Yellow Fever Epidemic Essay Example for Free

Yellow Fever Epidemic Essay When Mattie Cook survived the Yellow Fever Epidemic that swept through Philadelphia in 1793, her whole life was changed. Both her character the circumstances of her life changed a lot. Also, her relationships and responsibilities have changed too. Before the epidemic, Mattie was just an average teenager with the same problems most teens had. But after the epidemic, Mattie’s life became very different. Before the yellow fever, Mattie lived with her Mother and her Grandfather. After the fever ended, Mattie lived with her mother, Nell, Eliza, Joseph, Robert, and William. Also, before mother got sick with yellow fever, she ran the coffeehouse, took care of Mattie, and woke up early to take care of chores. But after the epidemic, Mattie ran the coffeehouse in a partnership with Eliza, has too help take care of the children, and is the one who now gets up to take care of chores. She now has to take on a lot more responsibilities than before the epidemic. Mattie’s relationships also have changed. She now admits to herself now that she likes Nathaniel Benson. After the epidemic she and Nathaniel have both matured have a more easy and confident relationship. She now views Eliza, Joseph, Nell, Robert, and William like family and feels responsible for them. During the fever, Mattie’s character also changed a lot. She is now more grateful for all that she has and realizes how lucky she was to have survived. She has also matured, become more conservative and knows how to look after herself. Although Mattie is still grieving for Grandfather, Polly, and all of the other victims of the yellow fever, she is very grateful that her mother is safe and well. She is also grateful that Nell, Eliza, Robert, William, Joseph, and Nathaniel Benson have survived.

Factors that Influence Communication

Factors that Influence Communication There are many ways of communicating and the way we communicate is key factor of what we really are trying to put across. Factors that may influence our communication are; eye contact, body language (i.e. posture), tone of voice, gesture, and facial expression. Here are examples of how each of those would influence the way we communicate. Eye contact allows us to guess another persons thought and feelings by just look at their eyes. For example if I was talking to someone and they were looking away Id get the feeling that they are bored and not interested. Also if I was talking to someone and during the conversation I raised my eye it suggest that I am listening and excited or either shocked depending on the topic. Body Language. Posture is part of our body language. For example if I was talking to a boy I liked Id be facing towards him and chatting, however if my body was not facing towards hom this suggest that I am not really interested. Also if when sitting down chatting to a person if they are leaning back this can send the message that they are either relaxed or bored, however if they are leaning forward this implies that they are interested. Tone of voice Our tone of voice is really important when conversing. For example if you talk really fast and loud this may suggest that you are angry. However if you talk in a slow calm voice then this shows that you are rather being friendly. Gesture Gesture is the movement of the arm, hand and head used to help us understand what a person is trying to say. For example when trying to communicate but speech is not possible people use hand gestures. The common hand gestures are the peace sign (the index and middle finger raised and apart), okay gesture (closed fist held with the thumb extended upward) and the not okay (closed fist held with the thumb extended downward). Face Expressions Our face usually shows our emotional state. Our facial expression shows whether we are sad, angry, happy ,surprised scared etc. For instance, if someones facial expression was a big smile and wide eyes this may suggest that they are happy. P4: Explain strategies used in health and social care environments to overcome barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions. M2: Review strategies used in health and social care environments to overcome barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions. P4: There are many communication barriers. The message the sender is sending may not be understood by the receiver in the correct way and for that reason there is a communication breakdown. There are the communication barriers; Deafness Blindness Dumb/Muteness Language Slang Environment M2: I will also review the strengthens and weaknesses of the strategies used in health and social care environments to overcome barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions. Blindness Blindness is the loss of sight/vision. To overcome the barrier of blindness, braille and speech can be used to communicate. Braille is a writing system used by blind people to be able to read, Braille characters are small rectangular blocks called cells that contain tiny palpable bumps called raised dots. For example in a care home, the lunch menu can be written in braille for a person who cant see the menu. Also another way to overcome this barrier is by either having a big print menu or spectacles for the client so that its clearer. In addition using language to describe things is a very useful way to communicate to a blind person for example when meeting a blind person it is effective to make them aware that you are there and who you are and also what you may look like? The advantages of using braille is that braille allows the visually impaired to understand quicker and get things done easily and faster as well as allowing them to be more independent . The disadvantages are the not all visually impaired people know how to use braille also not all peoples fingers are sensitive enough to use it. I believe that braille is effective as it makes the visually impaired very independent and makes life a lot easier. I believe that braille could be more effective if it had been taught in schools to everyone not just the mainstream students. This will not only benefit the visually impaired but someone who is not visually impaired because in life if they do come across a blind person they will be able to still communicate with them. Deafness Deafness is the loss of sound. To overcome the barrier of deafness sign language can be used to communicate. Sign language is using gesture and signs to communicate to a deaf person for example at a hospital a deaf patient can communicate with their doctor using sign language .Another way to overcome the barrier of hearing disability are by using clear speech so that the person can lip-read, this will involve using a lot of eye contact because you would need to make your face visible for the person trying to lip-read. Also using technological aids to communicate is also very effective, these are facilities to help with communication for example hearing aids are small devices that goes behind ones ear which strengthen a persons hearing. The advantage of using sign language is The disadvantage of using sign language is that light is always need, people cannot communicate with each other in the dark also not all hearing impaired people know sign language Dumb/muteness Dumb/Muteness is the inability of speech and is often associated or linked with deafness. However, the technological aid of text-to-speech can overcome this barrier .Text-to-speech is computerised equipment that allows a muted person to type what they want to say and then it will translate into speech form. Also makatons can be used to overcome this barrier. Makaton is a language programme for developing language using speech, signs and symbols. For example in a childcare centre Makaton is used a lot with pre-speech babies and toddlers like picture cards and gestures. Environment: (Space. Noise. Location. ) Space- The space between people is very important when communicating because little space between two can make a person uncomfortable .For example if à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.wanted to talk to..and the space between them was 1 finger away from each other and its someone you arent close to then the person may feel very uncomfortable and may not be listening probably or is not giving the right responses back or even too much of a distance can lead to misunderstanding. Noise- If there is a lot of background noise it will be harder for people to hear each other when communicating and mixed messages may be received. Language: Language can become a barrier as the person you may be trying to communicate with may not be able to speak the same language so therefore the communication is received but not understood. However, to overcome this barrier interpreters/translator are people who will translate and forward your message to the person who you are trying to communicate with by talking to them in their language. For example if the doctor only spoke English but his patient would only be able to speak Turkish a Turkish interpreter would translate to her what the doctor is saying to her or if the doctor does know how to speak Turkish he should use his patients preferred language. Slang Slang is an informal way of speaking which consists of words and phrases that may not be found in the standard dictionary. Slang is mostly used by the younger generation within specific social groups and communities. It consists of words shortened as well as words such as piff which would mean good looking or sick which means cool/awesome. Jargon is quite similar but it is not informal, it is technical terminology words and phrases used by particular professions. For example a doctor uses the scientific terminology for DNA which is deoxyribonucleic acid rather than DNA. To overcome this barrier it is best to avoid using slang and use the formal standardized English.

Yesterday Is History, Tomorrow Is A Mystery

Yesterday Is History, Tomorrow Is A Mystery Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift that is why we call it the present. Author unknown. How much of your life is lost either dwelling on the past or worrying about the future? When your thoughts are imprisoned by the past or fearful of the future, you can miss out on one of lifes greatest gifts: that which is happening today and indeed this very moment. The reality is that when you are yearning for yesterday and either tempted or terrified by tomorrow, your ability to move forward will be confined by your inability to make the most of today. The key to throwing off your shackles is to put your effort into the present moment. Not only will you reap the rewards of enjoying a new awareness of everything around you, but also you will have a healthy and positive place from which to move forward in a constructive and fulfilling way. Mark 8: 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? The goal of the Christian life is living our life centered in the eternal presence of God. Living life at the Center is an axiom not fully appreciated as an underlying hope and reality of the Christian life. The center represents the driving force of ones life where the totality of our thought and life brings us into communion and union with the heart of God. It is nothing more or nothing less than our full devotion in knowing and seeking the life giving love of the resurrected Christ. It is something we seek out of obedience and not something we simply do for a spiritual experience. It is the desire to conform and be transformed by the one who is uncreated Spirit. The one our heart seeks is the trigger or prime mover of everything we now see and know in the world. When we seek the center we seek to know and be known by the great I Am, recognizing He is all sufficient, all knowing, and holds the mystery of creation and our life in His hands. In Christian theology the center is aptly described by the apostle Paul, who states I have been crucified with Christ, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. His practical experience reveals a relationship where the life of Christ has transformed his heart and resides in him. Paul no longer lives in his present state of reality, but in a new reality of the cosmic Christ taking control of his life. He no longer lives his life in his own power and intellect. He lives life filled by grace no longer with his limited knowledge but now filled with the knowledge of God. His heart moves closer each day to be like Christs heart. He declares as he dies to his own desires and passions his heart becomes more like Christs heart. Christs life becomes his life and now being centered in Him he is more and more transformed to become like Christ, act like Christ and talk like Christ. The heart of Jesus now lives and acts through Pauls heart and life. Paul now lives life centered in Christ. The core goal of living life at the center is to become like Christ in the renewing of our minds where in practice we are exchanging our minds for His mind and exchanging of our life for His life. It accepts and recognizes the need of exchanging our fallen character for His perfect character and to become completely centered in his will and his life. It moves us away from the corrupt power of this world where the illusions created by our temporary surroundings trap us. Life in the center untangles us from the mess and attraction of this world and lets us become immersed into the fullness of the spirit which connects our heart and immerses us in the source of all love. When we encounter the unfathomable love of Christ we find we did absolutely nothing to seek Him out. We are humbled with gratitude His divinely initiated love seeks our well being far more than we would ever or could ever desire Him. The daunting task of theology is honestly admitting how does finite man encounter/relate/explain infinite God? How does anthropocentric man, by definition a self consumed egocentric entity interpret God? So we must with full disclosure acknowledge at best our ability to explain the concept of God or the divine flows out of a very limited knowledge at best. However at worst the conclusions we draw testify to our fallen condition filled with arrogance and non-glorifying interpretations of God. Man begins any study and evaluation of God from the outside peering through an opaque glass. Man deluded by his own pride and arrogance never appreciates any of the eternal qualities of God. Instead of being humbled for he owes his life to something outside of himself he somehow wrongly and proudly concurs that his life is what is most important. Mankind reasons with feeble attempts to explain the unexplainable which reveals the stark condition of his being lost in a dark and dangerous world. The center which should be Christ has been turned inside out with God no longer at the center but man as the center of his life. The consequences of that blindness render man as a foolish beast proven out in the pages of history. Mankind as he moves away from the center lives a tragic fairytale existence. The further man moves away from the center (God) the more he thirsts and craves the things which never fully satisfy but actually destroy him. The struggle of any religious or spiritual encounter is the question of who is leading me and where am I being led. The tragedy of many who have been drawn by an all encompassing love toward the center find the ego quickly recovers from its initial loss of control and stops the progression toward the center and the divine life. So our encounter has given us a new awareness of life but results in no real transformation of our heart. We have given a mental assent to change and willingly conclude there is something we now see and sense that we couldnt see before this revolutionary change of view in our life. Now aware we easily conclude the heart of God seems to be a much more favorable place to live against the backdrop of our current broken promises in life. In reality we have for the first time been able to see something we have never seen before because now we also see with spiritual eyes. We now behold the glory of God and a plan for not only creation but our life. The historical Jesus becomes the cosmic Christ who is all in all. Our spiritual eyes now open we see life on a new level of awareness. We now engage on an untraveled journey of following God and discovering a place of worship where religious leaders and others teach us how to follow and imitate God. We have a deep desire to leave the outer edge of the circle and mysteriously move toward the center. However, once the movement begins toward the heart of God, all the external trappings of life outside the circle and the things of the world come back with a vengeance to regain control again. The journey to the center and the heart of Christ started when we spiritually saw a fourth dimension beyond what we can touch with our five senses. The journey into the heart of God is an experience in life we never thought conceivable. There is a hunger or itch that has been scratched created by the awareness of something far beyond what you simply taste, touch, feel, in our three dimensional world of height, width, depth, space and time. We are mystified we have found God so to speak and feel fortunate there appears to be a divine plan encompassing all of creation and we will enjoy all the benefits and culmination of that plan. The adventure toward the fullness of God has begun as we deem life has meaning as we no longer exist alone but in relationship and fellowship with the Creator. The struggle is finite man has begun the process of living in the presence of the infinite God. Once again finite man will never ever begin to comprehend or imagine or explain the incomprehensible, the unimaginable and the unexplainable. So the inflated arrogant ego or self quickly makes the indescribable God simply a god we are most comfortable with in our experience. God is relegated once again to our little box of interpretation or at best a good mathematical equation or as the agnostic no relevance at all. Ego edges god out of even existing from the beginning and continues that process every waking moment of our lives even when we have recognized the need to go to the center! My desire is that not only will you see life differently, but you will process life totally differently than you have ever processed it up to this point. I want to first give you a little test. Its a thinking and response test. There are no ground rules except read the word on the left and the word on the right as a pair. I simply want you to read the list of two words each at this point. Republican Democrat Liberal Conservative Vanilla Chocolate Islam Christian General Motors Mercedes Straight Gay Evolution Creation Doctor High School drop-out Buddha Jesus Protestant Catholic Pentecostal Baptist What is your first response to what you just read? Were they simply words or did they carry hidden meaning? Did you have any emotional response to any of the words in their pairing? Did you place any values on the pairing such as one being better or higher valued than the other word? Were some words more negative or positive than others in your mind? In being able to move to the center and the heart of God we must move beyond our normal way of processing life. We process most of life from a dualistic thinking perspective which in simple terms means the ego or the false self processes our existence from a self preservation mode which protects each and every one of us from any perceived harm to our security and existence. In being able to move to the center and the heart of God we must move beyond our normal way of thinking about life. We must learn to process life from a non-dualistic thinking perspective. Dualism sees things as either /or, right /wrong, good/bad/. There is not anything incessantly evil with this type thinking, it simply needs to be recognized as how we are wired, how we process life from our ego or the false self, the part of us that is you and me. Dualistic thinking involves the process of comparing everything by value, usefulness or non usefulness to our state of being. It must be understood it is the part of the self which plays god. It sees life from one perspective what is best for me and what is best for the preservation and security of my life. Dualism sees things which either benefits me positively or negatively. It places me in the position of being for or against something and judges things as right or wrong in relationship to what the false self concludes is best for me and only me. The best way to understand the false self and what dualistic thinking reveals is that our ego preserves itself by being in control and hates anything that threatens its loss of control. It is most dangerous and deceptive when we have a taste of the eternal and our false self aligns itself with the higher power or God. It then can judge others as being the right kind of believer or not. The ego moves quite naturally from a system of thinking based on atheistic belief into a bible believing way of thinking about God. We no longer have the atheistic ego (self) in control. We now have the spiritual religious ego (self) in control. It then can continue its dualistic thinking without any real heart change and control and judge others as being the right kind of believer in God or not. Once again take the paired words together and read down through the list. . Grace Works Hymns Choruses Immersion Sprinkling Liturgical Non- liturgical Male Leadership Female Leadership Alcohol Non-alcohol Non-instrumental Drums Living Bible King James Version Suits Sandals Gays Straight Once again did you have any emotional response to any of the words in their pairing? Did you place any values on the pairing such as one being better or higher valued than the other word? Were some words more negative or positive than others in your mind? It should be rather humbling at this point if we begin to understand we have had some conversion of our head about God, but not much conversion in our heart and life has taken place. Heart renewal begins to take place when we become non dual thinkers and processors. This type thinking and perceiving occurs when we see life not in parts, but begin seeing life as a whole. In non- dualistic thinking and processing life we see God as the source; everything in life flows out of God and everything that God does. Ego more often than not is more comfortable separate from god. So a new life brings about a new way of thinking. My life is to be lost in letting my life be centered and controlled by Gods will. Transformation takes place when the ego no longer compartmentalizes my interpretation of God to fit my egocentric needs and my limited understanding of God. Life change begins when I trust true knowledge comes from God as my source and I let His love be the driving force in my life. There must be faith in God and realize most of the time my interpretation of God is most of the times very ego centered and will remain ego centered usually with what I am most comfortable with for my life. The tragic ironies of the War between the States in the 1860s more Americans were killed in this war than all the other wars combined in America history. It was not only brother killing brother, but Christian killing other Christians over who was right in the name of God. My hope is we might be transformed by the love of God as we move to the center of His Will. This journey into the heart of God means we must go back when before the fall there was nothing right or wrong. God was not only the only source but he is the source of everything pure and holy. Traveling to the center we encounter an all consuming grace overflowing with love from God for us. Love transforms us and we realize the fullness of his spirit and presence is never found or maintained by some legalistic behavior pattern on our part. Love is greater than what I do or could ever do to maintain a relationship with God. My relationship is never based by what I can do but only what God has done for me. So how does non-dualistic thinking begin to process my spiritual life? I begin by letting go of my constant need to be right all the time and to be in control. I begin to let go of the need to impress others, to always elevate and compare myself as better than others all the time. Traveling to the center I find as the apostle Paul the grace to let go of my life to let the life of Christ consume my life. I find the true meaning of the cross that it not only represents the death of Christ, but death to my life and behaviors as well. I recognize as Dietrich Bonheoffer the fullness of life comes as grace bids me come and die. I must die to my way of thinking, die to my way of doing everything and come alive in Gods love and presence. In dying I come alive in the center of Christs heart and let His love, grace and mercy flow from me to others. The image I see of centering love for me is an arrow going from the heart of God to my heart and then proceeding from my heart into the heart of others. When people see me they see the heart of God manifested in my life. Thus the heart of love becomes the heart of love in me and others around me. To be centered I must be like minded with Christ, I must die and let go of the false self, the ego. I must understand the root of all my dissatisfaction revolves around the ego and the false self. The essence of all healthy religion is to become united with the divine, that my heart and my life might be centered in the divine which is Christ. In defense of our dualistic thinking we could not operate in this world without it. Every day we make decisions which are facilitated by this way of thinking. I have decisions to make every moment of the day whether to turn left, turn right, go straight ahead or stop. Chapter Two: TIME TRAP In simple terms man understands time has a beginning and end. Time begins for us the moment we are born and ends the moment we die. Time is both an enemy and friend. Time moves too fast when we are in the throes of romance or when we have some dreaded deadline to meet. It moves too slowly when waiting for some announcement of great importance. Time is an ever present aspect of our life. The stark reality for all of us is we are all present for a short moment and then in the twinkling of eye time is gone forever from this life. Time can also be a trap which clouds our outlook and attitudes about life. Time is understood as being in the past, present or the future. Our perception of time moves in a straight line toward an ending point. We struggle for meaning and purpose to our existence for time is limited. Time is to be lived with all the gusto for our life is like a vapor of water quickly vanishing in the air. Time is relative in relationship to the number of days in our life. A five year old child has a short number of days living in the past in comparison to the number of days potentially to be lived in the future. Likewise a hundred year old woman has lived most of her days in the past compared to the short number of days possible in her future. So in chronological time how much of your life has been lived in the past and how much time do you realistically have to live in the future? Whats your future number five years, fifteen years or fifty? How much time you have remaining in your life is a perplexing question? Let me pose an intriguing answer. Time if we possess any is measured only in the present or current moment. We may live our lives around the past or future, but they are only perceived dimensions of time. When Jesus says dont worry about tomorrow He understood that tomorrow is perceived in the future which may never take place. Jesus also knew for all of us there will be a time we will have no more tomorrows. Time is only a perception for past time is gone forever and future time is an illusion. If you dont mind the pun, the preoccupation of the perception of time in our past or future can be very time consuming. The truth is we have absolutely no control over the time we seem to possess. (If I told you today you have a blood clot in your heart and it will be fatal within 48 hours how does it change your perception of time. How much does your past time matter, likewise if you have 48 hours to live what future time even 6 days, 6 weeks, 6 months, or 6 years matter?) The false self however doesnt die easily it will continue fighting to the end denying its own impending doom. So we find man lives most of his life not in the present moment but either trapped in the past or living for an unknown future. Time trapped man tends to live life either looking in the rear view mirror trying to figure out where they went wrong, or what they should have or could have done better. Likewise if man is not trapped in his past he seeks a future where he finds a nebulas happiness and contentment. Man lives most of his life not in the present moment but projecting his life somewhere in the future. He has some unclear objective that when I make enough money I will be secure and happy. When I drive a certain kind of car or live in a certain type of house and neighborhood I will be accepted. You can understand (ego) time when we think in any qualifying thought I will be or would be happy. Those thoughts include things like when I get married or have a particular job or amount of money I will be happy, the list is endless. Let me challenge you with a concept you will never be any happier than you are at this present moment. You will never be any more contented than you are at this present time in your life. Peace and contentment is never found in past or future experience. The false self believes it controls time and of course everything else in life. YOU CONTROL NOTHING! If I asked, can you guarantee me you will be alive in a week, what would your answer be? Let me ask can you guarantee you will finish reading the next couple of pages or even the next two sentences without dying? No you cant if you are honest. However, there is an astronomical probability you will read the next couple of pages without dying. The reality however is that you dont know and cant control how much time you have or dont have. For that matter you may think you control your life and others, but you dont. It is only the false ego that believes that it can dictate your future and control the destiny of your life and others around you. YOU CONTROL NOTHING! So that being said, what impact would it have upon your life if you didnt have to worry about being in control of your life and everyone elses life? It would be liberating not to play god and give up of our perceived control of our self and others. What would it look like not to let your past determine your present contentment and outlook on life? What if you could turn loose of all of your regrets, mistakes, failures, broken dreams and turn loose of the unkind words or thoughts that grip your life? What would it mean if you let go of your future dreams (nightmares) and concerns you try to control? What would it mean to be fully alive in the present moment? If you were to die this second in what state of mind would your perceived reality be? Would you die at peace, contented, fulfilled, grateful and hopeful or die frustrated, bitter or angry at the world and yourself? I hope you can begin to see that you will never be anymore happy or contented as you are right now. Living in the past or living in the future can be a miserable way to live life. The only time is the present moment, nothing more, nothing less and truly it is all the time you have or ever will have. The way you live life today will probably be the way you will die with the same attitudes and thoughts you have today. Instead of being trapped in time I want us to consider living in the moment. It is something lost and no longer practiced by many within Christianity. It is a lost gift of spiritual discipline. (In eastern thought and religion it is called mindfulness, or being awake, fully engaged in living life in the present moment.) For the Christian it is experienced as walking in the spirit, praying without ceasing, or practicing the presence of God. It is an ever abiding awareness of the presence of God and the condition of our heart and life. It is life lived in the center of Gods will and is alive to everything that Gods life possesses for us every moment. So in the moment and centered in God I simply let go of all the painful thoughts and even the happy thoughts of my past. I have no control over what thoughts I think I simply turn over those thoughts to God and let them go into to the center of His infinite love and compassion. When my mind is centered in the heart and mind of Jesus I no longer need to categorize, control, hide or deny negative thoughts which cloud my life and future. I am at peace when my heart finds its way and is centered in the heart of God. I simply let the thoughts and voices which create feelings of guilt, anger and despair be turned over to God so they no longer have a grip on my life. I let the painful voices give way to the peaceful and grateful thoughts and voices of a transformed mind in Christ. As the apostle Paul once again concluded, I have been crucified with Christ I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. I am fully alive in the moment and I no longer let the false self be in control of my life and thoughts. I let the false self die and let all my thoughts be lost in God. Present with God I acknowledge all of my thoughts as the good, the bad and the ugly and let them float harmlessly into the pure love of God and let them be consumed in the will of God for my life. Chapter 3 Peaceful Mind, Peaceful Heart CLEAR THINKING PEACEFUL MIND, CLEAR MIND, CLEAN MIND, RENEWED MIND, NOISE Chapter 3 LETTING GO BEFORE WE DIE All of us will eventually let go of every experience, emotion or thought we know in this life. We will turn loose of our grip on everything in this present life we hold dear. We brought nothing into this world and will take nothing out of this world. We will let go of our need to be right about everything. We will let go of our need to be better, smarter, and superior and in control of everyone. We will let go of our need to win at everything. We will let go of our need of accumulating more and more stuff. We will let go of every person who has ever wronged us or offended us. We will let go of our need for recognition and applause. You and I will let go of everything the moment we die. So, if we are going to let go of everything when we die why do we have such a difficult time letting go of those things which seem to rob us of our peace today? In the New Testament Paul describes an inner struggle in his letter to the Roman church. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.Paul describes a battle raging for control of all our desires and deep feelings we have in our life. His understanding is we dont actually control our desires and passions they control us. This battle is within every one of us. It is an internal struggle of a force or entity opposed to Gods will and nature. It is a dominant power we cant see with our eyes, touch with our hands or taste with our tongue but we know it flows in our veins if we are honest with ourselves. It lays hidden deep in our soul and impa cts and controls all of our actions and behavior. Once again it is the false self and it has nothing to do with our body. It is that unseen part of us that makes us do what we do in our life. It fancies itself that it is in total control of our life. It acts out as if we are the master of our own fate and we can plan our own happiness and knows exactly what will make us happy. The deception is it falsely believes it can control our circumstances in life and find the success and fulfillment it desires. The false self only sees itself in the best light and desires only what is best for it. Its underlying characteristic is totally a self centered obsession with itself. Its primary objective is self preservation, and lets no one get in its way of having everything it desires and believes it deserves to be fulfilled. This force defines what we like, what we want, and what we think. It believes it must control the course of our life. It believes what it desires can make us happy, contended and successful. The lie of the ego is that it believes if given enough time it can bring fulfillment and happiness to our life. It survives by being right and superior to everyone around us. Likewise it never offends anyone, but is continually offended by others all the time. The ego is obsessed and never has enough stuff and believes if we only had more of everything we would be happier. So, more love, more money, a bigger house and newer car are the pathway of happiness. The greatest lie of the ego however is its denial of death. The ego because we can think and live and breathe conjectures and plots out that it will live forever in spite of the obvious fact we are dying the moment we are born. The ego replacing God never comes to grips with its certain destruction. It is unwilling to accept we are going to die and let go of everything we have ever thought, wished, done or regretted. We are going to let go of our grip on everything we thought we couldnt live without in this life. Everyone will turn loose some sooner than later and thats a guarantee. The move to the center and heart of God can only be accomplished by letting go of everything we hold dear in this life. The sooner we turn loose and learn to let go of everything now the sooner we will experience genuine peace and freedom. Jesus fully recognized the condition of mans life when he told the Father, not my will but your will be done. The false self leads man toward a path of destruction. Letting go and surrendering of our will and life to be consumed in a love we can trust far more than ourselves. The letting go process is a slow and agonizing process because I dont want anything to take my power, my will, or control of my life from me. The ego hates anything that says it must change for any reason. The ego will do everything it can to mask itself as long as it doesnt have to give up control. It will suffer, it will sacrifice it will pretend and will do our sorts of religious stuff. (1 Cor.13)It will go through all sorts of religious purity rites as long as it doesnt have to give up control. Letting go of anything is not the prescription for getting ahead in this life and enjoying life. Letting go is the last thing that the ego is willing or wants to do. It would rather let you die of drugs, your anger, and the stress of working to find significance and security than give up control. It would rather you go through three or four marriages, three or four jobs, three or four DUIs and not have to change or give up control. Here is the truly frightening thing concerning the false self. The false self would rather have us die in our hopelessness and pain than give up its power and control over us. It holds its grip on us till death. It will convince us we are right for being angry with the world, with others and God. The false self would rather us go to prison for life than let go of its anger and its resentment that it holds against others. The ego is unwilling to let God or any other powers have control of it. It fights to the very end and destroys itself. We must let go of what the false self desires to find life and peace. There is no change and peace for our souls as long as the false self is in control. There is no change of heart as long as the mind is controlled by our ego. There is no change until we understand we are totally powerless to do anything with the ego in charge. Jesus let go of life to do the will of father and said, not my will be done but your will be done. So letting go means letting go of the false selfs control and turning our will over to the will of God. So to find real peace and life and to be centered in the heart of Christ means you no longer have to be right all the time. What kind of immediate impact would it have on your marriage today if you didnt have to be right all the time? What impact would have on churches today? What impact would it have on wars with people killing and hating each other over who is right? Jesus didnt give the first commandment that you would be right about everything concerning your faith and your politics in your life. He said to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with your entire mind and with all of your soul. Ever wonder why you dont get along with people. Try giving up the need to win all the time and trying to be superior to everyone and a few people may actually like you. Give of the need to have more and more stuff and you might actually recognize fewer possessions really are the path to a contented life. Let go of those who have offended you for you owe it to yourself. One of the last things to let go of can be combined as your resentments, your pain, your suffering. Most people reject God because of the question of why is there pain and suffering. At the end of life people are either generally grateful or resentful about life. Resentment is a condition of our heart which has the underlying belief life didnt go as I had planned it. Life never goes as the way we plan

Essay on Homers Odyssey: Exploring Our Social Roots -- Homer Odyssey

The Odyssey: Exploring Our Social Roots  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In modern western society we are a people taught from very young that good manners and strong morality are necessity.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The idea that the good will prosper and the bad will get what they deserve is widely accepted and applauded.   However, these ideas about the social rules of "modern civil man" are not so novel.   This same system of social behavior and belief is exhibited throughout the epic poem, The Odyssey.   In this epic we find the roots of our contemporary social actions and convictions importantly displayed.    All through this epic there are many examples to distinguish those civilized, who abided by social customs, and those who did not.   One of the primary forms of manner, during this period, was the customary practice of the civilized to invite a guest to feast without prior inquiry into his errand.   We encounter this social rule early upon the first meeting of Telemachos and his mother's suitors during a feast at the home. An unidentified guest arrives and is ignored by the suitors.   However, the mannered Telemachos promptly invites the guest in to join them in feasting; he is annoyed that their guest was made to wait and also embarrassed by and apologizes for the suitor's crude behavior.  Ã‚   This same practice repeats itself throughout the poem and is yet again contrasted when Odysseus and some of his crew arrive at the island of the Cyclops.   The men allow themselves into an unattended cave whose owner is the Cyclops, Polyphemus.   Upon the uncivilized Cyclops' arri val home he eats some of the men and traps the remainder.   Clearly, the social intuition of manners plays such a strong silent role.   As Horace Mann said "Manners easily and rapidly mature into m... ...ood, and idea that good always triumphs over evil.  Ã‚   We can easily witness the roots of present rules of society budding during this time period.   Such reflection and insight allows us to connect in a way, we maybe normally would not have, with one of our modern culture's leaders in morality and manners.    Works Citied Dimock, George E.   The Unity of the Odyssey.   The University Of Massachusetts Press: Amherst, 1989. Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Interpretation Homer's The Odyssey.   Chelsea House Publishers: New York, 1988. Lawall, Sarah, ed. "The Odyssey."   Trans. Robert Fitzgerald.   The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.   W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.: New York, London, 1999.   209-514 Cyber Nation Home Page. 2000. Cyber Nation International Inc.< http://www.cyber-nation.com/victory/quotations/subjects/quotes_manners.html>.   

Ben Franklin :: essays research papers

Throughout history icons emerge in each era that define that time, men who define the thinking, technology, culture, religion, and every other aspect of that time period. From the time of ancient Greece which possessed such prodigies as Socrates, and Aristotle men who were not only brilliant philosophers but also historians, mathematicians, and astronomers. To the Revolutionary period of America, which held such courageous enlightened men such as Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Benjamin Franklin. Men who greatly helped shape America’s independence. A man who stands out among these names is â€Å" The First American†, Benjamin Franklin who goes beyond being simply an icon of America’s conquest for freedom, but is truly an American hero. Benjamin Franklin’s heroism exists in his numerous achievements in politics, his scientific inventions, and his accomplishment of truly being â€Å"The First American†. Franklin’s contributions to the world of inventions, and science prove his ideal heroism. Some of Franklin’s contributions include his improvements on Franklin’s stove, he invented the Pennsylvania fireplace, which retained and dispersed heat evenly in a room. Franklin shaped perhaps the first idea of electricity; he also helped improved city’s pavements, street lighting, sanitations, fire companies, and police. These are a small amount of Franklin’s more material accomplishments, but they are also some of his strongest. Franklin is considered an American hero because although he was a politician, he felt the need to go above and beyond his regular duties. Franklin strived for perfection and had a strong to desire to help his fellow man. Whether it was improving the quality of his community by looking at such common aspects like city pavement, or street lights, or by making a large technological breakthrough and creating something like the musical a rmonica. Although Ben Franklin’s heroism was never symbolized in any battle, it was largely seen with his constant attempts in the world of science and innovation. Benjamin Franklin used an expressed his high level of intelligence for others to learn and prosper from him. Although Franklin’s use and discoveries in science and innovation are well-rounded accomplishments, he is most credited for his actions in political office. Benjamin Franklin’s ethical right mind helped shape our nation today. Franklin believed that America had to separate itself from its control under Great Britain. Perhaps Franklin’s most heroic act is the work he contributed to help make America the free nation it is today.

Marketing Research Essay

Conclusion The purpose of this research is to identify whether Dilmah should continue the current campaign or modify the campaign. The result from the secondary research and primary qantative research show the total black tea sales has great increased about 13% from 2008 – 2009 which is a fantastic result in the world economic recession period of time. Dilmah has market share of 29% which is the highest share of one brand. Dilmah target customer is traditional family and age is from middle to mature group. The Larry report says their customers are satisiftied with the freshest and finest tea quality and consumers agreed Dilmah has achieved the goal of tea quality. The main tea market are in Auckland 51% in 2009, Wellington and Canterburry. From primary research findings, female has higher purchasing tea percentage than male and the age group is 36 and more. People who are employeed as income earner less than 20 hours is recall seeing the TV advertising. Dilmah doesn’t have the top of mind brand awareness for the age group 36-45 but it is mostly recognized by the age group 26-35. Dilmah issues Bell is a very strong competitetor of Dilmah in black tea market as they have a very close market share percentages over years from 2005 to 2009. Bell is more reconigized at the age group of 35 – 46 by 94% (193) but the age group of 18 – 25 and 46 and over still have 67% and 61% top of mind brand awareness for Bell. The 58% of age group 26 – 35 has top of mind brand awareness for Dilmah and the 33% of age group 18 – 25 has top of mind brand awareness for Dilmah. 59% of male and 64% female all reconigized Bell but 39% male and 13% female know Dilmah as top of mind brandawareness. 6% of less 20 hrs knows Bell but 15% knows Dilmah. 61% of non employeed knows Dilmah†¦but which they might not be the main group who purchase tea normally in the household. 32% of 35 – 46 who purchased tea Be to cafe last 4 weeks: Female purchased tea more $704,000 and is about 4 times than male $188,000 at sales. Top main 3 group purchase tea 40 – 44, 45  œ 49 and 70 and over RM: Who bought tea last 4 months: * 2 main group:64% of traditional family (middle to mature age with stable income and family oriented and traditional value) and 41% visible achievers and they have very similar family values Who purchased tea last 3 months * 36 – 45 and 46 and over for bell (29% of interviewers purchased Bell Tea) * 26 – 35 and 36 – 45 for Dilmah (30% of interviewer purchased Dilmah) * 25% purchased Twinings The market trend to drink black has started from 2007 because the black tea sale. The total black sale of 2005 to 2009 has increased steadily which presented the successful of the media and publicity from the secondary data findings. The result shows that those three major brands Dilmah, Bell and Twinings are invested into the most effective forms of media at the past three to four years. Dilmah media expenditure has always been the highest in TV advertising from 2005 – 2008 ( 67% to 91% of Dilmah total expenditure of media) apart from 2009 comparing to the major three tea brands. Bell, the second tea brand spent the most amount of money in TV advertisement at 2009 which showed the result of the total tea sale was the only one brand has had increases sales from 2008 to 2009 about few percentages. Dilmah reduced the spending for TV advertisement about 23% which has slightly reduced the tea sales about little percentage but Dilmah is still No. 1 of black tea market. As a result, Dilmah has been always focusing on the right media form for advertising their product and has been successful on the result of sales and market share. Nevertheless, Dilmah still lacks the brand awareness as it shows in the primary / qanatative research findings that Dilmah did not come to â€Å"Top of mind brand awareness† and Bell was the first tea brand comes to their mind. 62% of interviewers chose Bell and only 22% of interviewers chose Dilmah which makes Dilmah comes second. This clearly shows Dilmah has significant issue about the brand awareness which has always been an issue of them trying to achieve it. From the research findings, the main group which has been purchased tea for last four months are The total black tea market sales from 2008 – 2009 has huge growth about 13%. The total The purpose of this research is to identify whether Dilmah should continue the current campaign or modify the campaign. The result from the secondary research and primary qantative research are showing the most effective forms of media and publicity is TV advertising which the campaign is focusing on. The past few years that Dilmah has been focus on TV advertising and the result shows the sales of Dilmah black tea has been increased steadily. It proved TV advertising has achieved the result of increasing the sales of tea. The research has investigated the 5 objectives which are key trends in the tea market, key customer segments and a profile of each, levels of brand awareness and measure attitudes towards teas as a drink. The findings show Dilmah should continue the current campaign as it is. Key trend in the tea market (market size, market share and price†¦etc) Key customer segment and a profile of each Brand Awareness The most effective form of media and publicity Attitude toward to tea as a drink Recommendation Id research problems / to understand / to investigate / to explore The primary research has contained five objectives are key trend in the tea market, key customer segments, the most effective forms of media and publicity and the measurement attitude towards tea as a drink. Unfortunately, it has had 800 survey but female is almost double of male. This may because the survey accuracy as the secondary research findings shows female has much higher percentage of purchasing the tea which might affect the survey. Beside, there is one more important finding that from middle to mature age groups are also the main groups of tea purchasing. The survey also has higher percentage people at the age group of 36 – 45 and 45 and over. In the primary research, it has covered quite well at the brand awareness question but there are not enough information which required to support the campaign should keep going or modify at the objectives of effectiveness of media, attitude to buy / drink tea and profile of customer segment. The key customer segment by employment should be full time worker, part time worker or non-employed. It will be good to know who does grocery shopping of the household. Full time housewife with out job or Housewife with part time job, part time student or full time student The attitude toward to tea as drink will be good to have the question of what kind of tea is the most favorite to drink? Answer to be black, herbal and green tea which can help to know the current trend of drink tea. * Main reasons of purchasing the tea What kind packaging is the most favourite etc paper bag, tin, glass jar †¦etc†¦ * What kind of advertising comes to mind when you think about tea advertising? * What would you expect to see from tea advertising? Tea history, fashion trend, tea taste†¦etc * Attitude to buy / drinking tea? (change to actionable statement – to identify * Effectiveness of advertising * Profile of segments – behaviour (drinking tea) The secondary and primary researches have got a numbers of good information and data to support the continued campaign of TV advertisement as the most effective form of media. However, it still lack the important information and data key customer segment, attitude toward to tea as drink and the type of tea advertising to support the campaign. The key customer segment will indicate which group is main consumers purchase tea for the household and when and where will the best time to have campaign on according the life consumers. The great information of attitude toward tea as drink can modify the campaign to the advertising that consumers would expect to see and also show who main consumers are. The type of media form will encourage consumers to purchase Dilmah tea brand. Sometimes, it is very hard to encourage consumers to change the brand they have drunk for long time as tea is a very family oriented drink. Drinking tea can be the family habit which dominated by the main person who is shopping for the household. For that reason, it is essential to have the focus group qualitative research to The research requires 8 – 12 people and homogeneous in terms of demorgraphic and socio-economic characteristics. Of course, those people need to have the habit of drinking tea. The final thing is has not participated in many focus groups. The reseach will also require a relax environment and it will takes about 1. 5 – 2 hours. The research will be recorded all relvant information including facial expression and body language so the recorder will need to be in the central front of the room behind the moderator. The moderator will question the group and lead the discussion to the proper way to encourage the group not be afraid to express own ideas and opinions. A good qualified moderator will be detached but kind and Final statement Identify the need for qual research †¦ (topic) To explain yes we have got some good information but still lack some important information†¦ for support – to provide more about how to present to public†¦ to recommend what should need according to behaviour†¦ or age group†¦ Just comes one statement that is actionable to complete by the research (your task)†¦ Going to Appendix Good morning/ afternoon Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. We will honor your time by making sure that we wrap up in the next 90 minutes. Does anyone mind if we tape record this for our records? The tape will be only use for the case study of the major tea brand campaign design. We are researchers under contract with the major tea brand to conduct the tea brand awareness and the attitude toward to tea as a drink. Our evaluation is formative and qualitative. This means that our primary point is to gather information that helps the major tea brand origination finest tea product and improve the brand awareness. The information we collect is by design descriptive rather than numeric. We have a system for quantifying qualitative information, but for now, we don’t need to be concerned with counting things. We just want your ideas and opinions. There is no right and wrong for each question and each idea and opinion are all very valuable information for the research. Any question before we start? Be sure that everyone signs and completes the info on the sign-up sheet. Key themes Suggested question End the guide with some kind of thank you and conclusion – recognize that people will have gone out of their way to participate

In Your Opinion What Is/Are The Main Theme(s) Of The Book?

Have you ever thought about death? Are you ready to die? If your answer is no, you can change it by reading Tuesday With Morrie . This book is filled with perfect aphorisms and life lessons that can change someone’s life. Tuesday classes with Morrie changed Mitch Albom’s life and thought him how to live. The issues that they talked about are big lessons for everyone. Personally, I have learned a great deal from the book and in this essay, I explain some important themes which, in my opinion, are offered in rejection of what culture is holds to be true, give love and let it come in, and do not think money is everything. First theme is rejecting what culture is saying. do not believe what people around you telling what is right or wrong. Try to develop your own culture by finding people whom you can trust . Every society has its own problems; therefore, you need to be strong and listen to your heart , do your work , and do not give up on things that you do not believe in . For example, in the book Morrie’s opinion is â€Å"we are teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it† (page 35). This quote means that if you listen to media, news, and your friends and do what they ARE saying, you will end up with an unhappy life. Likewise, Morrie, who loses his independence, is still accepted in society, because he has unique way for living, he has his own culture. He started project called Greenhouse, where poor people could receive mental health services. He visited by colleagues, kept in touch with his students, and wrote letter to his distant friends. All of this is signs of a fact that he was successful in developing his own culture. To sum up, do not waste your time to believe culture and do not lose your confidence. Believe yourself and trust your belief to have a happy life. The second theme is the fact that love can never die. If you have someone to love you, you will never disappear from his or her minds. Love between you and your family will take care of you at any time, even though you got terminal disease, like Morrie, and there is no hope for you to live. â€Å"The fact is there is no foundation, no secure ground, upon which people may stand today if it isn’t the family. (page91) For instance, in Morris’s opinion â€Å"love is A rational act† (page 134). It means if you give love, it will return to you. He quoted from W. H. Auden the thing that love is the essence of every person, and every relationship without it is nothing. We can see that the importance of love in Morrie’s life is clear for him because when he is going close to death without care of his family, he would pe rish. In conclusion, love brings happiness and meaning to life. Lastly, do not think money is everything. People who just work for money are always busy. They do not pay attention to people around them, they are alone, and everything is money for them. They think money gives them power, and it can sustain them at any time even when they face with death. However, Morrie knows better since when one encounters death, neither money nor power will give one the feeling that they are looking for. People, who think more money is better, do so because they did not find meaning in their lives, so to find out the meaning in their lives, they just run for new houses, new cars, and property. They seek meaning in appearance. The truth is, you don’t get satisfaction from those things. Only offering what you have to give, gives you satisfaction. †(page126) For example, if you have skill in computer, you can teach to the old people. They will be very grateful. This is how you start to get respect by offering your time and your talent. Lastly, money cannot give you everything you need; on the contrary, it can make you lonelier. In conclusi on, I really enjoyed the book and I have learned from it. It thought me that culture is not always right and most of people do not know this fact. They rather be brainwashed in their lives. Second theme is love people around you, enjoy your moment with them, and find someone to give your love uniquely. Have children to experience one of the most important feelings in life; a sense Of fullness and felicity which cannot be expressed in words. Additionally, the last thing is money. It is not something for which you would be supposed to work and spend all your time on. Instead, pay more attention to people around you, and put more essence of human being in your lifetime. Finally, I am seeing this book as a life reference, filled with perfect quotes and stories. I really recommend it to people to read and learn from it.