Friday, November 29, 2019

Research Proposal on Knowledge Sharing Essay Example

Research Proposal on Knowledge Sharing Essay Knowledge sharing is the process of the exchange of information between the members of single or different social groups. It is natural that knowledge sharing is the most important factor which maintains the development of the human civilization, because every new generation receives knowledge about the world around from older generations who are considered to be more experienced, wiser and clever. Knowledge sharing is fulfilled in different ways and for various purposes. First of all the information can be provided in the verbal way. this way of sharing is the oldest one, no wonder, the first examples of literature, folklore were recited and sung in the oral way. After that appeared the written way of knowledge sharing which possessed a great number of methods and approaches. Today, knowledge sharing is conducted in the written and verbal from as well. Knowledge sharing is the core factor of the human socialization, because if one wants to survive in the society, he has be aware about the rules of life, the facts which can be useful for the survival and improvement of the quality of life. In order to share knowledge one should possess it, he should be conscious, have constant access towards it and know how to present it in the most accessible and understandable way. Nowadays, the term knowledge sharing has a bit narrower meaning connected with management. The manager is supposed to provide the novice employees about the most important facts essential for the work in the institution and this sharing is carried out during training, discussions and other events. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Proposal on Knowledge Sharing specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Research Proposal on Knowledge Sharing specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Research Proposal on Knowledge Sharing specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Knowledge sharing is the basic factor which maintains the appropriate existence of the human civilization, because without the knowledge received in previous generations the further improvement of science and all the spheres of the human life is impossible. The idea of the research proposal is to observe the topic on knowledge sharing from the alternative side and prove to the professor that the issue is worth researching. It is a serious plus to dwell on the most thought-provoking points and aspects of knowledge sharing in order to make the paper full of sense. One can borrow the information about the topic through the trustworthy sources and brainstorm the methodology of writing. The student is supposed to prepare a persuasive assignment which would contribute into the development of the discipline and the student’s background knowledge. One is able to look through a free example research proposal on knowledge sharing written online and express his own idea relying on the thoughts of the experienced writers. One is able to cope with the convincing tone of writing and the complicated paper’s structure reading a free sample research proposal on knowledge sharing in the Internet.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Wall Building

Wall Building A couple of comments in emails, on Facebook, and yes, even in person, made me sad this week. When a person was confronted with an opportunity, they spoke first about how they could not do it. Without flinching. Without a thought about trying to find a way to learn. They are building walls across a flat piece of ground that could lead to success. Examples: I am afraid to publish because I dont understand the difference between self-publishing and traditional. Darn, I dont know how to write a short story to enter that contest. Someone will tell me Im bragging if I tout my writing in public. Im afraid someone will steal my idea. I dont have enough money to publish. So many writers see the obstacles before they envision the opportunity. They feel the pain before they get injured. They flinch before they are pricked. As I told the Nebraska Writers Guild last week: Go ahead and be afraid. Go ahead and hold back, fearful of what to do next, because that just gives me and all these other people the chance to pass you Whatever you think, do, or hold back doing, takes energy. You can infuse your energy into being proactive and learning how to proceed, or you can expend your energy worrying about what might go wrong. With the first, you might gain headway. With the second, you get nowhere. Make a decision, then pursue the solution or march toward the goal. Read short stories and learn how to write them. Study the difference between publishing opportunities until you are comfortable in your choice. Decide if youre worried more about publishing or what people might say about you. Dare to submit, realizing the odds of someone stealing your work is miniscule. Save your money or start a crowdfunding project on Kickstarter.com and earn the money you need. There are options. There are opportunities. But you have to reach out for them. They do not come to you.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wal-Mart - Essay Example In order to achieve this, Wal-Mart has mostly relied upon foreign vendors. â€Å"From the beginning, like other discounters, Walton had bought goods wherever he could get them cheapest, with any other considerations secondary† (Ortega, 1999, p. 205). By doing so, Wal-Mart has partly moved against the interest of America since the local business was affected and more foreigners were involved in the business than Americans, yet Wal-Mart was able to make the profits beyond expectations at the end of the day. Wal-Mart has been conventionally criticized for its supplier base and marketing strategies, though whatever it did worked at least for Wal-Mart. Although Wal-Mart has actually chosen diversity as a tool to encourage the associates to optimize on their skills (Walmart Corporate, n.d.), yet the emphasis on diversity also provides Wal-Mart with a smart way out with the inclusion of foreign vendors in the Wal-Mart’s

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Christopher Columbuss View of the Americas Native Indigenous People Research Paper

Christopher Columbuss View of the Americas Native Indigenous People - Research Paper Example This was attributed greatly by the different personalities of the two colonialists. Notably is that Bartholomew De Las Casas was a priest, writer, a Dominican friar and an advocate for humane treatment and fair relation for the indigenous people of the Americas. On the other hand, Christopher Columbus was the early colonialist and explorer whose aim was to gain power and control over indigenous America at whatever means. In order to get a conceptual view and understanding of the two perspectives, it is worth to analyze critically each of the sides in regard to the newly discovered colonies and its indigenous native people who are the inhabitants. Christopher Columbus's Perspective Christopher Columbus’s perspective view of America's native indigenous people is evident in the contents of the letter he wrote to his majesty’s in Spain. In his letter regarded to a letter on the first voyage Columbus gives a vivid and conceptual description on his adventure and encounters wi th the native indigenous people in his exploration trip in America. Columbus describes the indigenous American natives not really as a detached observer but as an entrepreneur whose main aim is to exploit, the economic opportunities in the region (Jane ). His expedition can be perceived as for an economic expedition and commercially driven. Having critically analyzed the islands man and the extensive indigenous people he interacted with, Columbus portrayed the regions and the people to be suitable for future colonization (Jane). Columbus lays great emphasis and focuses on the Spaniard's interaction with the native indigenous Americas people. He describes the local natives giving an account of their lifestyles and the societal customs in detail. Notably is that the people both men and women go naked only covering some specific parts, also he describes them as very generous and welcoming without any creed.

Monday, November 18, 2019

The Great Divide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Great Divide - Essay Example The American population consists of citizens who follow a plethora of religions and sub-faiths and the Constitution only ascertains the fact that none can be supported or discriminated against. This is precisely the reason why the constitution has laid down the law that neither the Government nor the State "can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. No tax, in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice religion." This essay is an attempt to adopt a supportive stance towards this statement made by the American Federal Court. The essay argues that the State, in a pluralist society must adopt a secular stance and must certainly take care to omit the passing of any such laws or practices that would create a divide within the society, in perception and in the unity that is often the strength of the pluralist society. The key point in this informative essay stems from the fact that the school prayer was a religious motivation, that violated the provisions of the American Constitution.  It is due  to this,   that  the author finds  it his right  to perhaps,   protest  against the new  system introduced,  in his  own way.   He feels the need  to stand up against  the practice,   as  he has his  own reasons,  which are the concerns of  lawmakers as well.   The second article from â€Å"My   60-second   protest  from the Hallway†Ã‚  is a great example  of how a   minute’s prayer  before starting the  day in a school in  Virginia can raise  numerous questions in  the minds of students.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Objective Of Zakat Theology Essay

The Objective Of Zakat Theology Essay The socket has been introduced in pre-colonial Malaysia. Before the British colonial Malaysia, the village in the country, as in other parts of the world developed through land settlement or colonization. One of the popular methods was the collective Pondok system, which was particularly common in the Muda Region of Kedah. By this system, a group of settlers would gather around and a person who is well -versed in Islamic Knowledge or who had already established himself as a religious teacher .After the they found a suitable place , they will build their Pondok (huts) around a Madras; a religious center for worship as well as teaching. In the case where the group has been established, they would invite a religious teacher from elsewhere to set up a Madras among them.This religious teacher was also the Imam of the community, in the sense that he led five prayers daily in the mosque or madsarah. The group of peasant will be going out to open land around the clusters of their Pondok, leaving their children to the teacher for religious education at day time. For those wives who are unable to work with their spouse in the land also will obtained religious instruction from the teacher. The peasants will receive religious at least one or twice a week and longer on Friday because it was a day of rest. They will spend more time in the mosque than the field. As an appreciation for the service provided by the teacher, the peasants usually will collectively clear a piece of land and cultivate if for the teacher. Slowly, as the land become more productive and the production level of each peasant family exceeds the nisab of 480 Gantang  [1]  for each harvesting, the peasant family would pay skate at their 10 % of the gross yield of the paddy. According to Afifudin, those early days all the skate form a specific group in the Pondok system would go to the teacher. If a group of 50 sacked paying peasants would contribute a minimum of 2400 Gantang each year .As time goes by, the wealth of the teacher can be accumulated. The teacher can use the socket for the expansion of Madras. During the colonial period in Malaysia especially Kelantan, zakat was administered by imam,who is is the local religious leader managed the zakat collection and surpervised by the division of inherited party.In order to finance the intensified activities ,the state required imams to surrender part of the zakat they collected at the village level.However,this menthod is only partially successful due to the British regime replaced Grahmans ,the Islamic administration .The Grahman took charge of civil administration ,he divested the imams of their civil function .which were transfer to the headman (ketua kampong) . According to secret institution in Malaysia .During British Colonial Period , The segregation between religion, custom and temporal matters took place during this period. All Islamic and Malay customs related matters were administered by a special body known as Majlis Agama Islam Negeri (MAIN). Other than that, the rest came under the purview of the British civil and criminal law system (Matters associated with socket were administered by MAIN. Accordingly, in Zakat Satu Tinjauan, Kelantan was the first state to establish the body which later became a model to other Malay States. Under this model, the Imam (spiritual leader) has been empowered to govern skate related matters and a portion of zakat collection would be delivered to the state government as a financial resource for Islamic affairs. That was how the administration of soaked developed until today which remain under the supervision of State Islamic Councils. After the independence of Malaysia, New Economic Policy has been introduced.The zakat fund is use for investment purpose .In the early 1970s ,the minister of National and Rural Development ,Encik Ghaffae Baba,who was also the chairman of Mara ,urged all the state Religious Councils to invested substantial portion of their money (mostly derived from the collection of zakat) in Amanah Saham Mara .The objective is to eliminate the income gap between the ethnic group in Malaysia,especially the Muslim and Chinese. The objective of Zakat The primary objective of Zakat is to elevate the spirit of human being above the material acquisition.Consequently, Islam does not view the zakat payer as a mere of sore of funds,but as a person who always needs purification and cleansing, both spiritually and materially. The prophet (p) summaries this purpose in the ayat ,sadaqa from hier wealth by which you might purify and cleanse them. Zakat, when paid out of submission to the commad of Allah ,is a mean of purifying the soul of a Muslim from greed and miserliness.The vices of selfishness and greed must be controlled in order for human beings to elevate their spirits ,to succed in their social realtions in his life ,and gain admittance to paradise .Allah Almighty says, Truly man is niggardly! (17:100) and But people are prone to selfish greed.)Zakat is a purifier that trains Muslims to give and spend selflessly .It liberates their souls from the love of wealth and slavery to materials gains and acquisitions. On top of that, zakat is a mean of training Muslims on virtues of generosity as much as it is a means of purificarion from greed .Being paid in repetitive pattern year after year ,regular zakat as well as zakat al-fitr train Muslims to give and spend for charitable purpose. The Quran describes believers as the righteous who have the virtue of spending for good reasons.The very second sura of the Quran begins, Alif .Lam .Mim.That is the Book with no doubt .In it is guidance for the godfearing :those who believe in Unseen and establish the prayer and give of what we have provided for them.This exhortation is reiterated many times in the Quran ,such as Those who give away their wealth by night and by day ,secretly and openly ,: Those who give in times of both ease and hardship and The steadfast ,the truthful ,the obedient ,the givers ,and those who seek forgivness before dawn. Also ,once a person is trained to spend on public interests and to give to his brethren out of his own wealth, he is most likely to be freed from any urge to transgress on other peoples wealth and possessions. Besides that, zakat trains people to acquire divine characteristic.If man purified of miserliness and greed and becomes accustomed to the habit of giving and spending, his soul is elevated abouve low human trait of covetousness, Truly man is niggardly! (17:100) and aspire to the height of Divine perfection, since one of the characteristic of Allah is absolute and unlimited mercy, powers, theoretical and practical .Allah obliges zakat in order to perfect human souls in graciousness to oher people ,as the prophet says, Train yourselves to attributes of Allah.This encouragement to spend throught zakat and voluntary charity resulted with time,u in the emergence of charitable trusts all over Muslim world,trusts devoted not only to helping the poor and needy but to all causes for human beings as well as animals. In addition ,zakat is to shows expression of thankfulness to Allah .Gratitude and thankfulness are among the best characteristics of human beings.Zakat is an expression of thankfulness to Allah for the bouties .He gives on us .Allah, says al-Ghazali, has gives on human spiritual and materials bounties.Prayers and other acts of physical worship express gratitude for the blessing of creation, while zakat and other acts of donator worship express gratitude for the material blessings of Allah .The concept that zakat is thanks Allah for His bounties is s widespread and deeply rooted in the consciousness of Muslims that it is common to say that one must give zakat in thanks for the grace of sight ,hearing,health ,knowledge, etc. Also, zakat stimulates personality growth in those who pay it .Through helping others overcome their financial difficulties , zakat payers are enriched by feelings of self-worth and fufilment . Zakat also helps offer the payers self to others and grow throught helping them and gives the payer a noble sense of victory over his base desires and material drives-over his owns shaytan. Last but not least, zakat is to purifies wealth.This is because zakat is a right to the poor , not paying it means keeping something that belongs to others intermingled worth ones wealth and this brings Allahs wrath on the whole wealth. The Prophet (p) says, If you pay zakat on your wealth ,you have taken away its evil. Types of zakat Zakat is divided into several types : Zakat of Income Zakat of Savings Zakat of Business Zakat of KWSP/LTAT Zakat of Share Zakat of Livestock Zakat of Gold and Silver Zakat of Crops Zakat of Income Extra payment received by an individual from their employer or individual itself in the form of physical energy or physically or professional employment for specific day, month and yearly also been required to pay zakat. Employment income includes: 1) The annual salary 2) Other allowances 3) Unpaid wages 4) Other remuneration such as bonuses, etc. Method Of Calculation First Method Using gross income (without deduction) 2.5% on gross income per year. Example : Total gross income per year : RM 25,000.00 Amount of zakat (2.5%) : RM 625.00 Monthly Payment : RM 625.00 /12 = RM 52.08 Second Method Using the net income (Income year less allowable expenses per year) x 2.5% Expenses allowed deduction (per year): -:- Self : RM 8,000.00 Wife : RM 5,000.00 Children : RM 1,000.00 KWSP : 11% from gross income workers Parents Contribution : RM (amount given) per month x 12 months Contributions to organizations that pay the zakat (for example: Lembaga Tabung Haji, Takaful) Zakat of savings Contribution of workers and employers to KWSP People Provident Fund , Soldiers Provident Fund (LTAT) are also required to pay zakat as the concept is similar to savings but the different is savings of KWSP and LTAT could not be withdraws anytime wherenever they like and it is subject the rules. Fixed Deposit Fixed deposit of RM 100,000 was kept for a year without the excluded (assumed nisab charity at that RM 9430.00) Then charity is required to produce are: RM 100,000 x 2.5% = RM 2.500 Regular Deposit Method Of Calculation (Duration haul is January 5, 1999 until February 7, 2000) (Assuming nisab of charity at that RM 3,323.50) So zakat are : (Balances with lower interest bank refused WITH) X 2.5% (RM 9,115.00 RM 115.00) x 2.5% = RM 225.00 Zakat of Business Zakat been given out by Sole Propirate, Partnership, Cooperative Society, Societies and Organization which had reached one year and the time limit. Method Of Calcutions [ ( Current Assets Current Liability ) + Coordination x Percentage of Muslims Share x ZAKAT ABILITY ( 2.5 % ) ]. Zakat of KWSP Contributions of employees and employers into the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Army (LTAT),or the like imposed zakat as conceptually the same as saving money, but with the difference amount of savings, LTAT and so on shall not be issued at anytime because and subject to regulations that is fixed. CALCULATION METHOD : METHOD 1 2.5% of the contribution that issued once money issued. METHOD 2 2.5% of contribution every employee is based on the annual statement Zakat of shares Zakat which is given out for investment which hasreachedh its time limit and minimum value. METHOD OF CALCULATION 2.5 % the value of lowest share share which is own for one year minus for shared borrowed. If the lowest value is not determined, use the value beginning early in the year or in the year or whichever is the lowest. For shareholders which must be owned by investors. Muslims in the long term to gain control a company or firm so his payment for zakat will be based on the calculations that it will not affect the the importance of other Muslims to get hold of the company. If any of the owners shares has not reached one year, but the whole property being changed for a number of time for one year from shares to cash and vice versa, so use the lowest value with the mixture of money and shares,shares with basic to count zakat multiply 2.5 %. Zakat of Livestock Livestock zakat is property zakat that required to be taken out in perfect the conditions. Domestic animal that obliged to pay zakat is among them such as goat, , cattle , camel, sheep, buffalo. Prophet S.A.W said From Muaz Ibnu Jabal, had said, RasulullahS.A.W was sending me to Yaman and ask me to collect zakat from each of 30 cows, 1 lamb musinnah (1 female cattle aged up to 3 years ) and every 30 cows, tabi or tabiah ( 1 male or female cattle aged up to 2 years). The livestock that we would like to give a zakat must be perfect and no defects such as missing the foot or hand and so on. COWS/BUFFALOES Quantities Zakat Amount / Sex 30-39 tail 1 tail, age 1 year / male 40-59 tail 1 tail, age 2 year / female 60-69 tail 2 tail, age 1 year / male 70-79 tail 1 tail, age 1 year / male and 2 tail, age 2 year / male 80-89 tail 2 tail, age 2 year / female 90-99 tail 3 tail, age 1 year / male 100-109 tail 1 tail, age 2 year / female and 2 tail, age 1 year / male 110-119 tail 2 tail, age 2 year / female and 1 tail, age 1 year / male 120 tail above tail, age 2 year / female and 3 tail, age 1 year / male GOATS Quantities Zakat Amount / Sex 40-120 tail 1 tail, age 2 year / male or female 121-200 tail 2 tail, age 2 year / male or female 201-399 tail 3 tail, age 2 year / male or female Subsequent additions : Every of 100 tail plus plus 1 tail, age 2 year / male or female SHEEP Quantities Zakat Amount / Sex 40-120 tail 1 tail, age 1 year/ male @ female 121-200 tail 2 tail , age 1 year / male @ female 201-399 tail 3 tail, age 1 year/ male @ female Subsequent additions : every 100 tail increased by 1 tail,age 1 year / male @ female. Zakat of Silver and Gold Gold and silver is a mineral that is required to charity. This is because these metals are very useful as it uses an exchange value of all things. As for other jewelry than gold and silver like diamond, pearl, silk, copper, are not obligatory zakat on it. Nisab zakat gold used = 200gram Gold zakat Nisab unused = 85gram Zakat Of Crops Zakat which is upon basic food which has reached the stage of satisfaction for the state which has 363 gantang / 1300 kg like paddy, wheat, cereals and so on.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Different Learning Styles Essay -- Education Educating Learn Essays

Different Learning Styles Students have different ways to learn. Some people are hands on learners or visual learners. Teachers try to adapt the way they teach; to the way their students learn the best. The information that is being taught should be made fun so that the students remember the information. Schools are also using new technology to help students learn. Different learning styles have different effects on people. Different learning styles are the talk of many school districts from near and far. The study of different learning styles has gone back since the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. We all know that people have different ways of learning, so teachers try to teach the way their students learn the best. There are different types of learning styles for example: visual, audio, and kinesthetic. Auditory is of or pertaining to hearing, or to the sense or organs of hearing; as, the auditory nerve. Visual is having the nature of or producing an image in the mind. Kinesthetic is the sense that detects bodily position, weight, or movement of the muscles, tendons, and joints. (www.dictionary.com) There have been different studies on which ways of learning are effective for people. The CAI (computer-assisted instruction) did a study "that focused on an issue that indicated that all students, regardless of learning style, obtained higher science achievement scores when taught via CAI approach than via auditory (lecture) or visual (reading) method." (Martini, 1986) This approach is good because people may be in a special education class because they are not grasping what is being taught in their class, but it can really be the way it is being taught. They... ...0, 2003. Newspaper Article: 10. Straker, Heather. May 22, 1998. It's not what you know; it's how you get to know it. Times Educational Supplement. Issue 4273, p24, 1/4p. Retrieved on October 3, 2003. http://www.tes.co.uk. 11. Bob Salisbury. August 11, 2002. Teachers should teach. Times Educational Supplement. October 3, 2003. http://www.tes.co.uk. Internet Resources: 12. Matters of Style. November 5, 2003. http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Papers/LS-Prism.htm What?s YOUR Learning style? November 5, 2003. http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/ts/style.html 13. Activity 9 Different learning styles. November 5, 2003. http://online.curriculum.edu.au/the_cms/tools/new-display.asp?f=7886&seq=6495 14. Understanding Different Learning styles. November 5, 2003. http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Learning_Styles.htm Different Learning Styles Essay -- Education Educating Learn Essays Different Learning Styles Students have different ways to learn. Some people are hands on learners or visual learners. Teachers try to adapt the way they teach; to the way their students learn the best. The information that is being taught should be made fun so that the students remember the information. Schools are also using new technology to help students learn. Different learning styles have different effects on people. Different learning styles are the talk of many school districts from near and far. The study of different learning styles has gone back since the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. We all know that people have different ways of learning, so teachers try to teach the way their students learn the best. There are different types of learning styles for example: visual, audio, and kinesthetic. Auditory is of or pertaining to hearing, or to the sense or organs of hearing; as, the auditory nerve. Visual is having the nature of or producing an image in the mind. Kinesthetic is the sense that detects bodily position, weight, or movement of the muscles, tendons, and joints. (www.dictionary.com) There have been different studies on which ways of learning are effective for people. The CAI (computer-assisted instruction) did a study "that focused on an issue that indicated that all students, regardless of learning style, obtained higher science achievement scores when taught via CAI approach than via auditory (lecture) or visual (reading) method." (Martini, 1986) This approach is good because people may be in a special education class because they are not grasping what is being taught in their class, but it can really be the way it is being taught. They... ...0, 2003. Newspaper Article: 10. Straker, Heather. May 22, 1998. It's not what you know; it's how you get to know it. Times Educational Supplement. Issue 4273, p24, 1/4p. Retrieved on October 3, 2003. http://www.tes.co.uk. 11. Bob Salisbury. August 11, 2002. Teachers should teach. Times Educational Supplement. October 3, 2003. http://www.tes.co.uk. Internet Resources: 12. Matters of Style. November 5, 2003. http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Papers/LS-Prism.htm What?s YOUR Learning style? November 5, 2003. http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/ts/style.html 13. Activity 9 Different learning styles. November 5, 2003. http://online.curriculum.edu.au/the_cms/tools/new-display.asp?f=7886&seq=6495 14. Understanding Different Learning styles. November 5, 2003. http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Learning_Styles.htm

Monday, November 11, 2019

Changinng Life Style Essay

Indian Culture is time tested and represented the progressively refined way of life, that had unfortunately suffered a set back, a sub culture process as it were, drifting from its salutary ways of living. Did not Lord Mecaulay say in the UK parliament how the Indians had such a perfect social harmony and faith in their way of life, that they can not be subdued unless they were weaned from their prestige and made to adore the alien way of life, to feel subordinated to a †superior culture†, wherefore they could be easily subdued and dominated for the best advantage of the colonial rule! That was perfectly achieved and Indians forgot their own merits in a strange infatuation with alien culture! Foreign culture was best for them, unique to them, deserved respect, but not fit for absorption into our own way of life! Apart from an initiation into new unfolding findings of secular science and technology – which was absent in our nation under colonial subjugation – we had gained least in other spheres, particularly in the social and ethical qualities. We became divided, in the names of religion and castes losing the force of harmony that united us under the princely states! The increasing divorce culture, night clubs and pub culture, promiscuity and desertions etc among youth, the divide and rule policy among the politicians, the aggressive conversions (against more benign missionary activities a century ago) are the only major impacts in the social domain. So except the technological inputs, even economic exploitations under free trade or repressive regimentation under socialist govts that came from the west, have least served the society to achieve equality. Social impacts have been worse. The break down of joint family system due to new life styles, uncontrolled deviancies in the name of liberty etc have made youth defy control of society and family in a big way. In a chapter on †Consequences of Innovations† in the book by Rogers and Shoemaker entitled, †Diffusion and  Adoption of Innovations†, it is discussed how any change made in any aspect of social sphere – agriculture or medicine or arts or whatever – may end up in unexpected †side effects† as well. The chaos in the aborigins of Australia after replacement of traditional stone tool etc make interesting reading! In India itself, the introduction of rural TV programme for education of people in modern agricultre, health care etc was studied in UP state when Indiraji was Minister of Broadcasting, in 100 villages. The study revealed significant increase in knowledge and attitude of people in modern techniques and the project was cleared for large scale introdcution across the country. After govt project was ended, many behavioural scientists took up studies in change of life pattern in the villages. They came across many critical adverse changes traceable to exposure of untreated †entertainment† programmes given by TV apart from the educatinal inputs! Like that our adoration for the modern knowledge gained from the west, had made us adopt their other life styles as well to the detriment of society. So the demerits have been devastating as we see from the increase of family courts to deal with increasing divorce cases, the skewed development of trade and industy at the cost of other primary enterprises, policy of social divide by politicians for vote bank advantage etc! In my opinion, we had paid a heavy price for all the technological good we received from the west, by our own unwise emulation of their social perceptions and political strategies as well! have a good day! TRADITIONAL CULTURE AND MODERNIZATION R. BALASUBRAMANIAN BACKGROUND This paper focuses upon three issues. First, I want to show that the perennial elements in traditional cultures like those of India and China are  relevant even today as they play an important role in the achievement, on the one hand, of harmony between the individual and society at the social level, and, on the other hand, of harmony of spirit, mind, and body at the individual level. Second, we should not lose sight of the distinction between knowledge and information, between wisdom and knowledge, and more importantly between life and living. The perennial elements in the traditional culture have helped us to care for life, knowledge, and wisdom, which are essential for spiritual development. Third, modernization as interpreted by the West has a narrow connotation and is, therefore, a distorted concept. Through science, it brings in the colonial attitude, the imperialism of the West. It is possible for one to be modern without accepting all that is implied by modernization. Culture, which comprises philosophy and religion, art and literature, science and technology, social organization and political administration, is the mirror of the theory and practice of a people. It is originated, developed and sustained by the people over a period of time. In turn, the perennial elements which constitute its core inspire and sustain the posterity to whom it is transmitted from time to time. Traditional cultures like those of China and India are undoubtedly ancient, but not antiquated; their ideals and practices, which are relevant in any situation, help the people to meet the new challenges which surface from time to time. As a result they not only survive, but are admired, adored, and accepted by the people. There cannot be a better explanation of the way a culture is able to hold the people and sustain them than the one given by Sri Aurobindo: The culture of a people may be roughly described as the expression of a consciousness of life which formulates itself in three aspects. There is a side of thought, of ideal, of upward will and the soul’s aspiration; there is a side of creative self-expression and appreciative aesthesis, intelligence, and imagination; and there is a side of practical and outward formulation. A people’s philosophy and higher thinking give us its mind’s purest, largest, and most general formulation of its consciousness of life and its dynamic view of existence. Its religion formulates the most intense form of its upward will and the soul’s aspirations towards the fulfillment of its highest ideal and impulse. Its art, poetry, literature provide for us the creative expression and impression of its intuition, imagination, vital turn and creative  intelligence. Its society and politics provide in their forms an outward frame in which the more external life works out what it can of its inspiring ideal and of its special character and nature under the difficulties of the environment. We can see how much it has taken of the crude material of living, what it has done with it, how it has shaped as much of it as possible into some reflection of its guarding consciousness and deeper spirit. None of them express the whole spirit behind, but they derive from it their main ideas and their cultural character. Together they make up its soul, mind, and body.1 Of the various components of culture the role of philosophy and religion is significant. Philosophy and religion can never be separated though they can be distinguished. It may be that in a particular culture, philosophy is in the forefront and religion in the background. It can also be the other way with religion at the surface and philosophy in the background. The point to be noted here is that philosophy and religion interact with, and influence each other. Philosophy is made dynamic by religion, and religion is enlightened by philosophy. If it is admitted that there is the need for a unity of theory and practice, p hilosophy cannot remain merely as a view of life; it must also be a way of life. In other words, philosophy has to become religious if it is to mold, organize and regulate life. Religion is not an untouchable; its need for life can neither be ignored nor underestimated. It will be helpful to contrast the pursuit of philosophy in Europe with that in India and China. Unlike the Europe of the Enlightenment where philosophy did not touch life at all, there was a tremendous impact of philosophy on life both in India and China. In the words of Sri Aurobindo: Philosophy has been pursued in Europe with great and noble intellectual results by the highest minds, but very much as a pursuit apart from life, a thing high and splendid, but ineffective. It is remarkable that, while in India and China philosophy has seized hold on life, has had an enormous practical effect on the civilization and got into the very bones of current thought and action, it has never at all succeeded in achieving this importance in Europe. In the days of the Stoics and Epicureans it got a grip, but only among the highly cultured; at the present day, too, we have some renewed tendency of the kind. Nietzsche has had his influence, certain French thinkers also in France, the philosophies of James and Bergson have attracted some amount of public interest; but it is a mere  nothing compared with the effective power of Asiatic philosophy.2 There is no doubt that the average European who draws his guidance not from the philosophic, but from positive and practical reason, puts â€Å"the philosophical treatises on the highest shelf in the library of civilization.† The situation is entirely different in India. Sri Aurobindo says: The Indian mind holds . . . that the Rishi, the thinker, the seer of spiritual truth is the best guide not only of the religious and moral, but [also of] the practical life. The seer, the Rishi is the natural director of society; to the Rishis he attributes the ideals and guiding intuitions of his civilization. Even today he is very ready to give the name to anyone who can give a spiritual truth which helps his life or a formative idea and inspiration which influences religion, ethics, society, even politics.3 The phenomenon known as modernization is a product of the one-sided pursuit of both philosophy and science — philosophy purely as an intellectual affair without any bearing on life and science as the most effective instrument for the possession of unlimited power, eliminating the sacred. I shall take up the problem of modernization later. It may be added here that what is said about the Indian mind is equally true of the Chinese mind. Confucius, Mencius, and others are the great Rishis of China, the seers who exhibited the most uncommon insight into men and matters, into the moral and social problems of human beings. Drawing a distinction between two kinds of philosophers, systematic and edifying, Richard Rorty characterizes Wittgenstein as an edifying philosopher, like Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and others. In a brief analysis of the spirit of Western civilization which is fully manifest in the industry, architecture, and music of our time, in its fascism and socialism, Wittgenstein openly admits that he has â€Å"no sympathy for the current of European civilization, that he does not understand its goals, if it has any,† and that â€Å"it is alien and uncongenial† to him.4 He goes on to say: A culture is like a big organization which assigns each of its members a place where he can work in the spirit of the whole; and it is perfectly fair for his power to be measured by the contribution he succeeds in making to the whole enterprise.5 Wittgenstein’s brief explanation of culture requires some elucidation. He says that culture is a whole, that every individual has a place in it, that every individual has to function as a member of the whole, and that what he does is significant socially as well  as morally. The two traditional cultures, Chinese and Indian, have recognized the importance of the ideas embedded in Wittgenstein’s explanation of culture. While the Indian culture appears to be predominantly spiritual and religious, the Chinese culture seems to be basically humanistic, with a clear emphasis on the moral and social dimensions of life. It must be pointed out in this connection that the difference between these two traditional cultures is only at the surface. Since the traditional culture comprehends the total life of a person, it provides a place for the different dimensions of life — spiritual, religious, moral, and social — which can be distinguished, but not separated. The spiritual and religious dimension of life presupposes the moral and social realm ; and the moral and social sphere of life points to the religious and spiritual goals. That the two realms, ethico-social and religio-spiritual, are complementary, has been recognized by both these cultures, even though the Indian culture lays emphasis on the spiritual and religious side of man while the Chinese culture focusses on the ethical and social side of man. The motif of the two cultures is the harmony of spirit, mind, and body; and it is to achieve this harmony that they take care of both realms of life. Once again what Sri Aurobindo says in this connection is worth quoting: A true happiness in this world is the right terrestrial aim of man, and true happiness lies in the finding and maintenance of a natural harmony of spirit, mind, and body. A culture is to be valued to the extent to which it has discovered the right key of this harmony and organized its expressive motives and movements. And a civilization must be judged by the manner in which all its principles, ideas, forms, ways of living work to bring that harmony out, manage its rhythmic play, and secure its continuance or the development of its motives.6 There is need to harmonize the eternal and the temporal, for the spirit works through mind and body, which belong to the temporal; and this is what every great culture has aimed at. There are four components in the traditional culture associated with India and China. They are: (1) the primal Spirit which is the source and support of the universe may be viewed both as transcendent to, and as immanent in, the universe; (2) this Spirit which is immanent in all human beings can be realized by every human being; (3) it lays down a discipline which is both moral and spiritual for realizing the Spirit; and (4) it has provided an organization of the  individual and collective life not only for the sake of the harmony between the individual and society, but also for the sake of the harmony of spirit, mind, and body. Each one of these components needs some explanation in the context of these two cultures. INDIAN CULTURE Though Indian culture as it is today is composite in character, comprising Hindu, Jaina, Buddha, Islamic, and Christian elements, it can be characterized as Vedic culture since not only Hinduism, which is predominant, but also Jainism and Buddhism, which originated in protest against Vedic ritualism, have been influenced by the Vedas, the basic and oldest scriptural text in the world. Islam and Christianity entered the Indian soil consequent on the invasion of India by the foreigners — by the Moghuls in the former case, and by the English, French, and Portuguese in the latter case. Though they try to retain their identity, the followers of these two religious traditions have been influenced by the Vedic culture. Kabir (1398-1518 AD), for example, who is a greatly respected personality in the religious history of India, is a product of both Hinduism and Islam. In recent times, Indian Christians talk about and practice inculturization, which is a new and growing phenomenon. The predominant Hindu culture which has a long and continuous history is the Vedic culture; and the Vedic culture, which has its beginning round about 2500 BC, may be characterized as primal culture, since it traces everything in the universe to the primal Spirit, which is variously called Brahman, Ä€tman, Being, and so on. Spirit or Being is the primal reality. It is that from which all beings arise; being supported by it, they exist; and all of them move towards it as their destination. In the language of T.S. Eliot, the beginning is the end. The Upanisad says: That, verily, from which these beings are born, that by which, when born, they live, that into which, when departing, they enter. That, seek to know. That is Brahman.7 Spirit or Brahman is primal in the sense that it is foundational. It is the sole reality; it is one and non-dual; and there is nothing else beside it. It is spoken of as the First Cause, Unmoved Mover, of the entire manifest universe. With a view to bring o ut the independent nature of the primal Spirit on which the manifest universe is dependent, it is referred to as the Ground. That which is independent is real; what is dependent is an appearance. The ground-grounded  relation brings out the reality of Spirit and the appearance of the universe. Ordinarily we distinguish the material cause from the efficient cause; the one is different from the other. The wood from which a table is made is the material cause; and the carpenter who works on the wood and makes a table according to a certain design is the efficient cause. The carpenter is different from the wood. What makes the primal Spirit unique is that it is both the material and efficient cause of the universe, because it alone existed in the beginning and nothing else beside it. Like wood, it is the material cause of the world; and like a carpenter, it is the efficient cause of the world. So, the Vedic culture traces all beings, living as well as non-living, to one source, viz. Spirit or Being. It may be pointed out here that in recent times quantum physics attempts to trace everything in the manifest universe to one source which is non-material or spiritual. Einstein declared: Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the Laws of the Universe — a Spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we, with our modest powers, must feel humble.8 That Spirit or Brahman is the source, support, and end of everything in the universe, is the major premise of the Vedic culture. Derived from the major premise are two minor premises, one relating to living beings called jÄ «va and the other, to non-living beings called jagat. Since Spirit or Brahman is immanent in jÄ «va and jagat, neither jÄ «va nor jagat is isolated from the primal Spirit. It means that all living beings, whatever the y may be — humans, animals, birds, reptiles, and so on — are spiritual or divine. Non-living beings which are material constitute the physical universe. They are the products of the five elements — ether, air, fire, water and earth — which are material. The divine principle is present not only in living beings, but also in non-living beings, and so they are also divine. Characterizing Brahman as the indwelling Spirit (antaryÄ min), the BrhadÄ nrayaka Upanisad says that Brahman is present in all beings — the sun, the moon, and the stars, the elements which constitute the physical universe, and the organs of the jÄ «vas. Just as our body does not know the Spirit inside it, even so the beings, whatever they may be, do not know Brahman, the indwelling Spirit in them. The following text is relevant here: He [Brahman or Spirit] who dwells in all beings, yet is within all beings, whom no beings know, whose body is  all beings, who controls all beings from within, he is your Self, the inner controller, the immortal.9 That which dwells in material objects and controls them also dwells in all living beings and contr ols them. Just as all living beings are essentially divine, even so the entire physical universe is essentially divine. Whatever may be the differences among the species and within the individual members of a species, all are essentially one, because one and the same divine Spirit is present in all of them. The message conveyed by these two minor premises of the traditional culture deserves careful consideration. First of all, if the land and the water and the sky of the physical universe are divine, then we should take care of them in the same way as we take care of our body. The claim that human beings are rational, that they are superior to the physical world, and that they are, in the words of Descartes, the â€Å"masters and possessors of nature† resulted in the unscrupulous, cruel, and destructive despoliation of nature in the name of the quest for knowledge, scientific development, and technological progress. It is not nature that is red in tooth and claw, but the human being who is unabashedly selfish and blatantly aggressive and makes nature bleed and scorch. Fortunately for us, there is a global awakening to the significance of the earth and the water and the sky as sources of sustenance and nourishment. Secondly, the application of this principle of the oneness to the human realm is of great consequence. The understanding that all human beings are essentially one and that differences of color and caste, of gender and race, of sharpness and dullness of mind, and so on are due to the mind-sense-body adjunct by which the Spirit is enclosed will help us to tackle the universally rampant problem of discrimination of all kinds — social, religious, economic, and political. VedÄ ntic philosophy, which is an important component of culture, tells us what a human being is, does, and should do in order to achieve the harmony of spirit, mind, and body. A human being (jÄ «va) is a complex entity consisting of Spirit and matter. The term used in VedÄ nta for Spirit is the Self or Ä€tman. Matter which is totally different from the Self i s referred to as not-Self, as other-than-the-Self. According to VedÄ nta, the not-Self, which is the material outfit of the human being, is made up of the mind, the senses, and the body. The Self in the human being requires a physical medium for its involvement in the day-to-day life as the subject of knowledge, the  agent of action, and the enjoyer of the consequences of action. The mind and the senses are the cognitive instruments. With the help of the mind, the five senses give us knowledge of the things of the external world. The work of the mind does not stop with the cognitive support it gives to the senses. As the internal organ (antahkaraa), the mind generates the knowledge of the subjective states such as pleasure and pain. It also does something more, which is very important from the moral and spiritual perspectives. It gives us knowledge of the right and the wrong, dharma and adharma as they are called. When chastened by the moral and spiritual discipline, it is the mind which helps us to realize the primal Spirit or Brahman. So the work of the mind is manifold. The mind is the most marvelous instrument that a human being possesses. The emergence of the mind has not only accelerated the evolutionary process in its upward movement, but also has given enormous powers to the human being, making him/her the crown of creation, unique among all living beings. In the course of his commentary on the scriptural account of the creation of the world, Sankara raises the question about the preeminence of the human being among all creatures and answers it by saying that the human being is preeminent because he alone is qualified for knowledge and the performance of prescribed duties (jnÄ na-karma-adhikÄ rah).10 Why is it that he alone has this competence? Sankara justifies the supremacy of the human on three grounds. First, he has the ability for acquiring knowledge not only of the things of the world, but also of the supreme Being, the primal reality. This is because he is equipped with the mind which, being inspired by the Self or Spirit in him is capable of comprehending everything including the highest reality. Secondly, he has the distinctive quality of desiring certain ends as a result of discrimination, deliberation, and choice. Thirdly, when he has consciously chosen an end, he is earnest about it, finds the right means for achieving the end, and persists in it till he reaches the goal. A scriptural text which is quoted by Sankara in this connection says: In man alone is the Self most manifest for he is the best endowed with knowledge. He speaks what he knows; he sees what he knows; he knows what will happen tomorrow; he knows the higher and the lower worlds; he aspires to achieve immortality through perishable things. He is thus endowed (with discrimination) while other beings have consc iousness of hunger and thirst only.11 According to  VedÄ nta, the Self in the human being is eternal, whereas his material outfit, the mind-sense-body complex, is temporal. The birth and death of a human being are connected with, and because of, the body. They are illicitly transferred to the Self with the result that we think of it as perishable and finite. The human being is caught in the cycle of birth and death because of ignorance (avidyÄ ) whose beginning is not known. The empirical journey of the Self through its association with the material adjunct is due to avidyÄ . It is avidyÄ  that pulls down the trans-empirical Self into the empirical realm, superimposes on it, which is non-relational, a relation with matter, and is thus responsible for the â€Å"fall† of the Self. What is above categorization is now categorized and made an object of knowledge; what transcends relation is now explained through the logic of relation; and what is beyond the scope of language is now brought within the grammar of language. Thus, just as a tree and a table are known through perception and other means of knowledge, even so Brahman or the Self, we claim, is known through the scriptural text called Sruti. The trans-relational reality is viewed as characterized by omniscience and other qualities and also as the cause of the world. What is trans-linguistic is now spoken of as real, knowledge, infinite, and so on. In other words, we employ the categories of substance and attribute, cause and effect, whole and parts for the purpose of understanding the highest reality. It will be of interest in this connection to refer to the views of two influential thinkers from the West — one belonging to the pre-sixth century and the other our own contemporary. Pseudo-Dionysius, who occupies an important place in the history of Western spirituality, observes: [The supreme reality] is neither perceived nor is it perceptible. It suffers neither disorder nor disturbance and is overwhelmed by no earthly passion. . . . It endures no deprivation of light. It passes through no change, decay, division, loss, no ebb and flow, nothing of which the senses may be aware. None of all this can either be identified with it nor attributed to it.12 Again, he says: It falls neither within the predicate of non-being nor of being. Existing beings do not know it as it actually is and it does not know them as they are. There is no speaking of it, nor name, nor knowledge of it. Darkness and light, error and truth — it is none of these. It is beyond assertion and  denial. We make assertions and denials of what is next to it, but never of it, for it is both beyond every assertion, being the perfect and unique cause of all things, and, by virtue of its preeminently simple and absolute nature, free of every limitation, beyond every limitation; it is also beyond every denial.13 Pseudo-Dionysius conveys in the most unambiguous terms the VedÄ ntic conception of Brahman or the Self. Instead of terms such as Brahman or the Self used by the VedÄ ntin, Wittgenstein uses terms such as the â€Å"metaphysical subject,† the â€Å"I,† the â€Å"philosophical ‘I’ † and contrasts it with the â€Å"body.† The human body, he says, is a part of the world among other parts, but the Self or the philosophical â€Å"I† is not a part of the world; it is outside the space-time-cause world. In the words of Wittgenstein: The subject does not belong to the world, but is a border of the world.14 The philosophical â€Å"I† is not the human being, not the human body, or the human soul of which psychology treats, but the metaphysical subject, the border — not a part — of the world.15 What is obvious from the foregoing account is that we have to make a distinction between two concepts, Brahman-in-itself and Brahman-in-relation-to-the-world, for the purpose of analysis. The latter concept is meaningful only on the presupposition of the fall of Brahman or the Self. When did this fall take place? No one knows, and no one can answer. Once there is the fall, the empirical journey of the Self goes on in different forms, conditioned by the space-time-cause framework. However, the promise of VedÄ nta is that the empirical journey of the lÄ «va can be put an end to, that the vicious cycle of birth and death can be broken by destroying avidyÄ  through knowledge of one’s Self. That is why there is the scriptural instruction of â€Å"Know thy Self.† Not only does scripture say that the Self should be realized or seen, but it also suggests the means for realizing it. It will be difficult to understand the full significance of the distinction between Brahman-in-itself and Brahman-in-relation-to-the-world without a reference to the principle of standpoints which is enshrined in Indian culture. There are two sets of features, perennial and temporal, in Indian culture which contribute to its continuity as well as its change. While the basic doctrines constitute its perennial dimension, religious practices covering a wide range are temporal and transitory. Decadence sets in when the temporal and transitory features gain importance almost to the point of ignoring or sidetracking the  perennial features. Historical, social, and political changes call for modification, sometimes radical, sometimes minor, in the religious practices and social norms of the people, while the basic doctrinal side remains intact. Continuity of the essentials amidst the changing flow of life helps to preserve the cultural tradition. The essential structure which has endured through the vicissitudes of time contains the basic doctrines as stated in the major premise and the two minor premises to which reference was made earlier. The three basic doctrines are: primal Being or Spirit is the source, support, and end of everything, sentient as well as non-sentient; all living beings are divine; also, the physical universe which has originated from the primal Spirit is spiritual. The monistic vision, which is pervasive in the Vedic corpus, is a notable feature of Indian culture. The doctrine of levels or standpoints skillfully adopted by Indian culture helps to reconcile monism and polytheism as well as monism and pluralism. Though each pair contains two extremes in the religio-philosophical thinking, they have been accommodated as different standpoints at different levels. They are irreconcilable only when they are placed together at the same level. For example, one of the oft-quoted hymns of the Rg-veda provides a clue for reconciling the problem of one Godhead and many gods and goddesses. It says: â€Å"What is but one, wise people call by different names — as Agni, Yama, MÄ tarisvan.†16 Reference to gods, such as, Agni and Yama may be replaced by the well known gods of the Hindu pantheon such as Siva, Visnu, Sakti, and so on. Sankara explains the distinction between the supreme Godhead and its various forms such as Siva, Visnu, and so on, as the distinction between the â€Å"unconditioned† reality, what we referred to as Brahman-in-itself, and its â€Å"conditioned† forms such as Siva and Visnu, all of which can be brought under Brahman-in-relation-to-the-world. _iva, Viu, and other gods are conditioned beings endowed with a name and a form and other qualities, whereas the One is unconditioned, devoid of name and form, specifications and qualities and is, therefore, trans-empirical, trans-relational, and trans-linguistic. This mode of drawing the distinction between the supreme Godhead and its many forms for the purpose of worship and other religious practices of the devotees, which is unheard of in other religious traditions of other cultures, is of great consequence in the religious practice of the people.  Since it is the one reality that is worshipped in many forms such as Agni, Siva, and so on, one who worships Agni or Siva, should not quarrel with one who worships Yama or Visnu, because Agni, Yama, Siva, and Visnu are the conditioned aspects of the same reality. This significant idea of the Rg-Vedic hymn was accepted, fully elaborated, and further deepened by the Upanisads. It provides a theoretical framework for religious harmony, which is one of the characteristic features of primal culture and which has received special emphasis right from the beginning till this day. What makes primal culture valid for all times and in all places is its inclusiveness. It includes everything by providing a place for it in the whole. Religious, social, economic, scientific, and political activities are necessary and meaningful; but they must be made subservient to, and must be viewed and judged in the context of the spiritual goal of life. A culture which is mainly concerned with the bare economic necessities of life, social institutions, and political organization will be neither enduring nor elevating; it may look energetic and enterprising, but it is not worth the name, if it is not geared up to the spiritual side of life. Once again, what Sri Aurobindo says is worth quoting here: A mere intellectual, ethical, and aesthetic culture does not go back to the inmost truth of the spirit; it is still an ignorance, an incomplete, outward, and superficial knowledge. To have made the discovery of our deepest being and hidden spiritual nature is the first necessity and to have erected the living of an inmost spiritual life into the aim of existence is the characteristic sign of a spiritual culture. 17 The VedÄ nta philosophy solves the problem of monism versus pluralism on the basis of the distinction between two levels or standpoints called pÄ ramÄ rthika and vyÄ vahÄ rika, or absolute and relative respectively. The Upanisads make use of this distinction in the explanation of the epistemological, metaphysical, axiological, and soteriological problems. What is true at one level may not be so at another level. A dream-lion which is accepted as real in dream experience loses its reality at the waking level. What is accepted as a value at one time may turn out to be a disvalue at another time. The pluralistic universe which is accepted as real may cease to exist in the state of liberation following the spiritual ascent. The pÄ ramÄ rthika or absolute standpoint is higher, whereas the vyÄ vahÄ rika or the relative standpoint is lower. It must be borne in mind that the  higher standpoint which transcends the lower does not invalidate it. One who has moved from th e relative to the absolute standpoint knows the truth of the former; but one who is tied to the relative standpoint cannot understand the truth of the absolute standpoint. Consider the case of two persons who attempt to climb up a mountain in order to reach the highest peak. While one of them reaches the top, the other, due to some disability, is not able to proceed beyond the foothill. The person who has reached the summit knows what kind of experience is available to one at the foothill; but one who is at the foothill does not understand the kind of experience one has at the top. We have to apply this logic to the different kinds of experience without subverting the pÄ ramÄ rthika-vyÄ vahÄ rika hierarchy. The Upanisads describe the two levels as signifying higher wisdom and lower knowledge. Experience of plurality is quite common; it is quite natural; we have it in our daily life. No special effort or discipline is required for such an experience. But experience of oneness is uncommon. One does not get it without special effort or appropriate discipline. The transition is from the common to the uncommon. A text of the BrhadÄ rayaka Upanisad describes the two levels of experience as follows: For, where there is duality as it were, there one sees the other, one smells the other, one knows the other. . . . But, where everything has become just one’s own self, by what and whom should one smell, by what and whom should one know?18 Without disregarding the pragmatic value of day-to-day empirical knowledge, primal culture emphasizes the importance of higher wisdom. It will be of interest to quote Wittgenstein in this connection. He says: In religion every level of devoutness must have its appropriate form of expression which has no sense at a lower level. This doctrine, which means something at a higher level, is null and void for someone who is still at the lower level; he can only understand it wrongly and so these words are not valid for such a person. For instance, at my level the Pauline doctrine of predestination is ugly, nonsense, irreligiousness. Hence it is not suitable for me, since the only use I could make of the picture I am offered would be a wrong one. If it is a good and godly picture, then it is so for someone at a quite different level, who must use it in his life in a way completely different from anything that would be possible for me.19 The teaching of the VedÄ nta philosophy is positive. According to it, life in this world is meaningful  and purposive — meaningful for the reason that it serves as the training ground for one’s spiritual uplifting through the proper use of the objects of the world by the mind-sense-body equipment of which one is in possession, and purposive as one has to achieve freedom or liberation by overcoming the existential predicament. Freedom or liberation which is projected as the goal must be understood in the spiritual sense. It is true that human life is made difficult by economic constraints, political oppression, social hierarchy, and religious discrimination; and a situation of this kind points to, and calls for, freedom of different kinds so that a person can exist and function as a moral agent enjoying economic, political, social and religious freedom. However, the goal of life remains unfulfilled in spite of these different kinds of freedom. Though they are necessary, they are not sufficient. The highest freedom which is eternal and totally satisfying is spiritual freedom, which is called moksa in Indian culture. A socio-political system may ensure political freedom, social justice, economic satisfaction, and unrestricted religious practice; but still there is no guarantee of harmony of spirit, mind, and body which one can achieve only through the teaching of philosophy and religion. The socio-political machinery cannot be a substitute for religion and philosophy, though it can and should maintain a system of rights and obligations in which alone a human being can lead a moral life as formulated in religion and can pursue the goal of liberation as projected by philosophy. Sri Aurobindo says: The whole aim of a great culture is to lift man up to something which at first he is not, to lead him to knowledge though he starts from an unfathomable ignorance, to teach him to live by reason, though actually he lives much more by his unreason, by the law of good and unity, though he is now full of evil and discord, by a law of beauty and harmony, though his actual life is a repulsive muddle of ugliness and jarring barbarisms, by some law of his spirit, though at present he is egoistic, material, unspiritual, engrossed by the needs and desires of his physical being. If a civilization has not any of these aims, it can hardly at all be said to have a culture and certainly in no sense a great and noble culture. But the last of these aims, as conceived by ancient India, is the highest of all because it includes and surpasses all the others. To have made this attempt is to have ennobled the life of the race; to have failed in it is better than if it had never at all   been attempted; to have achieved even a partial success is a great contribution to the future possibilities of the human being.20 Excepting the CÄ rvÄ ka, which advocates a thoroughgoing materialism, all other philosophical systems in India accept the ideal of moksa. The Indian mind, right from the beginning, has accepted a hierarchy of values, ranging from the bodily and economic values at the bottom to the spiritual values of which liberation is at the top. The human being leads his life at two levels — organic and hyper-organic. Bodily and economic values which he pursues belong to the organic level. In so far as the pursuit of the organic values is concerned — values which are necessary for life preservation — his life and activities are in no way different from those of animals; at this level, hunger and sleep, shelter and sex are common to man and animals. Endowed as he is not only with the body, but also with the mind, he also lives at another level, pursuing higher values such as truth, beauty, goodness. The life-activity of man which is fully reflective of his cognition, desire, deliberation, and choice cannot stop short of the highest value called moksa. It is not necessary here to discuss the broad scheme of values accepted in the Indian tradition. Suffice it to say that, though artha and kÄ ma, which emphasize the importance of the material and hedonistic side of life, have been accommodated in the scheme of values, the moral and spiritual side of life has received special attention in Indian culture. That is why it has accepted two higher values, dharma and moksa, the former functioning as a moral guide, and also as a regulative principle of artha and kÄ ma pursued in our secular life, for the realization of the latter. All the philosophical systems, Vedic as well as non-Vedic, hold the view that moksa as the highest value is both ultimate and all-satisfying — ultimate since there is nothing else to which it can be the means, and all-satisfying since it comprehends all the higher values. Sankara says that one gets the feeling of the fulfillment of all values when one attains moksa.21 There are three questions that we have to consider in connection with the ultimate value. The first one is whether it can be realized at all. There is the view that the ultimate value is only an ideal to inspire and regulate our conduct and that it can never be attained. We can regulate our life so as to come nearer to it from time to time, from stage to stage; but we can never reach it. Suc h a view is untenable. Also, it goes against the spirit of Indian  culture. Realization of one’s true nature is liberation. We have already pointed out that the human being is a complex entity consisting of Spirit and matter. Spirit by its very nature is ever free and never bound. But it appears to be bound because of the material adjunct with which it is associated in the empirical life. Overwhelmed by ignorance, the human being does not realize that he is essentially Spirit and therefore free. When he attains the right knowledge and knows his real nature, he is no more under the limitation or bondage of the psycho-physical material outfit, because ignorance which conceals his real nature is removed by knowledge. It means that the ideal of moksa has a basis in the very constitution of the human being; also, the human being, not being satisfied with the material achievements, what the Upanisad calls preyas, longs for spiritual freedom, which is called Sreyas. The Upanisad says: Both the good and the pleasant approach a man. The wise man, pondering over them, discriminates. The wise chooses the good in preference to the pleasant. The simple-minded, for the sake of worldly well-being, prefers the pleasant.22 One cannot have both Sreyas and preyas. The pursuit of the former requires the renunciation of the latter. Spiritual illumination follows purgation. Speaking about the importance of the ideal and its close relation to human nature, Hiriyanna observes: Ideals are rooted in needs inherent in human nature. It is their reality that constitutes their true charm. Take this charm from them, and they reduce themselves but to pleasant fantasy. The reality of such a value may not be vouched for by common reasoning. But we should remember that neither is there any adequate proof for denying it. Not to admit the ideal would therefore be to be dogmatic in the sense that we deny it without adequate proof for the denial.23 The second question is wheth er the ideal of moksa can be realized by all. Here also the great philosophical traditions, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, are unanimous in their affirmative answer. There is nothing in human nature which either disqualifies or incapacitates him from attaining this ideal. Whatever may be the differences among human beings at the bodily, vital, and mental levels, everyone has the right and duty to aspire for the highest value by virtue of what he/she is. As every human being is endowed with the mind, the most precious and unequalled instrument through which one can look before and after, know the things given to him, and choose from them after  discrimination and deliberation, he is not in any way incapacitated from pursuing the ultimate value. Indian culture looks down on the doctrine of the chosen few. Since ignorance is the obstacle that stands in the way of realizing one’s divine nature, realizing one’s Spirit, which is liberation, it can be removed by knowledge which anyone can acquire through moral and spi ritual discipline. The philosophy of VedÄ nta, according to which every human being is divine, is opposed to the theory of privilege — of birth, intellect, spirituality, etc. It is anti-hierarchical. In everyone there is a sleeping Buddha, a hidden Brahman, to which everyone can have access. That the doors to the spiritual realm do not remain closed to anyone is conveyed in a forthright manner by Sri Aurobindo: A wider spiritual culture must recognize that the Spirit is not only the highest and inmost thing, but all is manifestation and creation of the Spirit. It must have a wider outlook, a more embracing range of applicability and, even, a more aspiring and ambitious aim of its endeavor. Its aim must be not only to raise to inaccessible heights the few elect, but to draw all men and all life and the whole human being upward, to spiritualize life and in the end to divinize human nature. Not only must it be able to lay hold on his deepest individual being, but to inspire, too, his communal existence. It must turn, by a spiritual change, all the members of his ignorance into members of the knowledge; it must transmute all the instruments of the human into instruments of a divine living. The total movement of Indian spirituality is towards this aim. 24 The third question, whether the ultimate value can be realized here in this life or only hereafter, is answered in two different ways. Some philosophical systems maintain that the proper preparation that a person undertakes for achieving this end will help him to realize it only after death, whereas some other systems hold the view that it can be realized in this life itself, if one follows the prescribed moral and spiritual discipline. The former view is called the eschatological conception of moksa while the latter is known as lÄ «van-mukti. â€Å"LÄ «van-mukti† means liberation-in-life. The person who has attained enlightenment or wisdom is free even while he is in the embodied condition. It is not necessary to discuss these two views of moksa in detail. It may be pointed out here that the view that it is possible to overcome bondage and attain liberation here and now deepens the significance of the present life. A  lÄ «van-mukta does not run away from society. He l ives in society for the benefit of others; when he is engaged in activities, he has no sense of â€Å"I† and â€Å"mine†; his activities, that is to say, are impersonal. Also, he imparts spiritual instruction to others, for, having realized the truth, he alone is competent to do this. The life of a lÄ «van-mukta, as portrayed in the Hindu tradition, is comparable to that of a Bodhi-sattva as explained in the MahÄ yÄ na tradition. The ideal of life goes beyond self-perfection; it also includes work for the universal good. According to the Indian tradition, knowledge is different from information, and wisdom is different from knowledge. We may say that information, knowledge, and wisdom constitute a hierarchy. To know a thing is to know it in a determinate way, as such-and-such — as a substance possessing qualities, as a whole consisting of parts, as the cause or effect of something, and so on. Every object has two kinds of relations, internal and external. A lump of clay, for example, is internally related to its color, its parts of which it is made. It is also externally related to the ground on which it is placed, its immediate surroundings, and so on. No object remains isolated from other things; on the contrary, it has a network of relations with other things in such a way that it is what it is because of other things. When the poet says that, to know a flower seen in a crannied wall, one must know the plant, root and all, and also the wall, its location, and so on, he draws our attention to the fact that every object is an integral part of the cosmic system and that, to get an insight into the nature of a thing, one must know the whole of which it is an integral part. Bits of information do not constitute knowledge. Piecemeal information about the roots, the trunk, and the branches of a tree cannot be viewed as the knowledge of a tree. Just as knowledge is different from information, even so wisdom is different from knowledge. Though knowledge is superior to information, it cannot be a substitute for wisdom. The Vedic tradition draws a distinction between two kinds of knowledge, higher (parÄ ) and lower (aparÄ ).

Friday, November 8, 2019

Prayer in Public Schools essays

Prayer in Public Schools essays During the past year, the United States watched a heated legal and emotional public debate concerning the removal of a Ten Commandments' monument on display at an Alabama courthouse (Niemeyer Pp). Recently, the National Assembly of France, in a 494 to 36 vote, approved banning headscarves worn by fundamentalist Muslims, yamulkas by Orthodox Jews, and crosses by Christians in public schools (Niemeyer Pp). Although, the United States is still debating the 1962 Engel v. Vitale decision banning organized school prayer, it is difficult to imagine that Congress or the Supreme Court would ever ban religious images in public schools (Niemeyer Pp). However, for decades, many religious leaders have believed that no greater harm can come to religion than when placed in the states' hands At issue in Engel v. Vitale was "whether a non-denominational prayer, recited in every classroom in a school district, violated the First provision for separation of church and state" (Engel Pp). Many parents that the NYS Regents-composed prayer violated the First Amendment's separation of church and state, while the New York Board of Education of Hyde Park contended that it was a non-denominational prayer and that the schools did not compel any student to recite it (Engel Pp). The Supreme "found that the school district violated the students' First Amendment because even though the students did not have to say the prayer, the the prayer in class would put unwanted pressures on them" (Engel Pp). Moreover, the "non-denominational prayer was found to be too religious for state to mandate and was in violation of the establishment clause of the Dissenting, Justice Stewart, stated, "The Court does not hold, nor could it, that New York has interfered with the free ex ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Hurricanes Essays - Vortices, Tropical Cyclone, Eye, Free Essays

Hurricanes Essays - Vortices, Tropical Cyclone, Eye, Free Essays Hurricanes HURRICANES Of all of natures forces that exist hurricanes could be considered one of the most powerful of all these forces that can cause tremendous amounts of destruction is such a little amount of time. A hurricane is a powerful whirling storm of winds that measure 200-300 miles in diameter. Hurricanes are an area of low pressure that forms over the oceans in tropical regions in either the north Atlantic Ocean or eastern north Pacific Ocean. In the west Pacific Ocean hurricanes are called typhoons, and in the Indian Ocean they are called Cyclones. Hurricanes develop from easterly waves that over the oceans warm waters. These easterly waves are long narrow regions of low pressure that occur in ocean winds called trade winds. The waves may grow into a tropical depression, which are winds from 1 to 31 miles per hour. Then they can grow into a tropical storm, which are winds from 32 to 73 miles per hour. These waves then turn into what you call hurricanes and hurricanes are winds greater than 74 miles per hour. The winds swirl around a portion of the storm called the eye. This is a calm area in the center of the storm. It is about 20 miles in diameter and has little wind and clouds. The storm clouds called that are around the eye of the storm are called wall clouds. Inside these wall clouds are where most of the heaviest rains are and where the strongest winds are. Outside of the wall clouds are clouds called rain clouds. They have winds and rain and make up most of the diameter of the storm but nothing as powerful as the wall clouds. Hurricanes usually occur within the months of June to November, most occur in the month of September. Eight Hurricanes occur a year on average but as many as 15 have occurred in one years time in the Atlantic Ocean. In the Northern Hemisphere the winds of a Hurricane move around the eye counter clockwise due the gravitational pull from the North Pole. In the Southern Hemisphere the winds move around the eye clockwise. The eye of the hurricane travels over land at an average of 10 to 15 miles per hour. The atmospheric disturbance that causes hurricanes start approximately in the latitudes between 5-30 degrees on both sides of the equator. Hurricanes start moving towards land picking speed, strength, and size. They will then drift away from the equator as they reach temperate latitude where they are called extra tropical and travel over the land bring havoc and destruction to all that they pass over. The winds and the rains over the sea along with the force of the sea produce huge waves called a storm surge. These storm surges cause lots of flooding and damage to coastlines, especially if they happen at high tide. The storm weakens as it moves over land because hurricanes need the warm sea to supp ly energy to it through evaporation. Also the friction of the storm over the land causes the storm to slow down. Meteorologists of the National Weather Service keep a close watch over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to see of there are any storms brewing. They collect such information as air pressure, temperature, and wind speeds. By doing all this they will be able to forecast where and when a hurricane will begin, where it will travel, and how strong it is going to be. Meteorologists get information about hurricanes by satellites, airplanes and by radar. It is shocking to see the amount of destruction from the power of a hurricane that can be caused. To put this in a better perspective: A hurricane in one day averages 1.6 X 1013 kilowatt-hour, which is 8000 times more than all the electrical power generated in the United States in one day. This is also equivalent to a daily explosion of 500000 atomic bombs, the 20-kiloton Nagasaki variety. This is absolutely amazing to think about. Many people have been trying to find ways to slow down the speeds of hurricanes for the longest time now. What is needed is a small input that can make a large amount of natural instability. The first attempt

Monday, November 4, 2019

Assess the major themes, based on article ''Sharing In The Global Essay - 1

Assess the major themes, based on article ''Sharing In The Global Economy -An Introduction'' written by Adam W. Parson edited by Rejesh Makwana - Essay Example These varied images figure into diverse representations of globalization by which it mean broad understandings of its characteristics, dynamics, causes, and consequences. Some representations are explicitly constructed, publicized, and defended against alternatives – as in the neoliberal narratives offered by the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), or the critical narratives of groups that oppose corporate globalization, such as Global Exchange. But there are also what we can call implicit representations arising from media coverage of globalization-related issues, formed as people pass the images and ideas they encounter through the filter of their own perspectives and experiences, and build understandings of their own. These diverse representations – unfurled in different venues, to different audiences, with different ends matter in so far as they affect the dense networks of forces and relations that shape how globalization unfolds. Thus, for e xample, they may affect such varied processes as: the buying behavior of first-world consumers, the bargaining power of labor, the success and freedom from regulation of multinational corporations, the mandates of elected officials, the authority and funding of the international financial institutions, and shifts of authority for regulating international trade and investment from national into supranational domains. Globalization is almost always understood to be an acceleration of processes of economic integration, spurred by free trade, that have been underway for centuries. To be sure, there are lively debates within the economics profession about the levels and distributions of benefits from globalization and the extent to which it has excesses and inefficiencies that public policy should address. However, few mainstream economists would agree that new conceptual frameworks

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Corporate risk management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Corporate risk management - Essay Example In the year 2008 alone, the United States fire department indicated having responded to 1,451,500 fires in the country that resulted to 3,320 fatalities and over US $ 5,478,000,000 worth of property loss (Fodor Travel Inc 2008). The most recent fire outbreak was the California fires which resulted to losses of about US $ 1.5 million. Following this consideration, fires pose a risk to corporations and thus fire protection is quite critical in the modern era of highly dynamic consumerism patterns (Huang 2009). The only way to guarantee sustainable growth and development in a country is based on the holistic capacity to address all the incumbent risks factors. It is from this consideration that fire protection becomes very critical in modern risk management as a way of reducing its extended affects. Managing a risk is a cycle not necessarily geared towards eliminating the risk but ensuring that the losses that could be incurred in the event of a disaster are limited. The risk management cycle has been broadly broken down into four classes namely; evaluation of the risk, management of the risk, measurement of the risk and assessment of the risk. These stages determine how best to plan for a risk before it happens and the best course of action a corporation should take incase a disaster struck. Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing and prioritizing risks which is then backed up by a systematic and calculated application of available resources to limit, monitor closely, control and establish how the identified risks can be effectively handled. The plan devised with the available resources should be geared towards minimizing the probability of negative effects that could come with the occurrence of a risk. For this paper, the identified risk is fire since it poses a huge risk to both property and people. A good risk management