...Imagine a cherry tree in full bloom, its roots sunk into rich earth and its branches covered with thousands of blossoms, all emitting a lovely fragrance and containing thousands of seeds capable of producing many more cherry trees. The petals begin to fall, covering the ground in a blanket of white flowers and scattering the seeds everywhere. Some of the seeds will take root, but the vast majority will simply break down along with the spent petals, becoming part of the soil that nourishes the tree — along with thousands of other plants and animals. Looking at this scene, do we shake our heads at the senseless waste, mess and inefficiency? Does it look like the tree is working too hard, showing signs of strain or collapse? Of course not. But why not? Well, for one thing, because the whole process is beautiful, abundant and pleasure producing: We enjoy seeing and smelling the trees in bloom, we’re pleased by the idea of the trees multiplying (and producing delicious cherries), and everyone for miles around seems to benefit in the process. The entire lifecycle of the cherry tree is rewarding, and the only “waste” involved is an abundant sort of nutrient cycling that only leads to more good things. Best of all, this show of productivity and generosity seems to come quite naturally to the tree. It shows no signs of discontent or resentment — in fact, it looks like it could keep this up indefinitely with nothing but good, sustainable outcomes. The cherry-tree scenario...
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...While this may seem like quite a harsh benchmark — How can one be excited about living every day? Isn’t that wearisome? — it is possible. And no, it isn’t wearisome at all. I’m not talking about crazy highs where you jump around screaming at the top of your lungs, though that can happen on some days. I’m also not talking about being 100% happy without a single ounce of negativity in your soul (this would have more to do with achieving nirvana than finding your life purpose), though it can well be like this on some days too. Here, I’m talking about a constant, inner excitement about life where you know your place in the world and that you’re doing things to make it happen, even if slowly. Even if you have a “naturally jaded” personality, even if you are 40, 50, 60, or even 70, when you have a purpose and you are living true to it, life is filled with meaning and happiness each day. Which brings us...
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...INTRODUCTION Socrates believed that the purpose of human life was personal and spiritual growth. We are unable to grow towards greater understanding of our true nature unless we take the time to examine and reflect upon our life. Examining our life reviles pattern of our behavior. Deeper contemplation yields understanding of the subconscious programming, the powerful mental software that runs our life. Unless we become aware of those patterns, much of our life is unconscious pattern. We all have blind spots sometimes when I examine a chronic problem in my life, I have unsetting feeling that I must be missing something, but I can’t quite see what it is. We try to examine ourselves but none of us can use our backside (our shadow) That’s why Socrates’ method of self examination includes an essential element that becomes Socratic dialogue. Dialoguing with a close friend, a spouse a skilled psychotherapist or spiritual advisers help reveal those blind spot we cannot see by our selves. This quote is from Socrates believed that the purpose of human life was personal and spiritual growth. We are unable to grow towards greater understanding of our true nature unless we take time to examine and reflect upon our life. Examining our life reveals pattern of behavior unless we become aware of these pattern, much of our life is unconscious repetition however many times we are too busy with our life and work to contemplate fully our life’s pattern. According to Socrates we need to stop and...
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...trust is a Marital Trust, which is designed to hold the remainder of the decedent's property, which is sheltered from the federal estate tax by virtue of the unlimited marital deduction. These separate and distinct trusts are designed to eliminate or reduce the federal estate tax liability of a married couple over the deaths of both spouses. An A/B Trust arrangement can be created under a living trust or a testamentary trust, since these provisions do not take effect until after the grantor's death. See "Credit Shelter Trusts" and "Marital Trusts." See also "Family Trusts" and "By-Pass Trusts." Back to Table of Contents Asset Protection Trusts An "Asset Protection Trust" is a type of trust that is designed to protect assets from the claims of creditors. There are two types of Asset Protection Trusts - a Domestic Asset Protection Trust (also known as an "Onshore Trust" or "DAPT") and a Foreign Asset Protection Trust (also known as an "Offshore Trust"). Both types of trusts are also referred to as "Self-Settled Spendthrift Trusts." Asset Protection Trusts are always irrevocable living trusts. Both types of Asset Protection Trusts have come under considerable scrutiny from federal and state governments of late, especially since the passage of the Bankruptcy Reform Act, as it is popularly called. Accordingly, the continued viability of Asset Protection Trusts is the subject of...
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...The article, “When Criticism never ends” discussed the topic of adult children caring for their elderly parents. Attempting to keep their parents comfortable and living the life that they were once used too. Within this article it discusses one lady who goes by the name of Amanda, giving a daily routine of her life caring for her parents. Apart of this routine she enlisted her husband to help her care for her father providing daily living cares, that took most of the evening. Amanda shared her frustrations, the lack of help from her other siblings due to the distance that they lived. She also shared that regardless of how hard she tried to ensure that her parents were comfortable, she was never acknowledge for all the time and effort she put in, she was only scolded with the wrongs. Amanda stated that she attempted to find other help, however, due to wanting to ensure that her parents lived their life comfortably that companies that offered services did not offer them at the time her parents would like. However, after an extended time of being her parents personal care taker in their residential independent living facility, staff started to notice that the elderly couple did not come down to the dining area. This caused a staff to question their where about, and a...
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...The purposes of government does not improve the people's lives in Haiti. Evidence of to is being show with poor economic decisions, not maintaining social order and not providing good public services. Haitians had faced a devastation of an earthquake in 2010 which has changed the lives of many for the worse. The reasons are that people became homeless, buildings were destroyed, and the government falling apart. First, Haiti is not meeting the purposes of government since poor decisions are being made economically. This is shown statistically since more than 80 percent of the population are living in poverty and in extremely overcrowded houses that are too small. Also, most people in Haiti are living on less than two dollars a day with...
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...To have no purpose means that you are living and doing things for no reason, because you do not know who you are or why you are on this Earth. It also means that whatever you do in life is meaningless and there isn’t anything that you do that you like or enjoy. If you are working or going to school, you’re just working and going to school, not giving your all, or doing it because someone else, such as your parents or peers says that you must do these things. If there is a purpose, it means that you know why you are on this Earth, why you are living, and why you are doing the things that you do. With purpose, you are living and doing things to get something out of it. Doing things with purpose makes a purpose feel life and feel good about doing certain things like going to school, work, or indulging in a special hobby that makes you happy. In relation to the Fact/Value Dichotomy, to have no purpose, one seems to not have morals or values, or even a conscience, when there ought to be. Some examples are people who rob, steal, or even kill. They do these things because deep down, they have not valued their own lives; therefore, they don’t value anyone else’s. In relation to the Faith/Reason Dichotomy, to have purpose is to have faith of the unseen. Although a person may not like his or her job, he or she goes to work because in the end, they know that they will benefit from working, thus, they give their all day by...
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...Animal Rights Introduction Ethics and morality have consistently been topics of concern in our society. Concerns about ethics and morality also extend to matters associated with the treatment of animals. The purpose of this discussion is to summarize and critique several different theories associated with the ethical treatment of animals. The discussion will focus on the treatment of animals as it relates to hunting and trapping animals, eating animals, using animals for research, and the manner in which domestic and wild animals are treated. The research will summarize and critique several theories including anthropocentrism, Animal liberation, Strong Animal Rights Theory, Weak(er) animal rights theory, Two-factor egalitarianism, biocentric egalitarianism, ecocentric views. Anthropocentrism Anthropocentrism views human being as the center of the universe and regards the world from the point of view of human values and experiences (Dictionary). According to the western philosopher Immanuel Kant human beings alone are rational beings and as such have intrinsic moral worth. Kant asserts that human beings do not owe animals anything because they are not rational beings. However, he does assert that people should be kind to animals but only because kindness to animals assists in developing character in human beings. In other words kindness to animals should not take place for the sake of the animal but for the betterment of the human being. In addition to Kant...
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...Actually, although people believe that most reforms or progress is for the benevolence of all three of these elements equally, revolutions such as the Industrial Revolution are more driven towards the success of the economics. The industrial revolution itself caused a massive uprising of ideas based on engineering for the sole purpose of convenience, and made a huge gap between the rich, the middle, and the poor, and classified the middle and the poor as the working classes and most of the topics went to the working class. However, this is more unlikely to be a political progress since the convenience and affordable factor all went to boost England’s economy and have the society afford them for cheaper. The progress of the Industrial Revolution was based on socioeconomic reasons because, due to the Industrial revolution, England’s economy increased, rate of employment for unemployed workers increased because of the ability to mass produce products using the newly invented machines to create a better economy for corporations, and a lot of products could be produced in cheap prices because mass production was possible and this increased the standard of living to modernization. Another example of socioeconomic progress is the French Revolution. The French revolutionists and poor social class strived to change the social class division by killing aristocrats and women’s march of Versailles also indicated a strive for a change on social class and economy with the women fighting the...
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...1. Why does Sandel assert that "A 700 SAT score from a student who attended poor public schools in the South Bronx means more than the same score from for a graduate of an elite private school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan"? a. Studies show that Blacks and Hispanics students as a whole score lower than whites students on standardized testing. Sandel mentions that for whatever reason there is a testing gap. To utilize standardized testing to predict academic success would require the interpretation of the students’ academic scores and to include the family’s social, culture and educational background. Sandel states that the A 700 score for a student who attended poor public schools in the South Bronx has more meaning than that of a student from an Upper East Side of Manhattan. 2. What is the essence of Richard Dworkin's argument in support of affirmative action university admissions policies? b. Dworkin’s idea of the supporting argument on affirmative action in relations to the universities admission policies is stated that possibly the right at stake should be based according to academic criteria alone. The fact of being good at football, or coming from Idaho, or having volunteered in a soup kitchen. Dworkin views the facts of grades, test scores, and other measures of academic promise land me in the top group of applicants, therefore I should be admitted. One should be considered based on academic merit alone. 3. What does it mean to sever the...
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...Living Future Final Essay Assignment Thao Nguyen Waking up to Frank’s disturbances and being lead on out of his bedroom, Donnie has a purpose to serve in the tangent universe, which he has no idea of. The happenings in the movie Donnie Darko built up a purpose for him as well as an understanding as to why he was in the tangent universe in the first place. However, the realization that he was not in the primary universe, Donnie does not have a clear purpose to serve in the tangent universe and various elements of his journey seem unclear. For example, in the tangent universe, Donnie does not seem to have met Gretchen and neither does he connect well with Frank. However, following the fact that Gretchen and Frank have a purpose to accomplish in the favor of saving the universe before it collapses into a black hole, Donnie realizes that there is instability in the tangent universe and it is his responsibility as the chosen one to hand over the jet engine artifact back to the primary universe before things escalate out of proportion. Bundled with supernatural powers such as gaining some sort of powers, such as the capabilities to conjure fire, water, and telekinesis, Donnie, firstly did not have an idea as to what these powers entailed and why he had to have them. However with provocation from other characters in the tangent universe, Donnie is able to understand that time is not in his or the primary universe’s side. The artifact, jet engine, was in tangent...
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...idea of living a life instead of just coasting along. It is very hard to explain what living a life means because it is different for everyone. Not living a life is what Richie, Ed, Marv, Milla, and many other characters in the book were doing, they were barely surviving, barely paying attention and not enjoying everything around them. The idea of living is based on happiness on a sense of purpose, this is why people turn to religion, politics and even crime. It is because they want to have an...
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...The communal kitchen was designed for temporary residents who are registered with the campground to keep their supplies in the kitchen. Although the carport is not within the dwelling, it’s still considered to be interconnected. As in Chiu’s case, the tent was not physically connected to the kitchen like a normal dwelling house is, but it is functionally interconnected to the kitchen. In Woods the laundry room, even though it was not used for living purposes, was used for dwelling purposes because it involved intimate clothing and entry there was considered to be an invasion. Just like in Thorn, the carports are located outside and is related to the dwelling, while in Woods, the laundry room is also interconnected to the living headquarters. Chiu was using a tent as her dwelling and the kitchen was used to facilitate the living...
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...the purpose of business? Discuss. INTRODUCTION 1 At a dinner party a doctor, a lawyer and a businessman are sitting around the table chatting and talking about their life and work. At one point another man approaches the table and asks the three men what the purpose of their jobs is. The doctor immediately responds that he wants to help people and save life. The lawyer takes over and says he fights for justice and equality but when it comes to the businessman to answer the question - he remains silent. Would a normal businessman have been able to give readily a precise answer as to the purpose of business? Would he have said is it all about money and making profit? Or would he have answered like Peter Drucker that the customer should have the highest priority in business life and everything should be done to satisfy him1. Or would he have responded like Dave Packard once said: “I think many people assume, wrongly, that a company exists simply to make money. While this is an important result of a company’s existence, we have to go deeper and find the real reasons for our being...” 2 These quotes describe very well the difficulty in answering the question what the purpose of business is and the need for detailed analysis. As everybody is affected and surrounded by business every day, and since one can hardly imagine a world without business, it is crucial to know its purpose. Therefore it is the objective of this paper to examine in greater detail the nature and purpose of...
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...taken away and burnt, and they were not allowed to leave the reserve without a pass. Aboriginals also were not able to go to university unless they had given up their aboriginal status.(Historica Canada) this Indian Act also gives the government almost complete control over most aspects of aboriginal life. The aboriginals were proud hunters and people who are self sufficient; when the main purpose of life was taken away from the Aboriginal peoples, life itself became meaningless for these individuals. This is where the connection between the struggles of aboriginals from previous generations and the current generation is most notable. Given that most First Nations people who live on reserve have no true purpose in life, they often find themselves in bad situations. Many aboriginals struggle with their sense of identity, constantly wondering “who am I” or “what good am I now”. Perpetual poverty, drug abuse and alcoholism, physical and sexual abuse, dysfunctional families, and suicide are just some of the struggles that these people suffer from because of this discrimination and lack of purpose in...
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