The First Environmentalist Essay -- Buddhism Environmentalism

â€Å"We are the same as plants, as trees, as other people, as the rain that falls. We consist of that which is around us; we are the same as everything. If we destroy something around us, we destroy ourselves† (Buddha). This quote from Buddha depicts the essence of Buddhism and its intimate relationship with the environment. Buddhism new and old is intertwined with nature and the environment. Buddhism is intrinsically, at its core, environmentalism. Environmentalism shines through many aspects of Buddhism: the middle way, Samsara, Karma, iconography, and impermanence. These facets led to Buddhism containing an underlying theme of environmentalism. When the Buddha first began Buddhism he was concerned with how people live their lives. Before he was the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was a wealthy prince and often lived a lavish lifestyle, but as a drive to become more spiritual took hold he renounced his excessive existence. He became an ascetic who lived in the woods. This was in stark contrast to how he was living before. The ascetic life was one of little to no means, which the bodhisattva led for a long time until he almost died from one of his practices. Having lived both of these lives the bodhisattva was lead to establish the middle way. The middle way is a way to live your life in such a way you do not live in excess or deprivation because each of these lead to destruction of yourself or others. If everyone could live within the middle way many environmental detriments would not happen. The middle way would quell consumerism, waste generation, and energy usage to name a few. As a populace we would no longer need to buy ev erything we see or think we need. Much of the waste and power used to manufacture goods would be offset by pe... ... start treating our world with more care because you never know if the millions of homeless children are really the vanishing trees being reborn as unwanted children (Snyder 188). Works Cited Babbit, Ellen C. "XV THE OX WHO ENVIED THE PIG." Internet Sacred Text Archive Home. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. Bloom, Alfred. "Buddhism, Nature and the Environment." The Eastern Buddhist. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. Nath, Jemal. "‘God Is a Vegetarian’: The Food, Health and Bio-spirituality of Hare Krishna, Buddhist and Seventh-Day Adventist Devotees." Health Sociology Review 19.3 (2010): 356-68. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. Prebish, Charles S., and Damien Keown. Introducing Buddhism. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print. Snyder, Gary. The Practice of the Wild: Essays. Washington, DC: Shoemaker & Hoard, 2004. Print.

Dantes Divine Comedy - Symbolism in the Punishment of Sin in The Infer

The Symbolism in the Punishment of Sin in Dante's Inferno  Ã‚      Inferno, the first part of Divina Commedia, or the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, is the story of a man's journey through Hell and the observance of punishments incurred as a result of the committance of sin. In all cases the severity of the punishment, and the punishment itself, has a direct correlation to the sin committed. The punishments are fitting in that they are symbolic of the actual sin; in other words, "They got what they wanted." (Literature of the Western World, p.1409) According to Dante, Hell has two divisions: Upper Hell, devoted to those who perpetrated sins of incontinence, and Lower Hell, devoted to those who perpetrated sins of malice. The divisions of Hell are likewise split into levels corresponding to sin. Each of the levels and the divisions within levels 7,8, and 9 have an analogous historical or mythological figure used to illustrate and exemplify the sin. The first of the two divisions of Hell is Upper Hell. Upper Hell is the area habitated by those committing sins of incontinence or lack of self-restraint. This lack of self-restraint could be in the form of anything from sex to mood. Before delving into the sins of incontinence, one must first look into the first inconsistency of the Inferno. This inconsistency is found in the Vestibule of Hell. The Vestibule of Hell contains the trimmers and the neutrals. Although almost all other sins mentioned in the Inferno are of an ethical, universal standpoint, the ones mentioned here are sins only from the Christian point of view. These neutrals are the people who either showed no partisanship or did not take sides. Lines 37-39 and 46-50 read: They are joined with that choir... ...ion. Dante cites now-historical and mythological figures to exemplify the sins and to make for the better understanding of sin to even the most inept of readers. This work stands alongside The Bible as one of the greatest religious-literary masterpieces of all time.    Works Cited Literature of the Western World, Volume 2. 4th edition by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1997. Works Consulted Niven, Larry and Pournelle, Jerry. Inferno. New York: Pocket Books,1976. MacAllister, Archibald T. Introduction. Inferno. By Dante. New York: Mentor, 1954. Pinsky, Robert. The Inferno of Dante. New York: Harper Collins, 1994. Shippey, T.A. "Into Hell and Out Again". Times Literary Supplement, 8 July 1977, .820. Spinrad, Norman. Introduction to Inferno, by Niven and Pournelle. Boston: Gregg Press, 1979. Dante's Divine Comedy - Symbolism in the Punishment of Sin in The Infer The Symbolism in the Punishment of Sin in Dante's Inferno  Ã‚      Inferno, the first part of Divina Commedia, or the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, is the story of a man's journey through Hell and the observance of punishments incurred as a result of the committance of sin. In all cases the severity of the punishment, and the punishment itself, has a direct correlation to the sin committed. The punishments are fitting in that they are symbolic of the actual sin; in other words, "They got what they wanted." (Literature of the Western World, p.1409) According to Dante, Hell has two divisions: Upper Hell, devoted to those who perpetrated sins of incontinence, and Lower Hell, devoted to those who perpetrated sins of malice. The divisions of Hell are likewise split into levels corresponding to sin. Each of the levels and the divisions within levels 7,8, and 9 have an analogous historical or mythological figure used to illustrate and exemplify the sin. The first of the two divisions of Hell is Upper Hell. Upper Hell is the area habitated by those committing sins of incontinence or lack of self-restraint. This lack of self-restraint could be in the form of anything from sex to mood. Before delving into the sins of incontinence, one must first look into the first inconsistency of the Inferno. This inconsistency is found in the Vestibule of Hell. The Vestibule of Hell contains the trimmers and the neutrals. Although almost all other sins mentioned in the Inferno are of an ethical, universal standpoint, the ones mentioned here are sins only from the Christian point of view. These neutrals are the people who either showed no partisanship or did not take sides. Lines 37-39 and 46-50 read: They are joined with that choir... ...ion. Dante cites now-historical and mythological figures to exemplify the sins and to make for the better understanding of sin to even the most inept of readers. This work stands alongside The Bible as one of the greatest religious-literary masterpieces of all time.    Works Cited Literature of the Western World, Volume 2. 4th edition by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1997. Works Consulted Niven, Larry and Pournelle, Jerry. Inferno. New York: Pocket Books,1976. MacAllister, Archibald T. Introduction. Inferno. By Dante. New York: Mentor, 1954. Pinsky, Robert. The Inferno of Dante. New York: Harper Collins, 1994. Shippey, T.A. "Into Hell and Out Again". Times Literary Supplement, 8 July 1977, .820. Spinrad, Norman. Introduction to Inferno, by Niven and Pournelle. Boston: Gregg Press, 1979.

Social Studies

Social studies is defined by the Board of Director of the National Council for the social studies as, the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and neutral sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. There are two main characteristics of social studies as a field of study. First is social studies promoting civic competence, the knowledge, skill, and attitudes of a student needed to assume â€Å"the office of citizen† in our democratic republic. The National Council for the Social Studies considers civic competence as a main goal for social studies. The NCSS says, students who learn these skills in social studies will help shape the future of a democratic society. The second characteristic of social studies is the social studies program, K-12, integrates knowledge, skills, and attitudes within and across disciplines. A third characteristic is one in which social studies programs help students construct a knowledge base and attitudes drawn from academic disciplines as specialized ways of viewing reality. This can be achieved with courses such as, history, geography, political science, sociology, and language arts, English and fine arts. Examples from each help students experience concepts reflectively and actively, through reading, thinking, discussing and writing. The fourth characteristic of the social studies program is the demonstration of the changing nature of knowledge, fostering entirely new and highly integrated approaches to resolving issues of significance to humanity. The social studies program should help students gain knowledge of how to know, how to apply what they know, and how to participate in building a future. A well designed social studies curriculum will help each student achieve a blend of personal academic, pluralist, and global views of the human condition with a personal perspective, academic perspective, pluralist perspective, and global perspective. A personal perspective will help to explore events and recurring issues, consider implication for self, family, and the while nation and world community. Students should be able to make choices for themselves and others. Students should learn how to construct an academic perspective through study and application of social studies learning experiences. Based on diversity, social studies students should construct a pluralist perspective. A global perspective includes knowledge, skills, and commitments needed to live wisely in a world that possesses limited resources. It involves viewing the world and the people with understanding and concern. A social studies student will be able to connect knowledge, skills, and values to civic action as they engage in social inquiry. Knowledge is constructed by learners as thy attempt to fit new information, experiences, feeling, and relationships. In social studies educators draw from a number of disciplines to construct circular experiences enabling students to actively relate new knowledge to their existing understanding. For students to be better thinkers and better decision makers, they must have contact with those accustomed to thinking with precision, refinement, and clarity. They should be encouraged to be critical. Skills promoted in an excellent social studies program includes, acquiring information and manipulation data, developing and presenting polices, arguments and stories, constructing new knowledge, and participating in groups. The social studies curriculum focused on how values are formed and how they influence human behavior rather than on building commitment to specific values. The emphasis is placed upon helping students weigh priorities in situations in which a conflict exists between or among values. With each position students will be able to improve the ways in which they deal with persistent issues and dilemmas and participate with others in making decisions about them. Students who pose knowledge, skill, and values are prepared to take appropriate civic action as individuals or as members of groups devoted to civic improvements. The principles of teaching and learning document which must undergird all social studies programs include, social studies teaching and learning are powerful when they are meaningful, social studies teaching and learning are powerful when they are integrated, social studies teaching and learning are powerful when they are value based, they are powerful when they are challenging and they are powerful when they are active. The document also states additional requirements to support an excellent social studies program which lie beyond the control of the individual teacher. The purpose of the social studies standard is to serve as a frame work for K-12 social studies program, to serve as a guide for curriculum decision, and to provide examples of classroom practice to guide teachers in designing instruction to help students meet performance expectations. They provide criteria for making decisions as curriculum planners and teachers address issues, and how to access whether students and apply what they have learned. The social studies standards are presented as a set of ten thematically based curriculum standards, corresponding sets of performance expectations and illustrations of exemplary teaching and learning to foster students achievements of the standards at each school level. The ten standards for the social studies curriculums at every school level are, One culture; two time, continuity, and change; three people, places, and environments; four individual development and identities; fume individuals, gourd, and institutions; six power, authority, and governance; seven production, distribution, and consumption; eight science, technology, and society; nine global connections; and ten civic ideals and practices. The NCSS House of Delegates voted in November 1992 to approve the final version of the definition of social studies. NCSS recently issued position statements on curriculum, assessment, teacher education, and professional development. The purposes and goals of social studies are stated in NCSS’s â€Å"Essentials of the Social Studies,† it identifies citizenship education as the primary purpose of K-12 social studies. It states that, effective social studies programs prepare young people to identify, understand, and work to solve problems. Assumptions about social studies as a school subject include social studies as diverse, all students should have access to the full richness of the social studies curriculum, teachers need adequate time and resources to teach social studies well at every grade level, and social studies teachers need to treat the social world realistically and address its controversial aspects. The vision of powerful social studies teaching and learning comes from the goals and purposes of social studies, the assumptions, and the available research and scholarships. Social studies teaching and learning is powerful when they are meaningful, integrative, value based, challenging and active, all of which are equally important. Powerful social studies teaching and learning is likely to become more common when assessment approaches at all levels focus on measuring progress toward social understanding and efficacy goals; teachers benefit and education receives support from administrators, parents, the local community, and government agencies; and the nation successfully meets ceratin currently recognizable challenges. Social Studies Social studies is defined by the Board of Director of the National Council for the social studies as, the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and neutral sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. There are two main characteristics of social studies as a field of study. First is social studies promoting civic competence, the knowledge, skill, and attitudes of a student needed to assume â€Å"the office of citizen† in our democratic republic. The National Council for the Social Studies considers civic competence as a main goal for social studies. The NCSS says, students who learn these skills in social studies will help shape the future of a democratic society. The second characteristic of social studies is the social studies program, K-12, integrates knowledge, skills, and attitudes within and across disciplines. A third characteristic is one in which social studies programs help students construct a knowledge base and attitudes drawn from academic disciplines as specialized ways of viewing reality. This can be achieved with courses such as, history, geography, political science, sociology, and language arts, English and fine arts. Examples from each help students experience concepts reflectively and actively, through reading, thinking, discussing and writing. The fourth characteristic of the social studies program is the demonstration of the changing nature of knowledge, fostering entirely new and highly integrated approaches to resolving issues of significance to humanity. The social studies program should help students gain knowledge of how to know, how to apply what they know, and how to participate in building a future. A well designed social studies curriculum will help each student achieve a blend of personal academic, pluralist, and global views of the human condition with a personal perspective, academic perspective, pluralist perspective, and global perspective. A personal perspective will help to explore events and recurring issues, consider implication for self, family, and the while nation and world community. Students should be able to make choices for themselves and others. Students should learn how to construct an academic perspective through study and application of social studies learning experiences. Based on diversity, social studies students should construct a pluralist perspective. A global perspective includes knowledge, skills, and commitments needed to live wisely in a world that possesses limited resources. It involves viewing the world and the people with understanding and concern. A social studies student will be able to connect knowledge, skills, and values to civic action as they engage in social inquiry. Knowledge is constructed by learners as thy attempt to fit new information, experiences, feeling, and relationships. In social studies educators draw from a number of disciplines to construct circular experiences enabling students to actively relate new knowledge to their existing understanding. For students to be better thinkers and better decision makers, they must have contact with those accustomed to thinking with precision, refinement, and clarity. They should be encouraged to be critical. Skills promoted in an excellent social studies program includes, acquiring information and manipulation data, developing and presenting polices, arguments and stories, constructing new knowledge, and participating in groups. The social studies curriculum focused on how values are formed and how they influence human behavior rather than on building commitment to specific values. The emphasis is placed upon helping students weigh priorities in situations in which a conflict exists between or among values. With each position students will be able to improve the ways in which they deal with persistent issues and dilemmas and participate with others in making decisions about them. Students who pose knowledge, skill, and values are prepared to take appropriate civic action as individuals or as members of groups devoted to civic improvements. The principles of teaching and learning document which must undergird all social studies programs include, social studies teaching and learning are powerful when they are meaningful, social studies teaching and learning are powerful when they are integrated, social studies teaching and learning are powerful when they are value based, they are powerful when they are challenging and they are powerful when they are active. The document also states additional requirements to support an excellent social studies program which lie beyond the control of the individual teacher. The purpose of the social studies standard is to serve as a frame work for K-12 social studies program, to serve as a guide for curriculum decision, and to provide examples of classroom practice to guide teachers in designing instruction to help students meet performance expectations. They provide criteria for making decisions as curriculum planners and teachers address issues, and how to access whether students and apply what they have learned. The social studies standards are presented as a set of ten thematically based curriculum standards, corresponding sets of performance expectations and illustrations of exemplary teaching and learning to foster students achievements of the standards at each school level. The ten standards for the social studies curriculums at every school level are, One culture; two time, continuity, and change; three people, places, and environments; four individual development and identities; fume individuals, gourd, and institutions; six power, authority, and governance; seven production, distribution, and consumption; eight science, technology, and society; nine global connections; and ten civic ideals and practices. The NCSS House of Delegates voted in November 1992 to approve the final version of the definition of social studies. NCSS recently issued position statements on curriculum, assessment, teacher education, and professional development. The purposes and goals of social studies are stated in NCSS’s â€Å"Essentials of the Social Studies,† it identifies citizenship education as the primary purpose of K-12 social studies. It states that, effective social studies programs prepare young people to identify, understand, and work to solve problems. Assumptions about social studies as a school subject include social studies as diverse, all students should have access to the full richness of the social studies curriculum, teachers need adequate time and resources to teach social studies well at every grade level, and social studies teachers need to treat the social world realistically and address its controversial aspects. The vision of powerful social studies teaching and learning comes from the goals and purposes of social studies, the assumptions, and the available research and scholarships. Social studies teaching and learning is powerful when they are meaningful, integrative, value based, challenging and active, all of which are equally important. Powerful social studies teaching and learning is likely to become more common when assessment approaches at all levels focus on measuring progress toward social understanding and efficacy goals; teachers benefit and education receives support from administrators, parents, the local community, and government agencies; and the nation successfully meets ceratin currently recognizable challenges.

Video Gambling †Confessions of an Addict

Video Gambling – Confessions of an Addict Free Online Research Papers Video Gambling Confessions of an Addict Some people associate gambling as a means of enjoyment or social interaction. But at one point in my life it became an addiction. The fun stopped and the problems began, but oddly enough while it was happening I didnt know the moment the switch occurred. I was introduced to gambling at the age of 23 while working at a small restaurant on the northwest part of town. It was a slow time of day and there were three video lottery machines in a small room in the corner of the restaurant. The entire staff would play the machines during the slow times throughout the day and I never thought much about it. They would spend their tip money in hopes that they would win it big with nothing more than a spare change left behind by patrons. One day I decided to drop a quarter into the machine myself and take a run with my luck. The game Keno looked pretty interesting to me so I picked ten numbers and hit start. Before I knew it I was racking up credits, 500 to be exact. I couldn’t believe it, I had just won $125.00 and it was my first time playing any kind of game of this kind. I was on top of the world and experiencing what I would later understand to be a gamblers high. On my way home from work I passed a couple of casinos, they had always been there but I never really noticed them before. With gamblers high still pumping in my veins I decided to stop and try my luck again. My line of thinking was that if I only took in $20.00, I could only lose $20.00. However, if there such a thing as beginners luck, I am sure had it. By the time I left the casino that night I was another $350.00 richer and laughing to myself about how I could quit my job to play professionally. As a result of my â€Å"beginners luck† I became a gambler full and true. First only taking in $20.00 or $40.00 at a time, but before long it was $100.00 or $150.00 in sad attempts to gain back what I lost the night before. I was having some personal problems at the time and going to the casino was a good way for me to keep my mind off all the problems at home. Perhaps I was trying to find an escape, or maybe that is just the excuse that all addicts use. Now a few years later, I was about to have a baby. My gambling came to a halt during this period. I had other things to keep my mind busy, so I didn’t need it at the time. There was about a two year period where I didnt gamble at all, in fact, I didnt really think much about it. However, once things on the home front began to worsen again, I immediately started looking for something else to consume my thoughts. I was on the verge of hitting bottom and I didnt have a clue. With a new born baby at home and never knowing where my boyfriend was, I felt lonely and depressed. I sought comfort in the casinos and began to hit the machines again. It was just like old times. I can remember going into the casino with $100.00 and my ATM card in hand. It was warm and inviting, like an old friend welcoming me back with a big hug. I never needed my ATM card that day as I had hit the big one with my last $20.00. One thousand dollars, I couldn’t believe it. That was more money then I would make working at the restaurant in two weeks and here I won it while having free drinks handed to me. Being the gambler I had turned into it was not enough to just win $1000.00. I immediately took $300.00 to another machine and began feeding in my winnings one quarter at a time. However, I guess I had the touch that day for sure; I won another $1000.00 almost immediately. I was hooked and everything in me was telling me that what I was doing was right. If I hadnt of won I dont know that my gambling would have gotten so out of control. I began gambling daily, sometimes all day long and far into the night. I would skip work to go to the casino. Gambling became a big part of my life. I would pass on sleep to gamble, I didn’t eat as the high of gambling kept me from thinking about food. My relationships suffered as suddenly I didn’t have the time to talk with old friends on the phone or participate in the lives of my family. I would be very irritable with my young son after a loss. The only thing I thought about was sitting at those machines with a beer in one hand and money in the other. Pay days were the worst; I would drop $600.00 in one day. This only led me to lie to my family and friends so I could borrow money from them to feed my son, or even worse, to just gamble it away. My family life was fading away from me and the people around me knew there was a problem. It was only about two months ago when I lost it big. I received my income tax refund, and with in a week it was gone. I lost nearly $2500.00 to video lottery. It was at this moment that I realized that I desperately needed help. I was very scared to tell everyone what was going, especially my boyfriend. How could I explain what I was doing and where all the money was going? After many long conversations and much heart ache my boyfriend decided to forgive me. He told me that he would be there for me and that we would get through it together. This is exactly what I think was missing in my life to begin with. Someone to open up to and talk to about my problem, and thankfully he was there for me when I needed him the most. It has been only two months since I came clean and I have vowed not to have video lottery in my life. Each day still comes with its own challenges but I have enrolled in school, and spend much of my time playing with my kids. Ever since video lottery took over my life 5 years ago, I have not had a lot of time for my family. To see the difference in my family life is what is keeping me going. The smiles on the faces of my children and to have them know that everyday there will be a good supper on the table is so magical. Research Papers on Video Gambling - Confessions of an AddictThe Hockey GamePersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Spring and AutumnNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionCapital PunishmentThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationWhere Wild and West Meet

Economic Affect of Flooding on the Pakistan Economy Essays

Economic Affect of Flooding on the Pakistan Economy Essays Economic Affect of Flooding on the Pakistan Economy Essay Economic Affect of Flooding on the Pakistan Economy Essay The floods in Pakistan have amounted to an economic disaster for the country. The scale of the human tragedy is enormous. To put it in some perspective, the flood waters have submerged one-fifth of Pakistan; roughly an area the size of Florida culminating in 1600 dead, about 20 million people displaced and 17 million acres of farmland destroyed. Pakistan’s towns, villages, crops, livestock, personal possessions and infrastructure have been completely washed away. Beyond the obvious social and political fallout is the economic consequence. There inevitably will be economic fallout from the evolving situation. In a country where a quarter of the economy is dependant on agriculture for food and jobs, it is obvious that economic growth will be effected. The scarcity in food and textile supplies for both internal use and exporting is the biggest impact on the economic growth potential of Pakistan. An impact to the Pakistan economy will be the shortage of agricultural goods. With large scale damage to agriculture and billions of dollars worth of crops and livestock destroyed, the economy took a major hit. The results of such a catastrophic event will shape the countries supply and demand chain. The supply of food will decrease which will drive up demand. Price of goods and services will begin to increase; consequencely, resulting in an increase in inflation rates. The income effect will decrease the quantity demanded lowering the purchasing power of consumers. This will cause a decrease in quantity supplied which will have a snowball affect on manufacturing. . The scarcity of resources in the country will largely affect manufacturing and exports in Pakistan. The flood waters destroyed the countries infrastructure like bridges, irrigation canals, homes, roads and railway tracks and six power plants that supply electricity to factories. Pakistan will have to borrow in order to finance the reconstruction which will add to the fiscal deficit which will only increase inflation due to the expansion of the money supply. The affect on manufacturing or the lack of resources to supply companies will impact the countries GDP. The reconstruction may increase GDP slightly but the destruction of physical assets needed for producing will decrease the growth rate more than any small growth will be noticed. Manufacturing and export will also be affected by the floods, since a portion of the annual cotton crop was wiped out. Textiles and apparel account for a large percent of Pakistan’s total exports. The loss of manufacturing will lower exports which will lower GDP even more. In fact, the inevitable increase in the import of food will add to the trade deficit in Pakistan. Another consequence is in unemployment since 40 percent Pakistan’s manufacturing jobs have been lost among farm workers and factory workers. This economic loss will translate into massive job losses affecting incomes of thousands of families further affecting the supply and demand chain. Most countries were already straddled with a budget deficit due to recovering global economy. The rehabilitation of Pakistan will put them behind in economic growth due to the shortage in goods and services, affecting GDP, inflation, and exporting. This decrease in growth rate will significantly affect Pakistan and the slowdown in the global economy will make the rebound a slow process. Reviving this industry is critical to Pakistan’s hopes for future stability and prosperity.

Understanding the Victim Complex

Understanding the Victim Complex In clinical psychology, a â€Å"victim complex† or â€Å"victim mentality† describes a personality trait of persons who believe they are constantly the victims of the harmful actions of others, even when made aware of evidence to the contrary. Most people go through normal periods of simple self-pity, as part of the grieving process, for example. However, these episodes are temporary and minor compared to the perpetual feelings of helplessness, pessimism, guilt, shame, despair, and depression that consume the lives of persons afflicted with a victim complex. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for people who have actually been victims of physically abusive or manipulative relationships to fall prey to  a universal victim mentality. Victim Complex vs. Martyr Complex   Sometimes associated with the term victim complex, persons diagnosed with a â€Å"martyr complex† actually desire the feelings of repeatedly being the victim. They sometimes seek out, even encourage, their own victimization in order to either satisfy a psychological need or as an excuse to avoid personal responsibility. Persons diagnosed with a martyr complex often knowingly place themselves in situations or relationships most likely to result in their suffering. Outside of the theological context, which holds that martyrs are persecuted as punishment for their refusal to reject a religious doctrine or deity, persons with a martyr complex seek to suffer in the name of love or duty. The martyr complex is sometimes associated with the personality disorder called â€Å"masochism,† regarded as a preference for and the pursuit of suffering.   In this sense, psychologists often observe the martyr complex in persons involved in abusive or codependent relationships. Fed by their perceived misery, persons with a martyr complex will often reject advice or offers to help them. Common Traits of Victim Complex Sufferers Persons diagnosed with a victim complex tend to dwell on every trauma, crisis, disease, or another difficulty that they have ever suffered, particularly those that happened during their childhoods. Often seeking a survival technique, they have come to believe that society simply â€Å"has it out for them.† In this sense, they passively submit to their unavoidable â€Å"fate† as perpetual victims as a way of coping with problems from tragic to trivial. Some common traits of persons with a victim complex include: They refuse to accept responsibility for dealing with their problems.They never accept any degree of blame for their problems.They always find reasons why suggested solutions will not work.They carry grudges, never forgive, and simply cannot â€Å"move on.†They are rarely assertive and find it hard to express their needs.They believe everyone is â€Å"out to get them† and thus trust no one.They are negative and pessimistic, always looking for the bad even in the good.They are often highly critical of others and rarely enjoy lasting friendships. According to psychologists, victim complex sufferers employ these â€Å"safer to flee than fight† beliefs as a method of coping with or completely avoiding life and its inherent difficulties. As noted behavioral scientist, author and speaker Steve Maraboli puts it, â€Å"The victim mindset dilutes the human potential. By not accepting personal responsibility for our circumstances, we greatly reduce our power to change them.† The Victim Complex in Relationships In relationships, a partner with a victim complex can cause extreme emotional chaos. The â€Å"victim† may constantly ask their partner to help them only to reject their suggestions or even find ways to sabotage them. In some cases, the â€Å"victim† will actually wrongly criticize their partner for failing to help, or even accuse them of trying to make their situation worse. As a result of this frustrating cycle, victims become experts at manipulating or bullying their partners into making draining attempts at care-giving ranging from financial support to assuming full responsibility for their lives. In this sense, bullies - looking for someone to take advantage of - often seek persons with a victim complex as their partners.  Ã‚   Perhaps the most likely to suffer lasting damage from these relationships are partners whose pity for the victim transcends sympathy to become empathy. In some cases, the dangers of misguided empathy can be the end of already tenuous relationships. When Victims Meet Saviors Along with bullies looking to dominate them, persons with a victim complex often attract partners with a â€Å"savior complex† looking to â€Å"fix† them. According to psychologists, persons with a savior or â€Å"Messiah† complex feel a consuming need to save other people. Often sacrificing their own needs and well-being, they seek out and attach themselves to people who they believe desperately need their help. Believing they are doing â€Å"the noble thing† in trying to â€Å"save† people while asking nothing in return, saviors often consider themselves better than everyone else. While the savior partner is certain they can help them, their victim partners are equally certain they cannot. Worse yet, victim partners with a martyr complex - happy in their misery - will stop at nothing to make sure they fail. Whether the savior’s motives in helping are pure or not, their actions can be harmful. Incorrectly believing their savior partner will â€Å"make them whole† the victim partner feels no need to take responsibility for his or her own actions and never develop the internal motivation to do so. For the victim, any positive changes will be temporary, while negative changes will be permanent and potentially devastating. Where to Look for Advice All of the conditions discussed in this article are true mental health disorders. As with medical problems, advice on mental disorders and potentially dangerous relationships should be sought only from certified mental health care professionals.   In the United States, registered professional psychologists are certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPA). Lists of certified psychologists or psychiatrists in your area can typically be obtained from your state or local health agency. In addition, your primary care doctor is a good person to ask if you think you may need to see somebody about your mental health. Sources Andrews, Andrea LPC NCC, â€Å"The Victim Identity, Traversing the Inner Terrain,† Physiology Today (February 24, 2011)  Davis, Sheldon E. (September 1945). What Are Modern Martyrs Worth?. Peabody Journal of Education.Seligman, David B. (May 1970). Masochism. Australasian Journal of Philosophy.Johnson, Paul E. (January 1970). The emotional health of the clergy. Journal of Religion and Health.Braiker, Harriet B., Whos Pulling Your Strings? How to Break the Cycle of Manipulation (2006)Aquino and K. Byron, ‘Dominating interpersonal behavior and perceived victimization in groups: Evidence for a curvilinear relationship’, Journal of Management.Messiah Complex Psychology. Flowpsychology.Dangerous delusions: The Messiah Complex and Jerusalem Syndrome. Freethought Nation.

Zeitgeist -Federal Reserve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Zeitgeist -Federal Reserve - Essay Example Another law was passed in 1913, which was the federal income tax, where 35% of your salary is paid to the debts from the Federal Reserve Bank. However, the movie states that there are no laws that mandate you to pay this tax. War and mass media are also the other means in gaining profit by these international banks and the Federal Reserve. They loan money, with interest to countries involved in war. Mass media is used to entertain the society and letting them focus on things that are not essential; thus, allowing important people to do whatever they want. In the beginning of the video, it was stated that the American Revolutionary War began in 1775. The movie revealed that the said revolution was caused by King George III when he declared to restrict the colonies to operate in their own independent money system, compelling them to borrow funds from the Central Bank of England, which results to their immediate debts. Chapter 6-- A People in Revolution tells us what had happened in the American War for Independence over Great Britain (Nash et al. 167). I chose this chapter because the said war was the result of England’s refusal to let its colonies have an honest money system. In other words, the war was a move by American people to get away from the colonization of Great Britain and to be freed from the money manipulators. America won the war; however, the quest over the concept of central banking had only just begun. Along with the fear and manipulation injected by these people, different unions will be and are established to create a one world government that will dominate over every aspect of a person’s life. However, the movie states that you have a choice between taking part in the system or to create a world without fear but full of love. On the other hand, the content of the movie is very alarming. The movie implies that there are government systems that need to be