradigms as above summarized, since the God might put an end to this flow of history...since people on Wall Street are so greedy and godless...
So, you have to say to the God, "As not everybody can be rich, I tried to be rich for myself" or "As not everybody can be rich, I tried to be poor for myself."
Truly, every rich man in any empire of any culture has died to be punished by the God.
(My heel suddenly started to ache on last Friday. So, I cannot go out this Sunday. Maybe I have to buy new shoes. Indeed, I have not bought new suits and shoes in these years except that I purchased certain black business shoes two years ago...)