...LIFE IN THE WORLD 3.1. The nature of life according to Christianity Christianity teaches that the universe was created through love by an intelligent power, namely the God of the Bible. Creation was purposeful, not arbitrary, and therefore the universe is not morally neutral, but fundamentally good. In this purposeful creation, everything and everyone are intrinsically valuable. God's design or purpose for creation reflects God's intention that all creatures enjoy perfect love and justice. God works in human history to fulfil that purpose. God created human beings in the divine image, enabling humans to have some understanding of God and of God's vast and complex design. The purpose of life is to love and serve God in order to help bring about God's glorious plan for creation. Reason is a unique gift bestowed by God on humans and enables them to reflect on their own nature and conscience, and from that derive knowledge of God's will for creation. But a complete understanding is beyond human reach. To fulfil the goal of wholeness in an existence perfected by both justice and love, something more is needed. Humans are not expected to accomplish the divine plan alone. The fulfilment of God's purpose depends on God's grace. For Christians, grace is God's freely-given favour and love. Reason is a good gift, sometimes misused for selfish, wilful, or prideful purposes. The substitution of selfish ambition for God's will is a condition that Christians call sin, meaning separation...
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...Casa dei Bambini - the first Montessori Classroom - led her to discover the secrets of childhood. And the framework of Montessori Philosophy is based on three important discoveries; Tendencies, Absorbent Mind and Sensitive Periods. As Dr. Montessori said, the child has his own potential for life to develop. It is important for the adult to understand and allow the child build himself by his own experiences without the adult trying to fill their knowledge onto the child. Every child posses a pre-determined pattern of psychic unfold, which is not visible at birth but it is revealed when the child is exposed to the environment with freedom. When these two factors are provided, child’s psychic life will reach its potential and build his personality for his survival in the society. From birth and throughout the childhood, a child’s Absorbent Mind allows him to absorb impressions from his surrounding environment and directly store it into his psychic life. As an infant these impressions are absorbed unconsciously but gradually when the child has a conscious mind, he absorb impressions consciously and make language connections. There are blocks of time in early years of child’s life which he absorbs certain characteristics of his environment to the exclusion of all others. This is called Sensitive Periods. A child possess sensitive periods for order, to experience the world using his five senses, sensitivity for small minute objects, co-ordination of movements, for language...
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...nature and existence of the soul have come up as an attack on the belief in its existence after death. In his Republic, Plato argues that the soul consists of three basic energies which animate human beings: Reason, Emotion, and Appetite. Reason is given the greatest value, while Emotion and especially Appetite are regarded as the lower passions. The soul that is ordered is governed by Reason, and therefore keeps one’s emotions and one’s appetites under control. The lower passions must submit to the dictates of Reason. According to Plato, the soul is placed inside the body at birth, after it has travelled from the realm of the forms. When it arrives in the body, it forgets the forms which enable a person to be moral and live a meaningful life. Plato’s idea sounds convincing. However, a soul can be many different things depending on where you live, religion or beliefs you adhere to. For me it’s an interchangeable work of some sort of spirit. In fact, not because it sounds so attractive doesn’t mean it exists. That might be the very reason why it was invented in the first place. I for one would love to have a soul. I would love to be assured that some part of me lives eternally after I die or get reincarnated into something else. I have never been shown any evidence or proof that such a thing exists. This is a power a faith that many people have compared to my faith in pink unicorns. It is evident that things that were inexplicable is now been explained through increase knowledge...
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...Emily Dickinson was a nineteenth century poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in American literature. Although she possessed talent for words, she was unlucky in her love life, often driving men away with her quick wit and innovative ideas. Her rough experiences led her to write many poems that had a feminist outlook. An example would be poem 1072 where Dickinson challenges women in the nineteenth century to consider an alternative life that strays from gender roles of society. Throughout the poem, there are a few references to religion with gender roles. Dickinson starts off her poem strong with, “Title Divine—is mine!/” where she declares herself as a sacred person. In line three, she continues with “Acute Degree—conferred on me—/”, expressing the pain that has been granted to her since “Acute” means a degree measuring less than ninety, which indicates feelings of...
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...it’s easy to say the simplistic and effortless cinematic alteration of Hamilton’s painful and atrocious experience heavily leant on Christian teachings. However, the 2004 film execution of these hardships is inexcusable; consistently portraying a painless recovery with effortless answers in relation to love, retrieval and the nature of courage. The story of a hero has been condemned into another thoughtless movie by director Sean McNamara; just as we thought we had seen enough of the two star childish Bratz movie. The scenes of a misinterpretation of a true life story, keeps rolling in with ideas of a faultless lifestyle. Soul surfers ‘Tumblr like’ setting is some sort of dreamlike paradise where one can live in a beachfront house, go surfing on a daily basis, get home-schooled, be sponsored for rip curl and have a beachside Sunday mass get-together. Bethany’s lifestyle is portrayed without any physical life hardships. Real life footage of Bethany, accompanied by a voice over explaining her lifelong connection with the water, shortly transitions into the...
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...Personal Responsibility Toward Natural Resources Nature is represented by all the living and non-living organisms on this planet. Water, plants, mammals, fish, mountains, all have a role in the ecosystem, and are dependent on one another. Although the most dominant species, humans are also the most dependent of them all. We, humans, depend on nature and its resources to survive; yet it seems that we are unaware of this fact, judging by the way we waste and abuse our natural resources. Our quality of life is directly related to natural resources and using them responsibly would ensure that the next generations will also have those resources available. That is not the case however, not only have we almost depleted the supplies of coal, oil, and natural gas, but we processed them negligently, so our waters, atmosphere, and land are polluted as a result of it. Earth has no rights, unlike us, humans, that are protected by the constitution of the country we reside in. How will Earth defend itself from the species that has the most judgment on the planet and it still ignores the signs that the planet is sending us: ozone layer is thinning, global warming, ice caps are melting, fish dying in the rivers and oceans due to contamination, extinction rates skyrocketing due to deforestation and urbanization. The impact of hundreds of species being extinct and hundreds other considered endangered is also mentioned in Reading Literature and Writing Argument “research shows that preserving...
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...Personal statement Reg. Application for Foundation programme in Engineering Hello, my name is Victoria Mitryakova. I'm seventeen. All my life I have wondered what I really want for my future profession and then the moment of choice came. Everyone can confirm that I am a creative, purposeful, patient, diverse and active person. I can not sit in one place and I always try to come up with something new. I think one of my most distinguishing characteristics is the diversity of experiences I possess. I am a science student with a flair for the arts. From the very childhood I have deepened in the artistic world and I can not imagine my future life without creativity and art. I graduated from art school in my beautiful city, took part in various competitions. In school life I was an indispensable person in the field of design and culture. To create something new and architecture is my occupation! Nowardays great changes happen in all spheres of life, technology is developing, buildings are improving, the world requires entirely new perspective people who can change the lives of each of us. Undoubtedly changes relate to architectural activity, where every detail is an important part. People, who construct our future, should have a good education, a good knowledge and most importantly the incredible creative thinking. So I can say with great pride about the University of Limerick...
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...Save as many as you ruin The text “Save as many as you ruin”, is written by Simon Van Booy. The main character of this short story is called Gerard, and he is about 40 years old. In my analysis of this story I will in some parts go through some parts of the story to find the red line. I am also going to comment on some of the themes, how the language is used, and how the mood is. In the beginning of the short story, we are told that Gerard is on his way home from his work. As he walks home, his surroundings are described. It getting darker outside, which makes the streetlights turn on. It is winter and there is snow in the streets, which he mentions as he is walking. Through “Save as many as you ruin” the surroundings are described a lot, mostly the nature, which seems like telling us about his emotions, which we see as well in the following quote: “Gerard thinks of everyone’s footprints in the show. Manhattan was once a forest. He imagines the footprints of an Indian slipping home, on his shoulders a warm carcass with clumps of snow stuck to its fur”. The story’s narrator works a bit like a limited pointed narrator, but as well the narrator is omniscient. Back to the footprints; Gerard thinks of if there is anything special or good to remember him of, or if he is just like the footprints, which are just disappearing and being forgotten. The first part we see a pretty depressing mode from Gerard, but this is before he meets Laurel, when he walks alone in the snow. In this...
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...Dah-Duh continues to attempt to show the narrator how her world is better than the narrator’s. But slowly Da-Duh is in awe of life in the big city. The narrator tells her about all of the conveniences in New York. She tell her about inventions like the refrigerators, gas stoves, elevators, trolley cars, washing machines, movies, airplanes, Coney Island, subways toasters and electric lights. She explains to Da-Duh about electricity and how it’s just like turning on the sun at night (To Da-Duh). “Her cultural triumphs are taken from the world of modern technology. If she was scared by wild tropical nature, Da-duh fears the world of steel, concrete and machines that her granddaughter meticulously recreates for her. Yet she is simultaneously somehow fascinated by it (kolar...
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...that we should ‘follow the child’. According to her, true discipline comes from within a child and cannot be imposed from the outside. It develops naturally and reveals itself after maturing in the right environment. This discipline is not limited to the nursery or the presence of the teacher, but extends out into the society and is present even if the teacher is not around. ”The discipline we are looking for is active. We do not believe that one is disciplined only when he is artificially made as silent as a mute and as motionless as a paralytic. Such one is not disciplined but annihilated. We claim that an individual is disciplined when he is master of himself and when he can as consequence control himself when he must follow a rule of life”. (Montessori, 2007b, page 51). A truly disciplined child is one who is in control of his movements, actions and behavior. He/she is able to concentrate on his/her work and has self-respect, respect for others and the environment around him. A child who has...
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...level have been developed for science. In this global economy, it is essential that Michigan students possess personal, social, occupational, civic, and quantitative literacy. Mastery of the knowledge and essential skills defined in Michigan’s Grade Level Content Expectations will increase students’ ability to be successful academically, and contribute to the future businesses that employ them and the communities in which they choose to live. Reflecting best practices and current research, the Grade Level Content Expectations provide a set of clear and rigorous expectations for all students, and provide teachers with clearly defined statements of what students should know and be able to do as they progress through school. PHYSICAL SCIENCE LIFE SCIENCE EARTH SCIENCE Development In developing these expectations, the K-7 Scholar Work Group depended heavily on the Science Framework for the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (National Assessment Governing Board, 2006) which has been the gold standard for the high school content expectations. Additionally, the National Science Education Standards...
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...approach to show the reader how the process of dying can actually bring emotional healing. In her book Patricia Weenolsen makes a strong case for euthanasia. Even though only a pages deal directly with euthanasia directly, the overarching theme of The Art of Dying deals with a “good death” and thusly exerting no small amount of influence on ones departure from this life and surrounding circumstances. In dealing with the emotions surrounding the death process, the reader is given tools that result in some small measure of control that inevitably leads to contemplation of euthanasia. In what I would term a most compassionate manner, Patricia Weenolsen takes the reader on a journey through the end of life, helping the reader to prepare for the final pages of this life. Keywords: euthanasia, death, dying, Patricia Weenolsen Introduction In her book, The Art of Dying: How to Leave This World With Dignity and Grace, at Peace With Yourself and Your Loved Ones, Patricia Weenolsen, Ph.D. delivers a compelling argument for euthanasia that will cause readers to consider the manner in which they choose to leave this life both physically and mentally. While arguments can be made against euthanasia, the ability of terminally ill patients of sound mind to make an autonomous decision concerning their death cannot be ignored, and the case should be made that euthanasia should be an option available in certain instances. Utilizing the thematic approach of Ms Weenolsen, this paper will...
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...The Old Man Isn’t There Anymore was written by Kellie Schmitt. In this essay Schmitt documents some of her experiences in China. Kellie lived in China for two years and was a reporter for CNNgo. (Faigley pg.107) Kellie Schmitt specifically touches on one specific experience in China where she attends a Chinese neighbors funeral. Through out this essay Schmitt uses enticing story telling techniques and purposeful tone. Schmitt also uses imagery to further help the reader see what was going on before, after and during the funeral. Since Schmitt used all of these components one can get a good feel for what it is like at the funereal and how some of the customs differ from America. Schmitt's use of story telling is very effective because it...
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...so natural, that no matter how much I tried to help her, her desperation to do it on her own would prevail. Maria Montessori (1988, p83) described a child’s first natural instinct to be “ … to carry out his actions by himself, without anyone helping him, and his first conscious bid for independence is made when he defends himself against those who try do the action for him”. I firmly believe in Montessori’s principles, which respect and liberate the child - have utmost faith the child will reach his/her own potential if given the freedom to do so. Her methods enable the child to reach self-worth through success and self-mastery by teaching him/herself, and to achieve internal discipline through self-control. The child is prepared for life and equipped as a self-reliant, motivated individual. Montessori designed the ‘favorable environment’ (MCI, 2013) to meet the child’s individual needs, with the aim of developing his/her true potential. In this essay I will seek to describe Montessori’s model of the favorable environment, including the role of the adult, and explain how it supports children’s developing independence. Psychological research shows that autonomy is a basic need in people - the ability to have choice and control are optimal for learning and wellbeing (Ryan & Deci 2000 in...
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...Chad Brantley This I believe Professional version; TR Well, I am not a CTRS at this point in my life. I am an ATBCTRS. That being said, my personal view of the field of recreation therapy is that it is a purposeful field that makes this world a better place. Every single day I am in this program I feel like I am exposed to the phrase “improve the quality of life” one way or another. People look down on our program. Let me ask, what does a dentist do? They make your teeth straight! Our occupation deals with rehabilitation in all areas and serves all populations. No one can escape the need of our area of help. There is no way that dentistry is more important and prestigious than TR. People have been conditioned a certain way and deem certain things more important than others. People 1000 years ago saw political figures and great men of war as the heroes of that time. Today, people idolize and see actors and sports figures as the most important figures in our society? Now keep in mind, I am not talking about trends. I am talking about misconceptions. There is a misconception about TR because people do not know what we do or even who we are. I think if I pointed my life towards TR as a career, my goal would be to make people see what I do as very important. I mean, if you don’t believe in something, or the product in which you are selling. Than quit! Stop doing what you were doing and get involved in something else. People passionate about TR and what it does for people are...
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