Philosophy of life: wisdom and meaning of life Essay

Good afternoon Dear Audience, today I am here to speak about something we are all going through. But first of all, let me start with some questions. I am sure that we all tried to find the answers to them at least once in a lifetime. Do you know what is Time? Or What is Space? Maybe you know what is Conscience? Or what is a Dream? Is there Heaven? or Hell? How can we live without knowing whether we are the ones to choose our own paths? And are we sure that we really Live? So many questions remain unanswered. And all these issues and many many others are in a constant connection with our Lives. Life is something we are all here going through and this is exactly the thing I would like to talk about today. There are a lot of technical definitions for the word Life, but can we really fit the whole meaning of this word in a sentence from the dictionaries, most of which claim that Life is the aspect of existence that processes, acts, reacts, evaluates, and evolves through reproduction and metabolism. But what is life really about, if anything? Basically, scientists, today are contemplating about 2 possible theories. That life is either a meaningless accident arising from the laws of physics operating in a meaningless universe, or it is a ‘step’ in a so-called planned ‘experiment’. I say ‘step’, for this, cannot be the end. The current state of life is yet too unstable and undeveloped for it to be the end. And I say ‘experiment’ since the evolutionary nature of life suggests that its future is unknown. If therefore the universe itself has a purpose, it seems most likely to be to explore what the outcome of the evolutionary experiment would be. And here comes the question of what kind of the outcome will we eventually acquire. In our contemporary world, we all get to listen to scientific debates on how, when and where life will come to an end. However, questions remain which may never be resolved. In this vacuum, philosophers and religious thinkers have attempted to give meaning to life by suggesting goals: Plato suggested the acquisition of knowledge, Aristotle to practice virtue, and the Stoics, mental fortitude and self-control. Today’s philosophers echo the existentialist view that life is full of absurdity, although they also tell us that we must put meaning into life by making our own values in an indifferent world. But if life is just a journey from womb to tomb, will such ‘meaning’ be sufficient to allow the traveler at journey’s end to feel that it was worthwhile? The worthwhile journey, the Beginning, and the End, Birth and Death, talking about Life I can not skip on talking about Time. All animals except humans live in a continual present, with no sense of the temporal distinctions of past, present, and future. Our consciousness of time is, therefore, one of the most important distinguishing features of humankind. It comes as no surprise, then, that from time immemorial, philosophers, teachers, and theologians have speculated on the true nature of time. Does time have a substance and, if so, what is it made of? How do we know that time really exists? Does time have a beginning and an end? There is a general agreement among philosophers that time is continuous and that it has an intrinsic direction or order. There is also a more or less general agreement that it is objective, rather than subjective or dependent on its being consciously experienced, and also that so many different physical processes bear consistent time relations to each other . However, even given that, many differing opinions and approaches to what time actually is have been put forward over the centuries. Presently, most websites and books on the subject begin with a candid admission that time is a curious and slippery concept which continues to defy definitive explanation despite hundreds, even thousands, of years of trying. We are told that time is â€Å"enigmatic† and â€Å"ineffable†, but that does not help us much in our search for the true nature of time. Nearly two and a half thousand years ago, Aristotle contended that â€Å"time is the most unknown of all unknown things†, and arguably not much has changed since then. Despite the fact that we don’t know exactly what time is, we still try to develop and move forward. Throughout my entire speech, I’ve been constantly repeating one word. â€Å"WE†. Just 2 letters. Do you know what they mean, since I don’t? We call ourselves Human beings. And, actually, being a human today does not necessarily mean being humane, being able to read or write, being able to work and provide yourself with everything that is needed. Generally speaking, the main features that distinguish us from animals are our abilities to think unconventionally, speak multiple languages, develop all-around spheres, from literature to sciences, from arts to business, and ,of course, we are different, since we believe in more than what we see and we hope for more than what we possess. Lately, I’ve been thinking about our Lives a lot, and I couldn’t resist the desire to share my thoughts with you, which, of course, are backed up by the scientific facts and evidence. While thinking about it, I’ve listened to myself carefully and eventually noticed that inexplicable voice speaking from within. Most of the time we don’t pay enough heed towards this part of our being., however, it should not be taken for granted. Some call it inner voice, others prefer to call it conscience. This is the reason, employed in questions of right and wrong. It is that within a man which approves or condemns his actions. The inner voice is a principle without which a man falls easily into temp ­tation, and every temptation succumbed to means degradation of his best instincts. He feels that he is no longer the same, but something weaker, something polluted, and the secret uneasiness and self-reproach which pursue him are the biting of conscience. Even though this voice should evoke all the notions of what is right and what is wrong there are some whose ideas of justice and injustice are so perverted that even the most wicked actions bring no remorse and at times even win their approval. Principles are not born in a man but are the result of training and association. It should be the endeavor of all of us, so that when temptation comes we will not fall, but resist it, and with every victory strengthen our character until we grow into noble, firm and self-reliant people. So, wherever you go and whatever you do your inner voice is always there, whispering the right answer. From time everlasting, we’ve always been trying to find the answers to as many questions as possible. We come up with the possible explanations, however, there is no-one out there to say that we are moving in a right direction. Who knows, maybe we are just fooling ourselves, and while, relying on our own science, we try to explain the inexplicable, we are increasingly driving ourselves into the jungles, from which, one day, we will not be able to find a way out. Just look at all the global conspiracy theories, most of which seem not only inconceivable but totally delirious. Let me name couple of them in order for you to have a comprehensive picture of what I am actually talking about. The water fluoridation theory, for instance, claims that the water we drink actually contains fluorite, which allegedly brainwashes the entire population of the Earth and makes us susceptible to inculcation. Or the other theory which states that the Moon does not exist, since it’s a hologram put there by someone unknown. And finally, the theory which assures us that lizard people, also known as ‘reptilians’ run the world. What the believers actually propose is that the top echelon of our government is actually controlled by shape-shifting reptilian aliens, who have been lording power over humans to turn them into mindless slaves for their own purposes. I can not deny the fact that hundreds of conspiracy theories look like the ravings of a madman, however, how can we be so sure that all of these bizarre guesses come from nowhere? How can we be so sure about something yet unknown? We have to set priorities for ourselves. This is all about our Lives, not anyone else’s. In today’s ruthless world you either live in lies and ignorance, or you leave your carefree life behind and go search for the Truth. Life is just a wink of an eye if one thinks of eternity. It’s fast and it’s short but it’s worth every single second since it can not be bought, it can not be changed nor can it be returned, ever. And in order to make your Life a worthwhile journey, be sure to rejoice in every single day as if it is the last one you have. Thank You for Your attention!

Analysis of Mental Illness via Girl, Interrupted (1999)

Analysis of Mental Illness via Girl, Interrupted (1999) GIRL, INTERRUPTED 1 Introduction In the movie, Susanna (Winona Ryder) is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. Susanna bonds with a few different patients, including Lisa (Angelina Jolie) with sociopathic personality disorder, Daisy; Bulimia, Georgina; pathological liar and Janet as Anorexic. Susanna starts to work harder with her specialist (Vanessa Redgrave) and the medical attendant on the ward (Whoopi Goldberg). Girl, Interrupted was focused around the collection of memoirs of Susanna Kaysen, who truly did put in eighteen months a Psychiatric Hospital (Mangold,1999). DSM V Diagnosis Criteria (a) Distraught endeavors to stay away from genuine or envisioned relinquishment,(b) An example of temperamental and extraordinary interpersonal connections portrayed by exchanging between extremes of admiration and cheapening, (c ) Personality aggravations: especially and diligently instable mental self view or feeling of self,(d) Impulsivity in no less than two zones that are pos sibly self harming,(e) Repetitive self-destructive conduct, signals, or dangers or self ruining conduct,(f) Full of feeling flimsiness because of a stamped reactivity of mind-set,(g)Chronic sentiments of vacancy,(h)Inappropriate, serious outrage or trouble controlling annoyance, and (i)Transparent, anxiety related jumpy ideation or serious dissociative indications (American Psychiatric Association,2013). The first criteria for BPD in Girl, Interrupted, was having self-destructive contemplations and doing things to help a conceivable suicide by endeavoring what Susanna called an â€Å"impotent endeavor† to murder herself by taking a dose of aspirin with vodka. At the point when the attendant attempted to hold her she says to be watchful in light of the fact that she has no bones in her grasp. Later on, the advisor asks her the means by which she got the container of Aspirin in the event that she had no bones in her grasp, she reacts saying â€Å"then they’d return (Man gold, 1999). The second criterion was incurring damage on the body by cutting or wounding. After she endeavored suicide, she was hurried to the crisis room, and the cam point changed from everyone wildly moving around to help to her wrists. She had wounds everywhere on her wrists and she continued telling the specialists she didn’t have any bones in her grasp (Mangold, 1999). The third criterion was Susanna’s endeavors to stay in the connections to abstain from feeling relinquished. At the center of the film, she has a flashback of the illicit relationship she had with one of the instructors and with a fellow that she met after her secondary school graduation. In both cases, she was having hazardous sex and staying in the connections with the goal that she felt needed and cherished, and not dismisses (Mangold, 1999). The fourth criteria was filling the void that was generally felt by doing something she knew wasn’t correct yet provided for her rush. Susanna felt as though nothing was going how she needed it and she was the main individual feeling that way. In the film, Susanna and Lisa, a young lady in the organization, chose to escape the foundation and go on an excursion to visit an alternate young lady that had been there with them, Polly. Both of them knew they could cause harm, yet the proceeded at any rate (Mangold, 1999).

Coming to America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Coming to America - Essay Example In â€Å"Coming to America†, Byron has discussed his journey from Ireland to America. Byron immigrated to America from Ireland in 1901. That was a time when people used to travel by ships. Byron starts with the discussion of the poor lifestyle he had in Ireland before he resolved to immigrate to America. He had less to eat and no good place to live in. He spent the life of a poor man. Then he decided to immigrate to America as he saw it as a means to enhance his standard of living. After a three week journey in the ship, he arrived in America and got settled in New York. With due effort and uninterrupted search, Byron managed to find a job in one of the largest trucking operations in the world; the REA express. Byron worked in this company for 46 years. During these years, Byron got married with an American lady, Mary Hardy, and raised five children; three of his own and two of his sister who had passed away. â€Å"The reason I wanted to come to America was that America gave me the opportunity to make my own home, make a living, have freedom of speech, and many, many more wonderful things that only exist here† (Byron). Both authors share multiple aspects in their assessment of America as a land of opportunities. Both authors see America as a place that has to offer a lot of opportunities in terms of employment and a high standard of living. The strongest words that both the authors have made use of to emphasize upon the opulence which can be enjoyed in America are that in addition to naming particular things that can be acquired in America, they have given this aspect an infinite dimension in these words, â€Å"many, many more† (Byron) and â€Å"more than you share†

Good Things by Groupism in Design Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Good Things by Groupism in Design - Case Study Example During this group, she was able to participate at the level she desired. Each member was assigned a different task. Jee Hye was to code the HTML and JavaScript for the project. It was a group of epic proportions. It was a group on par with excellence. Despite previous negative experiences, Jee Hye believes there are good things about designing by groupism when each person is assigned what they are best able to do, everyone feels a part of project, and the results of project are much better. One good thing about designing by groupism is each person is sometimes able to do what he does best. Some students are better with writing or other artistic work. Others are better with speaking or in leadership positions. Still, others are better with doing or applying what has been learned to create a new product. Jee Hye was better with doing so she did the coding part of the web design project. Mary was better with writing. She kept notes and wrote the paper for the project. Casey was best with speaking, and he presented the project to the class. They all did their part to make the project work. In other groups, Jee Hye noticed some people slack while others did all the work. In this group, it helped to have a good manager. It helped that he was able to direct people to their appropriate tasks. Instead of everyone doing whatever they wanted all hoi polloi, there was an organized method of tackling the design problems they encounter. The divisions of labor and job specialization were the cornerstone of the group's workflow. As the work progressed, it made other benefits of group design become apparent. Another good thing about designing by groupism is that each person feels part of project. In Jee Hye's group, each person made suggestions about the website project. Some of the suggestions were used. Others were not, but some of everyone's made ideas were applied to the project. I was truly a collaborative effort. Mary and Jee Hye constructed the layout together. Mary and Casey formulated the content as a team. All three students worked together to debug the coded portion of the project. In other groups, Jee Hye noticed that some people's voices were heard over others despite logic. Again, this pitfall was avoided by good management. Casey really helped it all go smoothly. His management ability was uncanny. He kept the group focused, and he mitigated disputes. Furthermore his selling ability made the marketing aspects of the design a breeze. Each person played a vital role, and everyone felt part of the group project. At the end of the project, they all felt happy about how everything happened. The website was great, and they were very proud of their work. Along with division of labor and job specialization, group morale is a major aspect of positive experience in working with a group. It is important that each member works to keep a positive attitude if they expect the group to work well. No one wants to attend a group where people are sour-faced. The best thing about designing by groupism is the results of a project are much better than individual projects if people work symbiotically. In other groups, Jee Hye noticed the final product was not as good as this one. Usually, one person takes too much work. Others do not participate, and still others participate too much. It makes the project not really a groupism project. It means some people do nothing. Some do everything. Others tell

What is worth sacrificing for Speech or Presentation

What is worth sacrificing for - Speech or Presentation Example (Mahatma Gandhi Quotes) It is a matter of great commonality to think about what a person should sacrifice and whether or not the same is ever worth it. The question arises when a person must give something or someone up for the greater happiness of someone else even though it might cost a great deal including the happiness of the man willing to give something up for another. Thus, what is worth sacrificing for; is it happiness, morals and ethics, or just about anything else, materialistically speaking, that would make someone else happier than the person giving it up was when he owned it? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word sacrifice has been defined as ‘something given up or lost’ or ‘destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else’. (Sacrifice-Definition) ... in common - the people that formed a part of the minority were forced to sacrifice their freedom and lives for the people who they were forced to be under. However, was the same worth sacrificing for? According to historians and philosophers, it was not, because the sacrifice did not involve a happy ending. The Indians were unhappy because they were being denied the rights to use their own resources and bring about development within their own country; the Vietnamese people were being forced to give up their personal and national identity and adopt the lifestyle of the French despite the kind of difficulty it was proving to be; the Jews did not even have a choice because it was their lives that they were forced to sacrifice during the Holocaust; and the people of Zimbabwe have faced a vast amount of political as well as ethnic challenges. (Magasia, T. Alex) All of these aspects that have been sacrificed during the past by different groups of people go against the quote that Gandhi sa id. According to him, a sacrifice is not worth it if during the course of it, the person giving something of his own up is not happy about it. Thus, this helps to answer the question pertaining to the topic, what exactly is worth sacrificing for. It is now clear, that one should only give something up if he is happy to give it up; if not, then it tends not to be a sacrifice, it ends up being something that has been snatched away for selfish reasons. Keeping this in mind, it is important to note, that in the examples provided earlier, the Indians, Jews, the Vietnamese and the Zimbabweans were ‘forced’ to sacrifice their freedom, lives and daily living. Their happiness was taken away on purpose even though they were not happy about it. But it is a sacrifice, because they wanted to

English Essay Formal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

English Formal - Essay Example A utopian fiction describes Herland as a strange land that is hidden very high in the mountain, and which only has women as its inhabitants. According to the inhabitants, Herland has existed with no men now for 2,000 years following a series of wars, internal strife and natural disasters, which together combined to leave just a small population which was exclusively made up of women (Gilman 2). Left with the burden of fending for themselves under severe conditions, the women did organize their society along the most possible coherent lines, coming to note that their survival would never be possible without collaboration. After some time, there was a miraculous occurrence where a young girl became pregnant (Gilman 2). All her descendants were female and came to inherit her exceptional ability of solo reproduction, thereby helping to maintain the society making up the present residents of Herland. With time, the women of Herland embraced a peaceful, organized, hugely efficient society such that such factors like competition, crime, and disruptive behavior are nonexistent (Gilman 2). As would be expected in a mothers’ society, childbearing is the utmost tribute of the women’s lives, and also their most important duty. In essence, Herland is a large family, and an organic society practicing a common good (Gilman 2). For that reason, property is communally owned, the system of authority is not that strict and is solely based on knowledge and insight, and the welfare and education of the children are given the first preference. Theodore Isaac Rubin notes that our culture today is of the view that competition is helpful in bringing the best out of people, but then he disputes this notion (Rubin 1). According to him, competition is intimately connected to jealousy, envy, and mistrust, and hinders self-evolution and progress (Rubin 1). It

Business Management Techniques Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Management Techniques - Assignment Example Costing accuracy is the main advantage of this type of activity. Companies allocate cost simply to the products that involve production activities. Hence this activity helps in eliminating allocation of costs that are irrelevant to the product. Other benefits of this type of activity to the business include an easy understanding of cost for inside administration, the potentiality to facilitate benchmarking and a better appreciative of overhead costs. This system of costing also supports the management performance and the scorecard. Besides these, this type of costing does integrate well with programs put in place for continuous improvements by the company.This method is widely used by companies in allocating its cost, the challenging part is the implementation. Putting into practice this kind of costing system within a company involves considerable resources. This can be a disadvantage for businesses with inadequate funds. Another challenge of using this costing method is that it can be misinterpreted. Based on our scenario of production of manual and automatic data, we can identify various issues arising. For instance a decrease in production volume from 1500 to 500, the cost of direct material increased from â‚ ¬20@unit to â‚ ¬30@unit, a clear indicator that the costing of this is very accurate. Under the activity based production analysis of the company, we can see differences in the packaging and delivery cost. The differences that occur between the packaging and delivery is due to activity-based costing.... This means that this system of costing is inaccurate in relation to increasing over head cost. This has made Activity based costing to become an alternative replacement to the traditional method in allocation of cost (Drury, 70). Advantages of Activity based costing Costing accuracy is the main advantage of this type of activity. Companies allocate cost simply to the products that involve production activities. Hence this activity helps in eliminating allocation of costs that are irrelevant to the product. Other benefits of this type of activity to the business include easy understanding of cost for inside administration, the potentiality to facilitate benchmarking and a better appreciative of overhead costs. This system of costing also supports the management performance and the scorecard. Besides these, this type of costing does integrate well with programs put in place for continuous improvements by the company (Drury, 120). Although this method is widely used by companies in allo cating its cost, the challenging part is the implementation. Putting into practice this kind of costing system within a company involves considerable resources. This can be a disadvantage for businesses with inadequate funds. Another challenge of using this costing method is that it can be misinterpreted. Based on our scenario of production of manual and automatic data, we can identify various issues arising. For instance a decrease in production volume from 1500 to 500, the cost of direct material increased from â‚ ¬20@unit to â‚ ¬30@unit, a clear indicator that the costing of this is very accurate. Under the activity based production analysis of the company, we can see differences in the packaging and delivery