There is a fortune cookie message that reads, "Out of confusion comes new patterns." So far in this unit, you've looked at multiple "Second-Generation Societies" and the "Axial Age Thinkers" that shaped them. You learned that from the confusion experienced during imperial experimentation, a new empire adopted the teachings of an old religion (the Persian Empire and Zoroastrianism) in Southwest Asia. You learned that from the confusion brought on by becoming a more complex society, an established religion was amended (Hinduism and the Upanishads) and new religions were introduced (Jainism and Buddhism) in South Asia. You learned that from the confusion wrought by conflicts during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, new philosophies (Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism) appeared in Eastern Asia. And you learned from the confusion of defending a homeland (the Greeks versus the Persians,) a new school of thought sprung forth (philosophia.) For this discussion assignment, identify something that is causing "confusion" within our society now and speculate as to what new patterns of behavior will arise from this "confusion."

confusion is the quality or state of being bewildered or unclear. The term "acute mental confusion" is often used interchangeably with delirium in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems and the Medical Subject Headings publications to describe the pathology. These refer to the loss of orientation, or the ability to place oneself correctly in the world by time, location and personal identity. Mental confusion is sometimes accompanied by disordered consciousness (the loss of linear thinking) and memory loss (the inability to correctly recall previous events or learn new material).