Current Situation
Once the second Earth had been discovered various professions quietly sent scientific teams (among others) to investigate our planet. The excitement at the discovery was so great that several 'Nahha' commercial enterprises also sent their own teams to investigate and to explore potential commercial opportunities. It wasn't until much later that the Security Profession and the Profession of Professions caught up with the situation and started regulating the interaction between the two worlds.
Attitudes
From archaeological and geological evidence they calculated that the two Earths had split apart into separate time lines somewhere between twelve to fifteen thousand years ago. The reason for this split is still unclear. What surprised everyone however, is how differently the two human civilizations have developed since then.
Circa 13,000 years ago the very first recorded histories of the 'Nahha' civilization started. At this time the 'Nahha' lived in a series of fortified farms in the fertile region around the Euphrates river. As neighbouring farms developed they formed a more complex community sharing trade and providing mutual support against raiders. It is believed that a farm normally consisted of a commune of about 20 to 30 members. Over time the number of inhabitants in a 'nahhum' grew to number, on average, just less than 50 where it now stands today. A farm was known as a 'nahhum' (a fortified house inside a walled enclosure) - from where we take the name of the society.
Note: The people do not call themselves 'The Nahha', this is our (Tibsit) word for their society. The 'Nahha' call themselves human or 'j~sed' (pron: jur-sed).
Notable in this early civilization is the role of women in managing the administration of the 'nahhum'. This was considered most important and a great deal of respect was given to women. Senior women generally (but not always) became the elders of the 'nahhum'. Male dominance in this society was not encouraged as it was associated with the social structure of 'semam' (pron: Seh-mahm), i.e. heathen, native, barbarian, subhuman, degenerate and violent. This reflects their view of the aggressive and usually belligerent war-lord based societies that lived around the perimeter at the time. Men tended to take the role of managing the fields, construction of the 'nahhum' and defenses while women tended to look after the children, the elderly and manage the estate.
It should be pointed out however that 'Nahha' society never intentionally or officially differentiated itself along gender lines. In some circumstances men remained in the house and women went out hunting or farming. Sexual stereotyping was, and still is, much less prevalent there than here. In fact an individual's sexuality has always been seen as a more complex issue. The 'Nahha' recognize homosexual and bi-sexual orientation as normal and do not (in general) consider sexuality as an issue.
Generally speaking ethnicity, color and orientation have never been an issue to the 'Nahha' and our attitudes to race, gender, country of origin and ethnicity perplex them.
Their History in Brief
Circa 8,000 years ago the region settled by the 'Naha' had grown extensively. At this time the first dedicated non-agricultural 'nahhum' were developed offering specialized services to other 'nahhum'. Over time these services included: -
Insurance services
Architecture and construction (nahhum had grown to the size equivalent to forts)
Contract man-power (for harvest or live stock management)
Security (military assistance and intelligence)
Trade Management (prior to the use of currency)
Arbitration and Dispute Management (pre-cursor to Law)
Medicine
Veterinary Medicine
Irrigation and Water supply
Mathematics and writing started to be formalized during this period.
Land lost through attacks from external sources, although often significant, was never total and the 'Nahha' were always able to reclaim lost land over time. Many would-be conquering tribes were often assimilated into 'Nahha' society, even after originally destroying parts of it. There were several benefits for neighboring tribes to merge with 'Naha', mutual protection, more reliable food sourcing and trade among them.
Also during his period the 'nahhum' evolved into the 'nahhumar' - a collection of 'nahhum' grouped closer together for mutual support. These usually included underground tunnels and a more secure perimeter 'wall'. The 'wall' was originally constructed of a form of clay brick and/or stone but covered in spiny bushes imported from various places around the 'Nahha' region. This region now covered all of what we know as Iraq and stretched into Syria and Iran. It is customary, even to this day, for 'nahumar' to have external walls, although more modern constructions in the larger conurbations tend to have token barriers rather than the real thing.
By 5,000 years the 'Nahha' had survived several major invasions by marauding armies and internal splits and rebellions. During this time a coin based currency was formalized enabling the subscription based economy to flourish and the 'derived' professions of Education, Philosophy, Law and Law Enforcement and Commerce / Banking had developed apace. Philosophy took a very different role to that here on Earth. It undertook the role of laying down 'The Life Principles' and from these it developed a legal system. One may consider this as the basis for the first legal constitution some four and a half thousand years before the American constitution here on Earth. The early members of the Philosophy Profession looked and behaved very similar to our Tibetan monks, although they wore green robes and the underlying beliefs were very, very different.
Notes: The word 'Profession' is not an exact translation of their word 'v~diruno' (pron: vur-deer-oonoh), we have no equivalent. A Profession, to which citizens may belong to one or more, is responsible for their education (in the field of the profession), setting ethical and quality standards and providing insurance and legal backup if/when required. It is rather like a trade union in a lot of respects but without the employee / employer relationship side of matters. Furthermore a 'nahum' can also be member of a Profession, for instance The Insurance Profession, The Legal Profession, etc. Professions are usually regionally based.
A 'nahhum' is responsible for Profession Subscriptions and Fees on behalf of its members. All Professions must belong to, and be licensed by, the Profession Of Professions.
The responsibility for education was undertaken within the Professions but as the Professions often needed to justify their existence (and therefore the subscriptions and fees) a more generalized educational policy was encouraged, particularly for young children. We must point out that education was never solely aimed at children, with very few exceptions adults were always encouraged to undertake courses in the different professions. The Education Profession (again, note the inaccurate translation of 'Profession') was established to teach the very young so that they could obtain a basic skill set (reading, writing, arithmetic, languages, law, ethics) from a single source and then be able choose between the different Professions once their inclinations and skills had matured. However this arrangement soon extended to all age groups and the curriculum expanded to those areas which the other Professions did not provide in their own courses, or where the same basic skills were required in more than one Profession.
A coherent dating system started from this period and the decimal system was adopted as standard.
By 3,000 years the 'Nahha' dominated the Middle East and had reached well across Northern India. A society consisting of mainly fortified farms and not having a central leadership was not usually considered a short term political threat by the neighboring tribes (Samam). In fact the 'Nahha' actively encouraged trade and diplomacy with its neighbors wherever it could. Nevertheless many nations continued to invade the 'Nahha' and some even managed to conquer large regions. However the military cost (every fortified farm was defended) soon took its toll on invading armies. Over time the conquered regions were always either reclaimed or re-absorbed.
During this period, which includes the 'Age of Enlightenment', Philosophy and Law became ever more secular. This was the only means of keeping a standard set of values across the many religions and cultures. Unlike here on E-One, Philosophy on E-Zero started tackling practical issues such as the worth of an individual, the meaning of freedom, family values, relationships and attitudes to people of different cultures. they also investigated how much effort one should devote to the community as opposed to oneself and to which Professions Nahum membership should be compulsory, and which should not. Importantly Philosophy undertook the role of providing the fundamental bases for Law and morality. As a result deity based, religious, belief systems shrunk to become minority and cult affairs where they remain to this day.
The notion of Guilds and Professions was now taking a clear shape and the 'Profession of Professions' was recognized as the authority on how all professional bodies should be structured. The Profession of Professions is the closest to a central government the 'Nahha' get. All professions must be recognized and licensed by the Profession of Professions, but as a brake to its power this profession has no other formal powers (although its influence is very strong).
The 'Profession of Ethics' was also started as a spin-off from Philosophy. 'Ethics' is not really a profession as such (translation again), more an educational requirement, public qualification and debating environment for judicial and legal matters.
An international language was developed from fragments of other languages, so that all foreign regions could participate equally in the growing economy.
Interestingly, the first horse-drawn railways were also developed at this time. This encouraged travelling fairs and significantly improved the internal communications, promoting the idea of freedom of movement. Towns started to cluster but nowhere near to the same extent as here on Earth.
The 'Nahha' society was now covering most of Africa, most of Europe, all of India and most of China and the far east.
By the year 2,000 scientific investigation as we now understand it had been developed primarily to understand and to control agriculture and also to study the stars and seasons. Philosophy imposed Rational Thinking into Education and from it non-deism (atheism) as this was the only way they could rationally put all the different religions and their variations into context. However belief (if one can call it that) in a form of spiritualism flourishes to this day. 'Nahha' spiritualism normally manifests itself as ceremonial and meditative practices but without the requirement for any 'invisible spirits in the sky'. This is also a belief that nature and the world should be considered more like a single holistic entity, similar to the Gaea concept here on Earth. 'Nahha' spiritualism does not believe in deities, spirits or even a 'meta-consciousness', but rather tries to perceive nature as a network of 'invisible, intangible, forces that interact with each other'. It's an emotional view of complex chaotic systems. Despite the vagueness of their belief system, and obviously the many variations found world-wide, the general principles of their world view has been reflected in their long term policies and has affected their development and attitudes to the world around them.
By 1,000 years 'living' gardens were becoming quite common in 'nahhumar'. These are managed places for the enjoyment and relaxation of the residents. Major benefits of science were coming through in the form of steel, alloys and manufactured goods. Child Care had become a Profession in its own right and many specialized Professions were established. Nahha living standards were similar to what we now enjoy in our most developed countries but without the personal consumerism.
Note: Goods and services cost significantly more in 'Naha' society than here, as large factories are rare. Most goods are manufactured locally from local resources, often under licence from other 'nahhumar'.