Meaning Of Life Essays (872 words) - Abrahamic Mythology, Bereshit

Meaning Of Life In approaching the meaning of life we have to examine the nature of meaning itself. Meaning is by definition the point, or the intended goal. Consider the point of humans and the universe as seen from monotheistic religion. If life and the universe is some sort of toy or form of entertainment for some prime mover, his point, his own entertainment, would then be the meaning of humans and the universe. Consider the goals of the deities of various cultures. Some strive for a balance between the forces of 'good' and 'evil'. This balance seems to simply be a choice of the deity, the way he thinks it ought to be. The concept of a prime mover as a source of the meaning of life is flawed, because in talking about an actual point to absolutely everything, we are simply considering the goals of a being more powerful than ourselves who has chosen one of many possible goals that humans can conceive of. This is to say that, if a god like this exists, his goal for life and the universe is not nece ssarily valid as a meaning of life, the universe, and himself. For instance, the Bible claims that the Christian deity created the universe and placed humans in it that they might be in awe of his power. If this is so, why is worship the correct response? The meaning of the universe as created by God is the entertainment of God, but what is the meaning of the larger system containing God and his creations? We could conceive of an even 'primer' mover, but that simply takes us all the way back into the wall of infinite regression. When I first read the Bible, it struck me as neutral on the idea of worship. The Bible flat out tells you that God created humans so that they would be in awe of him, which amounts to saying God created us to inflate his ego. We are to God as our pets are to ourselves, sources of unconditional love. In the book of Job, God essentially makes a gentleman's bet with Satan that Job's worship is genuine and not inspired by God's kindness. In other words, you throw a rock at my dog and I'll swing my arm so it looks I threw it, and we'll see if he still comes when I call him. In the end, Job is not simply the dog, because he questions God's throwing of the rock. God's response is consistent with his goal of inspiring awe. Even though the idea of a bet with Satan is well within Job's grasp, God claims that his purpose was inconceivable to Job. God is simply fortifying the concept that is critical to the continuance of human worship: that with inconceivable power comes incredible intelligence and unknowable purpose. The narrator of the Bible, which is supposedly God himself, speaking through humans, never directly says that he should be worshipped. This is merely the interpretation of humans, who may be created in God's image with one crucial difference, the need to worship. Perhaps then, God is after the meaning of life. Imagine a being so powerful as to be able to create and mould the universe, who, like Roman and Greek gods, is only marginally more intelligent than his creations. Perhaps God, in all his ridiculous power, cannot change himself. In order to find the meaning of his own existence he creates the human race so that we might evolve to an intelligence greater than his own, in much the same way that a computer programmer wishes to create true AI, an intelligence greater than human, which might 'evolve' within a computer. We are given the title of pet and the instinct of worship while the creator waits for a companion in the search for meaning. Of course this is wrong, or I would have been struck by a lightning bolt during that last sentence and brought to God's side. Or perhaps God is not aware of his own success yet, or perhaps I am not the first to uncover God's purpose, and my predecessor is debating meaning with God as we speak. Or perhaps I am intended to

Define Statutory Sexual Seduction Essays - Sex Crimes, Rape

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Top 100 Most-Used German Words

Top 100 Most-Used German Words Have you ever wondered what the top 500, 1,000 or 10,000 German words were? If you need to learn German vocabulary, which words should you learn first? Which ones are most frequently used? The Projekt Deutscher Wortschatz at the Universitt Leipzig scanned texts and included variations of the same word, including capitalization versus lower case and other possible forms of any particular word. The definite article (the) appears in all of its German variations: der/Der, die/Die, den, etc. The verb to be appears in all of its conjugated forms: ist, sind, war, sei, etc. Even the new and old spellings of dass/daß are considered two different words. The Leipzig researchers noted that if one were to select different text sources for analysis, one would get different results. An analysis of the vocabulary found in a novel versus that in a comic book or a newspaper would not be similar. Obviously, an analysis of spoken German would also yield different results.   Here are charts showing the top 100 most-used German words, and one showing the top 30 most-spoken German words. Students of German 101 should get familiar with these words and their forms. Top 100 German Words  Edited and Ranked by Frequency of Use Rank German English 1 der (den, dem, des) the m. 2 die (der, den) the f. 3 und and 4 in (im) in, into (in the) 5 von (vom) of, from 6 zu (zum, zur) to; at; too 7 das (dem, des) the n. 8 mit with 9 sich himself, itself, yourself 10 auf on 11 fr for 12 ist (sein, sind, war, sei, etc.) is 13 nicht not 14 ein (eine, einen, einer, einem, eines) a, an 15 als as, than, when 16 auch also, too 17 es it 18 an (am/ans) to, at, by 19 werden (wurde, wird) become, get 20 aus from, out of 21 er he, it 22 hat (haben, hatte, habe) has/have 23 dass / da that 24 sie she, it; they 25 nach to, after 26 bei at, by 27 um around, at 28 noch still, yet 29 wie as, how 30 ber about, over, via 31 so so, such, thus 32 Sie you (formal) 33 nur only 34 oder or 35 aber but 36 vor (vorm, vors) before, in front of; of 37 bis by, until 38 mehr more 39 durch by, through 40 man one, they 41 Prozent (das) percent 42 kann (knnen, konnte, etc.) be able, can 43 gegen against; around 44 schon already 45 wenn if, when 46 sein (seine, seinen, etc.) his 47 Mark (Euro) Mark (Euro) currency 48 ihre/ihr her, their 49 dann then 50 unter under, among 51 wir we 52 soll (sollen, sollte, etc.) should, ought to 53 ich I (personal pronoun) 54 Jahr (das, Jahren, Jahres, etc.) year 55 zwei two 56 diese (dieser, dieses, etc.) this, these 57 wieder again 58 Uhr Most frequently used as oclock in telling time. 59 will (wollen, willst, etc.) wants 60 zwischen between 61 immer always 62 Millionen (eine Million) millions 63 was what 64 sagte (sagen, sagt) said (say, says) 65 gibt (es gibt; geben) gives 66 alle all, everyone 67 seit since 68 muss (mssen) must 69 doch but, nevertheless, after all 70 jetzt now 71 drei three 72 neue (neu, neuer, neuen, etc.) new 73 damit with it/that; by that; because of that; so that 74 bereits already 75 da since, because 76 ab off, away; exit 77 ohne without 78 sondern but rather 79 selbst myself, himself 80 ersten (erste, erstes, etc.) first 81 nun now; then; well? 82 etwa about, approximately; for instance 83 heute today, nowadays 84 weil because 85 ihm to/for him 86 Menschen (der Mensch) people 87 Deutschland (das) Germany 88 anderen (andere, anderes, etc.) other(s) 89 rund approximately, about 90 ihn him 91 Ende (das) end 92 jedoch nevertheless 93 Zeit (die) time 94 uns us 95 Stadt (die) city, town 96 geht (gehen, ging, etc.) goes 97 sehr very 98 hier here 99 ganz entire(ly), complete(ly), whole(ly) 100 Berlin (das) Berlin Top 30 Words in Spoken German Rank German English 1 ich I 2 das the; that (one) neuter 3 die the f. 4 ist is 5 nicht not 6 ja yes 7 du you 8 der the m. 9 und and 10 sie she, they 11 so so, thus 12 wir we 13 was what 14 noch still, yet 15 da there, here; since, because 16 mal times; once 17 mit with 18 auch also, too 19 in in, into 20 es it 21 zu to; at; too 22 aber but 23 habe / hab (I) have 24 den the 25 eine a, an fem. indefinite article 26 schon already 27 man one, they 28 doch but, nevertheless, after all 29 war was 30 dann the

Case study 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case study 2 - Assignment Example Dream analysis is indispensible given that dreams are the key towards understanding of the subconscious (Freud, 1953 p.145-9). When one goes to sleep, they get withdrawn from reality and cease to even take the least of interest on it though the extent does not warrant total perception towards the environment hence the subject of dreams. For an individual to proceed into peaceful sleep, factors like negative emotions, forbidden thoughts and unconscious desires must be covered up in any way possible so that their occurrence does not distress the sleeper (Freud, 1953 p. 190-1). According to Freud, a dream is composed of two major parts, the manifest and the latent contents because formation of visual responses to a stimuli is not coincidental. The manifest content is the part of a dream that an individual is able to remember when they wake up. This aspect is termed as symbols by Sigmund since they can result to constant meaning and they are more or less sexual. This part of a dream does not create any meaning whatsoever given that it is a covered aspect of the true thought behind the dream. While the latent part of the dream presents the true meaning of a dream of both the unconscious desires and forbidden thoughts, some parts of the manifest content in most cases corresponds to the latent content most so in ‘infantile dreams’ (Freud, 1953 p. 200-5). This is despite the fact that the manifest aspect in this is disguised and hence appears unrecognizable. This brings us to the forms of distortion, which exists, in the concept of dreams and dreams interpretation. ‘Dream work as the process by which the latent content is interpreted into manifest content can result into a distortion and disguise. Dream work is disguised and distorted as either condensation or displacement; this result into a completely different meaning. Through condensation, two or more latent thoughts are brought together to result into one manifest dream image or situation. Here, the dreamer has the behavior of trying to hide their feelings or urges by way of contracting or minimizing its representation in the forms described. According to Freud (1953), every situation in a dream seems to be put together out of two or more impressions or experiences, which exists in extremes. One need only think about how people and places tend to meld into composite figures in our dreams for such dreams to be complete (Freud, 1953 p. 212-15). Displacement on the other hand works in a manner that it directs he emotions and desires onto a meaningless or unrelated object in a manifest dream instead of directing the same towards the intended object (Freud, 1953 p.145-61). Therefore, some other very different thing symbolizes the desire for a thing. The harmful emotions associated with threatening impulses are displaced so that the trivial elements of a manifest dream do not cause distress. According to Freud, "Displacement is the principle means used in the dream-distortion to which the dream-thoughts must submit under the influence of the censorship" (Freud, 1953 p. 298). These forms of distortion hence become so ingrained in the ID making them posses the quality of rigid symbols and these are similar in all human race. Most of the unclear aspects of dreams become

Gender Inequality in the Workforce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender Inequality in the Workforce - Essay Example Sexism is defined as a mindset or a belief that one sex is better or superior to another (Padavic & Reskin, 2002). It is actually discrimination based on gender. Males and females both can become the victim of sexism but usually, in workplaces, women face gender discrimination. Mostly gender discrimination is related to salaries, promotions, and recruitment. Also on a day to day situations, women encounter sexism. Â  Stereotypes are another form of popular belief about a particular group of individuals. These beliefs have no rational or logical basis but still, they are quite ubiquitous. Stereotypes can be related to genders, race, nationality or ethnicity. Any preconception about a social group without any logical and reasonable evidence can be categorized as stereotypes. They also play a role in discrimination in workplaces. Â  Both of these issues persist in workplaces today. This is mainly because of the diversity of the organizations. Today companies hire a diverse group of employees from different cultures and different genders. Because of this diversity issues like stereotypes and sexism come up regularly in organizations. Â  Females face both sexism and stereotypes. This is because of the mindset of the society regarding their kind. It was only in the 20th century when women were given the right to vote. Before them, they were considered unimportant to such an extent that their say in elections was not deemed important. Women are fighting with the same attitude even today in workplaces. The idea of female emancipation is not easy to digest for the society as a whole.

The Use of Heritage in Everyday Use and A Pair of Tickets :: Alice Walker Amy Tan Papers

The Use of Heritage in Everyday Use and A Pair of Tickets A key factor in Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use,† and Amy Tan’s â€Å"A Pair of Tickets,† is heritage. Throughout both stories the use of heritage can be seen easily. Walker’s avoidance of heritage in her writings and Tan’s understanding of heritage in her writing. Through this readers can see the true meaning of heritage. Understanding both sides of these two stories gives readers a chance to explore their own heritage and reflect on how they accept their past. By contrasting the family characters in â€Å"Everyday Use,† Walker illustrates lost heritage by placing the significance of heritage solely on material objects. Walker presents Mama and Maggie, the younger daughter, as an example that heritage in both knowledge and form passing from one generation to another through a learning experience connection. However, by a broken connection, Dee the older daughter, represents a misconception of heritage as material. Dee, the â€Å"heritage queen† portrays a rags to riches daughter who does not understand what heritage is all about. Her definition of heritage hangs on a wall to show off, not to be used. Dee’s avoidance of heritage becomes clear when she is talking to Mama about changing her name, she says, â€Å"I couldn’t bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress me† (Walker 75). Thus resembling that Dee just takes another name without even understanding what her original name means. She tr ies to explain to Mama that her name now has meaning, quality, and heritage; never realizing that the new name means nothing. Changing her name bothers Mama and Maggie because Dee’s name is a fourth generation name, truly giving it heritage. Dee likes to gloat to her friends about how she was raised, so she tries to show off by decorating her house with useful items from her past. Her argument with Mama about taking quilts that were hand stitched as opposed to sewn by machine gives readers a chance to see Dee’s outlook of heritage is short lived. Dee says to Mama, â€Å"But they’re priceless. . . Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they’d be in rags. Less than that!† (Walker 77). Mama will not allow her daughter to take the quilts because she has been saving them for Dee’s sister, Maggie, and she wants the quilts to be put into everyday use. By helping

Primary School and Typical Young Kid Essay

I can remember one event in my grade school days that I did not like. You could say it being one of my worst days of my life. I was in the fifth grade, in a school in Clovis, NM. This school believed in paddling if you got in trouble. The teacher I had, acted like he love to enforce this rule. He would tell us, every time we acted out, that he was going to paddle us as he waved his paddle in the air. We were told to do homework for the weekend and to bring it back on the next Monday. I didn’t want to do this long homework assignment, I wanted to go play with my friends and play video games. I was a typical young kid; I just wanted to have fun. That whole weekend I did not touch that assignment. I don’t even think I took my homework out from my backpack. The Moring of that Monday I completely forgot about my homework. When I got to school and sat down at my desk, the teacher asked â€Å"Who did their homework†? Most of the class raised their hands; I was not one of them. The teacher told for the ones that did not do their work have to stay in for recess and finish it. That just made me mad; I wasn’t allowed to go play with my friends. When recess time came and when my friends went out to play, I just stared out the window and refused to do my work. About the time recess was over and the class was coming in, the teacher walked in and told us to bring our work to his desk in front of the class. There was only two of use that gave him a blank assignment. He didn’t take that to well, as he grabbed both papers and directed us to follow him to the office. At the office he looked up for our parent’s numbers from the school records. When he called my step mom and told her what I did he asked if it was ok to discipline me, if he couldn’t do it than she was to come and do it herself. He hanged up the phone with only the word â€Å"Ok† and then he took both of us out in the hall and paddled us both with two swings each across our bottoms. I did not like that school day, I never saw that teacher the same way after that incident. It made me be aware of my actions. From that day I made sure I did all my work. I didn’t want to get paddle again. It was a very cruel way to punish but it was a very infected to make the kids listen.