Mahatma Gandhi Essays - Pacifism, Nonviolence, Gandhism, Ascetics

Mahatma Gandhi Throughout history most national heroes have been warriors, but Gandhi was a passive and peaceful preacher of morals, ethics, and beliefs. He was an outsider who ended British rule over India without striking a blow. Moreover, Gandhi was not skillful with any unusual artistic, scholarly, or scientific talents. He never earned a degree or received any special academic honors. He was never a candidate in an election or a member of government. Yet when he died, in 1948, practically the whole world mourned him. Einstein said in his tribute, "Gandhi demonstrated that a powerful human following can be assembled not only through the cunning game of the usual political maneuvers and trickery but through the cogent example of a morally superior conduct of life". Other tributes compared Gandhi to Socrates, to Buddha, to Jesus, and to Saint Fancis of Assisi. The life of Mahatma (great soul) Gandhi is very documented. Certainly it was an extraordinary life, poking at the ancient Hindu religion and culture and modern revolutionary ideas about politics and society, an unusual combination of perceptions and values. Gandhi's life was filled with contradictions. He was described as a gentle man who was an outsider, but also as a godly and almost mystical person, but he had a great determination. Nothing could change his convictions. Some called him a master politician, others called him a saint, and millions of Indians called him Mahatma or Bapu (father). I on the other hand call him extraordinarily great. Gandhi's life was devoted to a search for truth. He believed that truth could be known only through tolerance and concern for others, and that finding a truthful way to solutions required constant attention. He dedicated himself to truth, to nonviolence, to purity, to poverty, to scripture reading, to humility, to honesty, and to fearlessness. He called his autobiography, My Experiments with Truth. Gandhi overcame fear in himself and taught others to master fear. He believed in Ahimsa (nonviolence) and taught that to be truly nonviolent required courage. He lived a simple life and thought it was wrong to kill animals for food or clothing. In his religious studies, he happened upon Leo Tolstoy's Christian writings, and was inspired. It stated that all government is based on war and violence, and that one can attack these only through passive resistance. This made a deep impression on Gandhi. Gandhi developed a method of direct social action, based upon principals of courage, nonviolence, and truth, which he called Satyagraha (holding on to truth). In this method, the way people behave is more important than what they achieve in life. Satyagraha was used to fight for India's independence and to bring about social change. In 1884, he founded the Natal Indian Congress to fight for Indian's rights and he used and perfected the tool of satyagraha (nonviolent resistance) in demanding and protecting the rights of the Indian community of South Africa. He would later use this tool in fighting the British for India's independence. He started his first two ashrams, (Hindu religious groups) in South Africa, one was named Phoenix and the other, Tolstoy. Men, women, and children lived at the Tolstoy Farm where they were schooled about fearlessness, self-reliance, self-denial, self-sacrifice, and suffering; and embracing poverty and living in harmony with other people and with nature. Once educated they could learn to practice brahmacharya, the creator God of Hindu, satyagraha, and ahimsa, so they could attack their corrupt society and the government. He was a believer in manual labor and simple living. He spun thread and wove the cloth for his own garments and insisted that his followers do so, too. He disagreed with those who wanted India to become an industrial country. From 1893 to 1914 he worked for an Indian firm in South Africa as a lawyer. During these years Gandhi's experiences of open, racial discrimination moved him into agitation. His interest soon turned to the problem of Indians who had come to South Africa as laborers. He had seen how they were treated as inferiors in India, in England, and then in South Africa. In 1906, Gandhi began his peaceful revolution. He declared he would go to jail or even die before obeying an anti-Asian law. Thousands of Indians joined him in this civil disobedience campaign. He started protest campaigns and organized demonstrations, but never used violence. His philosophy was to never fight back against the atrocities, but still never retreat. This, he said, would decrease the hate against him and his fellow believers, and increase the respect felt towards him. Gandhi's

I Choose Sparta essays

I Choose Sparta essays Athens and Sparta definitely varied when it came to the way both cities were ruled and the way the two different peoples lived and were treated. Athens government was mostly based on the equality of all people, and everyone was treated equally and ruled by a democracy. In Sparta the government was completely different. Sparta was set up like a military camp and the people in Sparta were treated more like warriors than citizens. From this information alone, it definitely sounds as though Athens would be the favorable place of residence. But that is not exactly so, I believe that the Spartans way of life was much more desirable because, it was stronger and more powerful, girls were treated better, and the way of life was overall better for individuals. The Athenians value of the arts was a huge contrast from the Spartans value of the military strength of their state. Now say you were looking around for a place to live, and youre there looking in the back of your local newspaper and you read Move to Athens- where were working to produce a strong appreciation for the arts. And so you turn the page and see, Sparta- working to build and maintain a strong military to protect our city. What are you going to think? Ooh the arts, that sounds nice. Or Wow, the protection of a strong military, pretty important. Personally I think that Spartan life sounds much more appealing because of that fact that if I lived there, I could be assured protection because of how life is based there and because of how strict Spartan lifestyle is. It would be much more assuring to live in a place where we could be protected during a time when there are so many revolts and rivalries between states than live in a place whose main focus is the arts. Because of the Spartan military being so strong, Sparta was a very powerful city because of its military, which makes living there even more appeal...

[Australian Undergraduate] Important Finance group project Assignment

[Australian Undergraduate] Important Finance group project - Assignment Example The construction would incur maintenance and utility cost from the drainage and the dike systems, the solid wastes and the recycling of materials that were not used after completion of the construction process. Besides, other cost associated with maintenance and utilities include the sewer system, water supply, operations and maintenance, constructions of the systems that still need polishing up and the salaries and benefits of the employees. The average daily cost is represented in the diagram below for all the utilities. These costs represent estimates computed for the first three months to obtain the daily cost in the first 90 days. However, it is likely that the amount may be slightly higher during the first one month. The values will fall thereafter with the third and fourth months and even subsequent duration recording lower values owing to the decreasing utilities and maintenance requirement. The breakeven analysis helps in the determination of the point at which the management can know whether the business attains a level that it makes neither losses nor profits (Tucker, 1963). It is also the point that the cost of production for the business equals the sales, hence no profit. Although breakeven is a firsthand tool for the assessment of the health status of the business by showing how the uncertainties may be critical for the venture, it does not capture market dynamics. Every market should be considered as dynamic because the trends may vary depending on several conditions. The changing trends dictate pricing and changes in the prices at large. Breakeven analysis does not take into accounts these trends, so it may give a general outlook that has an impact on expectations (Tucker, 1963). Since breakeven analysis involves adjustment of variables so that the values can give a figure of $0 NPV, and that each variable undergoes adjustment one at a time, it does not capture the possible effects that may influence two or more variables together.

Phoenix Johnson and the Worn Path Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Phoenix Johnson and the Worn Path - Essay Example The character is able to become symbolic of the meaning of the overall story and what it means to change the worn path into something new as a transition. The first aspect of the character that is recognized as a part of the worn path is the name. Phoenix is a symbolic meaning of a bird that dies then rises through the ashes. In the story, Phoenix is seen as walking the same path continuously, always which is done for the illness of her grandson. This is combined with the routines and expectations that she has as well as the reoccurring events that everyone recognizes about the character. The idea of the phoenix then remains present in the story as the worn out path of the character continues until it dies. When Phoenix falls into a ditch, there is recognition of the character dying to the old and worn out path, which then leads to rising to the new. The presentation of the character as a bird that is not going to walk down the same path again then becomes a central part of the recog nition of the struggle that the character goes through as well as the problems which are associated with making a transition out of the old and into the new. The name of Phoenix which holds the symbolic meaning with the character is followed by the actions which are taken and the expectations that the character has. The worn path that Phoenix walks down is also symbolic of the mentality of the character and the difficulties which she continuously encounters throughout her life. The never – ending struggle of the character and the ability to overcome this is one of the highlighted aspects of the character. For instance, when walking the worn path, Phoenix states that the journey makes it â€Å"seems like there is chains on my feet, time I get this far† (Welty, 143). The statement is one that is not only based on the difficulty of the path but is representative of the path that Phoenix continues to travel and rise through each time that something occurs. The characteriza tion of Phoenix then becomes associated with the struggle that she continues to go through and the ability to overcome the difficulties which she has faced. The recognition of the character that has the chains on the path and which continues to struggle is not only based on the one struggles of the character. Phoenix is an African – American that lives in the south and which has lived through the Civil Rights movement and the changes toward blacks and whites in the nation. The representation of the character then moves into a deeper aspect not only of one character that has walked the worn path. It also relates to the struggles of those living in the South at the time and the continuous need to have bravery, the ability to overcome and to chase things away if they appeared as a threat. For instance, when Phoenix meets a hunter, he holds a gun to her to shoot. The response is not one out of fear. â€Å" ‘Doesn’t that gun scare you?’ he said, pointing it at her. ‘No, Sir, I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day† (146). This phrase and several others show the courage and the understanding of the meaning of the character as the worn path. The character is one that has seen guns, struggle and other difficulties based on the social order of the time. The development of the character is then to show how these struggles have allowed the character to overcome.

Emotionally-Charged Subjects Essay Example for Free

Emotionally-Charged Subjects Essay Parents and teenagers need not always argue about issues that are manageable. The key to managing these issues is in understanding each other’s position and in finding a middle-way solution. If we can aim for a win-win solution, that would be best, but many times it may not be possible. So, adjusting our wants with regards to the other’s position may be necessary to solve our problems. Let us take the issues of friends, money and school for example. If we try to understand the problems facing each side, from the teenager and from the parents, we can try to negotiate our way to a solution. First, many teenagers today have friends that parents disagree with, but both sides can work on a solution. Proverbs 18:24 says, â€Å"A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother† (New American Standard Bible). The teenager has to understand that quality friends are more important than quantity. Bad company may lead to drug abuse, alcoholism, pre-marital sex, unwanted pregnancies and other consequences that are life-and-death situations. It is important then to choose our friends wisely and to refrain from others who are bad influences on us. So how do we choose our friends? Or how do we know that they are truly our real friends? Proverbs 17:17 asserts that â€Å"A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need† (New Living Translation). If our so-called â€Å"friends† are only there when we have money or if we are in good health or if we have a nice car and a beautiful house, then they are not our friends. A true friend will be there for you even in sickness, homelessness and poverty. Of course, parents also have to understand that nothing is perfect and that these ideals may not be realized all the time because of actual, instead of theoretical circumstances. So parents have to give their teenagers some room for error and imperfection. By learning from their mistakes, they will become better adults later. Second, many teenagers nowadays want more money, which their parents don’t have, so we need to find creative solutions to solve it. In 1 Timothy 6:10, it is mentioned that â€Å"the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs† (New International Version). Money is needed to satisfy many physical desires, but too many desires will lead to suffering. It is important to extinguish the flames of desire through moderation. If we don’t really need something, we don’t have to possess it. We also need to be wise with our money through investments and diligent work. By finding part-time work and learning how to invest our savings properly, a teenager will learn good financial skills that he will need later as an adult. As Matthew 25:18 mentions, we should not dig â€Å"a hole in the ground and [hide]†¦ the masters money† (New Living Translation) even if we have only a little of it. We should invest it, and we can also find some work to earn more money that we can additionally invest. We should also not have sudden cravings to splurge once we have a lot of money. In Proverbs 7: 20, a prodigal man â€Å"took lots of money with him†¦ [and] wont be home for a couple of weeks (God’s Word Translation). Instead, we should learn how to control our emotions. Being wasteful in our expenditures will empty our bank account. Lastly, we should also be generous. As Exodus 22:25 says, If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest† (New International Version). By learning how to give, we will receive payment in â€Å"kind† later on in the form of respect, the return of favors and other non-quantifiable intangible forms that we will appreciate later. Lastly, teenagers may need to confront their parents about their problems in school. Grades are one of the major problems that teenagers face in school. Low marks could be a consequential problem due to bad friends or the lack of money to buy learning resources. If our problem with friends and money are resolved, then we can solve our issues in school also. But sometimes, the cause may be something else. If our ancestors were not so bright themselves, then we shouldn’t expect too much on ourselves. Or if we take some mental aptitude tests, and we score poorly, we may be faced with a biological problem that requires specialized training. But more often than not, we can improve our brain power through proper nutrition, exercise and mental conditioning. There are many books and courses in the market that will teach us on how to increase our mental aptitude. So, it may be necessary to purchase a few for the benefit of our future. But parents should also consider that school and grades are not everything. Jesus himself was very learned, but he did not bother to prove his academic excellence by getting a respected degree from a well-known school. In John 7:15 â€Å"the Jews were surprised and said, How has this man got knowledge of books? He has never been to school† (Bible in Basic English). Indeed, school is not the only place to learn and thus, school grades are not the only proof of learning. While some people may be God-gifted, more often than not, many people learn from the â€Å"School of Hard Knocks. † Truly, there are many successful people today, such as Bill Gates, who never finished college. In the end, teenagers are not always wrong and parents are not always right. When a proper middle-ground is reached between the two, there is peace. References Hook, S. (ed. ). (1965). Bible in Basic English. Cambridge University Press. Holy Bible: New International Version. (1978). Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. (1996). Wheaton: Tyndale House. The Bible: God’s Word Translation. (1995). Jacksonville: Baker Publishing Group. The Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1997). Anaheim: Foundation.

Leadership in One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest and Leadership in the Rea

Leadership in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Leadership in the Real World The theme of leadership in the ward does not mirror the outside world very accurately, as in contemporary society a leader of a society or an organisation is almost always accountable to a person senior to him. This is not seen in the novel, as Big Nurse seems to be answerable to no one, in fact, it is arguable that everyone answers to her. A hierarchy or class system operates inside the ward which can be clearly seen throughout the course of the novel. Patients living within the ward are ‘classed’ according to the state of their mental health or to the condition of which they suffer from. Chief describes the method of discriminating patients from one another: ‘Across the room from the Acutes are the Chronics†¦ Not in the hospital, these, to get fixed, but to keep them walking the streets†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (17) Patients are divided into two categories of Acutes & Chronics: Chronics are those patients who have a condition which is untreatable, ’machines with flaws which cannot be repaired’ (17) and can only be controlled with medical methods. They will spend the rest of their lives inside the ward of the hospital. Patients who are seen as being likely to recover from their illness, and will return to society. Acutes are those patients e.g. Harding, who are seen as being likely to recover from their illness, and will return to society. Chronics can either have full use of their bodies or can be again sub-categorised into Wheelers and Vegetables; Those whose movement is impaired to such an extent, they can only move by being pushed around in wheelchairs. Vegetables are patients who, through excessive ECT ‘Shock Shop’ (18) or through t... ... the rules. Although many countries have abolished the use of corporal or capital punishment for serious crimes, North America is one such a country where, depending on the state, a person may face capital punishment by lethal injection, electric chair or gas chamber. The ward applies corporal punishment in the form of the ECT and it may be argued that a lobotomy is a form of capital punishment because the patient has little or no quality of life left after the procedure, so they might as well have been killed. Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest mirrors, in the behavior of it’s characters, contemporary society very accurately and can still be relied on, as a contemporary text, an accurate display of the treatment of patients within a mental hospital today. Works Cited: Kesey, Ken. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. New York: Viking, 1962

Media Example

Music and Lyrics is a film featuring Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant (Music and Lyrics, 2007). Hugh Grant plays the role of Alex Fletcher, who was a famous pop star in the 1980s and Drew Barrymore plays Sophie Fisher, a frustrated literary writer. In the movie, Fletcher was constrained to use the medium of a song in order to communicate his apologies for saying awful things to Fisher (Music and Lyrics, 2007). In so doing, Fletcher demonstrated his knowledge of interpersonal skills in winning over Fisher. Communication skills refer to a person’s ability to effectively articulate a specific message through written, verbal, or graphic means (Floren, 1998). These skills include the ability to present an idea clearly, resolve conflicts skillfully, and utilize technologies as means to put a message through (Floren, 1998). In the scene in the movie Music and Lyrics where Flectcher sang a heartfelt song of apology to Fisher, the former was able to exhibit all the abovementioned communication skills. He had a specific message in mind; he meant to apologize to Fisher for saying awful things. He also intended to, and succeeded in, expressing his true feelings for Fisher (Music and Lyrics, 2007). Fletcher was successful in presenting his idea clearly (Floren, 1998). He used carefully chosen lyrics that could put his message through, even using rhyme and music for artistry. In such a short period consisting of less than five minutes, Fletcher was able to mention Fisher’s specific endearing habits. He was also able to sing about the way that Fisher was able to make him feel better. Finally, Fletcher’s song served a major purpose of communication, which is conflict resolution (Floren, 1998). The song was so honest that there could have been no other ending for the story but to have Fisher accept Fletcher’s apology. References Music and Lyrics. (2007). Warner Brothers. Retrieved February 22, 2007 Floren, G. L. (1998). Marketable Skills and Attitudes. Retrieved February 23, 2007 Â   Â