Al Qaeda Counterculture

Al Qaeda Counterculture Timothy Murray A counterculture is a subculture that rejects the major values of the large society replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns (Thomas). Al Qaeda is an extremist group that believed in killing civilians to fill sacrificial religious reasons to their God. Al Qaeda is considered a counterculture because the views they have on life do not fit the norms that many other societies share. In other words, they reject the views of the common society and think that they are superior to all. Al Qaedas views on man-made law or what are commonly known as just laws, are they need to be replaced with Sharia laws which are much more strict. The term Al Qaeda can be translated into common English as the base (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). Al Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam in 1988. The members of Al Qaeda strongly believe that a Christian-Jewish conspiracy is trying be the demise of Islam. In the early 1990s Al Qaeda operated out of the country of Yemen (Hull). They have come forward and claimed responsibility for the 1998 U.S Embassy bombings, the September 11th attacks on the world trade center, the 2002 Bali bombings and many others. In May of 2011 the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden was assassinated by U.S militant forces after finding him hiding out in a secure compound (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). Al Qaeda has also been found in plotting to assassinate many of the worlds leaders and bombing many of the worlds most well-known locations just to try and affect the lives of thousands. The sociological perspective can be defined as viewing of the behavior of groups in a systematic way and sociological imagination is the ability to see the connection between the larger world and our personal lives (Thomas R18). A good example of how Al Qaeda demonstrated the sociological perspective is how well they planned and acted out the attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York City on September 11th, 2001. Members of Al Qaeda were training on how to fly our commercial airlines and had a very detailed list of all the actions they needed to do in order to successfully act out the attack. The way the government went through and viewed everything after this event was painstaking because they had to go through and put an explanation on everything they came across. The sociological imagination is demonstrated by thinking about how Al Qaeda has effected thousands of lives after the 9/11 attacks. When you dig down deep and think about the way the view life, in their eyes maybe we are the counterculture. By looking at Al Qaeda through a sociological imagination you can see how many may say that they will not be affected by Al Qaeda but in all reality it may not affect them it may affect their children or their grandchildren. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view ones own culture and group as superior to all other cultures and groups (Thomas R12). The larger society views Al Qaeda as a counterculture because to them they are an extremist group that murders innocent people and themselves as a sacrifice to their God. When Al Qaeda attacked the United States on September 11th in many psychologists and sociologists viewed this as an act of ethnocentrism because they think that they are far superior than we were. The way that the United States has gone about trying to resolve the issues behind that attacks makes it seem as though we think that we are far superior than any other country or culture. Cultural relativism is the believe that a culture should be judged by their own standards (Thomas R11). By understanding why Al Qaeda militants act out their attacks and why they may become a suicide bomber you will find that thy believe that in the eyes of their God they are doing the right thing to get to the next level of power and respect. In 1994 Al Qaeda plotted to assassinate Pope John Paul II during a trip to Manila (Global Security Editors). By knowing that Al Qaeda believes that a Christian-Jewish will be the demise of Islam, it make sense as to why they would want to assassinate the Pope that being that they believe the Christian-Jewish views will be the demise of Islam. In my own opinion I do not agree with Al Qaedas philosophy. I do not agree with their philosophy because I feel as though they are too extreme in the way that they combat their opposing views. There are so many other ways that you can go about things rather than simply trying to kill someone or trying to blow things up simply because they do not share the same views that you do. Someone on the cultural relativism side of an argument would say that you cannot judge simply because you do not understand their views; where someone arguing ethnocentrism would say that it does not matter their views they should not be killing themselves to show their God they are worthy and their religion is far superior then any other. You need to look at Al Qaeda through a sociological imagination because you will see how they connect the larger world to your own life. To view Al Qaeda in a systematic way you would be using the sociological perspective which is used in many of Al Qaedas attacks. References Global Security Editors. Globalsecurity.org. 2 March 2017. Webpage. 10 March 2017. Hull, Edmund J. Al Qaedas Shadowland. New York: The New York Times, 2010. Newspaper. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Al Qaeda . Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc, 2016. Thomas, W. LaVerne. Sociology- The Study of Human Relationships. Austin : Holt, Rinehart, Winston , 2003. 39. Textbook .

Finding Peace in Siddhartha Essay -- Hesse Siddhartha Essays

Finding Peace in Siddhartha "I have become distrustful of teachings and learning and that I have little faith in words that come to us from teachers." (Page 18) Siddartha experienced this when he was with the Samanas, still seeking for peace of the innersoul. He distrusted teachings because to attain peace, he must learn everything from himself. However, along his journey, he was indebted by a beautiful courtesan, a rich merchant, a dice player, a Bhuddist monk, and Vasudeva, for they had influenced him and he gained great knowledge from each of them. After leaving Gotama, the Illoustrious One, Siddhartha entered the life of a human being. He met a beautiful courtesan named Kamala and asked her to teach him the art of love. She said anyone who came to see her must be wealthy and therefore, she wouldn't teach Siddhartha for he was just a ragged Samanas. She introduced him to a rich merchant named Kamaswami and from this man that Siddhartha learned to trade and became rich. Obviously, Siddhartha came back to see Kamala and she accepted him. They learned the game of love together and she taught him many many love lessons that she knew. From her that he learned love could not be forced, people could buy love, ask for love, but could not steal love. He also learned that people must grow old and die and that there was no endless life. Together, Siddhartha and Kamala had a son, Siddhartha, who could not love anyone, loved his son with all of his heart. Kamaswami, a richest merchant in town, hired Siddhartha as his assistance and from this man... ...river and finally, they attained peace. When he reached peacefulness, Siddhartha became the ferryman. He delivered people across the holy river just like Vasudeva once did and yet, deep within himself, there was an eternal peace. On the other hand, Govinda was still struggling with desire for knowledge and had not yet attained what he was seeking, so he came to learn from Siddhartha. Surprised when he heard Siddhartha mentioned the five considered teachers Siddhartha had during his quest for peace, Govinda thought Siddhartha was joking. Saw the confusion in his friend's face, Siddhartha told Govinda to bend and kiss him on the forehead and as Govinda did this, he understood everything Siddhartha had said. Siddhartha, whose smile was similar to the Illustrious One's, finally attained peace for his Self.

‘Paradise Lost’

Paradise Lost begins and ends with Man, but this is not Man as we know him in daily life, nor indeed as he is usually depicted in literature, but a perfect, pre-lapsarian Man. The primary concern of this epic poem appears to be â€Å"man's first disobedience†2 and the results of that action. However, although Milton uses the word â€Å"man†, it is universally understood that it was not a man, but a woman who disobeyed God and brought about the downfall of the human race. This woman is Eve. Diane Kelsey McColley in her book Milton's Eve asserts that the â€Å"story of our first parents shows woman as flesh, passions, nature, and sexuality seducing man as soul, reason, spiritual virtue and contemplation from his proper relation to God†.3 The portrayal of Eve as primordial temptress is a long-standing one and can be found not only discursively in literary history but also pictorially in art history, and these traditions are perhaps accountable for the reductive opinion of Eve today. Before Paradise Lost, literary accounts of the Fall interpreted the story as male virtue undone by female concupiscence and masculine reason undermined by feminine passion. This blame for Eve as Adam's inferior perhaps originates from the source of the story, the book of Genesis. When God discovered that the apple had been eaten, He inquired of Adam whether he had eaten from the tree of knowledge. Unquestionably accepting his answer that the blame should be heaped on Eve, for it was she who had given it to him, He then proceeded to accuse her for the disobedience: â€Å"And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?† (Genesis 3:13) 4 This accusation is directed only at Eve, as God assumes Adam's view that she is the one to blame. When the Lord comes to dealing with punishment for their actions, it would appear that Adam's wrongdoing was primarily in the fact that he listened to and obeyed his wife, as this action is the one God stresses firstly and unnecessarily; with the eating of the apple – and thus the contravening of His law – coming as a secondary citation for punishment: â€Å"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten from the tree†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Genesis 3:17) 5 It may be surprising that even after the easing of patristic restrictions on women's liberty resulting from the Reformation, Puritan and moderate Anglican writers still continued to echo the reductive view of Eve and therefore women in general. Such a case is John Donne, who draws on the established authority of the Bible and shares such opinions as: â€Å"†¦ye wives, be in subjection to your husbands;†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (I Peter 3:1) â€Å"†¦ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (I Peter 3:7)6 The idea that women are â€Å"weaker†, secondary beings who lack in some way the virtues and the higher intellect of men, is reinforced as an established idea by Aristotle's statement that the female is â€Å"a deformity†¦of nature†¦perhaps rather bad than good†, and Plato's that men are reborn as women if they have been â€Å"cowards or led unrighteous lives†.7 It is perhaps a result of these ingrained ideas, that painters and poets have rarely captured what Milton dwells on in his epic, the innocent pre-lapsarian lives of Adam and Eve, and instead have focused on the temptation and downfall of the first man and woman and its symbols – Adam, Eve, the serpent and the tree. Within these portraits, there can be found many depictions of Eve. She is predominantly wanton in one, and yet frailly dignified in another; but in all can be found an emphasis on her fantastic beauty, which is presented as a glorious attribute and yet a cunning snare – ultimately the source of the loss of the paradisal garden she embodies. McColley discusses some examples of this iconographic tradition in her book, including Raphael's ceiling fresco, Stanza della Segnatura.8 The tree of knowledge stands between Adam and Eve, literally and symbolically the object that divides them. Encircling this instrument of division is the catalyst of the Fall, the serpent, half-hidden in the shade of the tree. Adam, half-sitting, gazes at the tree with his palm outstretched, mirroring Eve's gesture. However, she is standing upright in the dominant position, openly gazing at him with a knowing look full of concupiscence and temptation. It is difficult to observe from the print in the book, but McColley states that not only is the serpent â€Å"half woman; it is a shadowed Eve: the same half-turned face, straight nose, bowed mouth, and rounded breasts, the same hair†¦waved back over the left shoulder and hanging loose on the right, each grasping a limb of the tree, their heads nearly touching, and each bending on Adam the same provocative gaze.†9 This image of Eve as the beautiful and debilitating seductress, akin with the serpent, represents the dark and dangerous side of the Fall and of Eve herself. This representation suggests to the viewer, by linking beauty and sexuality with the Fall, that Eve's qualities were inherently corruptive. If this is the case – and I do not necessarily believe this to be true – then the God who created her and gave her to Adam to be â€Å"fit help†(VIII: 450),10 would be, as the fallen Adam claims, baiting a trap. To see Milton's Fall as the central action of the poem in this way, with pre-conceived ideas of sin and blame falling on Eve's head, would be to see and stress the darkest and most sinister side of each image and allusion that Milton makes. However, if we regard creation and the regeneration of life after the Fall as just, if not more, important, then we shall see patterns of positive and redeeming features in Eve's behaviour and be able to foresee possible redem ption and regeneration. The main areas of contention which surround and shape the ideas both of how Eve is perceived, and her role in the Fall, are her relationship to and separation from Adam, her behaviour during the temptation, and whether she was in a sense ‘fallen' before the event itself. Eve, made from a rib of Adam, is traditionally seen as his inferior, â€Å"not equal, as their sex not equal seemed† (IV: 296)11 and her servitude justified on the basis that Adam is â€Å"for God only, she for God in him† (IV: 299)12. However, although this is echoed in the Bible's â€Å"bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh†,13 it could be said that the direct distinction in these quotations between Adam's hierarchical position and that of Eve's is only described by the narrator's voice depicting what Satan saw. To analyse the statement in this way then, is to question the validity of Satan's observations and whether his definition of Adam and Eve is to be trusted as correct, and to question whether the narrator is in part responsible for reflecting the expectations of his audience.14 In pre-lapsarian scenes, Milton shows that Eve has a growing sense of responsibility as her understanding of the opportunities of her calling becomes greater. This is evident in her conversational language which combines questioning, reflection, wit and gaiety: â€Å"†¦we in our appointed work employed Have finished happy in our mutual help And mutual love, the crown of all our bliss †¦and this delicious place For us too large†¦ But thou hast promised from us two a race To fill the earth, who shall with us extol Thy goodness infinite†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (IV: 726-734) 15 Even her choice of love for Adam over the narcissistic self-love she revelled in when first in the Garden, and her faithful toil for the God who created her reveals her virtues as a strong, determined, generous and selfless person, so why not, therefore, worthy of being Adam's equal? Although there appears to be an insistence – despite some evidence to the contrary – on the essential masculine authority of Adam, the reader should not be blinded to the fact that Eve is as necessary to Adam's fulfilment as he is to hers. They naturally complement each other and without the other neither would be complete: â€Å"For contemplation he and valour formed, For softness she and sweet attractive grace† (IV: 297-8)16 This complementary nature could even be seen to stretch to a mutual need and dependency: â€Å"†¦I†¦. †¦enjoying thee Pre-eminent by so much odds, while thou Like consort to thyself canst nowhere find.† (IV: 445-48)17 However, this argument is perhaps most reinforced by the narrator's first description of the pair, when Eve is included in all the valued qualities usually solely attributed to Adam: â€Å"Two of far nobler shape erect and tall, Godlike erect, with native honour clad In naked majesty seemed lords of all, And worthy seemed, for in their looks divine The image of their glorious Maker shone, Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pure†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (IV: 288-293)18 This sharing of attributes and the responsibilities inherent to God's first man and woman are also illustrated by the clear parallel of Adam having the power to name the animals (VIII: 350-354) and Eve possessing an equal power to name the flowers (XI: 277). The first parents, as an equal couple, â€Å"perfectly incarnate the proper relations and actions of the two sexes†19. The idea that pre-lapsarian Adam and Eve had a sexual relationship causes much debate amongst critics. Whether such intimate relations were appropriate for the innocent and perfect pair is debatable, but I believe that pure love such as theirs cannot possibly be inappropriate, and that a lack of sexual love would indicate a flaw in their relationship. God created them to be the mother and father of mankind, to ensure continued renewal of life on earth, and so it is with His ‘permission' that they make love: â€Å"Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  1 (VII: 531) 20 Fertility in Hell is a curse rather than a blessing; it produces tormenting monsters that feed on their mothers' womb, but conversely, fertility is everywhere in Heaven. The reader can â€Å"apprehend it in the light, the fountains, the rivers, the flowers, the dances, and the songs†.21 Raphael tells Adam that the angels, the intermediaries between Man and God, contain within them â€Å"every lower faculty† (V: 410)22 which enables them to enjoy sexual relations themselves: â€Å"Let it suffice thee that thou know'st Us happy, and without love no happiness. †¦we enjoy †¦and obstacle find none Of membrane, joint, or limb, exclusive bars: Easier than air with air, if Spirits embrace, Total they mix, union of pure with pure Desiring†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (VIII: 620-628) 23 This is an example of a purer and loftier union than that of Man, but represents the transcendence of human love between a man and woman, thus rendering it ‘appropriate', natural and credible. When placed in the context of Milton's beliefs and the politics of the times, his conviction that there could be no paradise for man without sexual love seems personal and original. But in doing so, he attacks not only the â€Å"conventional idea that sexual intercourse was a result, (if not a cause) of the Fall, but also prostitution, the Catholic tradition of clerical celibacy, the fashionable tradition of playing with love, and the entire literary tradition of the lyric poet as abject suitor to his disdainful mistress†24. He may be making a political point, but I believe such an idea is fitting and vitally symbolic. They enjoy fertility as ripe as that of the lush Garden which provides them with sustenance, and were created to continue the cycle of Life on Earth, as they themsel ves help to maintain the cycle of Life in Eden. God's instructions to Adam and Eve to tend the garden are used by Milton to explain Eve's temptation when they are separated. This unquestionably gives her a sense of responsibility for the events which take place, but to what extent is a vital source of debate. Adam can be seen to treat Eve as a free being, dissuading her with lucid arguments, rational warnings, and loving tenderness, but he does not constrain her against her will: â€Å"Well hast thou motioned†¦. Yet not so strictly hath our Lord imposed Labour†¦ †¦but if much converse perhaps Thee satiate, to short absence I could yield†¦. But other doubt possesses me, lest harm Befall thee severed from me;†¦ †¦leave not the faithful side That gave thee being†¦ Who guards her, or with her the worst endures.† ( IX: 229-269) 25 A skilled rhetorician, Adam tries to the best of his ability to dissuade her from her decision to divide their labours, but to no avail. Eve, with a determined, â€Å"the willinger I go†26, withdraws from him and continues alone. Perhaps Adam's failure to restrain her forcibly is the root cause of the Fall? Ultimately no one can say, but nevertheless I believe this question to be a valid one, if only owing to the last line of the above quotation. The words are filled with poignancy and foreshadowings of the tragedy to come for the knowing reader, and such a line from Milton is surely expected to reflect the ironic seriousness of Adam's unknowing promise. Therefore, this clearly should cast doubt into the reader's mind as to whether it was Adam as the too-trusting husband who is to blame for not enforcing Eve's expected subjugation to his will, and allowing the possibility of the temptation to actually occur. Eve's behaviour during the temptation and the question of whether she was already ‘fallen' before the event are often inter-linked and become symptoms of each other. The occurrence of her dream and her reaction to it is also an integral part of this issue. E.M.W. Tillyard in the essay ‘The Crisis of Paradise Lost' asserts that Eve has already ‘fallen' before the Fall, by referring to her dream, saying: â€Å"..into the mind of angel or man evil may enter, and, if it is repudiated, fail to incriminate. In the abstract the doctrine may be tenable, but it cannot work in concrete literary presentation. No human being can conceive or represent evil entering a mind quite alien to it†¦ the mere fact of entrance implies some pre-existing sympathy†¦ Eve†¦ does by her symptoms imply that it has touched her†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 27 One could argue that Tillyard's assertion of human being's behaviour is not applicable to Eve as both she and Adam are, as I have already stated, not humans as we know them – but there is also another line of argument to counter this. It could be said that Milton has built into his poem a sustained distinction between pre- and post-lapsarian nomenclature, and it is this device which aids the reader in distinguishing certain features of Adam and Eve's character to illustrate how they have changed from pre-lapsarian innocence into the post-lapsarian, fallen creatures they will become. This also creates an obvious echo between parallel yet contrasting events before and after the Fall. Adam himself describes Eve as â€Å"crooked by Nature† (X: 885) 28, implying that Eve was in fact ‘fallen' before the eating of the fruit, but this is in the post-lapsarian phase of the poem, and his language has deteriorated from the perfect, pure communication he possessed before the Fall into a dualistic, anti-feminine diatribe. This fact could be seen to reduce the credibility of his words, as he no longer holds the power that is associated with his previous ‘Adamic' language. One could agree with the fallen Adam's assessment of Eve, by citing the many comparisons Milton makes between her and infamous temptresses from classical myth. However, not only do the aforementioned goddesses have innocent aspects as patronesses of natural fertility, (just like Eve in Eden), this reductive portrayal by Milton would commit a terrible blasphemy, contradicting his faith, by blaming God for her sin because he created her innately flawed. What the reader witnesses throughout the temptation is a contest (unconscious on her part) between Eve and Satan for â€Å"the authority to interpret pre-lapsarian language†29. The serpent first stakes a claim upon Eve's language through the seeming miracle of being capable of speech: â€Å"†¦he glad Of her attention gained, with serpent tongue Organic, or impulse of vocal air, His fraudulent temptation thus began.† (IX: 528-5531) 30 The reference to his communication as organic would infer to the reader that it is natural, and the language of pre-lapsarian Eden. However, although Eve is seduced by this into believing it to be true, the reader alone – owing to the description of it as an â€Å"impulse of vocal air† – knows it to be false. The reason this is so is because Satan already has the knowledge of good and evil, and is therefore incapable of the untainted speech of Eve. In this way, therefore, I do not believe that Eve can be seen as already ‘fallen', for without a previous acquisition of ‘knowledge' Eve could not realise that the words of the serpent were that of an evilly corrupted version of her own. Eve's wonder at this apparent ‘miracle' creates a dangerous moment for Satan, one in which he must exercise special vigilance. However, it is an opportunity she misses, and he turns it into his advantage by attributing his power to the forbidden fruit. In the world of Eden, where Adam's birthright of the power to name the animals with a pure and natural speech conveys enormous power, language is knowledge and this is how Satan gains his power. Temptation was not a new idea for Milton. He wrote a Puritan masque, originally entitled A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634, but popularly known as Comus. The theme of the masque is â€Å"the death of false pagan values when they are opposed by Christian virtues†31, and, like Paradise Lost, is concerned with the process of temptation and the power of evil to corrupt innocence. The vital difference between the two, however, is that the central female character, The Lady, does not succumb to the machinations of her would-be tempter: â€Å"COMUS: This will restore all soon†¦ LADY: †¦'Twill not restore the truth and honesty That thou hast banished from thy tongue with lies.† (lns 689-692) 32 It could be said that the reason for Eve to Fall when The Lady does not is that she was innately flawed, a bait for Adam designed by God, or merely an inferior and weak female. I believe however, that the reason for Eve's Fall is to signify redemption and regeneration. Paradise Lost was published in 1667, having been written in a period of great social unrest. The government believed to be God's government by Milton and his fellow Puritans had collapsed in 1660 with the Restoration of Charles II. This raised moral questions which I believe in part to be responsible for Milton's questioning about the â€Å"ways of God† (I: 26)33, and which resulted in the exploration in this poem of a God who does not intervene to stifle evil. The brief image of the labourer returning home after a day's work in the fields at the end of Book XII of Paradise Lost is â€Å"especially effective, a moving evocation of the life and toil and poverty and weariness and also of homely satisfactions – all the common experience of humanity which Adam and Eve must now face†.34 Eve, though fallen, is in the process of regeneration, and, just like the political climate of Milton's era, can resume development of her pre-lapsarian virtues, though now through pain and â€Å"woe† (I: 3).35

immagration essays

immagration essays I am from an ethnicity and culture that is in the forefront of many political topics in this region today. I am Mexican. When this word comes up most people seem to think of illegal immigrants crossing the border. This thought can bring up much resentment and contempt from certain groups, and along with this comes prejudice and discrimination. However, before I jump ahead of myself I would like to discuss the physical and cultural differences between my people- Mexicans and the U.S. majority- Whites. Physical differences may seem obvious if you think in a stereotypical manner. But there is a great deal of physical diversity within the Mexican culture. The range can be anywhere from the "common" image of a short brown eyed, brown haired, brown skinned individual to the tall light eyed, light haired, light skinned person. In between is a mixture and combination of any of the mentioned characteristics (much of the variety comes from the blood of the Spaniards who invaded Mexico). In fact 60% of Mexico Is made up of "mestizo", mixed European and Indian decent and 30% "indigena", Native Americans of Indians (azteca.net). Those who have darker skin are, of course, more easily pointed out as Mexicans and usually experience more prejudice and racism than those who have characteristics similar to the majority. However, prejudice within our own race sometimes makes up for the lack of prejudice from Whites, but I digress. Moving on, there are many cultural differences. Language for one, which is Spanish (though there are over 50 indigenous languages (azteca.com)). Clothing is different. Not so much as it used to be however. Not everyone is wearing a poncho and sombrero. Of course food is different and is quite enjoyed by many Americans. However, Mexican-American food is somewhat different than Mexican food from Mexico. And I am not quite sure what Taco Bell food is. Maybe that can be called American-Mexican food? ...

Free Essays on Colonialism

More than three decades after most African nations became independent, there is no consensus on the legacy of colonialism. With most African countries still only tottering on their feet and many close to collapse, some people ask whether the problem is due to Africa's colonial experience or inherent adequacies of the African? For apologists of colonialism the answer is simple. Whatever may have been the shortcomings of colonial rule, the overall effect was positive for Africa. Sure, the colonial powers exploited Africa’s natural resources but on the balance, colonialism reduced the economic gap between Africa and the West, the apologists argue. Colonialism laid the seeds of the intellectual and material development in Africans. It brought enlightenment where there was ignorance. It suppressed slavery and other barbaric practices such as pagan worship and cannibalism. Formal education and modern medicine were brought to people who had limited understanding or control of their physical environment. The introduction of modern communications, exportable agricultural crops and some new industries provided a foundation for economic development. Africans received new and more efficient forms of political and economic organisation. Warring communities were united into modern nation-states with greater opportunity of survival in a competitive world than the numerous mini entities that existed before. Africa is in political and economic turmoil today, defenders of imperialism say, because it failed to take advantage of its inheritance from colonial rule. It was, they summarise, Africa’s inadequacies that made colonisation necessary and the outcome of post-independence self-rule suggests that the withdrawal by the colonial powers was premature.... Free Essays on Colonialism Free Essays on Colonialism More than three decades after most African nations became independent, there is no consensus on the legacy of colonialism. With most African countries still only tottering on their feet and many close to collapse, some people ask whether the problem is due to Africa's colonial experience or inherent adequacies of the African? For apologists of colonialism the answer is simple. Whatever may have been the shortcomings of colonial rule, the overall effect was positive for Africa. Sure, the colonial powers exploited Africa’s natural resources but on the balance, colonialism reduced the economic gap between Africa and the West, the apologists argue. Colonialism laid the seeds of the intellectual and material development in Africans. It brought enlightenment where there was ignorance. It suppressed slavery and other barbaric practices such as pagan worship and cannibalism. Formal education and modern medicine were brought to people who had limited understanding or control of their physical environment. The introduction of modern communications, exportable agricultural crops and some new industries provided a foundation for economic development. Africans received new and more efficient forms of political and economic organisation. Warring communities were united into modern nation-states with greater opportunity of survival in a competitive world than the numerous mini entities that existed before. Africa is in political and economic turmoil today, defenders of imperialism say, because it failed to take advantage of its inheritance from colonial rule. It was, they summarise, Africa’s inadequacies that made colonisation necessary and the outcome of post-independence self-rule suggests that the withdrawal by the colonial powers was premature....

Inclusive leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inclusive leadership - Essay Example This leadership will need to be found not only in the organization's management but also among employees, customers, investors, suppliers and the community. As an inclusive leader, one must adopt - and live - a set of values, which places human relationships centre stage and which defines the purpose of your enterprise in other than purely financial or commercial terms. For leadership to be meaningfully inclusive, it must find a way to include everyone in governance processes and be organized to pursue inclusive principles. Inclusive leaders perceive the organization as a complex system of mutually interdependent relationships, understand the links between the organization and the wider socio-economic environment and see organizational change in the context of social and technological change. "It is this deep understanding of the nature of the interdependence that exists between the organization and its dynamic environment that provides the basis for the ability of leaders to contribute to the development of an inspiring yet achievable vision of the organization's future." Such vision should meet the needs of the key stakeholders and at the same time provide the basis for an enterprise strategy to develop and sustain a competitive advantage. It attracts young managers with recognized leadership potential working in the voluntary, public and private sectors.

A World without Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A World without Television - Essay Example On its part, the television touched our lives in more than one way, some good and some bad. The television made our life colorful (even the earlier black and white variety). It presented us with so many live entertainment options: the musicals, the stage plays, the soap operas, the fashion shows, and that too, without having to step out of our homes. It gave us the power to dream, to identify ourselves with the mannerisms of the most glamorous stars and celebrities, projected in larger-than-life roles. It taught us to desire and acquire things of luxury, through scores of advertisements, by creating an image of reality that is not real. By wanting more and more of these goodies, we helped our industries to innovate, produce more, flourish, and, in turn, enrich our lives further. Television became the homemaker, bringing a sense of togetherness in our families, taming our mischievous children with visual treats specially planned for them, discouraging husbands and wives from quarreling, and taking away the loneliness out of the lives of the elderly and infirm. It also helped us to integrate, not only our nation, but the whole world into a global village, by showing the live images of people from distant regions and countries, share their joys and sorrows, problems and achievements, cultures and traditions, during special shows and news programs. We became visual participants in the grim realities of life, through scenes from accident sites, war fronts, natural calamities like floods, earthquakes, and learnt to have compassion for the less fortunate fellow humans. No other medium could have matched the impact of the real-life visual images of television on our collective psyche. Of course there are certain undesirable things too. It has produced a generation of couch-potatoes who depend only on passive entertainment, and has stripped us of the opportunity and inspiration to do things ourselves. We are forced use less and less of our thinking faculty, creative imagination, and physical effort. Books and other elaborate written materials, which require a certain amount of contemplation, are no longer attractive to the younger generation. Unless controlled properly, unhealthy viewing content can also creep in, and spoil the morals of the society. In spite of good and ugly sides to it, the reality is that Television has grown with us as a family member, and it is already a partner in our social evolution. We can no longer allow it to disappear out of our lives. Our World view in absence of Television: Since olden days, people were interested to know about other civilizations across the globe. In those days, the main source of information was from the personal accounts of the voyagers and travelers. This interest was generally limited to the members of the trading communities, explorers or royal expeditions. Later, with the development of printing technology, written matter became easily transportable and transferable, and helped in creating a better and consistent understanding of the outside world. The nineteenth century saw a sudden rise in industrial activity, made possible by a series of inventions in the field of technology. This triggered a growth cycle of such magnitude that the whole society evolved into a large mass of affluence. This affluent mass of people had the time and