Free topic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Free topic - Research Paper Example The key focus of this paper is to determine the significance of the religious myth in the Indian culture, as well as the ability of mythology in Indian culture to reflect the values, beliefs and philosophies, which guide the daily lives of people, in India. Religious mythology is an essential component of Indian culture, and Indians hold it dear to their lives. Meaning and purpose of myths Myths are tales and stories, which are used to enlighten people and guide them by sharing collective knowledge and encounters. The facts of myths are obtained from reality and handle real world problems affecting the lives of individuals by the use of imaginary characters and events. Myths tend to explain survival of natural phenomena or beliefs, tribal customs, describe the establishment and origin of rituals, proper behavior instruction and entertainment (Joseph Campbell Foundation par. 13-16). Primarily, myths serve the purpose of giving vivid explanations of cultural and natural phenomena. The evolution of mythology owes its credit to the quest and desire of people to develop a deep understanding about the world. Secondly, myths serve the purpose of justifying, validating, and explanation of the continuation of social systems and traditional customs and rites. It is imperative to note that myths have secondary purpose, which includes instruction vehicles and tools and source of healing among others (Joseph Campbell Foundation par. 13-16). Indian Religious Myth and Diversity There are diverse religious activities and beliefs in India, and the socio-cultural habits in that region of the planet tend to be equally rich and diverse, as they incorporate many nations with religious backgrounds that tend to be extremely vivid. Indian mythology analyzes the entire myths associated with Buddhist, Jain and Hindu among other scriptures (Lauhitya Kingdom par. 1-15). Evidently, the richest element of the Indian culture is the Indian mythology; the mythology can be termed as essential i n modeling the Indian culture, as well as the beliefs. The stories and encounters of the Indian mythology have been passed from one generation to the next, either through keen story telling or systematically written books and articles. It is vital to note that Indian mythology cannot be separated from the religion of India; the myths describe the religious goddesses’ and gods’ accounts for the vast Indian population (Lauhitya Kingdom par. 1-15). It is imperative to note that oral transmission of Indian mythology has become the most effective because people believe in the religious teachings given orally. Further, Buddha mythology and Hindu mythology form part of Indian mythology, and they will be discussed deeply in the course of the paper. Jatakas include tales that contain the legends and myths, related to Buddha, as well stories of the birth of Buddha, his life and his Nirvana attainment (Lauhitya Kingdom par. 1-15). Indian Epic Poetry The mythology of India and Ind ian epic poetry also relate to one another and married to each other. The two interrelate on various grounds, which show the significance of the rich reserve of poems written in India. Epic poetry describes a long poem, which narrates the daring exploit of a person in ways, which tend to be basic to the culture and beliefs of Indian people. Epic poems are laden with

Why world war II is a good war for THE UNITED STATES Research Paper

Why world war II is a good war for THE UNITED STATES - Research Paper Example This brief analysis will attempt to elaborate upon some of the primary means by which the Second World War worked to benefit the United States, increased the economic output, level of industrialization, set the United States predominately upon the world stage, opened up new markets and reduced the competitiveness of former rivals. Additionally, the war helped to differentiate the world into a bipolar system that forced nearly each and every nation to either select the United States or the Soviet Union as a protector and potential market for goods. In particular, the war brought the economy in America back to life after the malaise of the Great Depression. A number of contradictions thus arise from the actions taken by leaders during the activities of World War II. In this way, the proceeding analysis will attempt to detail the most prominent ways in which the Second World War was actually beneficial to the United States. Firstly, and perhaps most obviously, the war helped the United States to rapidly define and integrate a formerly backwards and relatively un-industrialized economy. Moreover, due to the level of malaise that the United States experienced as a result of the Great Depression, a spike in the level of industrial growth and the need to integrate a high number of skilled professionals into the economy meant that the nation was able to rapidly train and employ a high number of skilled professionals in a variety of industrial crafts. Though the industrial revolution had occurred many years previously, the level of development was neither impressive nor complete. However, as a result of the need to rapidly expand the economy and provide the soldiers fighting in the field with the necessary hardware of war, the industries of munitions production, heavy manufacturing, ship building, advanced electronic devices, early forms of computing technology, an advanced aircraft production industry, and a litany of other fields came to be well developed and robust b y the end of the war. According to Mooney, the United States was keen on providing the Allies with the necessary equipment for continuing the war even prior to the Attack on Pearl Harbor. This meant that the United States industry was required to produce and replace many of the goods and materials of war that were being sent to the allies overseas. Says Mooney, â€Å"In September 1940 the United States agreed to trade fifty old naval destroyers to British in exchange for leases on naval and air bases in British possessions throughout the Western Hemisphere.†(Mooney 187). As such, even the â€Å"trade† of 50 old destroyers is in and of itself a monumentally important factor due to the fact that these destroyers represented a percentage of United States naval power and must necessarily be replaced by the powers of industry. Such a representation of lend-lease or cash and carry was adequately defined by Mooney on page 185. The rampant growth of American wartime industry c ombined with the fact that many of the men in the nation had vacated their jobs and were now joining the armed forces created a unique opportunity for women. Due to the fact that women had previously been confined to the home as a result of gender norms and the identification that a woman’s place should be in the home, this opportunity was a powerful dynamic in helping to shape the way in which the United States developed and industrialized. The United States government soon got on board with the untapped labor pool and began to promote propaganda to engage even larger numbers of women in the workforce. By utilizing such evocative posters as â€Å"Rosie the Riveter†

The Channel Tunnel Project and the Way in Which It Was Planned and Essay

The Channel Tunnel Project and the Way in Which It Was Planned and Expected To Be Carried Out - Essay Example This essay explores the Project Management Process which is made up of three stages namely; Project Initiation, Control, and Closure. Generally, the Project Initiation Stage is described as a sequence of steps which include the Kick-Off Stage, the Project Objective and Scope, Project Schedule and Budgeting, Stage Schedule and Budgeting, Project Organization, Project Control Procedures, Business Case, and Project Initiation Stage Assessment. Project Control-This stage involves arranging of various project activities into a series of steps. These steps fall into four categories, namely; a step to initiate the stage, steps that are continuously undertaken throughout the stages. There should be clearly recognized control measures for all the processes. The project control procedures should be incorporated into the project plan. Such procedures include quality, progress, change and version controls alongside issue resolution. In the project control, there should be a proper administration system, detailing the role that each person is going to undertake in order to ensure the success of the project. There needs to be a quality control procedure. The management should have in place mechanisms sable in ensuring the quality products from the project. There need to be change control procedures for the project. This should be taken into account to avoid it impacting on the schedule, costs, and quality of the final product. There should also be established issue resolution procedure to tackle any issues that may arise during the project control process. Finally, there should be a regular review of the project control procedures. This should ensure that the Project Controls are in place. Project Closure- This stage helps formally close the project in a way that institutes instruments for the continuous development and upgrading of the final project product standard process for this project by updating the models of estimation so that the project resources can be re-deploye d. Projects are normally designed to end at some point. The lessons learned on how to undertake similar projects better in the future should be captured for future use. These will help the project management team have a better idea of how long the various activities on this type of project will take to do. There will be a lot of data generated in the process of undertaking a project, and this should be stored with diverse degrees of the procedure by the team.

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 23

Project management - Essay Example Project planning and budgeting helps project managers to take pro-active measures to avoid some of the risks that emerge from the external and internal environment that surrounds the contractors (Kerzner, 2013). Project planning is an iterative process. Tasks undertaken are interdependent of each other; hence, failure of a subsystem affects the whole systems. Project planning rescues the project team from unforeseen circumstances due the high uncertainty that is with a majority of projects. The first stage of the project plan is identifying the goals of the project. In the stage, beneficiaries of the project are identified and the stakeholders. Their needs are so that the project is designed to meet them. A schedule is then developed to establish the amount of time and resources that will be. A budget of the resources necessary is prepared to determine the cost of executing the project. Additionally, a Human Resource plan is also developed to determine the skills that will be needed to accomplish the mission. Furthermore, a communication plan is outlined indicating how progress of work will be. Lastly, a risk management plan is created to provide measures that can be taken to shield activit y from interference (Turner, 2014). Mode Sante, a company, based in France launched an ambitious plan of constructing ultra modern leisure complexes. The company outsourced for contractor through a competitive bidding process who were supposed to build one of the facilities in Uxbridge. With a capital as a constraint, the new Active Being Complex had to be built according to the specifications provided with the minimum cost possible. A capital amount of  £300,000 had to be allocated prudently towards installation of a new IT infrastructure, security system, music and public address systems and other amenities that were to be in the new building. Interestingly, an old building that had been left

Lifestyle Choices Essay Example for Free

Lifestyle Choices Essay The article â€Å"Lifestyle Choices† is a researched article that talks about the economy and how changes affect the people within it. The Starter research article contains informative information on daily lives about health care, in today’s modern society we go through various choices in life and different walks in situations weather it financial situations, family issues or even work related problems. This article shows how to outweigh the bad to good and exercise good habits to create a better lifestyle. This research goes back and covers the last thirty years dating back when technology was the grounds of being formed. Something’s I enjoy about life is the fact that grounds for technology were being formed when I as a baby had no knowledge or use of it, such as the children(s) today. Social class determines your lifestyle form of living; it’s the group you belong to based upon your financial situations. This is one research that cannot be control or determined you can be an upper class person or a lower class person and sometime due to the luck of a draw it can flip anytime. That’s what I like about the topic â€Å"Assessing Class† because their no way unless you have no improvements to access another class. What I learned from this article is that hasn’t shy away from any topics considering our lifestyle issues and situations. It clearly states the factors of social classes a great overview of information. This article very much fits into sociology as it apart of our daily lives which includes the study of human society and its origins, development, organizations, and institutions. The major findings come from the data or series of surveys that has been done over decades of study’s which mostly includes volunteers to complete most studies. Lifestyle studies can be best examined through ethnicity our race, age, and suburban areas of residency and sexual preferences. This information was supported and document by Michael Sobel (1983) which he states, acknowledges, and compares sociology to our daily lifestyle as a â€Å"Mode of living.† He also presents the concept of stylistic unity by which he means the patterns of behavior which constitute that lifestyle are empirically common; i.e., similar patterns are shared by a sufficient number of others, relative to all others. This article fits well with chapter 1 (Seeing Sociology in Everyday Life) under â€Å"Marginality and Crisis. I believe it fits here because it’s bringing the recipe for looking at the world’s society from a sociological perspective. What is used to reshape the economy and separate them though classes. The difference between this article that sets it apart from non-scholarly periodicals, such as newspaper and magazine is the fact that non-scholarly periodicals are mainly used to entertain. This journal has an abstract, a descriptive summary, and properly cited. Non-Scholarly are not completely from a known source it can be made up and the timing of the report can be inaccurate at times. They serve a different audience. What I find similar of the two is they can be found in the same place or setting it is up to the reader to select the one needed as far as common within there is none they are two completely different types of sources and everything must be documented or researched differently. From the introduction, word fonts to work cited they are done accordingly to source or audience. Work Cited: Research Starters – Sociology https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=rstAN=37219700site=ehost-livescope=site John J Macionis, Sociology, The thirteenth Edition, The Sociological Perspective, 2010, 2008, 2007 (Pg.5-6)

Meaning of life Human Essay Example for Free

Meaning of life Human Essay Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust. Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonders, the unfailing appetite for what’s next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart, there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, courage and power from man and from the infinite, so long as you are young. When your aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you’ve grown old, even at 20; but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there’s hope you may die young at 80.  · : Three Days to See(Excerpts) ( ) Three Days to See All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited. Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets? Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the Epicurean motto of â€Å"Eat, drink, and be merry†. But most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death. In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune, but almost always his sense of values is changed. He becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do. Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life. The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill. I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.  · :Companionship of Books ( ) Companionship of Books A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men. A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age. Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, ‘Love me, love my dog. † But there is more wisdom in this:† Love me, love my book. † The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them. A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters. Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive e but what is really good. Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see the as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe. The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which on still listens.  · :If I Rest,I Rust , If I Rest, I Rust The significant inscription found on an old keyâ€Å"If I rest, I rust†would be an excellent motto for those who are afflicted with the slightest bit of idleness. Even the most industrious person might adopt it with advantage to serve as a reminder that, if one allows his faculties to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and, ultimately, cannot do the work required of them. Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must keep their faculties polished by constant use, so that they may unlock the doors of knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to science, art, literature, agricultureevery department of human endeavor. Industry keeps bright the key that opens the treasury of achievement. If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become a famous geologist. The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness, had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busy brain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside instead of calculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer. Labor vanquishes allnot inconstant, spasmodic, or ill-directed labor; but faithful, unremitting, daily effort toward a well-directed purpose. Just as truly as eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, so is eternal industry the price of noble and enduring success.  · :Ambition Ambition It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would probably be a kinder world: with out demands, without abrasions, without disappointments. People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity. Competition would never enter in. conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past. The stress of creation would be at an end. Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor. Anxiety would be extinct. Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart. Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be! There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one’s own. But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal; and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity. We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.  · :What I have Lived for What I Have Lived For Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasyecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of my life for a few hours for this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves lonelinessthat terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is whatat lastI have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved. Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always it brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer. This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.  · :When Love Beckons You When Love Beckons You When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you, yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you, believe in him, though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to our roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. But if, in your fear, you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure, then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor, into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but it self and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love. Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a payer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.  · :The Road to Success The Road to Success It is well that young men should begin at the beginning and occupy the most subordinate positions. Many of the leading businessmen of Pittsburgh had a serious responsibility thrust upon them at the very threshold of their career. They were introduced to the broom, and spent the first hours of their business lives sweeping out the office. I notice we have janitors and janitresses now in offices, and our young men unfortunately miss that salutary branch of business education. But if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning, the boy who has the genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate to try his hand at the broom. It does not hurt the newest comer to sweep out the office if necessary. I was one of those sweepers myself. Assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started, my advice to you is â€Å"aim high†. I would not give a fig for the young man who does not already see himself the partner or the head of an important firm. Do not rest content for a moment in your thoughts as head clerk, or foreman, or general manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. Say to yourself, â€Å"My place is at the top. † Be king in your dreams. And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it, adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most about it. The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means that they have scattered their brains also. They have investments in this, or that, or the other, here there, and everywhere. â€Å"Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. † is all wrong. I tell you to â€Å"put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket. † Look round you and take notice, men who do that not often fail. It is easy to watch and carry the one basket. It is trying to carry too many baskets that breaks most eggs in this country. He who carries three baskets must put one on his head, which is apt to tumble and trip him up. One fault of the American businessman is lack of concentration. To summarize what I have said: aim for the highest; never enter a bar room; do not touch liquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate; never indorse beyond your surplus cash fund; make the firm’s interest yours; break orders always to save owners; concentrate; put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket; expenditure always within revenue; lastly, be not impatient, for as Emerson says, â€Å"no one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourselves. †  · :On Meeting the Celebrated On Meeting the Celebrated I have always wondered at the passion many people have to meet the celebrated. The prestige you acquire by being able to tell your friends that you know famous men proves only that you are yourself of small account. The celebrated develop a technique to deal with the persons they come across. They show the world a mask, often an impressive on, but take care to conceal their real selves. They play the part that is expected from them, and with practice learn to play it very well, but you are stupid if you think that this public performance of theirs corresponds with the man within. I have been attached, deeply attached, to a few people; but I have been interested in men in general not for their own sakes, but for the sake of my work. I have not, as Kant enjoined, regarded each man as an end in himself, but as material that might be useful to me as a writer. I have been more concerned with the obscure than with the famous. They are more often themselves. They have had no need to create a figure to protect themselves from the world or to impress it. Their idiosyncrasies have had more chance to develop in the limited circle of their activity, and since they have never been in the public eye it has never occurred to them that they have anything to conceal. They display their oddities because it has never struck them that they are odd. And after all it is with the common run of men that we writers have to deal; kings, dictators, commercial magnates are from our point of view very unsatisfactory. To write about them is a venture that has often tempted writers, but the failure that has attended their efforts shows that such beings are too exceptional to form a proper ground for a work of art. They cannot be made real. The ordinary is the writer’s richer field. Its unexpectedness, its singularity, its infinite variety afford unending material. The great man is too often all of a piece; it is the little man that is a bundle of contradictory elements. He is inexhaustible. You never come to the end of the surprises he has in store for you. For my part I would much sooner spend a month on a desert island with a veterinary surgeon than with a prime minister.  · :The 50-Percent Theory of Life The 50-Percent Theory of Life I believe in the 50-percent theory. Half the time things are better than normal; the other half, they re worse. I believe life is a pendulum swing. It takes time and experience to understand what normal is, and that gives me the perspective to deal with the surprises of the future. Let’s benchmark the parameters: yes, I will die. I’ve dealt with the deaths of both parents, a best friend, a beloved boss and cherished pets. Some of these deaths have been violent, before my eyes, or slow and agonizing. Bad stuff, and it belongs at the bottom of the scale. Then there are those high points: romance and marriage to the right person; having a child and doing those Dad things like coaching my son’s baseball team, paddling around the creek in the boat while he’s swimming with the dogs, discovering his compassion so deep it manifests even in his kindness to snails, his imagination so vivid he builds a spaceship from a scattered pile of Legos. But there is a vast meadow of life in the middle, where the bad and the good flip-flop acrobatically. This is what convinces me to believe in the 50-percent theory. One spring I planted corn too early in a bottomland so flood-prone that neighbors laughed. I felt chagrined at the wasted effort. Summer turned brutalthe worst heat wave and drought in my lifetime. The air-conditioned died; the well went dry; the marriage ended; the job lost; the money gone. I was living lyrics from a country tunemusic I loathed. Only a surging Kansas City Royals team buoyed my spirits. Looking back on that horrible summer, I soon understood that all succeeding good things merely offset the bad. Worse than normal wouldn’t last long. I am owed and savor the halcyon times. The reinvigorate me for the next nasty surprise and offer assurance that can thrive. The 50-percent theory even helps me see hope beyond my Royals’ recent slump, a field of struggling rookies sown so that some year soon we can reap an October harvest. For that on blistering summer, the ground moisture was just right, planting early allowed pollination before heat withered the tops, and the lack of rain spared the standing corn from floods. That winter my crib overflowed with cornfat, healthy three-to-a-stalk ears filled with kernels from heel to tipwhile my neighbors’ fields yielded only brown, empty husks. Although plantings past may have fallen below the 50-percent expectation, and they probably will again in the future, I am still sustained by the crop that flourishes during the drought.  · :What is Your Recovery Rate? What is Your Recovery Rate? What is your recovery rate? How long does it take you to recover from actions and behaviors that upset you? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? The longer it takes you to recover, the more influence that incident has on your actions, and the less able you are to perform to your personal best. In a nutshell, the longer it takes you to recover, the weaker you are and the poorer your performance. You are well aware that you need to exercise to keep the body fit and, no doubt, accept that a reasonable measure of health is the speed in which your heart and respiratory system recovers after exercise. Likewise the faster you let go of an issue that upsets you, the faster you return to an equilibrium, the healthier you will be. The best example of this behavior is found with professional sportspeople. They know that the faster they can forget an incident or missd opportunity and get on with the game, the better their performance. In fact, most measure the time it takes them to overcome and forget an incident in a game and most reckon a recovery rate of 30 seconds is too long! Imagine yourself to be an actor in a play on the stage. Your aim is to play your part to the best of your ability. You have been given a script and at the end of each sentence is a ful stop. Each time you get to the end of the sentence you start a new one and although the next sentence is related to the last it is not affected by it. Your job is to deliver each sentence to the best of your ability. Don’t live your life in the past! Learn to live in the present, to overcome the past. Stop the past from influencing your daily life. Don’t allow thoughts of the past to reduce your personal best. Stop the past from interfering with your life. Learn to recover quickly. Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day. Reflect on your recovery rate each day. Every day before you go to bed, look at your progress. Don’t lie in bed saying to you, â€Å"I did that wrong. † â€Å"I should have done better there. † No. look at your day and note when you made an effort to place a full stop after an incident. This is a success. You are taking control of your life. Remember this is a step by step process. This is not a make-over. You are undertaking real change here. Your aim: reduce the time spent in recovery. The way forward? Live in the present. Not in the precedent.  · :Clear Your Mental Space Clear Your Mental Space Think about the last time you felt a negative emotionlike stress, anger, or frustration. What was going through your mind as you were going through that negativity? Was your mind cluttered with thoughts? Or was it paralyzed, unable to think? The next time you find yourself in the middle of a very stressful time, or you feel angry or frustrated, stop. Yes, that’s right, stop. Whatever you’re doing, stop and sit for one minute. While you’re sitting there, completely immerse yourself in the negative emotion. Allow that emotion to consume you. Allow yourself one minute to truly feel that emotion. Don’t cheat yourself here. Take the entire minutebut only one minuteto do nothing else but feel that emotion. When the minute is over, ask yourself, â€Å"Am I wiling to keep holding on to this negative emotion as I go through the rest of the day? † Once you’ve allowed yourself to be totally immersed in the emotion and really fell it, you will be surprised to find that the emotion clears rather quickly. If you feel you need to hold on to the emotion for a little longer, that is OK. Allow yourself another minute to feel the emotion. When you feel you’ve had enough of the emotion, ask yourself if you’re willing to carry that negativity with you for the rest of the day. If not, take a deep breath. As you exhale, release all that negativity with your breath. This exercise seems simplealmost too simple. But, it is very effective. By allowing that negative emotion the space to be truly felt, you are dealing with the emotion rather than stuffing it down and trying not to feel it. You are actually taking away the power of the emotion by giving it the space and attention it needs. When you immerse yourself in the emotion, and realize that it is only emotion, it loses its control. You can clear your head and proceed with your task. Try it. Next time you’re in the middle of a negative emotion, give yourself the space to feel the emotion and see what happens. Keep a piece of paper with you that says the following: Stop. Immerse for one minute. Do I want to keep this negativity? Breath deep, exhale, release. Move on! This will remind you of the steps to the process. Remember; take the time you need to really immerse yourself in the emotion. Then, when you feel you’ve felt it enough, release itreally let go of it. You will be surprised at how quickly you can move on from a negative situation and get to what you really want to do!  · :Be Happy Be Happy! â€Å"The days that make us happy make us wise. †-John Masefield when I first read this line by England’s Poet Laureate, it startled me. What did Masefield mean? Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it. Finally, I seemed to grasp his meaning and realized that here was a profound observation. The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception, not fogged by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom, and without the blind spots caused by fear. Active happinessnot mere satisfaction or contentment often comes suddenly, like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied it. The grass is greener; bird songs are sweeter; the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your spiritual vision. Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes, your vision is cut short as though by a wall. Happy, the wall crumbles. The long vista is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet, the world about you-people, thoughts, emotions, pressuresare now fitted into the larger scene. Everything assumes a fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.  · :The Goodness of life The Goodness of Life Though there is much to be concerned about, there is far, far more for which to be thankful. Though life’s goodness can at times be overshadowed, it is never outweighed. For every single act that is senselessly destructive, there are thousands more small, quiet acts of love, kindness and compassion. For every person who seeks to hurt, there are many, many more who devote their lives to helping and to healing. There is goodness to life that cannot be denied. In the most magnificent vistas and in the smallest details, look closely, for that goodness always comes shining through. There si no limit to the goodness of life. It grows more abundant with each new encounter. The more you experience and appreciate the goodness of life, the more there is to be lived. Even when the cold winds blow and the world seems to be cov ered in foggy shadows, the goodness of life lives on. Open your eyes, open your heart, and you will see that goodness is everywhere. Though the goodness of life seems at times to suffer setbacks, it always endures. For in the darkest moment it becomes vividly clear that life is a priceless treasure. And so the goodness of life is made even stronger by the very things that would oppose it. Time and time again when you feared it was gone forever you found that the goodness of life was really only a moment away. Around the next corner, inside every moment, the goodness of life is there to surprise and delight you. Take a moment to let the goodness of life touch your spirit and calm your thoughts. Then, share your good fortune with another. For the goodness of life grows more and more magnificent each time it is given away. Though the problems constantly scream for attention and the conflicts appear to rage ever stronger, the goodness of life grows stronger still, quietly, peacefully, with more purpose and meaning than ever before.  · :Facing the Enemies Within Facing the Enemies Within We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you’ve read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o’clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won’t need to live in fear of it. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us. Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within. The first enemy that you’ve got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is! â€Å"Ho-hum, let it slide. I’ll just drift along. † Here’s one problem with drifting: you can’t drift your way to the to of the mountain. The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy. The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there’s room for healthy skepticism. You can’t believe everything. But you also can’t let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities nad doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I’m telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it. The fourth enemy within is worry. We’ve all got to worry some. Just don’t let conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you’ve.

Mental Retardation Essay -- Papers

Mental Retardation Mental retardation is defined as, an individual with limitations in cognitive ability and adaptive behaviors that interfere with learning. Individuals with mental retardation learn at a slower pace, have low IQs, and may reach a level where learning stops. There are no exact causes for mental retardation but some things are associated with the disability. Prenatal development problems, childbirth difficulties, and a childhood brain injury can all lead to mental retardation. An individual with mental retardation might have problems in learning and social skills. Learning problems can include: difficulty making decisions, short attention spans, and limited strategies for dealing with changes. Problems they face with social skills are being to friendly, difficulty labeling emotions, and being wary of new places. Despite the setbacks and individual with mental retardation can receive an education and lead a productive role in society. "I Am Sam" is about a mentally retarded man named Sam (Sean Penn). In...