Meditation Essay Example for Free

Meditation Essay Meditation Sit as you wish on a chair or on the floor with your back straight. Turn the palms of your hands up Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, inhaling through your nose and exhaling from your mouth. With each breath, in and out, release the tension in your body more and more. Smile, and imagine each organ in your body, in turn, smiling back at you. Think of what you have to be grateful for in your life. Now start visualizing a fluid white light entering your body through your feet and moving slowly pward, toes to feet to ankles, legs to thighs and hips saying to yourself I open myself to the light, to the teacher within and without or I honor the divinity that resides within me. Continue to visualize the light rising, filling every inch, every muscle- hips to waist, belly, back, shoulders lingering everywhere you feel tension or pain -your arms, elbows, hands and fingers. Feel the light move up, neck to chin, to lips, eyes, forehead and hair. Now see how your entire body glows with white light. See a spark of that light leave your body through the top of your head. You are that spark of light. See that spark of light you flying high to the sky, to the clouds. Repeat I open myself to the light, to the teacher within and without or I honor the divinity that resides within me. Continue to fly, higher and higher, until you are in a magical place, unseen before, a place of beauty almost beyond imagining. Colors so vibrant they seem unreal, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, flowers, birds and butterflies and unicorns, fanciful creatures of all kinds. Create your imaginary garden, your magical place you will always go to. Here everything is peaceful, and everything possible. When a thought comes to mind Just focus on your breath or repeat and let the thought go like clouds in the sky. Be gentle with yourself. Imagine now a bright white light shining down upon you, reflecting and intensifying your own light giving you unconditional love. Love as you have never known it before. Rest in this place. Rest here, and magic will happen. When it feels right, begin the return to your body n the same way you left it slowly, until you are ready to end your meditation. But before you end it, visualize your body filled with light, enter it and stay with for a few minutes. Then, with your hands in prayer position, lift them to your forehead to remind yourself to be aware of your thoughts. Drop them to your lips to remind yourself to be conscious of your words. Drop them to your heart to remind yourself to be conscious of your actions. And last, bow to yourself to honor the master within you You are saluting the God By satharmk

Defining Abnormality Essay -- Papers

Defining Abnormality One way of defining abnormality is in terms of characteristics or behaviours that are statistically infrequent (the deviation from statistical norms definition). However, this does not take into account the desirability of a characteristic or behaviour. The definition also fails to recognise that in all cultures large numbers of people may engage in behaviours that constitute mental disorders. A further problem is the failure to identify how far a person must deviate before being ‘abnormal’. Such decisions are difficult to make and then consequently justify. The deviation from ideal mental health definition proposes that abnormal people do not possess characteristics that mental healthy people do, or possess characteristics that mentally healthy people do not. This particular definition relies on value judgements about what constitutes ideal mental health. It is also bound by culture, era-dependent, and limited by the context in which behaviour occurs. Abnormality has also been defined as a failure to function adequately (by not achieving some sense of personal well-being and making some contribution to a larger social group). Experiencing personal distress or discomfort, causing distress to others, and behaving in an unexpected or bizarre manner are often the reasons why people come to the attention of psychologists. Many consider the failure to function adequately definition as being the most useful single approach, and the one clo... ...ly rational, and reflect accurately the unfortunate circumstances in which a person is living. Attempts to put the blame on to the patient may inhibit efforts to produce desirable behaviour. Each of the models explain the origins of abnormality in different ways. However, these models are not necessarily mutually exclusive, since each is effectively examining a different aspect of the individual. The biological model observes that learned behaviour can be maladaptive whilst the cognitive model claims that thoughts can be irrational and therefore also maladaptive. The behaviourist model states that abnormal behaviour is learnt in the same way as other types of behaviour through stimulus-response mechanisms and operant conditioning. Each of the models is subject to certain practical and ethical considerations also.

Statistics and Difference

BIO 2003 SUMMATIVE ASSIGNMENT 2 Introduction: The report analyses the result of a study on workers from brick and tile industries conducted by the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL). HSL put down few criteria’s to the workers which being that neither of the workers from the tiles and brick industries should have worked in both the industries and that they did not smoke. The criteria’s put across was an assurance to attain reliable results.The essence of the study lies in detecting any difference in the health of the workers in these industries (as identified by cell damage) if any and also to determine if any relationship exists between the length of service and the recorded health effect. The Null Hypothesis (Ho) states that no difference in the median between the percentage-damaged cells of the workers from the brick and tile industries is observed. Null Hypothesis for the correlation study also states that there is no correlation between the health effects of the wor kers and the time period they have worked in the industries.Nonetheless the Alternative Hypothesis (H1) states that the median percentage of damaged cell of the workers in the brick industry is different when compared to the median percentage of damaged cells of workers of both the operations. H1 for the correlation study states that correlation exists between the time period the workers have worked in the industry and their health effects. Analysis will be carried out with the help of the following 5 samples: * Worker ID * Age * Department * Length of service * Percentage of cell damage The above samples are independent within and also between each other.To obtain an accurate analysis of the data, the normality, box plot and straight-line relationship and independence of the statistical analysis will be checked. The Null or Alternative Hypothesis will be accepted or rejected on the basis of a statistical analysis, which will be used to analyse the median percentage of damaged cells got from the brick and tile operations. Table 1: Descriptive Statistics of brick and tile operation workers percentage damaged cells Variable| N| N*| Mean| SE Mean | St: Dev. | Minimum| Q1| Median| Q3| Maximum| % Damaged cells of Tile operation| 27| 0| 1. 337 | 0. 210 | 1. 090 | 0. 200 | 0. 600 | 1. 00| 1. 500 | 4. 700| % Damaged cells of Brick operation | 38| 0| 1. 532 | 0. 179 | 1. 106 | 0. 200 | 0. 536 | 1. 370| 2. 189 | 4. 562| Table 1 gives a descriptive data of the workers of the respective industries. As seen in the table above the % of damaged cells of the workers in the brick industry is higher when compared with the tile operation workers. The median percentage of brick industry workers is 1. 370 which is higher as compared to the brick operation workers which is 1. 100. The inter-quartile range which being the difference between Q3 and Q1 is higher for the brick operation compared to that of the tile.Figure 1:Box plot displaying %damage of cell in workers from both tile and brick industries. The figure above shows that the percentage-damaged cell for tile operators is lower when compared with the brick operators indicating a difference in the mean and median. Figure 1 shows a difference in the health hazard of the tile and brick workers. There is evidence of skewness in the distribution of brick operators whereas the tile distribution is symmetric, as the median line for the brick operators has shifted away from the centre.The % cell damage in workers of the tile operation is closely grouped apart from the 2 extreme outliers when compared to the % cell damage of the brick workers, which is quite wide. For the above box plot the need for a further analysis is to be carried out as the hypothesis cannot either be accepted neither rejected since the box plot only denotes statistical measures (mean, median, Q1, Q3, max & min values) which are not ample to prove the difference between the two sites. Figure 2: Histogram of the Tile and Brick operation dat a The % of damaged cells of the brick operation is higher when compared to the tile operation.This is concluded from the histogram above which exhibits that the bar values which is the % damaged cells for brick operation is higher than the bar value of the tile operation. We have used a histogram, as it is one of the important tools for a data analysis. Figure 3:The Test For Equal Variance. The values of the estimated equal variances show no difference in the % cell damage of the workers from the brick and tile operations’-value obtained from the Levene’s Test is 0. 200 which is also higher than 0. 05 implies that the hypothesis of difference cannot be rejected.The value of the F-Test is 0. 952 which being higher than 0. 05 shows also shows no signs that the null hypothesis (H0) should be rejected and also that there is no difference between %cell damage of workers from brick and tile operations. The obtained values from the test for equal variance point out to an abno rmal distribution of data stating the acceptance of the null hypothesis. Hence no clear evidence of a difference in the median among the % damaged cells in the workers of both the operations. Figure 4:Normal Distribution Graph For Brick And Tile Operation.Figure 4 illustrates a normal distribution graph for tile and brick operations. The figure above shows that the %damaged cells of brick and tile operations are not uniformly distributed, as the points are not scattered about a straight line. There is evidence that the residuals followed a skewed distribution and it can also be seen that the above graph does not follow any trend or pattern. The is no convincing evidence to reject the null hypothesis (H0) as the P-Value is lower than 0. 05 in Fig4. From the above facts it may be concluded that the residuals do not follow a normal distribution.A MANN WHITNEY TEST will be used to statistically analyse the data as the %damaged cells of workers in the tile operation shows that the data i s not normally distributed since the P-Value is lower than 0. 05 and also that the plots on the graph so no route any precise trend. MANN WHITNEY TEST Results & CI Of Tile & Brick Manufacturing Operations Table 2:illuminates the number of samples used in the Mann Whitney test and the obtained median for data of brick and tile manufacturing operations Sample type| Number of sample| Median| Tile | 27| 1. 100|Brick| 38| 1. 370| Point estimate for ETA1-ETA2 is 0. 200 95. 0% CI for ETA1-ETA2 is (-0. 323, 0. 800) W = 1319. 0 Test of ETA1 = ETA2 vs. ETA1 not = ETA2 is significant at 0. 3905 The test is significant at 0. 3903 (adjusted for ties). The results shows a confidence interval of 95% between 0. 323 and 0. 800 in the %damaged cells of workers In the brick and tile operations. Contrariwise the difference in the median is 0. 200(estimated), which means that 0. 200%(approximately) more % of damaged cells in workers of the brick operations than those of the tile operations.A 100% certai n analysis cannot be proven as the confidence interval (CI) is only 95%, hence creating a need for more data in order to achieve a 100% certain analysis. An analyses of results obtained shows the P-value got from the Mann-Whitney test was 0. 3905. Since the P-value is higher than 0. 05 it indicated no evidence to reject the null hypothesis of no differences. Therefore it can be concluded that there is no convincing evidence of difference in the median between %damaged cells of workers in the 2 operations. Conclusion:A use of various graphs and descriptive statistics were used and inferred to decide if there were any differences in the health of the workers of the 2 operations. The Mann Whitney U test was considered to find the difference in the %-damaged cells of the tile and brick operation workers. A conclusion may be drawn from the these analyses that there is scarce evidence to suggest that there is noteworthy difference in the % damaged cells in workers of tile and brick operat ions. Question: 2 Table 3: Paired T-test and 95% CI to determine if the data of % damaged cells and length of service of workers in two operations is paired. N| Mean| StDev| SE Mean| % Damaged cells| 65| 1. 451 | 1. 095| 0. 136| length of service (years | 65| 8. 995 | 7. 349| 0. 912| Difference| 65| -7. 544 | 6. 964| 0. 864| 95% CI for mean difference: (-9. 270, -5. 819) T-Test of mean difference = 0 (Vs. not = 0): T-Value = -8. 73 P-Value = 0. 000 The table shows the T-test and the P-value got is >0. 05 stating no convincing evidence to reject null hypothesis of no differences. It may be concluded that the data is paired since the P-value is 0. 000. A scatter plot may also be used to test the relationship between the two samples.Figure5: A scatter plot showing the correlation between the % of cells damaged with a regression line and the length of service in years. The predicted value for Regression is 17. 4%, which states the 17. 4% of the variability in the data is represented by the regression model. This cannot be used to get future values as the predictive value itself is very low. Pearson’s correlation needs to be conducted since the above scatter plot shows a minor positive association between the % damaged cells and the length of the service, but the damage of the cells in the future cannot be predicted.Pearson’s Correlation results: Difference 65 -7. 544 6. 964 0. 864 95% CI for mean difference: (-9. 270, -5. 819) T-Test of mean difference = 0 (vs. not = 0): T-Value = -8. 73 P-Value = 0. 000 Pearson correlation of length of service (years) and % damaged cells = 0. 417 P-Value = 0. 001. The association between the length of service and %damaged cells of the tile and brick operations cannot be accepted since the values from Pearson’s Correlation is 0. 417which is higher than 0. 400. Therefore a regression fitted line will be used to forecast the future data.The P-value is 0. 001 which being less than 0. 05 does not prove to be a con vincing evidence to reject null hypothesis (H0) of no differences. Hence a conclusion may be drawn stating a difference in the length of services and the % damaged cells of workers from both the operations. Hence a regression fitted line plot will be used to predict future values. Further Analysis: Figure6:shows the data between the %damaged cells and the age of workers as well as the regression line. The scatter plot above shows that there is a moderate positive correlation between the age and the % damaged cells.Therefore a Pearson’s correlation will be conducted. Pearson correlation of age (years) and % damaged cells = 0. 251 P-Value = 0. 044 The P value is 0. 044 which is less than 0. 05, this means that the null hypothesis must be rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted that there is not sufficient evidence available to say that there is a correlation. Conclusion: The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, various graphs, Pearson’s correlation and regression fitted line plot to find association between the % damaged cell and length of service in tile and brick operations.The results concluded that there is no association between the % of damaged cells and their length of service. However there was a positive correlation which was observed between the % of damaged cells and age of workers in both operations. This suggested that it is the age which is the cause of damage and not the dust. The first test carried out, concluded that there is no genuine difference between the health hazard of the worker at the tile and brick operation.The second test concluded that there is little relationship between the workers health and the length of their service. Since the R-sq value was only 17. 4%, the extent of damage cannot be predicted by the length of employment. Overall conclusion: It can be concluded that there is insignificant difference in the percentage damaged cells in the workers of tile and brick operations. It can also be concluded that age of workers and not the length of exposure to the dust in brick or tile operations increase % damaged cells of workers.

Abnormal Psychology; Defining Abnormality

Abnormal Psychology: Assignment 1- Defining abnormality Defining abnormal behaviour is one of the most difficult and provocative subjects within the field of abnormal psychology as there are a range of methodologies you can use to define abnormalities. Abnormality is a behaviour or condition that strays from what society views as normal and appropriate, consequently causing distress or harm to oneself or those around them.Due to the fact that society has changed through history when defining abnormality, we are now able to define abnormalities using many different scientific and non-scientific approaches. However despite the fact that abnormal behaviour can be defined in more than one way, all have their limitations; therefore generally psychologists will use a combination of the following methods when defining abnormalities. Statistical infrequency is one model used to define abnormal behaviour; abnormalities are defined by how often a certain type of behaviour occurs.How the majori ty of people act are usually classed as normal whereas possessing qualities and traits that are uncommon or rare are usually classed as abnormal. Despite the word abnormal invoking a feeling of negativity, displaying abnormal behaviour is not always viewed as a negative, for example the average human being would not be able to run 100 metres as quick as Usain Bolt as that kind of skill is statistically infrequent therefore according to this particular model he possesses an abnormal skill but would not be classed as having a mental disorder or in need of treatment.The major strength when using this model of defining abnormalities is that it is not subject to personal bias as the standards are set and based wholly on statistics and frequencies; how common certain behaviour is and how often it occurs.However there are many limitations when using this model, as mentioned above there are many abnormal traits that are statistically infrequent but socially desirable such as being ambidextr ous, but according to this model they would be classed as having a mental disorder or in need of treatment which is not the case due to the fact they have an uncommon ability, furthermore there are abnormal traits whist being a statistically frequent type of behaviour they are socially undesirable such as depression.Another flaw is the fact that the infrequency of some behaviours differ culturally and sub-culturally as certain behaviours are socially acceptable in some cultures but not in others, also within certain cultures there maybe differences. In some African cultures being able to speak to the dead or hearing voices may be statistically infrequent but displaying these kinds of traits are viewed as a blessing therefore socially desirable whereas in the U.K if you professed to be able to speak with dead people, hearing voices or receiving messages from god you would definitely raise concerns with regards to their mental state as this kind of behaviour is statistically infrequen t and socially undesirable. One way to define abnormalities is a ‘Deviation social norms’. Deviation derives from the word deviant and this is defined as irregular or unusual behaviour, social norms are the standards of acceptable behaviour set by us and society around us.Therefore deviating from the social norm is an individual or individuals who act out of character in accordance to the social norms set by society. A simple example of deviating from the social norm is rudeness or lack of politeness. Politeness is fundamental when interacting and communicating with each other positively; similarly somebody who is rude is therefore behaving in a deviant way as they are unable to interact with others according to what society expects.However as our culture also defines our social norms within society, likewise the norms we value may not be socially accepted within another culture. A good illustration of this is the contrast of social norms is the United Kingdom and place s in the United Arab Emirates like Dubai, regarding public displays of affection. In the U. K we have a more relaxed opinion of public displays of affection; to a certain extent of course, whilst in Dubai it is socially unacceptable even criminal to publicly display affection even in an environment we may deem as socially acceptable such as the beach.One of the most predominant limitations is that defining abnormalities in this way may be susceptible to abuse, as social norms change through history. What may have been acceptable 50 years ago may not be acceptable now and vice versa, for instance in the case of being pregnant out of wedlock in the 1950’s, many women were sectioned and treated for a mental illness, whereas nowadays it is deemed socially acceptable to engage in sex and procreate before marriage without any reprisals or threat of institutionalisation.However if we were to define abnormal behaviour with the single model of deviating from the social norm, professio nals could in turn label everyone that does not conform as mentally ill which is not always the case. ( Szasz 1974, cited in Cardwell and Flanagan, 2008, page 178) Additionally another limitation of defining abnormalities using this characteristic is cultural relativism. As we know the process of defining a deviation from the social norm is majorly influenced by our culture as it is our culture that defines what a particular norm is.For example a psychologist from the United Kingdom may have a diagnosis for an individual displaying abnormal behaviour, such as walking the streets with a gun meanwhile a psychologist in the United States of America may not. Every culture has their own social norms and within those cultures there are sub-cultures that would have their own social norms therefore the cultural relativity; whether it be cross or sub-culturally has to be taken into account when diagnosing somebody’s symptoms as abnormal.Furthermore in the DSM (The Diagnostic and Stati stics Manual) there is a section that describes certain patterns of behaviour and syndromes that are specific to certain areas and places around the world. Psychologists call this ‘culture- bound syndromes’ which means that there are no universal standards when labelling individuals as abnormal, as disorders vary in conjunction to where you and the disorder originate. There is another way to define abnormal behaviour another model is ‘Failure to function adequately’.Failure to function adequately from the sufferer’s point of view manifests itself when they are unable to cope with the daily demands of life such as working, interacting with others meaningfully, therefore labelling their own behaviour as abnormal; resulting in an individual seeking medical attention. David Rosenhan & Martin Seligman (1989) stated that there are a various features of abnormality other than suffering and maladaptiveness. Other features are unconventional behaviour, observ er discomfort, violation of moral standards, loss of control and irrationality.However just displaying one of the above features is of no great significance, it is the presence of several that would define abnormal behaviour. (www. integratedsociopsychology. net) There are further limitations to this model when defining abnormality, as the patient or professional has to recognise the failure to function adequately is apparent, which is opinion based and may differ. For instance an individual may think their maladaptive abnormal behaviour is perfectly normal and they are coping fine, meanwhile not being able to comprehend their inability to cope, sequentially others may find their behaviour very distressing.However someone displaying adaptive, abnormal habits such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder whilst not posing a threat to themselves or society could still be classified as being abnormal due to unconventional behaviour. Showing signs of distress, irrationality and maladaptive beha viour would usually result in being classed as abnormal but this may not always be the case; for example showing signs of distress such as being depressed may be classed as abnormal behaviour but the individual may feel fine even happy.Again when showing signs of irrationality, you may be causing no harm to professing that you may be Jesus but irrational thoughts about death and killing for instance would raise concern, in turn maladaptive behaviour can be demonstrated when an individual self-harms or mutilates we would class them as portraying abnormal behaviour whereas smoking can be seen as self-harming but not enough criterion to be classed as mentally ill due to maladaptive tendencies.Cultural relativity plays a crucial part in this feature when defining abnormalities as each culture functions in different ways, hence the failure to function needs to be assessed according to their culture. For example, in the United Kingdom dogs are viewed as family members even as companions a nd the harming of, especially eating a dog is a criminal offense punishable by law. Therefore this behaviour would be considered abnormal; whereas in China, dogs are eaten as part of a meal and keeping a dog in the home as a pet would be viewed as abnormal behaviour in China.The standard of one culture cannot be used to judge another as the symptoms and diagnosis are dependent on the cultural ideals and standards upheld by the individual patient. Alternatively another approach used to define abnormal behaviour is ‘Deviating from ideal mental health’. This model uses the similar approach used when detecting physical illness, when diagnosing a physical illness physician’s look for signs of physical health such as regular heartbeat; normal body temperature etc. , so an absence of one of these signs would indicate illness.In 1958, Marie Jahoda through research and secondary evidence developed a theory that if physical illness can be detected by the absence of the sta ndard ‘signs’ of health then alternatively mental health could be also. (en. wikipedia. org) The characteristics she identified as defining someone as being of ‘Ideal Mental Health’ included having an accurate view of reality, integration and ability to deal with stressful situations, capability to grow, develop and adjust, also being able to function at work and hold positive relations even the ability to love.In view of this model it shows that the absence of one the above criteria would indicate an abnormality even a potential mental condition. With all models there are limitations, according to this particular model the majority of people in general would be classed as abnormal or suffering a mental disorder of some kind as most people lack one of the criterion. Marie Jahoda did say that it was the ‘Ideal’ mental health so it would be difficult to gauge the level of abnormality depending on the amount of criterion an individual maybe lackin g.For example someone could be lacking the criterion of personal growth and actualisation resulting in a lack of drive and ambition, but that individual may be completely happy even satisfied regarding the situation; according to Jahoda they would be still viewed as mentally ill rather than just unambitious and lacking motivation. Despite Marie Jahoda using a similar technique used to define physical illness, physical illness have physical causes such as a cough due to contracting a virus whereas being diagnosed as having a mental illness, atients and psychologists are not always presented with physical signs as most mental illnesses derive from trauma in life, for that reason the diagnosis of a mental illness cannot be identified in exactly the same way as a physical illness. Cultural relativism is a compelling limitation as different cultures have different ways of expressing their ‘Ideal’ mental health.For example, according to Jahoda an absence of the criterion of s elf-actualization would indicate the presence of a mental disorder but that is because the western world strives for individuality and acclaim, however some tribal communities in Africa and the Amazon act as a collective and concentrate on working as a group and sharing every aspect of daily life, if the Jahoda criterion was measured against an Amazonian tribe they would be deemed as mentally ill rather than being a caring tightknit community, the cross cultural differences are too much of an dominating factor.The different models described all differ in perspectives. Failure to function adequately focuses on the individual’s sense of abnormal functioning, deviating from social norm concentrates on other people’s perspective and deviating from ideal mental health is an amalgamation of the first two models without taking into account subjective feelings.The classification and definition of abnormal behaviour has many successful approaches but as a single model is not ad equate enough to correctly define abnormalities, although each model definitely gives a good indication, it’s the combination of the described models commonly known as the multi-criteria approach that successfully aids psychologists in correctly defining and diagnosing abnormal behaviour correctly in a patient.References Cardwell, R. Flanagan, C. (2008) Psychology AS: The Complete Companion. Oxford University Press: Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP. Accessed 15. 10. 12 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Marie_Jahoda Accessed 21. 10. 12 http://www. integratedsociopsychology. net/Defining_Abnormality/7'FeaturesofAbnormality'-DavidRosenhan&M. html Accessed 16. 10. 12

Free Essays on Plato And Black Elk

Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† and Black Elk’s â€Å"The Great Vision† each make a case for a particular way of knowing through a vision or higher realm. Black Elk describes a far more detailed version of his own vision as a young child. His experience provides a way of knowing the spiritual world. Plato describes a man imprisoned in a cave who finds a way of knowing and understanding the world through an enlightening experience. Both authors share similar ideas of gaining knowledge at a higher level, but smaller details of their writings show the differences in their positions. In â€Å"Allegory of the Cave,† Plato created a metaphoric story beginning at the far end of a cave, a long way from the outside world where men had lived since childhood with their legs and necks tied up in a way that kept them in one place and only allowed them to look straight ahead. Further up the cave, a fire was burning which allowed minimal lighting. There was a wall between the fire and the men, behind which people carried all sorts of artifacts. The men were only able to see shadows of these artifacts. They did not have any knowledge of definite objects. One of the men was untied and dragged into the sunlight. After his eyes adjusted to the light, he feasted his eyes â€Å"on the heavenly bodies and the heavens themselves.† He was told he was now closer to reality and was seeing more accurately. When the man saw the sun, he deducted that it was â€Å"the source of the seasons and the yearly cycle that the whole of the visible realm is its domain.† Plato called the upward journey the mind’s ascent to the intelligible realm. â€Å"In the realm of knowledge is goodness† which is responsible for everything that is right and fine and â€Å"is the source and provider of truth.† Plato deducted that after visiting the higher realm, one would not want â€Å"to engage in human business† in the lower realm because his mind would rather be in the upper regi... Free Essays on Plato And Black Elk Free Essays on Plato And Black Elk Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† and Black Elk’s â€Å"The Great Vision† each make a case for a particular way of knowing through a vision or higher realm. Black Elk describes a far more detailed version of his own vision as a young child. His experience provides a way of knowing the spiritual world. Plato describes a man imprisoned in a cave who finds a way of knowing and understanding the world through an enlightening experience. Both authors share similar ideas of gaining knowledge at a higher level, but smaller details of their writings show the differences in their positions. In â€Å"Allegory of the Cave,† Plato created a metaphoric story beginning at the far end of a cave, a long way from the outside world where men had lived since childhood with their legs and necks tied up in a way that kept them in one place and only allowed them to look straight ahead. Further up the cave, a fire was burning which allowed minimal lighting. There was a wall between the fire and the men, behind which people carried all sorts of artifacts. The men were only able to see shadows of these artifacts. They did not have any knowledge of definite objects. One of the men was untied and dragged into the sunlight. After his eyes adjusted to the light, he feasted his eyes â€Å"on the heavenly bodies and the heavens themselves.† He was told he was now closer to reality and was seeing more accurately. When the man saw the sun, he deducted that it was â€Å"the source of the seasons and the yearly cycle that the whole of the visible realm is its domain.† Plato called the upward journey the mind’s ascent to the intelligible realm. â€Å"In the realm of knowledge is goodness† which is responsible for everything that is right and fine and â€Å"is the source and provider of truth.† Plato deducted that after visiting the higher realm, one would not want â€Å"to engage in human business† in the lower realm because his mind would rather be in the upper regi...

A Turning Point

Turning Point Singapore is a place full of foreign countries, the fusion of Asian and European culture, scientific growth and opportunities, customs and traditions. When traveling to Singapore for the 2 nd APEC Youth Science Festival, people with diverse backgrounds gathered to meet ideas and insights and gathered artworks filled with cultural colors. After returning to America, I brought stronger cultural awareness, a deeper understanding of the international scientific community, abundant knowledge, and countless lifelong friendships. Perhaps the question you first ask yourself is what is the turning point of history? A dictionary defines a turning point as a point where decisive change occurs. Therefore, the turning point of history is not only important events that occurred long ago. This is a direct (time based) thought, event, or behavior that causes change. This change is social or cultural, and it influences social thinking and behavior. It is political and there is the possi bility of leading to new legislation and new government. It is economical and affects how products are produced, purchased, sold, or how much or how society spends on these items. The turning point may lead to all these changes. Looking back at past events, it is fairly easy to mark various turning points. Individuals may also notice turning points, such as when you meet your best friend, or when you volunteered in India. This symbolic meaning of the turning point was created in the 1640s and there was a more literal meaning less common in about ten years: the point where the opposite direction begins One way to understand how change processes work in the living experience of young carers is to look up turning points (Rutter 1996). Turning point is defined as an important life event or life experience essential for life course. Turning point is an important event of life, they can give front and after structures and can be explained as events of life (Denzin, 1989). The turning poi nt can be understood as plus or minus. They can contain a single episode or cumulative event. They can gradually discover the incident or discover it suddenly. They can be expressed through situational life events such as taking care or through personal subjective experiences such as controlling positive decisions in life. Turning points may also include random events in life (King et al., 2003). What is the difference? Turning point for youth in public care

Computers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Computers - Essay Example Today, schools, companies, hospitals and factories rely on computers for the various occupational practices. Computers are very essential for scientific research. They open access to many research opportunities. Students can computers to access online journals and books, making it easy to access the information needed. Additionally, the online tutorials and study websites offer explanations on what students and researchers require. On the same note, computers have made it easy for the instructors and the learner to exchange information constantly. Computers have also helped in the communications sector. People use the computers to relay information. Through the internet, people can connect with one another through the computers. The information passes through a very short time. Computers have enhanced efficiency in the information and communication sector, hence reduced time wastage due to immediate feedback. On the opposing side, overdependence on computers has its negative effects which include making people lazy and eliminates the rate at which people think. Additionally, computers pose safety hazards to the users, especially when mishandled. Children use computers to play games, chat and watch movies: this can change their attitudes, reduce reading time and make them intolerant to instructions. They also make people less interactive with others, since they spend several hours on their computers without getting involved in outdoor activities, hence becoming