Buddhism and Christianity Essay Example for Free

Buddhism and Christianity Essay Thesis: While both Christianity and Buddhism were religions that encourages kindness and renunciation of wealth, Christianity caused a stir with Jesus’ hatred against the greedy rich and powerful and his alliance with the lower class, which eventually lead to his execution, whereas Buddhism’s leader, Buddha, spread a message that was not threatening to the high class, letting him live his life until his natural death at 80. This Venn diagram compares and contrasts Buddhism and Christianity. It represents my key knowledge and thinking skills by showing my ability to diagnose important similarities and differences between the two major religions, My Venn diagram is okay, but there is room for improvement. It lists some key similarities and differences, but they are worded in an awkward manner. Christianity Christianity * First Christians were persecuted by the Roman Empire (because of the Christians’ refusal to worship the roman polytheistic religion) * By the time Theodosius was Emperor, Christianity became the preferred official religion of the Roman Empire. * Women’s role in church slowly deteriorated * The Great Schism split Christianity into two religions, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox. * Saint Paul spread the small religion  * First Christians were persecuted by the Roman Empire (because of the Christians’ refusal to worship the roman polytheistic religion) * By the time Theodosius was Emperor, Christianity became the preferred official religion of the Roman Empire. * Women’s role in church slowly deteriorated * The Great Schism split Christianity into two religions, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox. * Saint Paul spread the small religion Changes Changes Continuities Continuities * Strong denial of gods of other Religions * The Bible stayed a constant Main religious text for Christianity * Extremely Monotheistic * * Went from worshipping Brahma to three deities (Vishnu, Siva and Brahma) * Women were not allowed to perform sacrifices anymore  * Went from having sacrifices of animals to personal sacrifices (fasting) * Changed from Brahmanism and lunar and solar lineages to Hinduism. * Went from worshipping Brahma to three deities (Vishnu, Siva and Brahma) * Women were not allowed to perform sacrifices anymore * Went from having sacrifices of animals to personal sacrifices (fasting) * Changed from Brahmanism and lunar and solar lineages to Hinduism. Changes Changes Continuities Continuities Hinduism Hinduism Open to everyone * Caste system * Intentional misinterpretation of Hindu texts To keep patriarchy Thesis: While Christianity and Hinduism both had continuities of (respectively) a strong sense of denial of other religions’ gods and a strong caste system, both had major changes such as going from a heavily persecuted religion to the Roman Empire’s official religion and switching from animal sacrifices to personal sacrifices. The two tables show changes and continuities for two  major religions, Christianity and Hinduism. The table shows my key thinking skills by being able to point out key continuities and changes. My Table is a little bit sparse on the continuities side, but the changes for Christianity are plentiful. I need to work on researching with more effort. Thesis: Although the four main religions, Buddhism, Brahmanism, Hinduism and Christianity affected the role of women, the poor social role of women outside of church was uniform in all the regions of these religions. Patriarchy is very much alive in all of them. My spoke diagram shows a variety of religions. The statements are also positive and negative towards patriarchy. It shows my key thinking skills by displaying quotes for all the statements. My spoke diagram could use more statements, five seems like enough, but more would be better. I think I did a great job on putting quotes for all the statements. Analyze similarities and differences in attitudes and treatment towards women in TWO of the following societies in the Classical period. Han China (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.) Mauryan/Gupta India (320 B.C.E.–550 C.E.) Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E.–476 C.E.) or Analyze similarities and differences in methods of political control in TWO of the following empires in the Classical period. Han China (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.) Mauryan/Gupta India (320 B.C.E.–550 C.E.) Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E.–476 C.E.) cause of the cast system and its traditions, India had more of a social code of conduct instead of rigid laws. Tradition of having local princes also was a cause of the fall of the Maurya Empire, because they made it easier to rebel against the main government China During the HAN dynasty, Confucianism came back into government with high sights on education, the tradition of using the mandate of heaven ensured that the Han Empire fell by 3rd century CE. And the Qin Empire fell in a mere 20 years since he lost his mandate of heaven Confucianism taught orderly society with relationships. The tradition of bureaucracy in the Chinese government kept power in the wealthy class. * So they traveled on the Silk road and also traveled to Spain and France * All the provinces conquered by the Roman empire now were influenced to become Christians * So he wrote the gospels * So he used the Roman Roads and traveled all across the Empire, spreading the word of Christ * So they traveled on the Silk road and also traveled to Spain and France * All the provinces conquered by the Roman empire now were influenced to become Christians * So he wrote the gospels * So he used the Roman Roads and traveled all across the Empire, spreading the word of Christ Cause and Effect of the spread of Christianity Cause and Effect of the spread of Christianity Cause Effect * Christians were expelled from the Roman Empire * Theodosius made Christianity the  Roman Empire’s Official religion * St. Paul wished to make Christianity A major religion * St. Paul wanted to spread the Religion throughoutCause and Effect of the spread of Buddhism Cause and Effect of the spread of Buddhism Roman Empire Effect * His word was spread in India, but not much more than the Ganges River. * Buddhism spread even more in India, to northern India even. * The monks made the Chinese believe in Buddha * He promised himself to make up for it by spreading Buddhism by erecting stupas Effect * His word was spread in India, but not much more than the Ganges River. * Buddhism spread even more in India, to northern India even. * The monks made the Chinese believe in Buddha * He promised himself to make up for it by spreading Buddhism by erecting stupas Cause * Buddha traveled in India * After Buddha’s death monks also traveled in India * Monks traveled along the Silk Road * Asoka was appalled by the bloody Battle of Kalinga Thesis: Although both Christianity and Buddhism spread along the Silk Road, Christianity moved along this trade network because of exiled Christians who were seeking a home away from the Roman Empire, whereas Buddhism spread voluntarily, with monks successfully trying to convert the Chinese. The cause and effect table lists the causes and the effects of the spread of two major religions, Buddhism and Christianity. It displays my abilities to  make connections to major effects and their causes. The table is okay. It has four causes and effects for both religions, which is not great. For Buddhism, it seems a little too focused on monks traveling to spread Buddhism. Thesis: Although both China and India’s political systems were influenced by tradition, India’s caste system created no need for laws, while the qin dynasty’s legalistic system created very rigid ones. The two flowcharts show a continual effect of tradition or religion on India and China’s political systems. It displays my abilities to connect separate events into one continuous lineage of facts. The flowcharts do point out main ideas I was trying to display, but they seem a little bit incoherent at times.

Alzheimers Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimer’s Disease   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Imagine waking up one morning and you cannot remember where you are or your own child’s name. This could be a direct sign that you or a family member has Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, which means that it affects certain functions of the brain such as memory, logic, and everyday bodily functions. This disease was first described by a doctor named Alois Alzheimer in 1906. He discovered unusual growths of fibers in the brains of woman that had died from an unusual mental illness (National Institute, 1995).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people do not realize how severe this disease really is. These people also do not realize how much of a risk there is of developing the disease. Four million people in the United States today are afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that about 22 million people around the world currently have this disease (St.George-Hyslop, 2000). Another very interesting fact about Alzheimer’s is that the changes in the brain take place 20 to 40 years before the patient shows any symptoms. About ten percent of Americans have this disease by the age of 65, and about 50 percent of Americans have the disease by the age of 85. People can live well into their 90s, and they still retain most of their memories and control of their bodies (Kahn, 1998). This disease is a disease that everyone in the United States should be concerned about.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scientists believe that they know what causes this disease to occur. It is caused by proteins in the brain that go terribly wrong. These proteins form clusters inside the brain, and they produce a toxin that affects nerve cells. These nerve cells are then lost, and this affects certain parts of the brain that control certain functions. This directly affects two parts of the brain, the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. These two parts of the brain control memory, reasoning, language, and other bodily functions (St. George-Hyslop, 2000). Alzheimer’s disease has a major effect on not only the patient’s life, but on the lives of the patient’s family as well. This disease takes a very slow path in its development. It may start as just some short-term memory loss. This means that a person with Alzheimer’s may forget little things, like what he or she ate for dinner last night or why they went to the refrigerator. These symptoms can be overlooked as j... ...In Kahn’s story (1998) a daughter of a patient was very pleased with Aricept, â€Å"’ the reversal of her condition was remarkable. For over a year, I kind of got my mom back (p,18).’† This disease is obviously a horrible one. It can rip a family apart, and there is nothing that can be done about it. Hopefully, one day a cure will be found, but in the mean time, Alzheimer’s disease has total control over a person who is afflicted with it. It also has control over the family of the person afflicted with it. Almost everyone in this country has some sort of tie to this disease, and this is why more research should be done in hopes of finding a cure. References Kahn, C. (2007, November, 8). New drugs and hope for Alzheimer’s patients. Parade Magazine, 16-19. National Institute on Aging. (1995). Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet. Retrieved October 22, 2008, from the World Wide Web: http://www.alzheimers.org/pubs/adfact.html Shenk, D. (2001, November-December). The War on Alzheimer’s. My Generation, 15-20. St. George-Hyslop, P.H. (2005). Piecing Together Alzheimer’s. Retrieved October 22, 2008, from the World Wide Web: http://www.sciam.com/2000/1200issue/1200stgeorge.html

Calypso or Circe Essay

Nausicaa is the first normal woman Odysseus sees in nearly twenty years, the last of whom being the women from Ismarus, the city he sacks directly after leaving Troy, and understandably he is very weary of her. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, he treats her with the utmost respect and keeps his distance from her, both physically and emotionally. He admires her beauty, respects her decisions and listens to her like an equal, despite her age and sex, which shows respect, although not necessarily feelings. Despite his lack of show of affection towards her, he is kind and shows his appreciation for her saving him from death – ‘I do indeed pray to Zeus†¦ to let me reach my home†¦ If he does, then I will pray you as a divinity all the rest of my days. For it was you lady, who gave me back my life. ‘ showing how he does indeed respect what she has done for him, and is grateful towards her. After Odysseus leaves Nausicaa in the town, Homer does not mention her anymore but for their goodbyes, despite the fact they are staying under the same roof. This indicates Odysseus’s lack of interest in Nausicaa’s comings and goings. When Odysseus begins to explain his adventures to Alcinous, in particular he mentions Calypso and Circe, and how he never had any affection for them – ‘The divine Calypso was certainly for keeping me in her cavern home because she yearned for me to be her husband and with me the same object Circe†¦. but never for a moment did they win my heart. ‘ Here Odysseus states in his own words that he was never won over by either, and although he may have found pleasure in staying with them, it could never compare with the pleasure of seeing his wife again; any feelings he had towards Calypso or Circe were not genuine or heart-felt. Similarly to Calypso, Circe is first seen as ‘singing with her beautiful voice’ and ‘weaving one of those delicate, graceful and dazzling fabrics that goddesses make’, and the temptation to stay with her (as he then does with Calypso) would have been immense. Hermes warns her that ‘she will†¦ invite you to her bed. You must not refuse†¦ if you want her to free your men and look after you’. The fact that Odysseus obeys this shows the extent of what he would do to free his men and return home; going to bed with Circe would have been merely another obstacle for him on his journey home, his feelings towards her being limited. Although he describes the ‘comfortable heat’ and the way ‘all the painful weariness was gone’ from his limbs, his ‘thoughts were elsewhere’ and ‘mind was full of forebodings’ showing how he cannot feel content without knowing his crew is safe and his chances for ever reaching home are still tangible. In addition, the way in which he prioritises Circe’s actions towards him and his crew is also relevant, seeing as it is Odysseus recounting the story to Alcinous. He first says Circe ‘graciously bathed the members of my party in her palace and rubbed them with olive-oil. She gave them tunics and warm cloaks’, showing how to him, the women he encounters are mostly beneficial to him for the reason that they give him and his crew shelter, food and drink, and there is no implication of any feeling towards them. They stay on the island for a year, and by the end the crew are frustrated – ‘What possesses you to stay on here? It’s time you thought of Ithaca’. It is only when Ithaca is mentioned that Odysseus is persuaded to leave – ‘my proud heart was convinced’; if he did have any feelings towards Circe, he would have stayed, or at least contemplated staying for a little longer. Overall I consider that Odysseus does not care about these women. He loves his wife dearly – ‘[Penelope] is never out of your thoughts’- and is happy to leave every island he sets foot upon if he thinks he is heading for home. Circe does seem to hold a certain place in Odysseus’ heart, because she is the one he stays with voluntarily and has to be persuaded to leave, but Odysseus leaves the others without a backward glance – ‘with a happy heart’ in fact, in the case of Calypso. Odysseus’s affection and respect for Nausicaa seems to be purely polite and possibly only to suit his own means, or at the most brotherly- he wants the best for her. As for Arete, Odysseus never had affectionate feelings for her. He needs her support to get home, and this is the only reason he shows respect for her, except perhaps because she is a wise woman. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus longs for his homeland, and is unable to feel much but grief at his prolonged absence.

Environmental Proposal - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1642 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/09/19 Category Environment Essay Type Argumentative essay Tags: Government Essay Manufacturing Essay Did you like this example? Introduction Smith Systems Consulting provides web and business application services to a variety of clients including small and medium-sized business organizations, large domestic, multinational, and global corporations, and government and not for profit organizations (UOP, 2009). Learning Team A will recommend strategies to create alliances between Smith Systems Consulting and its networked internal and external customers, explain how the differences between leadership and management affect networking, and propose an environment that is supportive of team functioning and learning, and fosters sustainable innovation and creativity. Strategies to Create Alliances Kudler Fine Foods, Huffman Trucking, McBride Financial Services, and Riordan Manufacturing are among the list of clients Smith System Consulting (SSC) currently serves. One strategy for creating alliances between SSC and their clients is to empower the stakeholders by involving them in the decision-making process and the development of strategic goals. Engaging the clients in decision making and goal development will ensure SSC has a clear direction for meeting their clients’ needs in web-site maintenance, process upgrades, continuous training, and assisting with market expansion. Empowering clients will lead to a greater number of decisions made more efficiently and quickly, and an increased likelihood that the decisions will be readily accepted. Teaming with clients in the development of long- range goals will also help build alliances as SSC and its clients work toward common outcomes. Many of SSC’s clients are in need of assistance in keeping pace with the newest technologies. SSC can take the information regarding new programs on the market, review the possibilities to assist clientele, and make the recommendations for upgrading and maintaining the website to assist the client in gaining more business. The employees within the various organizations should also be inc luded in the decision-making process and development of strategic goals. Employees whose input is considered and who are part of the decision-making process will be more inclined to support the company’s goals and make decisions beneficial to the company. Empowering employees will provide them with a sense of self-worth, pride, and ownership in the organization and their dedication to the organization will increase. Turnover will decrease because employees will feel as though their ideas are valued and they are a vital part of the organization. Low turnover will allow business relationships and alliances to form between SSC and client employees which will ultimately lead to increased loyalty and additional business. The unique business requirements of each client should also be periodically reviewed and employees briefed so the products can be adjusted as necessary to meet the client’s expectations. Satisfied clients lead to profits, which is a way to keep stakehold ers invested in the company, gain new stakeholders, and allow companies to grow. Another strategy to forming an alliance between SSC and its clients is to create an environment where integrity, honesty, trust, treating others with respect, and open communication are valued and embraced, and conflicts are minimized. This type of environment will enhance productivity and efficiency, increase job satisfaction, strengthen teamwork, and ensure high quality services and products are delivered SSC’s clients. To ensure ethical business practices are employed and client confidentiality is maintained, SSC should also create an organizational culture dedicated to high standards of ethical behavior and superior business performance. SSC must ensure work will be conducted ethically to prevent any liability being transferred to the clients and their products pass scrutiny, and client confidentiality is maintained to avoid proprietary information from falling into the hands of potenti al competitors. With the new technologies available, SSC will be able to employ the latest technologies to secure information as well as identify areas that may be susceptible to security breaches. SSC should develop performance metrics and provide periodic assessment reports to clients’ regarding how the organization is performing. SSC employees should be given access to the progress reports and provided feedback so they can review their accomplishments and obtain status of progress. SSC can use the information from the performance metrics to improve processes and realign resources as necessary to meet the clients’ needs. SSC management should also develop a set of company business ethics and codes of conduct and train their employees to the requirements so employees know what constitutes acceptable business practices and behaviors in the workplace. SSC can advertise the organization promotes good business ethics and strict adherence to codes of conduct. SSC can encourage their employees to comply with the codes of conduct through feedback and rewards. Compliance to these codes will increase SSC’s clients’ confidence in the organization’s ability to conduct high quality, ethical work while assisting clients in the development of the technology appropriate for their respective businesses. Effects of Leadership and Management on Networking Leadership means thinking beyond the status quo; possessing a clear vision and expanding borders. Without leadership businesses would be stuck with the way processes are currently performed. â€Å"Leaders lend more weight to underlying issues, realizing that what happens at home affects what happens at work. They don’t need to know details, but will give ongoing support, maybe by providing coaching, counseling, training, etc† (HRZone. com, 2009). This applies both to guiding employees through the bad times and promoting maximum self-development for the organization. Ma nagement is defined as focusing on tasks and taking care of the items that need attention daily. Management allows room for personal needs while maintaining a realistic approach to getting everything done. SSC clients include small and medium-sized business organizations, large domestic, multinational, and global corporations in a varied cross-section of industries. SSC also serves a number of government and not-for-profit organizations. The overall client satisfaction rate has exceeded 98% (UOP, 2009). Creating new technology has provided SSC leadership with the vision to apply new ways of doing business. Leadership does not need to be tied to management because leadership is about inspiring others to perform and providing guidance. SSC management has supplied the tools necessary for their employees to produce quality products and generate high customer satisfaction ratings and implemented systems that enable the company to manage and promote their clients’ websites in a highly professional manner. SSC has become the link to the outside world via the Internet which allows their customers to concentrate on business. An Environment of Teaming, Learning and Innovation Although SSC has been successfully â€Å"serving clients since 1994 with high value Web and business application services† (UOP, 2009), integrating an environment that is supportive of team functioning and learning is critical to the continued success of the company. Creating an environment that promotes creativity and innovation begins with respect. The focus of SSC’s business practice has been producing quality products and services as well as keeping high levels of customer satisfaction levels among their clients. However, team building and innovation should also be a focal point. Three key elements should be incorporated into the new proposed plan for SSC which will allow quality team-building and continuous learning to begin: clear expectations, context, and co mmitment (Healthfield, 2009). The organization must be provided with clear performance expectations to foster and encourage good communication. Through the use of good communication, the organization can become more resourceful, efficient, and productive. The context of organizational goals should be relayed to all employees in such a manner so they understand the reasoning behind the goal as well as the importance of each goal. Additionally, employees should be part of the planning process so they feel as though their input is a vital contributing factor â€Å"in the total context of the organization’s goals, principals, vision, and values† (Healthfield, 2009). A certain level of commitment is needed to encourage positive team functioning which can be achieved my ensuring each team member is valued and appreciated for their hard work. Team members should be encouraged to participate in generating creative and innovative ideas. Establishing and fostering an organ izational culture that embraces commitment, communication, and team building will also help to promote learning. An environment that encourages continued learning, creativity, and innovation will set precedence for future endeavors. Team members should continue to be encouraged by the organization to develop new ideas which can be accomplished by giving the team a weekly challenge to generate a new idea each week based on current projects. The team with the best idea may receive recognition such as an award or another type of praise-worthy incentive. A reward system can be an effective method for promoting creativity and team functionality, and pioneering inventive ideas to expand the company’s current products to the next level. Conclusion SSC can build alliances with their clients by ensuring they are involved in the decision-making process and development of long-range goals. In addition, fostering an environment where integrity, honesty, trust, treating others with respect, and open communication are valued and embraced will ensure employees follow good, ethical business practices and provide clients with products that meet their specifications. SSC’s leadership and management teams can maintain a high level of employee and customer satisfaction by communicating the company’s vision and progress toward goals, and providing the support and tools necessary for employees to perform work and serve the company’s clients. SSC can create an organizational culture in which employees are encouraged to learn, generate creative ideas and excel, and promote team building by communicating expectations for performance and providing opportunities for employees to participate in all aspects of the business. SSC’s employees and clients will be more productive and satisfied and as a result, the companies will be more effective and efficient in achieving their goals and sustaining business. References Healthfield, S. 2009). About. com: Human Resources: Twelve tips for team building. Retrieved October 31, 2009, from https://humanresources. about. com/od/involvementteams/a/twelve_tip_team_3. htm HRZone. com (2009). Managing People: Leaders. Retrieved October 29, 2009 from https://www. hrzone. co. uk/. University of Phoenix (UOP). (2009). Week five overview. Retrieved October 31, 2009, from University of Phoenix, Week five: Virtual Organizations Web link. PSY 428 – Organizational Psychology Course Web site. 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