Epicureanism and stoicism

Epicureanism and stoicism Epicureanism Epicureanism can be regarded as the philosophy of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher who lived between 341 and 270 B.C (Konstan, pars. 1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Epicureanism and stoicism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Epicureanism constitutes an interdependent system that harbours the following views: the main purpose of human life as being the achievement of happiness as a result of absence of physical â€Å"pain and mental disturbance†; empirical approach to knowledge; utilization of atomic materialism in the describing nature; and finally a natural account of evolution, from earth formation to human civilization (Annas 20). In his physical theory Epicurus believed that the basic constituents of nature were undifferentiated matter, in the form of discrete, solid and indivisible particles which fell below the threshold of perception, in addition to empty space (Konstan, pars. 4). He created a distinction between the atom which cannot be broken due to its nature, and the leased conceivable volume of matter. He asserted that atoms could be described as being minima as parts but were not minima themselves (Annas 23). Epicurus described the human soul as being composed of atoms. He asserted that everything was basically made of atoms and space. Secondly, he pointed out that an entity that was basically incorporeal was incapable of acting or being moved by along with the body in the way the soul does. He often maintained that the atoms of the human soul were principally fine and were distributed in all parts of the body. He attributed the ability to sense and experience pain or pleasure to the presence of these atoms all over the body. He further explained that a human body devoid of the soul atoms was unconscious and inert and that when the soul atoms were disarranged in a â€Å"manner that it could no longer support conscious life, the soul’s atoms are scattered and could no longer retain the ability to sense† (Barnes 56). On the platform of radical materialism which was in line with the ideas of Plato, Epicurus argued that the human soul had no chance of surviving after death and hence punishment in the afterlife was unlikely. He linked the fearful nature of human beings towards death to the prospect of punishment in the afterlife. According to him, the fear was the main cause of anxiety in individuals.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This anxiety in turn resulted into extreme and irrational ideas (Konstan, pars. 6). He believed that if the fears and the resultant desires were done away with, then humans will be left to seek pleasures, both physically and mentally, and to which they are naturally obliged to follow. Epicureanism explained how the irrational fears come up and thus gave meaning to the concept of an evolv ing society. However, Epicurus acknowledged that behaviours of thought that were profoundly ingrained in individuals could not be changed easily. The philosophy of Epicurus was based on the theory that all good and bad derive from the sensations of pleasure and pain (Konstan, pars.6). Anything that is good was thus considered to be pleasurable while all bad things were seen as painful. Thus pleasure and pain formed the basis for the moral distinction between what can be said to be good or bad (Long 105). Pleasure as defined by Epicurus stood for the absence of pain but different scholars and rival schools of thought have often misinterpreted it to mean the uncontrolled quest for pleasure. What he really meant was the absence of mental and physical pain which could result in a state of calmness that is devoid from any fear. Epicurus usually warned against excesses because they often resulted in pain. For example, he was against ardent pursuit of love. He encouraged friendships but on ly defined them as essential components to the achievement of pleasure. He discouraged people against fearing death by claiming that when one dies, he doesn’t feel pain of death due to the fact that he no longer exists and therefore feels nothing (Long 106). Epicurus believed that the Gods were neutral and were not in anyway interfering with human life. He asserted that the gods too were composed of atoms and had souls which were constituted by atoms. But unlike the souls in human beings, those found in the gods were held forever. According to Epicureanism, gods did not bother themselves with human beings. They neither punished the evil nor rewarded the righteous. He associated the gods with eternal happiness that was to be emulated by humans. The problem of evil is explained in the epicurean paradox that asserts â€Å"God is omnipotent, God is goo, but evil exists† (Konstan, pars. 7).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Epicureanism and stoicism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On ethics Epicurus was one of the earliest philosophers to describe justice as a social duty. He defined justices an agreement â€Å"neither to harm nor to be harmed† (Konstan, pars.7). He believed that the essence of living under an authority that prescribes laws and punishments was basically to protect individuals from harm and thus enable them to pursue happiness. In a nut shell system incorporated advice on how people should perceive certain things. For instance, he advised people to stay away from politics if possible to avoid trouble, he also urged individuals not to think that gods were concerned bout them and their behaviours and the prospect of punishment in the afterlife. He regarded the role of sex and marriage in life as being dubious and acknowledged that friendship was an essential part of life. He advised people to maintain an open mind when there is no way verification could be achieved while reflecting on various â€Å"meteorological and planetary phenomena and explanations for processes as gravity and magnetism† (Barnes 47). And as an ethical guideline, Epicurus encouraged individuals to minimize harm and maximize happiness both for themselves and others. Three Arguments of Stoicism and Epicurean defences Stoicism can be identified as one of the newer schools of thought of the Hellenistic era. The stoics basically held that emotions rose due to faulty judgement and that an individual who attained intellectual and moral maturity was immune from them (Baltzly, pars. 1). Three of the best arguments advanced by the stoics are explained below. God as being present throughout the creation process and directing it to the last detail The stoics argued that God is similar to one of the two ungenerated and indestructible first principles of the universe (Baltzly, pars. 8). One of the principles is matter which they see as being basically inert or that which receive s an action. The stoics see God as being eternal or a smart fire that designs matter forms as per the plans it has set. The plan in this case is repeated over time beginning with a state in which everything is fire, followed by the synthesis of elements, to the formation of the world as we perceive it and then back to fire in a sort of an endless cycle.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The planning fire is compared to a sperm which contains the basic principles of everything thing that will eventually develop. With the same reasoning the stoics also refer to God as fate. And to them, God does not guide the universe from outside but rather from inside (Baltzly, pars. 6). Epicurean defence Epicureanism emphasized the neutral role played by the Gods. Unlike the stoics position that God played a role in human life, the epicureans believed that everything including gods, souls and all matter were made of atoms and the gods do not direct human life. According to the epicureans the gods possessed souls just as humans. The only difference was that their souls adhered to their bodies without escaping unlike in the human beings where the bonds were not strong (Long 163). Epicurean teaching explained that gods were so far to have any effect or interest in human life. They believed that the gods had nothing to do with the creation of the universe and could not offer blessings or punishment to human beings. Contrary to the stoic belief that God was intrinsic, the epicureans believed that the gods are extrinsic and were far away. The stoic argument that virtue is the most important human attribute (Annas 67) Stoicism upheld that the most important aspect of human life was virtue which relies on the strength of will (Konstan, pars. 10). The stoics emphasized that humans should strive to do right regardless of personal ambition or material. They pointed out that everything good or bad that happens in one’s life always happens for a reason to be found in one’s own actions. They advocated for self control as a means of overcoming the negative feelings and emotions. They believed that the resultant state of the mind was essential for better comprehension of life and spirituality (Long 78). For the stoics, anger, envy and jealousy were to be avoided and that the clearest road to wisdom was freedom from passion (Barnes 41). Epicurean defence Simila r to the stoics, the epicureans also advocated for virtuous livelihoods. However, unlike the stoics who asserted that the most important aspect of human life as by virtue which relies on the strength of will, the epicureans mainly focused on the attainment of pleasure as the most important aspects of human life (Annas 173). Epicurus philosophy was based on the notion that all good and bad derive from the sensations of pleasure and pain (Konstan, pars. 5). While the stoics felt that people were obliged to strive to control themselves in order to deter negative emotions, the epicureans saw the fear of death and punishment from gods as a major stumbling block towards the attainment of pleasure which was benchmarked by perfect mental peace (Konstan, pars. 8-9). Epicureans mainly advocated for good virtues due to their contribution towards the achievement of the greater pleasure. Epicurus believed that if harm was minimized on an individual as well as others then maximum happiness could be achieved. Arguments for the human soul The stoic considered the human soul as a â€Å"fragment of the universal divine force that was not completely sundered from the parent stock† (Barnes 67). The described the human soul as pneuma, which was described as having concurrent movements both inward and outward which accounted for its tensile form. The pneuma was described as having the ability to pass through every body when in an outward movement and therefore giving them the qualities that they possessed. Its movement towards the inside was responsible for their unification. According to the stoics, the fact that pneuma acted it was considered to be a body and its blending with matter was considered to a â€Å"through and through† affair (Konstan, pars. 10). Using this description, the stoics put forward a theory of mixture that enabled them to explain the idea of two bodies existing at the same place at the same time (Baltzly, pars. 8). Pneuma was thus to be found i n plants and animals. In rational animals, the pneuma hard other functions other than issuance of commands. This other functions include planning, thinking and deciding (Baltzly, pars. 9). The stoics attributed all the functions of the body that included movement including physiological functions such as digestion to the soul. Epicurean defence Unlike the stoics who thought the soul to be a â€Å"breath like material compound of two of the four stoic elements, fire and air†, Epicurus believed that the soul was composed of atoms just like any other matter but did not elaborate what constituted the atoms (Konstan, pars. 7). According to him, the atoms in the human soul were composed of known elements and additional nameless materials which were responsible for the ability to perceive. The ability of the living organisms to move, rest or warm them was attributed to fairly known substances or materials in Epicureanism but sense perception was left out on the basis that it was not party to the known or named elements (Konstan, pars. 11). The epicurean thinking attributed the mental functions of cognition, emotion and desire to the soul (Konstan, pars.12). Annas, Janet. The Morality of Happiness. Oxford : Oxford University press, 1993. Print Baltzly, Dirk. Stoicism The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2010. Web.12 April 2011. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2010/entries/stoicism/. Barnes, Joseph. The Presocratic Philosophers. London : Routledge, 1982. Print. Konstan, David. Epicurus The stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy. 2009. Web.12 April 2011. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2009/entries/epicurus/. Long, Arthur. The Cambridge Companion to Early Greek Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Print.

Improving Transactional Processing in AIS Research Paper

Improving Transactional Processing in AIS - Research Paper Example Purposes of Compliance Checks/Checking Systems a) Enforcement: to enforce company administrative policies, criminal statutes or both. b) Educational: to warn, educate and identify processes, departments or employees that are not meeting required standards. Implementing Compliance Checks/Checking Systems Employees, departments and various are made aware that compliance checks will be conducted at different times annually. They are also informed about potential penalties for lagging behind in the uplifting and maintenance of accounting regulations, standards and requirements (Williams & Spaul, 2011). If employees and personnel keep flaunting or falling short of accounting standards, the company can issue citations either to departments or specific people. These citations stipulate actions that may be taken to address such matters and how they will be addressed so that normal operations are maintained. Importance of Compliance Checking Systems In many companies, maintaining relevant acc ounting standards is a huge challenge. Employees and company officials may find it easier to come up with compliance checks than to maintain them. Compliance checking systems ensure that all relevant and appropriate standards are maintained as is necessary. Compliance checking systems may be the most effective and efficient method for enforcing rules, regulations and other stipulations concerning or relating to accounting standards. Recent studies have shown that compliance checking systems are effective. Two studies found that following the implementation of compliance checking systems, operations became more efficient and effective and employees found it so much easier to meet set targets without having to struggle (Bagranoff, 2008). In one company, for example, operational efficiency increased from 10% to 28% from 28% to 10% following the introduction and implementation of compliance checking systems. In another company, there was an immediate increase in the levels of compliance (12% to 29%). In addition to this, a national survey revealed that 66% of companies approve of compliance checking systems and policies (Williams & Spaul, 2011). Compliance checking systems provide a way through which employees and companies can "police" themselves. This is in addition to providing a source of motivation, participation and support that can greatly enhance overall accounting operations. Considerations for Implementation If compliance checks are not implemented well, they may be legally challenged by employees, suppliers and vendors who can claim unlawful entrapment. Successful compliance checking systems steer clear of tactics that may be viewed as "entrapment." (Gelinas, 2010). Apart from this, compliance checks and checking systems should be carried out, implemented and reviewed regularly in order to prevent laxity and a drop in standards. Companies that carry out checks at least twice a year report an average efficiency and compliance rate of 60%, which is good f or business and efficiency. b) Cash Disbursements Systems Objectives of Compliance Checking Systems include the following: a) Maintaining security of all cash held and received on a company’s premises. b) Banking all cash that are received intact every day c)

The Benefits of Information and Communication Technology in Henrich Dissertation

The Benefits of Information and Communication Technology in Henrich International Associates (HIA) A Small and Medium Enterprise - Dissertation Example In addition, the aim also assessed how ICT can foster knowledge transfer within HIA. The study made it evident that ICT act as a tool that has the ability to offer competitive advantage to a firm. It has been found that ICT also provides several advantages to a firm. Some of the obvious ones are increased the communication system, reduced the cost of communication, allowed retrieval of vast information and facilitated centralized control. Apart from that ICT also help companies to transfer knowledge within the organization. The primary research portrayed that the employees of HIA have a positive outlook towards this subject. The business will be also benefitted by the implementation of ICT as it can also acts as a marketing tool. The company is therefore recommended to implement ICT into their system of operation and capitalize on most of the opportunities provided by ICT. Table of Contents CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION 5 1.1 Background of the Study 5 1.2 Purpose of the Study 5 1.3 Overview of Henrich International Associates (HIA) 5 1.4 Aims and Objectives 6 1.5 Research Questions 6 CHAPTER II – LITERATURE REVIEW 7 2.1 Defining Key Concepts 7 2.2 ICT in Business to Business Planning 8 2.3 ICT as a Tool to Gain Competitive Advantage 10 2.4 Disadvantages of ICT 11 2.6 ICT in SME and Large Organizations 13 2.7 Perception of Employees about ICT 14 2.8 Impact of ICT on Employees 15 CHAPTER III – RESEARCH DESIGN 16 3.1 Research Philosophy 16 3.1.1 Positivism 16 3.1.2 Interpretivism 17 3.2 Research Approach 17 3.2.1 Deductive Approach 17 3.2.2 Inductive Approach 18 3.3 Research Strategy 18 3.4 Type of Study 20 3.4.1 Qualitative Study 20 3.4.2 Quantitative Study 20 3.5Time horizons 21 3.5.1 Longitudinal Perspective 21 3.5.2 Cross Sectional Perspective 21 3.6 Data Collection and Sampling 21 3.6.1 Questionnaire 21 3.6.2 Focus Group Interview 22 CHAPTER IV 23 4.1Findings and Analysis of the Questionnaire 23 4.2Findings and Analysis of Focus Group Intervie w 25 CHAPTER V – Conclusion and Recommendation 27 5.1 Conclusion 27 5.2 Recommendations 27 REFERENCES 28 APENDIX 32 Appendix I - Questionnaire (For the Employees) 32 Appendix II - Semi Structured Interview (For the Executives) 33 CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study The last few decades have witnessed an ‘insurgency’ in the growth of global economy. However, everyone did not have the opportunity to experience this revolution of growth. Around 65 % of the global population, still lives on $4 per day (Kramer, Jenkins and Katz, 2007). The scenario further worsened with the lack of opportunities to carry out developmental activities. The business community in this context has a major role to play and has the capability to create these opportunities. The information and communication technology (ICT) has been a powerful tool as well as acted as a catalyst to address the interest and needs of low income groups of the developing countries. In the last 20 years, the role of ICT in expanding economic opportunities and providing competitive advantages to a firm has been highly acknowledged by experts from every sector of business (Butcher, 2011). Information and Communication technology (ICT) is technology used for improving the efficiency of the operation of an organization (OECD, 2005). It is often regarded as a technology used for retrieving and processing information. ICT not only plays crucial roles in organizations,

Substance Abuse Among Healthcare Professionals

Substance Abuse Among Healthcare Professionals â€Å"Statistically, about 10-15 of you have or will develop a substance use disorder† (Welsh 2002). This quote is stated by Christopher J. Welsh, M.D. to a group of healthcare providers during a substance abuse lecture. He is reinforcing the fact of how likely a healthcare worker can get into the habit. Substance abuse can include, but is not limited to, alcohol, narcotics, benzodiazepines and illegal drugs. It is not officially known why the abuse is so common in this specific group but it can be easily assumed that knowledge, access, and psychological issues would play a huge part. According to Dr. Welsh, the reasoning behind not knowing why substance abuse is so prevalent is because the majority of healthcare workers strongly object to the idea that they are addicted. In other words, they are in denial. There are two specific levels that drug users can divide themselves into: Abuse, which is the milder of the two, and dependence, which takes a more intense intervention and effort to cut the person of the habit. Since the focus of this paper is substance abuse that is the category that will be discussed. What exactly is considered abuse and how is it distinguished between an actual medical need? In Dr. Welshs lecture he mentioned four factors that are included. According to him at least one of these four factors must be accurate in order to be considered official abuse. These factors are: (1) A person is unable to complete social tasks in his or her life, (2) The consistent use of the drug in unsafe situations, (3) repeated drug affiliated legal offenses and (4) use of drugs even though it may cause social or interpersonal problems (Welsh 2002). For example, if a person is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder you may be prescribed Alprazolam. It is not considered abuse if you take your prescribed dose for oncoming anxiety while following the doctors instructions. When having an anxiety attack, or other symptoms of anxiety, Alprazolam helps to relax the person and help them feel ‘normal. When using Alprazolam without anxiety it can give a ‘drugged feeling with symptoms such as severe drowsiness to the point of impairment (Epocrates). Therefore if you use the drug without anxiety in unsafe situations, such as driving, it is considered abuse. When a person uses a drug they do so with the intention of trying to make themselves feel better. This could be a major cause for the denial that they actually have a problem. Not every person realizes how it affects friends, family, and peers. Even more so, they do not realize how it affects their job. It would take most people a serious intervention in order to help them break the habit. In the topic of drug use in the Health care workforce three questions come to mind: Why is it so prevalent among this specific profession? What are the signs to show if/when you should involve yourself with the suspected abuser? And where is help provided for the substance abusers? These three ques tions will be discussed in the following paragraphs. Why is substance abuse so prevalent in health care professionals? As mentioned above there are no precise facts as to why it is, because of the large percentage of people denying that what they do is considered abuse. Also mentioned above is that it can be assumed the reason can fall into at least one of the three categories: knowledge, access, and psychological factors. When a person works in healthcare they are exposed to a lot of basic information not commonly known outside of the healthcare facility, even if it is unintentional. An employee may hear and/or see how a patient is reacting to certain medications, such as morphine, see it is relaxing for the patient, then gain the knowledge that it is a medication that makes you ‘feel good. On an even higher level, many healthcare workers are required, for their job, to know what a drug does, why it is being given to the patient, and what common and serious complications to monitor for. When a nurse is ‘hands on with the p atient they become even more acquainted with the effects of the drugs. This can contribute to any future situation where the nurse may want to experiment. With this information at hand healthcare workers feel more comfortable using drugs and feel as if they can manage them better than the average person because of their knowledge. The access of drugs is a contributing factor as well. A nurse who works full time works at least 36 hours per week, giving him or her plenty of access to drugs. Although the new technology is making it harder to steal medications, it is still done. In addition to stealing nurses often time befriend doctors and could have doctors write prescriptions which allows even more access to drugs. Being a nurse, as mentioned above, requires knowledge of drugs and what they are used for. Because of this a nurse could make an appointment with her doctor, name specific symptoms, and know they will get a drug that they are seeking. Lastly, psychological factors contribu te to substance abuse being so prevalent. Nurses and Physicians have extremely stressful jobs, and they may seek to alleviate their stress in drug form. According to a study done by Cicala (2003) 8-12% of physicians abused or became substance abusers and Trinkoff and Storr (1998) did a study only to find that 32% of the 4,438 nurses being studied had some form of abuse. With all things considered, these are only including the healthcare individuals who admitted to having an abuse problem. Most of the drugs found to be used among the physicians were opioids and benzodiazepines while nurses had a wider variety and included illegal substances such as cocaine (Cicala 2003). What are the signs to show if/when you should involve yourself with the suspected abuser? According to a study done by Samuel D. Uretsky, PharmD (2008), it is difficult to determine a drug abuser in the healthcare field because it is generally found the job is the last thing to be affected. He goes on to explain that families and social lives are first to be torn apart versus in the average non healthcare worker there are the early signs to look for: being consistently late or absent, slacking off on the job, etc. He also goes on to make a valid point of coworkers not noticing, or turning their shoulder away from signs of abuse because they may be friends or they just dont want to get involved. In an online government brochure it sets certain guidelines to determine if the suspected individual is an abuser. These guidelines include: change in attitude and appearance, â€Å"heavy wasting of drugs†, relationships start to decline, more time than necessary spent near the drug sup ply, â€Å"insisting† on handling all injected narcotics, etc (Department of Justice). As a nurse we learn to follow the chain of commands. With this in mind it puts anyone at the predicament of being ‘the rat. No one wants to be the person who puts another persons license and career on the line. However, many patients are in the hands of drug abusers. When it doubt, or if making excuses for the potential drug abuser it, think if you would let a person of great importance to you be in the care of that specific healthcare worker. When suspecting a coworker of drug abuse you must, again, follow the chain of commands. Go to the charge nurse, or if it happened to be the charge nurse then go to the nurse manager. Most of the time, the employee will be approached by their superior and talked to about the obvious concerns. Many times this wakes them up to realize they actually have a problem and immediate improvements are shown, however sometimes it takes more serious interven tion (Department of Justice). Where is help provided for the substance abusers? There are a range of different rehabilitation programs available all over the country and some specific to health care workers. In fact, there are some affiliations aimed at preventing substance abuse among healthcare workers. The Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest has started to develop programs to help prevent the abuse. The method of prevention is to send messages out in different forms and educate the prevalence. They are trying to influence this by making it a part of their health and wellness program. â€Å"Included in our campaign are messages delivered in educational videos and newsletters, health risk appraisals, and personal health coaching† (BHRCS 2007). This is all taking place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but this is just the start of prevention. They hope to expand to health care workers around the country. The Interventional Project for Nurses, or IPN, has been created to assist nurses whose jobs m ay have been impaired or started to be impaired by drug use, alcohol use, or mental disorders. A nurse can place their own self in the program or can be placed in the program by their superior, or employer (IPN). Depending on where the individual works is the determining factor of what happens to the nurse, if caught being a substance abuser. The nurse could get as little as probation to as much as being fired in addition to losing their license. Either way, the program is there to help Nurses get back on their feet and get over their addiction. As a recap, drug abuse is prevalent in healthcare although there is no factual information to determine why, it can only be assumed. There are many abusers all around you as you work in the healthcare field and most go unnoticed. Their signs and symptoms are not the same as the average drug abuser and their work tends to be the last thing severely affected, making it more difficult to determine the abusers. If drug abuse is suspected it is an obligation as a licensed nurse to report it in the chain of commands, which in the long run will benefit the bigger picture. Being a drug abuser is a hard situation which may seem to have a dead end, however there are many rehabilitation programs focused on health care workers and at least one large affiliation focusing specifically on Nurses. Although it seems common sense that abusing drugs is wrong, it does not happen overnight. A person may find relief with a drug and start to use it without it thinking of long term effects. They may casuall y use it once and a while, and then increase it to more often, and then very frequently. Being educated on drug abuse, before stepping foot into the real world of nursing, helps to be prepared through primary prevention. Drug abuse, though hard to determine has a huge impact on our health care system as a whole and needs to be remedied. It is progressively improving, however only baby steps. This isnt a perfect world and not everyone can be helped, however, every person you help is one step in the right direction for our future. References Uretsky, Samuel D. (2004). Addicts in the OR? Retrieved July 17, 2008, from  www.medhunters.com No Author (2007). Substance Abuse Among Healthcare Professionals. Retrieved  July 17, 2008, from www.addictionsearch.com Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest (2007). Substance Abuse  Intervention for Healthcare Workers. Retrieved July 17, 2008, from  http://www.bhrcs.org Welsh, Christopher J. (2002). Substance Use Disorders in Physicians [Powerpoint  Slides]. Retrieved from www.alcoholmedicalscholars.org/physician-out.htm Department of Justice (n.d.) Drug Addiction in Healthcare Professionals. Retrieved  from www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/brochures/drug_hc.htm Intervention Project for Nurses (2008). Retrieved from http://www.ipnfl.org Alprazolam (n.d.). Epocrates Online. Retrieved on July 17, 2008, from  www.epocrates.com

Comparing Dreams in Song of Solomon, Push, and Incidents in the Life of

A Dream Revised in Song of Solomon, Push, and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   America was founded on the belief that "all men are created equal." However, a question must be posed which asks who constitutes "men" and what is "equal"? Where do women fit into the picture? What about minorities? The Declaration of Independence serves as the framework for rules that govern the people who fall beneath it, but who were the architects of the infamous work? They were white, upper class, men. They looked at slavery as a grievous sin, yet they allowed it to occur for decades. Immigrants from all parts of the country came to America to be free from persecution and terror; unfortunately, people were not free in America's own backyard. Why did hundreds of thousands of people leave their homes to start fresh in a new world? The answer is simple; they wanted a glimpse of the American Dream, but that look into a prosperous future was not for all people. The founding fathers left an enormous hole in the document that established the first set of rules that would govern this new country. They did not include minorities in their representation of men being equal. The only ones who were considered equal were immigrants who came on their own, who left their past behind them, and who kept their social structures in tact. For everyone else, they learned soon enough that they must abandon that dream for one that favors setbacks, the need to rise again, and a quest for group dignity.    From the time that Africans were taken from their country and enslaved in a new world, they have fought to retain dignity and grace in circumstances that were deplorable. Even slaves who were well taken care of were not able ... ...is life ends, and Push gives very intimate insight to a young abused girl who is fighting to survive. All of these stories have characters who have hopes and dreams of being successful, but fall short in some way because the Declaration of Independence did not include them and the desire to reach the American Dream is not an open invitation to Africans like it is to other immigrant groups. They are not voluntary participants in American society; therefore, they must settle for less than others have to. They must fight twice as hard to have half as much as others.    Works Cited: Brent, Linda. "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl". The Classic Slave Narratives. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Penguin Group, 1987. Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: The Penguin Group, 1977. Sapphire. Push. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1996.

How Is Poverty Constructed as a Social Problem in the UK Today Essay

The term ‘social problem’ refers to certain problems that are socially recognised by society and are felt to threaten certain values cherished by the public. This essay will investigate the different types of poverty that occur in the U. K and will explore the sociological arguments as to how poverty links with social problems such as social exclusion, gender discrimination in the work place, lone-parenting and disability and look at how these problems are perceived in today’s society. Poverty is an ever increasing issue in the UK and is perceived as a major social problem due to the consequences that it brings with it . The term ‘social problem’ refers to specific problems in our society which are sociologically recognised. These problems are socially constructed and can be distinguished when certain values that are cherished by the public are felt threatened by a particular event that is happening in society and can be thought of to threaten the stability of a community or society as the public already know it. Firstly, this essay will explore the different types of poverty that exist in the UK. Secondly, it will explore why poverty exists and explain the reasons as to why certain people are affected by poverty and how this links with structure and agency. In conclusion, this essay will emphasise the main arguments as to why poverty is constructed as a social problem in today’s society. When exploring the different types of poverty that commonly exist in the UK, it can be categorised into two main groups, absolute poverty and relative poverty. Absolute definitions of poverty are usually seen to have logic to them based around the topic of subsistence; what is needed to sustain our lives’ (Alcock, 2006:66). Anyone who is below the subsistence level is said to be suffering from absolute poverty. The term ‘poverty’ gives the connotations of deprivation, hardship, shortage and scarcity etc; however the word ‘absolute’ emphasises the extent of poverty that one is living in. Absolute poverty refers to people who do not have access to the day to day resources that are needed to meet their subsistence levels in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For example sufferers of this type of poverty are known to be lacking the essential, basic needs such as a clean water supply, a good food source, shelter, sanitation, clothing and a good income are absent in peoples’ lives who are suffering from this type of poverty. However, subsistence level is what we need to sustain our life, and differs on time and place. Thus introducing the idea that different people need different things in different places according to different circumstances (Alcock, 2006:67). Research has shown that sociologist Rowntree, developed an idea to determine levels of poverty. He established a basic diet theory from the judgement of nutritionists to act as a subsistence definition of poverty which showed that people were living in poverty to very different extents. This theory adopted the definition of ‘Relative Poverty’ which is a more cultural and social definition due to the changes in poverty overtime. Relative poverty can be seen as a comparison between the standard of living between other members of society who are living in poverty to different levels. The main idea being suggested with relative poverty is that some needs are not related in any way to the maintenance of physical health (Kane, 2003:51). For example, a person may have the basic needs to sustain a healthy life such as food, water, shelter, sanitation and some sort of income; but they also possess such things which are not directly related to ‘the maintenance of physical health’ such as a television, radio, newspapers, books, alcohol and tobacco, or even means of transport. When considering relative poverty, it is essential to look at what becomes the ‘essential needs’ for a person as time changes, standards of life improve and peoples’ expectations grow. In support of this, an excellent way of understanding poverty can be seen as a ‘comparison between the standard of living of those who are poor and those who are not, or by the distinction between the merely existing and the living’ (Alcock,2006). Poverty is seen as a social problem as the issues that derive around it affect our society as a whole. Poverty exists in the U. K for a number of reasons, however it has been found that there is not one solitary answer as to why it exists and many people have diverse opinions on the subject matter. However, discarding the different definitions or descriptions of poverty, academics and policy makers do agree that poverty is a social problem and is seen as an unacceptable state of affairs (Alcock:2006:4). Poverty exists due to many reasons including unemployment, crime, low income, the amount of education and skill, social inequality and exclusion, gender, age, disability and ethnicity and when put into perspective these issues can be linked with structure and agency. Social exclusion is an individual and collective problem that examines the topic of how living standards recognize not only what a person or family have but also what they do. Thus portraying the idea social exclusion can be significant in representing whether or not an individual is suffering from poverty or not, as social exclusion prevents them from participating in specific common and popular social groups thus reinforcing the idea that social exclusion depends crucially on independent agency. ‘Social exclusion is a shorthand term for what can happen when people or areas have a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime and family breakdown’ (Ridge, 2008:46). This is a good example of how poverty is constructed as a social problem as if one is living in relative poverty, and cannot seek employment and is welfare dependent living off benefits, then the individual will be socially excluded in that they may not be able to afford to join certain social clubs, or get to remote public services and in general the issue of discrimination will stop people from joining certain activities and entering certain areas. ‘Social exclusion is a problem for society if there are those who are unable to take part in social relations, including in a democracy, political participation and involvement’ (Ridge, 2008:47). Women are more prone to live in low income circumstances than men, hence introducing the social problem of gender discrimination. Women have been discriminated in the workplace over time in that they are paid less than men in specific jobs and are not seen to be ‘suited’ to particular jobs, especially in the manufacturing and trade industries. Marxist feminist Margaret Benston believed that women were oppressed by capitalism in that they were treated almost as a back-up, or secondary option of cheap labour that enabled profits to be kept up. ‘In 1994, 6. 1 million women were in low-paid jobs and on average women’s full-time gross weekly pay was 72 percent of that of men’(Kane, 2003:115). The public representation of the ‘typical single parent’ can be rather distorted, however research has shown that the majority or lone-parents who are likely to suffer from poverty, are women. ‘Women’s retirement income is boosted significantly by having a partner with a history of well-paid work, but women who have had children and are separated or divorced face very high risks of pension poverty’(Ridge,2008:138). This piece of evidence shows that if the women has separated from her partner then she is likely to face poverty in bringing up their children alone and this in itself is subject to cause many other social problems. Raising a family as a single mother, whilst suffering from relative poverty can, in some cases, lead to related social problems such as crime, alcohol and drug misuse, vandalism, discrimination, unemployment and suicide. If a child is brought up in a household which lacks the basic needs to sustain a healthy life, then they may be pulled into a more anti-social lifestyle, which in turn could lead to unemployment for them when they get older and resorting to sleeping rough on the streets, and thus increasing the number of homeless people in our society. Similarly, discrimination towards disabled people is a common problem in today’s society determined by individualism. Disabled people are more likely to suffer from poverty than those without a disability. The poverty rate for adults with disabilities is 30%, twice that for adults without a disability’ (Ridge, 2008:244). This can be illustrated by the fact that disabled people are confronted with a lot of discrimination in their lifetime, especially when seeking employment. Hence why a lot of disabled people are unemployed and living in poverty. Recent studies highlighted the additional costs for a disabled person to meet their needs and it was found that even when a disabled person is receiving the maximum benefit levels, those suffering with a disability are given approximately ? 00 a week less than the weekly amount required for them to ensure a minimum standard of living (Ridge,2008:245). Consequently, this is because not only do people with disabilities have a low income, their living costs are much higher due to the expenditure needed on special equipment, utilities and food. Throughout this essay, I have explored the different types of poverty that are commonly found in our society and have highlighted some of the main reasons as to why poverty is constructed as a social problem in the U. K today and by whom it is affected by. For problems to become socially recognised they need to have an impact on society in a way that certain values cherished by the public are felt to be threatened. By examining the issues of social exclusion, gender, lone parenting and disability we can conclude that these issues are definitely seen problems in our society. It becomes evident that the subject of discrimination links into all these issues, and thus emphasising that poverty is distinguished as a social problem in the U. K, and although the extent of these problems changes over time and place, it will most likely be a recurring problem in our society for entirety.

Effect Positive Psychology for Life Free Essay Example, 2000 words

Next, we analyze and evaluate the details of current research to coalesce the concepts into a working model. Researchers found that the stronger a person's feelings of satisfaction, the lower the score on a materialism scale (Lamberta, Fincham, Stillman Dean 2009). It was shown that personal fulfillment is the difference between feelings of gratitude and materialism as well as a measure of jealousy (Lamberta, Fincham, and Stillman Dean 2009). When we are less focused on physical gratification and cultivate an attitude of being thankful for what we have, we feel better. Most people can probably experience hedonistic pleasure to some satisfaction. One study found about half the people sampled experienced profound satisfaction from external stimuli alone, but less than a quarter experienced profound satisfaction from both internal and external stimuli (Keyes Annas 2009). Significantly fewer people experience both hedonistic and altruistic pleasure. These are individuals who were sho wn to be mentally robust on standardized tests (Keyes Annas 2009). Some only seem to experience a high degree of hedonistic pleasure. Less than a third experienced quarter experienced profound satisfaction from external and only moderate satisfaction from internal stimuli (Keyes Annas 2009). We will write a custom essay sample on Effect Positive Psychology for Life or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page and Marc, C. D. 2009). It seems kids who play together in larger groups are more likely to enjoy their play time. Perhaps this is related to how they learn to adjust to the demands of implied social order.