My Journey to Being an Advocate of Reality and Existential Therapies Essay Example for Free

My Journey to Being an Advocate of Reality and Existential Therapies Essay Introduction For someone who has always seen himself as lesser superior than others; for someone whose confidence is always behind the scene; for someone who has never really seen himself any bigger than a green pea; for someone who has acquired numbers of rejection which, apparently, outnumbered number of acceptance from people around him; for someone who used to just exist – just exist – who would have thought it would come to this point? Review I cannot consider my life as an extraordinary this world had ever had. Each person has a story to tell and I must say mine is not really something different. While some people spend their lives with lots of colors around them, some just do not – and as much as I hate to admit, I spent many years of my life belonging to the second group. I go with flow and that has always been the case. It goes this way: I knew I need to attend school and so I did. I have to do well in school or else I will suffer from all the criticisms – the usual criticisms. It is never easy to live in other people’s expectations to the point that it is what they want that drives you. It is your body under their minds. I can now imagine how pathetic that was. All the while, though, I do not think I was as inspired as the rest of the class was. I did not make lots of friends from school. No big deal! But there were times when I also deal with thinking of the reasons for the ‘empty’ life. Those days would usually end with me getting no answer than ‘It must be me†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Although I acknowledge the fact that each of us has our own set of preferences and all the while, I lived in the thought that I just prefer to live my life like this – lonely, detached, alone. It was tiring when you care for no one and more when no one cares for you. This probably exhibits the self-centered approach known to men. My being careless about others exhibits my being self-centered while others being self-centered is signified by how I saw them treating me. I started my career as an advocate of science and technology. Yes, my first degree was within the realm of hard science. I used to get fascinated with breakthroughs science gets to offer – all those inventions and advances in technology. Awesome! Hale great! Breath-taking! Fantastic! All those praises†¦ Nothing can beat the feeling of having invented something out of nothing. Or the feeling of being the one to drastically improve the current state of something for the benefit of people around the globe it is always satisfying! Or so I was told. But who could tell it was not really a career of choice? I was one of those high school graduates who do not really know what they want to happen in their lives. And so, without any particular basis, it was Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering that I ended up with. Not a bad call anyway. I am aware of the good future this field has to offer. I have known of lots of people who have succeeded in this career and, yes, that is, somehow, something to look forward to. I, at least, had this driving force to continue with my study. Fair enough to push me to strive harder and harder. I just told myself I need it or else I will end up with nothing. Although I appeared to be so passive all the while, in my heart I know I long for something. That something, however, is unknown. I do not know if I am just one those people who experience wanting something they do not exactly know what or looking for something they do not know, for sure, if existent. Can you just imagine how if feels to be in the dark? Be somewhere without any clear direction? They say that every little thing just takes a little of getting used to. Oh, well, probably, as I seemed to have been used to the feeling of being lost. It was sad but true. At this point in my life, I can never consider this as self-centeredness as I cannot even put myself at the center of everything. Myself was put on dark – not in the center but in the darkness. Despite the lack of light in my life, I never questioned the existence of the Great Someone Up There. I perfectly know he is there. I do not recall how often I scream for His help. Maybe not that often but, of course, I do. I do and in my heart, I know I am not essentially alone all the while. However, there are moments when I tend to question the number and quantity of challenges facing me. There seems to be imbalance in load allocation. How come I am so lost while others follow certain direction? How come I do not know what I want in life while others are so certain of what they want in theirs? How come I do not seem to possess enough reason to be happy and complete. I often envy happy and satisfied people, I must admit – but I do not harm to them. I just envy them, that is it. And more often than not, I wish I were in their shoes. I even envy my own family members who seemed to find satisfaction in this life. Self-centered, I was, that time. In all the insecurities I have inside, there were times when I ask myself if this is something I caused. What is that something I failed to do? What is that something that I can probably change to make a difference? What could be missing? I have heard of success stories about people who started with nothing and ended up having the life they have always dreamed of. Can I not be one of them? My concern is never monetary. I did not wish for the whole world. I just want a piece of it – a piece of it where I can enjoy life to the fullest. I did not ask for extravagant things. What would a loner do with those? I doubt if anybody could really enjoy everything alone. I did not wish for fame. I have lived my life not having the attention of the whole world. I just want some compassion and feeling of belongingness. I did not wish for power as I have never ever seen myself mandating others or controlling the world. It could be that I long for power but that power is the power to appreciate and enjoy life, the power to make people see me as a sensible being worth the company, the power to contribute to the ‘real’ things in this world. In short, I was never a materialistic type. There are things I lack from within and that is something I longed for to fill in. Looking at these things now, it was all, I – I – I. I was so I-centered. Self-centeredness, however, can be seen positively or negatively. Realization should start from oneself. Otherwise, there is no way one can share himself to others. There is no way sharing yourself if you are now whole. In this way, self-centeredness can be seen as a first way in building or trying to build relationships with others. I used to have a, so to speak, very narrow view of things in life. I exist. I have to live. I have to survive. I used to find the question, â€Å"What am I here for?† or â€Å"Why do I exist?† as clichà © that should have been buried decades back. Come on! You are here because you are here and there is just nothing you can do about it! It is not a problem needing solution. It is just a situation that you have to live with. You are left with just two options – either you continue to exist or you end your own existence. Is that something needing some sort of profound thinking?! Life is as plain as that. You just have to go with the flow. I was never a person of confidence. I could not care less of what others might be thinking of me. Why would I? Could they care for me any better than that? I doubt†¦ I am just me. With or without me, the world would still revolve around the sun. With or without me, people from any part of the globe would still have 24 hours in a day. With or without me, things still go precisely the same way as they do when I am here. I am a nobody to ever have the notion I mean something – that I am myself and this person counts. This was when I began my resolve of finding more meaning and finding reality in a passionate and phenomenological way (Deurzen, Kenward, 2005). This turning point of shifting specializations was particularly critical in my advocacy of Reality Therapy. I have realized that while there are social norms and expectations that we all have to comply with in our roles, there should be no reason that should prevent me from pursuing my dreams. This is when I began to acknowledge and espouse Reality Therapy. I have realized that it would be such a waste to continue pursuing decisions that are against my choice; and whicha are driven merely by the desire to please others. I have also begun to look into how I can create a trusting environment for clients to be more receptive of techniques that espouse positive change in their lives (The Institute for Reality Therapy, 2007). From this turning point, I have become more strongly aware of the motives behind my actions. I was not after pleasing others with every action I took; rather, I started to evaluate things from the   perspective of logic and sense and improving my choices in the future (Miller, 1992). As I started to look back, where did it all start? Where and when did I ever acquire this feeling of inferiority and lack of self-worth? When did I start to â€Å"kill† myself? After some self-scrutiny, these questions led me to this answer the number of rejections I got from people around me. I was ignored for more than once, not just twice, far more than thrice, and to say it is four times is an understatement. It is never easy to be ignored. It is a feeling I would not want myself to dwell with – not anymore. As some people say, any attention is better than none. And indeed, any attention is better than the countless rejections my past gave me. Life has never been that kind to me. All those moments when I wanted to say something and no one seemed to be interested to even turn a head to look at who is talking; all those moments when my eyes could not speak more of what I feel inside and yet no one seemed to notice; all those moments when the only resort I can think of is to walk and walk and walk until my life ends; all those moments when all I wanted is to disappear from everybody’s sight; all those moments contributed to the me that I used to be. In which case, the concept of containment applied in me. It was during this time when I tend to control and keep all emotions to myself, given the assumption that no one will listen and no one will care. My life went on and on and on. I learned to care for myself and for myself alone as I do not want to meddle with any other people’s lives. Why would I? Is it not that for so long I am with myself and myself alone? Is it not that for so long, I could not seem to find anyone beside me? Who ever said, â€Å"No man is an island?† I used to be an island and that is something I can attest. Until this very day came – I happened to come across (accidentally or probably it is fate’s planned way) with this certain book entitled, â€Å"Teach Only Love†. I am not a bookworm, definitely. No, unless it is an Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics book. I cannot exactly recall what is in that book that made me read it through. It was not me that is for sure. Nonetheless, the next thing I know is I finished reading that book. This is not normal. This must be something. And, indeed, it was. Why? Because reading that book had been the key to discover the other self I have. Yes, and it surprised me much more than any reader of this essay could ever imagine. What about this â€Å"magical† book? Nothing special at first glance†¦ It is a simple, plain, ordinary book that discusses the importance of our every word and every deed. It emphasizes that what we are today is basically an aftermath of what we said and did yesterday. I then started to look back at my past once more – the past that does not possess any allure to be revisited if not for the purpose of wanting to see myself mourning for the nth time. After reading this book once, I must admit something in me felt a slight change in perspective. But I was in denial. It is just a book – a fantasy created by someone, a perspective shared to others hoping there will be people to buy the ideas. â€Å"Count me out†, I told myself. But this book seemed to have a magical and magnetic property that made me want to read it over again. And so I did. This time, I cannot seem to put myself in denial as I did the first time. And yes, it opened my eyes in more than just one way. How could this certain piece of something, non-living, non-speaking, can speak of the things I have never heard from anyone in my life? How could this piece of bound paper wake me up from the long sleep I have been? How could it be? These are the questions reining my head for days and days. I got tired of seeking for answers. And then came the answer – if that non-living thing happened to show the life out of me, I can do far better than that. If this thing that does not have a mouth spoke to me of million things, how better could someone with mouth do that? If this thing that does not have a hand touched me in a unique, special way that no one has ever done before, what more could my able hands do? If this thing without eyes saw me the way I have always wanted to be seen, how better could these bright eyes of mine see those who are in need of my attention? If this thing without ears heard me like I was never listened to before, what more could these ears of mine do to those people who need people to listen as they confess? If this thing without shoulder happened to offer me a cradle of comfort, what more could this broad shoulder of mine offer those who need some rest? And if this thing without a heart happened to feel me, how can my heart not feel what other people have to express? It is this moment when I finally decided to stop asking why but to start thanking God that for millions of wandering souls we have in this world, I was given the chance to come across this book that opened millions of wonderful and worthwhile possibilities. This book was also instrumental in developing my advocacy for Existential Therapy. I was then able to appreciate more my ‘humanness’, and I have begun to appreciate seeing things from a phenomenological point of view. This was a drastic shift from my previous career which dealt with things from a strongly empirical viewpoint (Existential Therapy.com, 2007). I am also more of a believer of Rogers, particularly of his teaching that people are innately good and evil is an external force that comes from culture and socialization (Rogers, 1982). And so the confession above justifies the need for me to shift my profession from the hard sciences to Counseling Psychology, specifically advocating Reality and Existential Therapies. These are far apart degrees and, yes, I did not see myself engaging in counseling. No, not even in my wildest dream. But this is not a dream. Yes, I am living in reality and the reality is that this is the vocation of choice. This is where I find myself, my heart. This is where I belong. It is true what the â€Å"magical† book says – that it is from your past where you draw your present. If not for the thousands of rejection, if not for the feeling of inferiority, if not for the lack of self confidence, I do not really think this book would have as much effect on me as it had. What is in counseling that truly entices me? It is not the feeling of recognition. It is not the money behind every consultation. It is not to make a living. It is to live and to let others appreciate how wonderful it is to live. Experience, indeed, is the best teacher. I know the feeling of being neglected. I experienced lots of it. And this leads me to wanting to help people feel important, feel needed, feel worthy. I know the feeling of losing self worth and so I love to boost people’s confidence in themselves. I love to see people seeing their value as a person and claiming it as theirs. I love to see people loving themselves. But going through all these things, all these aspirations for others required lots of self realization. I had to learn to love myself first. It is true that you cannot share something you do not possess in the first place. How can I share love and confidence when I do not have it myself? I started with loving myself unconditionally, being proud of myself like I have never achieved anything before, and looking myself at the mirror with the courage to say, â€Å"This is me and without me, the world will never be exactly the same again.† When I finally learned to appreciate my own self, that was the time I started to see others in the way they should be seen – no prejudgment, no bias, no unjust feeling. This is where I started to realize the positive side of seeing things from a phenomenological point of view. I took time to stabilize myself and when the time came, accidentally or planned, that I can tell myself I am whole, was the time I can start reaching out to others. Therapeutic relationship with others is where the essence of counseling relies. You have to build that kind of relationship to be able to counsel who are in need of help. When is it therapeutic? When you can ease others’ pain and when you can hear others’ grief without literally saying it. It is when your relationship with people tends to make those people feel relieved of their burden. It is the talent that no book can actually teach. The theories behind help, but the counselor’s approach to practice it can never be assured by the theories. Existential therapy entails understanding things from the point of the view of the client, expressing strong empathy, and having a profound realization of the goodness of human beings (Wilkes Milton, 2006). The person being counseled would want it done that way. Well, to start with, he seeks counseling to be paid with attention that he wants to get, to get the understanding that no one seems to give him. The counselor should be able to give that. The central purpose is to make the person being counseled feel healed of the burden. As I walk down the road, I wish my simple talk can speak of the things the lesser fortunate being would want to hear; my simple touch, I wish, could give them the comfort and shield they need; my simple smile, I pray, could bring them joy and hope that tomorrow is another day. There are, indeed, things no textbook can teach. There are things you can only learn as you get through it. I now know the answer to my questions and the answer is that I had to experience all those to experience what I am experiencing now. That may be the only acceptable answer and I do not really intend to search for more. Life is so simple if we only know how to really live it. Life happens but once. I might have spent many years of it in a not-so-wonderful way but it life does not lead back. It only moves forward. And so I should. No one should really wallow about the misfortunes in life, as there is no such thing. There are instances – some are happy while some are not. But those that are not are not really misfortunes if we are to scrutinize. Those are just God’s means to prepare us. He does not teach us how to see things. He can only provide us with tests that can help us see things the way He wants us to. Our God is never a spoon-feeding, pampering God. He is a just God who gives comprehensive examinations where we can learn great lessons if we only listen. The world is a very huge venue to learn. This life is a very comprehensive exam to pass. The beauty is when we learn to appreciate the class – when we go to it not because it is mandatory to go to it but because we love to. Conclusion If anybody would ask me now if I regret giving up my first degree to pursue counseling, I will answer, â€Å"The sad past led me to a wonderful today. Every bit of failure and pain did not really lead me to regretting anything because in each of those, I learned. And in each of those, I grew – not just as a person for myself but as a person for other people.† And now, I no longer find the question, â€Å"What do I live for?† mushy. I can tell, with chin up, I live for others to appreciate their lives. I do not just exist. I live. I continue to learn through others with high hopes and belief that they also learn from me. References Deurzen, E. van, Kenward, R. (2005). Dictionary of existential Psychotherapy and Counselling. London: Sage Publications. Existential Therapy.com. (2007). Humanistic psychology. Retrieved on April 5, 2007 from http://www.existential-therapy.com/HumanisticPsychotherapy.htm Miller, R. B. (Ed.). (1992). The restoration of dialogue: Readings in the philosophy of clinical psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Rogers, C. (1982). Reply to Rollo Mays Letter to Carl Rogers. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 22, 85-89. The Institute for Reality Therapy. (2007). Reality therapy. Retrieved on April 5, 2007 from http://www.realitytherapy.org.uk/ Wilkes, R. Milton, M. (2006). Being an existential therapist: An IPA study of existential therapists’ experiences. Existential Analysis, 3(5), 24-30.

Software Development Waterfall Model

Software Development Waterfall Model For any project gathering the requirements is the basic and key step which defines what the project is supposed to do. Requirements give the information on which the system design is based. If the requirements gathered are incorrect or incomplete this will lead to the failure of the project. Requirements deficiencies may occur due to many reasons, difficulty in prioritizing, natural conflicts of interest. While gathering the requirements for a project we need to estimate the cost of the project, scope of the project, reliability, etc. The law states that the incomplete or wrong definition of requirements is the major cause for the project failure. EXAMPLE: A software company, Virtusa released software for its client Phase Forward but within few days the software didnt worked as per the requirement of the clients and the software had to undergo inspection, the result was the failure in providing the complete requirements by the client. At last the software was a failure due to requirements deficiencies. Boehms first law Errors are most frequent during the requirements and design activities and are the more expensive the later they are removed. There are many errors in requirements definition stage and design stage; errors in design stage are less serious than in requirements stage. The developer of the project should know the exact purpose of the project and identify the errors in the earlier stage of the project development otherwise the removing these errors in later stage would be costly as the time of the project increase the expenses of the people based the project increases. And it takes the team to more time to remove these errors later on. EXAMPLE: Mentor Graphics Company released a software application with over 300 bugs in it. The expected deadline for the software was almost impossible to achieve with all the bugs in it. The company had to hire more software engineers to remove the errors from the software which increased the cost of the project which was much higher than estimated. Boehms second law Prototyping (significantly) reduces requirement and design errors, especially for user interfaces. Prototyping helps the user to see how the completed project would appear. Prototyping of a project helps identify and reduce the errors in the project. Prototyping also reduces the gap between description and implementation. Prototyping of the project helps to keep a better understanding between the development team and the client. Depending upon the user requirements and the changes to the projects different prototype can be built. Example: Prototyping of software helps the client and the developers how the product is being developed where the client can add more requirements if necessary, by this way there will be very few errors at the end of release. For example, an online banking system software require prototyping where the requirements cannot be specified at a time and the requirements change is frequent. Davis law The value of a model depends on the view taken, but none is best for all purposes. A model is used to represent a system. A model can be viewed for different aspects such as data, process, state transition, structure and behaviour. The importance of the model is the way it is viewed. Model are used for checking the consistency but not executed. A model can answers many questions that a actual project would face in the real world. Example: Ford motors create a real life size model of it vehicles out of clay to observe the look and feel it gives. It also helps the engineers to collect the data about the aerodynamics of the car and the changes can be made by observing the model before building a real one. Your first task is to describe each software development methodology clearly and completely in your own words. You may use diagrams, examples or UML to help you do this. Waterfall Model: Waterfall model is the classic life cycle tool for the software engineers. The waterfall model demands a systematic sequential approach to the software development that start at the system analysis level and passes through analysis, design, coding, testing and maintenance. The waterfall model goes through the following activities: System engineering and analysis. Software requirements analysis. Design. Coding. Testing. Maintenance. Analysis System engineering Design Code Testing Maintenance In the waterfall model we need to go through one phase to another phase when the requirements of one phase are met. For example if the requirements of the design phase are complete then we move to coding phase, if the requirements in this phase are not complete then we will be stuck in coding phase until the requirements of this phase are met. There are advantages and disadvantages in the waterfall model. Real time projects rarely follow the sequential flow of the waterfall model as it is difficult for the customer to give all the requirements at a time. Waterfall model is only suitable for projects in which the requirements are specified explicitly. Agile Methodology: Using an agile methodology the project is break down into small sections or tasks. Each task is done in one week to four weeks. Each task undergoes the complete development cycle i.e requirement analysis, designing, coding and testing. After each task is completed a working prototype is shown to the client, the client may then have some more requirements which they did not mention in the beginning to be added to the project which can be added in the next iteration. In this way there will be very less bugs when the software is released at the end. An agile team consists of 5-9 persons, where the persons are software developers, testers, etc.. . By having a small team it is easy for the team to communicate with each other. An agile team prefer to meet the client face to face rather than by having requirements on paper when the team and client are in same location or by video conferring when the client is overseas. The main aim of an agile methodology is to develop the product with less errors and complete functionality with a given time. Using the first four laws of the text, show where these are either implemented or missing in each software development methodology (Total Two). If a law is missing, explain the consequences and suggest how the process might be improved. Waterfall model with Glass Law Requirement deficiencies are the prime source of project failures. According to glass law insufficient requirements is the major cause for project failures. So according to glass law the requirements for a project should be clearly defined so that the project is done successfully. In a waterfall model each phase should be completely satisfy the needs of that phase so as to go to next phase. Therefore in the requirement analysis phase in waterfall model should be completely fulfilled so the glass law is applicable in waterfall model. Waterfall model with Boehms First Law Errors are most frequent during the requirements and design activities and are the more expensive the later they are removed. According to Boehms first law identifying the errors in the later stage of the project is more costly to remove them. So the errors should be identified in the earlier stage of the project. Boehms first law is applicable in waterfall model as in the waterfall model is more reliable and the final product of the project is good. In waterfall model we go from one phase to another so to correct the errors we need to come back and start from the beginning which would become more costly in doing it. Waterfall model with Boehms Second Law Prototyping (significantly) reduces requirement and design errors, especially for user interfaces. Boehms second law states that prototyping the project reduces the requirement and design errors. So the project should have a prototype and a good user interface which helps us to reduce the requirement and design errors. In the Waterfall model prototypes should be considered when we are defining the requirements so that we can use these prototypes to identify the errors in the earlier stage. Waterfall model with Davis Law The value of a model depends on the view taken, but none is best for all purposes. According to the Davis law the value of a model only can be determined by the view taken, but none of the view can satisfy all the purposes of the project. So there is no model which can satisfy all the purpose in one view so waterfall model is cannot be implemented using the Davis law. Agile methodology with Glass Law Requirement deficiencies are the prime source of project failures According to the Glass law insufficient requirements is the major cause for the failure of the projects. In the Agile methodology the requirements are defined in the earlier stage and can be defined whenever they are required so there is no issue of insufficient requirements in the Agile methodology therefore the Agile methodology can be implemented using the glass law. Agile methodology with Boehms First Law Errors are most frequent during the requirements and design activities and are the more expensive the later they are removed According to Boehms first law removing the errors in the later stage of the project is more expensive then to identify them in the earlier stage and remove them. In the Agile methodology the errors can be identified when they occur and can be removed as they occur, so there will not be any errors later. But if they occur it would be costly to remove them later. Therefore Boehms first law is applicable with the spiral model. Agile methodology with Boehms Second Law Prototyping (significantly) reduces requirement and design errors, especially for user interfaces. According to the Boehms second law prototyping of the project reduces the errors. In Agile methodology we develop prototypes for each and every task as the project develops so as to reduce the errors. Therefore, Boehms second law in applicable for Agile methodology. Agile methodology with Davis Law The value of a model depends on the view taken, but none is best for all purposes According to the Davis law the value of the project depends on the view taken, but none of the views can be best suited for all purposes. Different views of the project satisfy the different purposes of the project. Therefore Agile methodology or any model is not applicable with the Davis law. For each software development methodology, give an example of a project which it would be well suited for and one which it would be inappropriate for (Total Two projects for each software development methodology). Waterfall Model Waterfall model is well suitable for large projects which are expensive, and where the project requirements are defined completely and the requirement does not change as the product is being developed. For example, A project of creating a payroll application, which does not have much requirements to be changed is well suitable to build with waterfall model. Examples where this model does not suit Waterfall model is not suitable for projects in which the requirements are not clearly defined and the requirements change during the later stages of the project. For example, the waterfall model is not suitable for projects such as a Antivirus software in which the requirements change is very frequent. Agile Methodology Examples where this model suits Agile methodology is suitable for projects which have low risk factor, small teams and the projects where the requirements often change. For example, the projects to create a antivirus software where the requirements change is very frequent. Examples where this model does not suit Agile methodology is not suitable projects which have high risk factor, needs more developers and where the resources are used more.

The Wealth of Nations Essay examples -- Economics Economy Politics Ess

The Wealth of Nations Adam Smith’s famous attempt to explain the nature and causes of the wealth of nations rests on several crucial assumptions about human nature which in turn rely on false universalism and questionable dichotomies. To begin with, Smith makes roughly three claims about human nature. Primarily, Smith assumes that self-interest is inherent in all human beings. As opposed to animals which rely on benevolence, in opposition to natural pity (Rousseau p. 53), the human â€Å"will be more likely to prevail if he can interest [others’] self-love in his favour, and show them that it is for their own advantage to do for him what he requires of them† (Smith, p. 18). Smith later relies on this â€Å"self-love† to ground his arguments on the steady base of human nature. More subtly, the â€Å"faculties of reason and speech† play a crucial role in Smith’s treatment of human behavior. Although he never openly lists these â€Å"faculties† as essential to human nature, his argument relies on this assumption. The step from having some goods and needing others to trading with those who have the needed goods and want the overabundant ones cannot be warranted without a presumption of a rational actor. Similarly, every development towards improved efficiency, if these are anything more guided than random evolutionary steps, require such an actor to instigate it. In the case of the arrowmaker, Smith must assume some force driving the arrow maker to save time and maximize profits. Of course, the concepts of barter, trade, and the rest require speech, or some kind of communication. Finally, Smith instills â€Å"a certain propensity in human nature; the propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another.† (Smith p. 17). This, he sugg... ...to the commonness of rationality. Far from all cultures were capitalistic, nor is it possible to prove any would have become capitalistic in the future. Thus Smith’s description of human nature is applicable primarily to Western European coastal trading humans, rather than to the supposed universal and original human specimen. WORKS CITED Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations. Ed. Cannan, Edwin. Chicago, IL: U of Chicago Press, 1976. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. â€Å"Discourse on the Origin of Inequality.† The Basic Political Writings. Trans. Cress, Donald A. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett, 1987. Visvanathan, Shiv. â€Å"The Laboratory State.† Science, Violence, and Hegemony: A Requiem for Modernity. Oxford University Press, 1988. October 11, 2001.

Personal Narrative- September Eleventh :: Terrorism Terror

Personal Narrative- September Eleventh No one knows what tomorrow will bring or may not bring. In the course of the past year, this idea was extremely prevalent. Because of the September tragedy, many people were uneasy and unnerved about daily situations. This concern caused people to look at things in a new, almost like an â€Å"enlightenment† initiator. September the eleventh is a day I will always remember; not only for the obvious reason, but for the important way it affected my feelings towards my family. How could anyone forget the day America was attacked? I remember driving to school on the day of the attack. The Texan breeze brushed fallen leaves across the roadway as I pulled into my high school parking lot. It was a day like any other, or so I thought. During my first period class, I was supposed to play my solo and ensemble piece for one of the band directors so they could help me. As I sat in the office and played a concerto by Mozart on the French horn, the band director listening to me got a cell phone call. I stopped playing so she could answer the phone call. It was the other band director’s wife reporting the attack. The first feeling that came to me was unbelief, but as I walked around the school and saw teachers with their TV’s stationed to news channels I saw the horrific pictures. I later found out that some of my relatives were in the World Trade Center Towers that day. No one knew if they were all right. My family eventually got a phone call reporting that they had gotten out o.k. Another family member was affected by the attack. My dad, who is in the Air force, received a notice and was re-stationed to Minot, North Dakota. He was there for about a year and a half. He may be shipping out soon to go to the Middle East. With everything that had happened, there is no way that the attacks could not have affected me.

Howard Gardner :: Essay papers, Education

Howard Gardner Howard Gardner is a Professor in Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He also holds positions as Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, Adjunct Professor of Neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine, and Co-Director of Harvard Project Zero. Among numerous honors, Gardner received a MacArthur Prize Fellowship in 1981. He has been awarded eighteen honorary degrees--including degrees from Princeton University, McGill University and Tel Aviv University on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the state of Israel. In 1990, he was the first American to receive the University of Louisville’s Grawemeyer Award in education. In 2000 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. The author of eighteen books and several hundred articles, Gardner is best known in educational circles for his theory of multiple intelligences, a critique of the notion that there exists but a single human intelligence that can be assessed by standard psychometric instruments. During the past fifteen years, he and colleagues at Project Zero have been working on the design of performance-based assessments, education for understanding, and the use of multiple intelligences to achieve more personalized curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Most recently, Gardner and his colleagues have launched the Good Work Project. "Good Work" is work that is both excellent in quality and also exhibits a sense of responsibility with respect to implications and applications. Researchers are examining how individuals who wish to carry out good work succeed in doing so during a time when conditions are changing very quickly, market forces are very powerful, and our sense of time and space is being radically altered by technologies, such as the web.

Aston Blair Case

1. At the end of the case, Bacon finds himself in a difficult situation due to the leaking of confidential company information. This major problem stemmed from the fact that Bacon withheld an important document from Meir and the rest of the task force team. Dr. Cornelius was informed of Bodin’s 6 summary statement report which suggests that the regional sales managers were consistently overstating their sales estimates in order to ensure adequate inventory and rapid delivery.Bodin shared his findings with Bacon and Reiss, in confidence, and they all agreed that none of the information would be presented in the August 4th presentation or to the task force team until Bodin had the opportunity to discuss everything with his boss; Vice President Jed Burns. Unfortunately Bacon left the paper on his desk, where Meir was able to read it, and then passed on the information to Dr. Cornelius. Cornelius has taken it upon himself to schedule an appointment with Burns to reveal Bodinâ€⠄¢s findings and that situation ignited Bacons current problem.Reiss, who witness the entire ordeal, is now extremely upset with Bacon for allowing others to obtain the confidential information and is fearful of the consequences it will bring for Bodin, once Burns finds out. The entire problem stems from the confidential information Bodin provided to Bacon. One of the factors that has caused Bacons current problem was that he didn’t take precautionary measures to hide the document. By leaving it on his desk, he facilitated the information to other people. Another factor that might have caused Bacons problem is his lack of communication.Perhaps if he has shared the information with his task force team they would have understood better and not leaked the information to other people in the company before the scheduled time. Another obvious problem for Bacon was the tension between him and other people in the company. Meir was not very supportive of Bacon and his leadership role, and felt Dr. Cornelius rightfully deserved the title. Because the team wasn’t united and didn’t rightfully support each other, it lead to a dismembered team at the end.2. Early 1991 – Price of gold declines and sales forecasts continue aggressive for Aston-Blair results in excessive inventories of overvalued gold, silver, and platinum. June 12 – Wynn Aston III asks Peter Casey (vice-president of marketing) and Chris Trott (vice-president of corporate planning) to reexamine the company’s procedures for forecasting sales. Together they decide to create a taskforce and select Michael Bacon (special assistant to Chris Trott) to head the team investigating forecast problems. July 23 – Meeting set up with Trott, Casey, and the market managers for August 4 to present progress and recommendations.July 24 – Meeting between task force members is called. Everyone attended except Meir (who was gathering data in NYC). It was decided that more inf ormation needs to be gathered and prepared for Burns to review prior to presenting to market managers; August 4th deadline not likely to be met. August 4 – Meeting begins well and takes a dive once Meir presents. Market manager’s questions validity of research. A break is called to cool off heated arguments and meeting is set to reconvene at 3pm. Confidential information is discovered that may implicate Emile Bodin’s knowledge of foul play within the company.Michael Bacon faced with several dilemmas needing immediate resolution. 3. Stemming from the first meeting when the team was assembled, there was a lack of communication and a lack of leadership. Bacon did not take charge and let Holt have the lead. Reiss finally spoke up for the teams and direction the they should take. Bacon never made an assertive decision and always seemed to be guided, even by his team. Since the team divided into subgroups they never fully developed a unified team relationship. Another problem was the design of the team.It was obvious that there was resentment from team members that the younger associates were put in charge of the assignment. The sales managers were angry that this task force team was coming in attempting to tell them how to do their jobs and change the way they do things. Overall there was too much conflict and resentment to get anything accomplished What didn’t happen, that should have, on the day of the presentation was during the break, Bacon could have called a meeting of all the task force members and taken the time to unify everyone.He could have emphasized the importance of the task force and their recommendations and reassured everyone he was there to support them. He could have also gotten feedback from the members and used the time to develop a plan for what the team needed to do when they returned to the meeting. Another one of the major issues was the lack of information sharing between team members. Bacons major problem stems from the fact that he withheld an important document from Meir and the rest of the task force team. What Bacon could have done, but he didn’t, was taken a moment to inform everyone of the new knowledge that came to light.Perhaps had he done so, the task force member would have felt a better sense of cohesiveness and finally team unity. 4. Pros – More time is needed to sort through the information and provide a good argument for report. Cancelling the meeting would allow adequate time for additional research to commence. By cancelling the meeting, relationships with marketing managers could have more time to be re-established and improved. Information can be reviewed and supported by upper management By cancelling the meeting, the Vice President could be brought up to speed on the gathered information and perhaps intervene himself.Cons – canceling meeting gives sense of not being prepared properly thus losing influence (clout) Following through on meeting and su ccessfully delivering message will show confidence in report findings. Delivering information before it may leak incorrectly will cover anyone providing that information and saving face for Bacon and team If they cancelling the meeting, it would put a blemish on their professional reputations for not being able to get the job done on time.

Hemmingway: Catherine as a Code Hero

Catherine: A Manipulative Caretaker In A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry is characterized initially by a sort of detachment from life-though well-disciplined and friendly, he feels as if he has nothing to do with the war. These feelings of detachment are pushed away when Henry falls in love with Catherine and begins to realize the hostile nature of the world. In this way, Henry serves the function of a character that becomes initiated in Hemingway's philosophy of an indifferent universe and man's struggle against it. Due to the untimely death of a fiance previous to the events of this book, Catherine is initiated into Hemingway's philosophy, and exemplifies the traits of the Hemingway  code hero  throughout the novel. She is characterized primarily by her disregard for  social conventions  as well as an unfaltering devotion to Henry. Catherine is defined as a code hero because of her honor, courage, and endurance in pain. Honor is defined as having a keen sense of ethical conduct. For Catherine, the ethical conduct is keeping Henry happy, and in doing so, she is keeping herself happy. At first glance, Catherine Barkley appears to be an example of any man’s fantasy girl. She appears as a dull character that asks nothing of Henry and is only there to make him happy. Because of this, it is said that Catherine's character is demeaning to women. Catherine Barkley's basic approach to her relationship with Frederic shows her as being inferior. She appears to gladly accept a lower role in her relationship with Frederic. â€Å"I'll do what you want and say what you want,† she tells him, â€Å"and then I'll be a great success, won't I† (Hemmingway105). Her idea of a successful relationship, and of happiness, is based on making Frederic happy no matter what she has to do. Like the code hero, she handles conflicting needs with grace, giving to both, but shorting none. She uses Henry as a template to fulfill her need for her dead fiance. And because Henry is characterized as unemotional, it is effortless for her to use him as a template to mold him into the man she longs for. She enters the war as a nurse the same time her fiance enters as a soldier, but because he dies she longs for a clutch to keep track of reality. She is always surrounded by wounded soldiers, which does not help her cope with the death of her fiance until Henry comes into her life. His unemotional attitude towards the world provides her with the perfect opportunity bring her fiance back to life—in her mind. In a conversation with Henry, Catherine forces words into his mouth, â€Å"Say, ‘I’ve come back to Catherine in the night’† (30). Henry instinctually repeats as she says without ever questioning her. He even says, â€Å"I thought she was probably a little crazy†¦I did not care what I was getting into† (30). Even though he acknowledges the fact that she might be slightly deranged, he accepts her because he the type of man to gamble. In another instance, Catherine reassures herself that her love will not abandon her again. â€Å"You’re so lovely and sweet. You wouldn’t go away in the night, would you? † (197). Because she loses her love once already, she is unwilling to allow that to happen again. Also, by loving Henry, she saves her from going crazy with grief. When everything is exploding all around them, everything takes on more urgency. In her mind, as well as his, it is normal that she feels so intensely for Henry. And she doesn’t fall apart without him when they are separated, but just keeps on trucking and hoping. She does not need  Henry for anything but love. Although, on the surface, Catherine seems to be the perfect male fantasy, she is in fact quite the opposite. In addition to her honorable acts, she displays courage. Even Ernest Lockridge, author of â€Å"Faithful in Her Fashion: Catherine Barkley, the Invisible Hemingway Heroine† says, â€Å"Catherine frequently displays wit, intelligence, cool irony, and, facing death, she displays dignity and courage—qualities that seems contradictory to the fawning, submissive Catherine† (Lockridge 172). Hemmingway portrays courage in Catherine when she tries to console Henry about her death. â€Å"I’m not brave anymore, darling. I’m all broken. They’ve broken me. I know it now† (Hemmingway 323). Catherine is clearly in fear of death, but she is not trying to run or hide from it. She faces death and tries to console Henry by telling him she is not going to die. After undergoing a caesarian section and giving birth to a stillborn baby boy, Catherine proves just how brave she is. Though she knows she is dying, she still has the dignity and strength to accept such a fate. In face, she finds herself trying to comfort her distraught lover once again. With death approaching, Catherine’s final words to Frederic Henry suggest she possesses some sense or understanding of her own mortality and of what is soon to come. She says, â€Å"I’m not a bit afraid. It’s just a dirty trick† (331). The â€Å"it† Catherine refers to is presumably death, but in fact, the indefinite may be referring to life, a process Catherine views as a â€Å"rotten game† (31), since so much about it is left to chance and death is always the end. Catherine stood brave in the face of a battle with her own body. Like the soldiers, neither her bravery, nor Henry’s love, could save her from death. In Henry’s mind, the death of the soldiers and the death of Catherine are parallel tragedies, which cannot be separated from each other. By weaving the tragedies together, he memorializes both such tragedies, and can perhaps hope to heal a bit of his pain. Critics may argue that Catherine is a clutch for Henry to cope with war, but clearly throughout the novel, Henry is more attached to her than she is to him. Frederic says, â€Å"When I saw her, I was in love with her. Everything turned over inside of me† (Hemmingway 91). He is truly falling in love with her and who she is, but she, on the other hand only loves him for being alive. He is, in fact, her tool to endure the emotional pain for the loss of her fiance. Once again Ernest Lockridge says, â€Å"To preserve her fantasy, Catherine strives to isolate the relationship from others. She speaks Frederic Henry’s name only once†¦by worrying that people will suspect an affair†¦she will not marry Frederic Henry† (Lockridge 174). When Frederic first meets her she laments that she did not marry her fiance before he died. She says that they were engaged for eight years and that they grew up together. She tells Frederic she did not marry her fiance because she thought that it would trap him. She feels she will do the same to Henry. Frederic Henry does want to be married but Catherine thinks this would keep them from being together during the war. When he pressures her, she says, â€Å"We’re really married. I couldn’t be any more married. † She keeps up this attitude until near the end of her pregnancy, when she says, â€Å"I suppose if we have this child, we should really get married† (Hemmingway 115). Frederic says, â€Å"Let’s get married now† (293). But Catherine refuses again and claims to want to wait until after the baby is born. She wants the commitment of marriage, but is very suspicious of it as an institution. Also, Catherine, in her mind, envisions Henry as her dead fiance, so to her she is still completely faithful but in reality, she is with a man that she has not truly come to know. She is at a fragile state where if she acknowledges the death of her fiance, she will be shattered. Her mechanism of coping with the pain of losing a loved one is by replacing him with another body but not in spirit. On a physical sense, she endures pain by being away from Henry as well as the occurrence where she is in labor. While in labor, Catherine is in pain, but she is telling Henry to eat so he is not harmed from hunger. She says, â€Å"That was a very big one. Don’t you worry, darling. You go away. Go have another breakfast† (317). Even with painful contractions, she is more concerned with Henry’s appetite than her own comfort. Catherine has a high endurance for pain, both emotionally and physically. She creates coping mechanisms for both so that she is able to live in reality without seeming insane. Traditionally, Hemingway's heroes are male, and to interpret Catherine as a code hero was inadmissible. Catherine was thought as an undeveloped character in the novel, merely an idealized projection of male desire. Upon closer examination, however, Catherine does share characteristics of the code hero. Hemingway's code hero is a skilled professional. Catherine is a nurse who is skilled in her profession. The code hero lives with courage in a dangerous world. Catherine demonstrates courage when she and Frederic row across the lake to escape into Switzerland, a very dangerous feat, and especially when she tries to deliver their baby, finally realizing that she will die. The code hero also lives in a random universe, but chooses to control himself and endure reality. Catherine cannot control events when she goes into labor, but she endures the pain with dignity until her death. Catherine endures in other ways, as well. She experiences the death of a fiance and faces great fear as an unmarried nurse when she learns she is pregnant. Throughout all of these times, however, Catherine does not feel sorry for herself, and she does not break. Like a code hero, she endures. Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print. Lockridge, Ernest. â€Å"Faithful in Her Fashion: Catherine Barkley, the Invisible Hemingway Heroine. † The Journal of Narrative Technique, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Spring 188), pp 170-178