How do you think that the Legal Services Act 2007 will change the Essay

How do you think that the Legal Services Act 2007 will change the Legal Profession - Essay Example To note, lawyers are duty-bound to preserve the respectable reputation of their profession. Also, it has been observed that restrictive legal practices prevent professional competition among legal practitioners (Mortensen, Bartlett, & Tranter, 2010). As such, in 2003, the Blair administration commissioned Sir David Clementi to conduct a review of the profession’s regulatory structure (Mortensen et al., 2010). Clementi’s report envisioned three major reforms which were adopted under the act: (1) the creation of the Legal Services Board (LSB); (2) the establishment of the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC); and (3) the authorization of alternative business structures. This set-up has actually been described as consumer-focused and competition-based. The LSB is meant to supervise or oversee the present professional bodies (Mortensen et al., 2010). It can only exercise its intervention power upon finding that the approved regulators have seriously failed or persistently fail ed in its responsibilities (Mortensen et al., 2010). The OLC on the other hand acts as the single handler of all complaints due to unsatisfactory legal services (Mortensen et al., 2010). This body accords the Ombudsman the power to issue orders against erring legal practitioners (Mortensen et al., 2010). ... n a store of knowledge that was more than ordinarily complex†; (2) secure a theoretical understanding of the field with which it tackles; (3) apply its complex and theoretical body of knowledge to the practical and feasible solution of social and human dilemmas; (4) â€Å"strive to add to and improve its stock knowledge†; (5) transmit the knowledge to newcomers formally and deliberately; (6) provide requirements for admission, proper conduct and legitimate practice; and (7) be imbued with altruism (cited in Bowie, 1988, p. 743). Law complies will all the aforementioned requisites. The most important quality is having an altruistic spirit -- the concern for public good. This separates law from the other occupations. It is the core of the profession. In this context, if altruism is absent, then law becomes a business. Business has never been regarded as a profession (Bowie, 1988). Business people are self-centered (Bowie, 1988). They are primarily motivated by self-interes t (Bowie, 1988). This description is clearly in contrast with the seventh quality which Flexner suggested. There is a need to emphasize this point since the Legal Services Act works opposite to the cited principle. The third envisioned reform will make the legal profession a business. Allowing alternative business structures between lawyers and non-lawyers is not the kind of competition that can solve the problem on poor legal services. The change will not lower the number of customer complaints. Stated in another sense, the ends will not justify the means. It is against the basic theory of professionalism (Moorhead, Sherr, & Paterson, 2003). It would be better to implement rules which can enhance the ability of lawyers and enlighten them of the importance of public service. The legal profession must

Mills Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

Mills Utilitarianism Essay In the beginning of Utilitarianism John Stuart Mill states that throughout history very little progress has been made towards developing a set of moral standards to judge what is morally right or wrong. Although a certain disagreement about such foundations can also be found in the most â€Å"certain† sciences, in those areas truths can still have meaning without understanding the principles underlying them. On the other hand, in philosophy, where all actions exist to proceed towards a particular end, statements unfounded upon a general principle have very little validity. Therefore Mill says that in order to know what morality dictates, it is necessary to know by what standard human actions should be judged. He rejects the idea of a moral instinct inherent in human mind, which supplies us with this ability to judge. Even if such a sense would exist, it wouldn’t show us whether something is right or wrong in a particular matter. Instead, Mill assumes that right and wrong are questions of experience and he tries to show that the principle of utility or â€Å"the greatest happiness principle† is the foundation of this distinction. In Chapter two, Mill tries to reply to some common misconceptions about utilitarianism. He claims that many people mistake utility as the rejection of pleasures, whereas in reality, it is pleasure itself, promoting happiness. He thus defines utilitarianism as the creed which â€Å"holds that actions are right in the proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness†. Accordingly pleasure and absence of pain are the only goals that are inherently good and desirable in themselves. Every other action or experience is only insofar good as it promotes pleasure. However, it is wrong to assume people should only do what makes them personally happy. Instead the standard of judging an act is the happiness of all people. Therefore people shouldn’t distinguish between their own happiness and the happiness of others. The motives underlying a certain act are of no importance in utilitarianism. Instead only the results of our conduct, or more specifically the impact on the general happiness, are to consider. In continuing, Mill states that some pleasures are more valuable than others, so not only the quantity but also the quality of pleasures resulting from a certain act determines its moral rightness. We can experience this difference in quality when we give one pleasure a clear preference over another, although it comes along with a greater amount of discomfort, and would not dismiss it for any quantity of the other pleasure. Mill claims that, given equal access to all kinds of pleasures, every man or woman gives priority to those employing their higher faculties. Appropriately he writes that †it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, is of a different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the question. Thus only people who have experienced both the higher and the lower pleasures are qualified to judge the quality of a pleasure. But by what extent are pleasures measurable or comparable? And what is it that makes a â€Å"higher† pleasure superior over a â€Å"lower†? Another criticism Mill responds to is that happiness can’t be the goal of human actions, since it’s unattainable. Moreover, detractors of the utilitarian moral state that a life without happiness is quite possible, and all noble beings have become virtuous by renunciation. Mill objects that if happiness is defined as moments of rapture, â€Å"in an existence made up of few and transitory pains† and not as a â€Å"continuity of highly pleasurable excitement† happiness is quite attainable. The only reason why mankind is not yet in this condition of happiness is because our education and our social arrangements are inadequate. Concerning the objection that virtuous men renounced happiness Mill asserts that those noble men acted as martyrs, sacrificing their own happiness in order to increase the happiness of other people. However, such a sacrifice is not in itself an act of good but only insofar as it helps others. Mill presents a couple of other misapprehensions of utilitarian ethics, which he says are obviously wrong but which many people nevertheless believe. First, utilitarianism is often accused to be godless, because its foundation is human happiness, and not the will of god. But if we assume that god desires in the first instance the happiness of his creatures, then utilitarianism is more profoundly religious than any other doctrine. Another objection holds that there is not enough time to outweigh the effects on the general happiness prior to every action taken. Mill replies that such a claim also implies that if our conduct is guided by Christianity we’d have to read the Old and New Testament every time before we act. Obviously this is not possible. Instead he asserts that we had the entire duration of human existence to learn by experience which actions lead to certain results. The last critique Mill responds to is that utilitarianism legitimates immoral tendencies by justifying the break of rules by referring to an increase of utility. He replies that this problem can not only be found in utilitarianism but also in every other creed. Does this argument really dispel misconceptions about utilitarianism? In the beginning of chapter three Mill asserts that every moral philosophy needs some source of obligation in order to be binding. Regarding utilitarianism this binding force consists of internal and external sanctions. External sanctions include â€Å"the hope of favour and the fear of displeasure from our fellow creatures or from the Ruler of the Universe†. Internal sanctions on the other hand, are feelings in our own conscience and create a pain if we violate duty. This second type of sanction is considered to be more powerful. Thus to provide a force which is binding enough to influence people’s conduct, utilitarianism needs to appeal to people’s inner sentiment. Mill claims that in fact every moral sentiment could be cultivated, no matter how bad it is. However such â€Å"artificial† feelings, will eventually crumble when they are analyzed thoroughly. The utilitarian morality on the other hand, emerges as a particularly strong foundation because it’s consistent with the social nature of human sentiments: every one of us has an innate â€Å"desire to be in unity with our fellow creatures†. Mill finally emphasizes that this natural sentiment needs to be nourished through education and law. [ 1 ]. John Stuart, Mill, Utilitarianism, ed. Mary Waldrep (Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc. , 2007), 1. [ 2 ]. Mill, 6. [ 3 ]. Mill, 8. [ 4 ]. Mill, 11. [ 5 ]. Mill, 11. [ 6 ]. Mill, 24. [ 7 ]. Mill, 27.

Climbing Rocks and Dreams :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

I am the bravest guy I know. I don't mean to brag, but that's just the way it is. Granted, I'm not great pals with any prisoners of war or any cowboys, but I am a climber, and climbers are hardcore. By sheer will, climbers scale overhanging rock faces, risk life and limb in the pursuit of the summit, and just generally go all out all the time. Aside from being able to handle the risk, climbers latch onto the sharpest and most painful handholds for the simplest reward of having climbed a particular rock wall. No, climbers don't seek attention from the crowds or big bucks for competing; they climb with the pure, unadulterated motivation of being brave enough to achieve their dreams. What places me in the upper most tier of bravery among climbers, aren't the bold routes I've conquered, but rather my willingness to commit to my dreams with irrefutable impetuousness. Throughout my 17 years of life, I've always had an affinity for adventure. The same irrational craving I had as a child for extended power outages fueled my desire to be a climber-in particular my desire to climb at America's most famous bouldering area, Hueco Tanks, Texas. While I had done a significant amount of climbing beforehand, including a weeklong Southern climbing tour with the Adventure Guild, I had only gotten my foot in the door of the climbing scene. I had to have more. My participation in this trip to Hueco not only placed me on the road to becoming a prominent climber, but also enlightened me to my outstanding bravery. There wasn't a single thing that scared me there. Even from the very beginning, I started out on the courageous path. I had been sick the week leading up to the trip, but no, I didn't let the fear of being stranded sick in a tent in the middle of the dessert hold me back. It was a beautiful early afternoon after the last half-day of school before spring break, and I was getting in my car totally distraught over my parent's decision that I would not go on the trip. (After all, they had only let me come to school that day because I had to take a math test.) After tossing my books in the back seat of my car, I casually cruised over to the microbus where Stuart, the trip leader, and the rest of the climbers were busily making final preparations for their departure.

Friendship in the West & Friendship in Islam Essay

It is natural for people to form friendships with others whom they interact with on a regular basis. Friendships can be formed through growing up in the same neighbourhood, meeting at school, college, university, social gatherings and via a number of other activities. Friendship is something common amongst people, however there are different conceptions of it. Some common conceptions include the following: friends will always stick by your side, you can always rely on a friend, you can speak freely to your friend and tell them your problems, friends like you for who you are, etc. When people have personal problems such as disputes with their family members or if they require advice they usually turn to their friends. Friendship in the West Friendship in the West is based on benefit. Friends come together on the basis of mutual interest, so they will go to the cinema, parties and clubbing together. They talk about the opposite sex freely to each other and hide each others secrets even if they involve evil actions. They often gain comfort in backbiting and winging about other people who they don’t like. Unfortunately some Muslims carry the Western notion of friendship as they follow the crowd rather than to looking to Islam for solutions. Due to the fact that friendship is based on benefit in the West, it is easy for people to ‘break out’ with each other, have rows and even become enemies. This happens when their interests conflict and can be over petty things such as not going for a night out with them or larger things such as betrayal. In many cases people even talk negatively about some of their friends in front of others and even betray them by having affairs with their wife, sisters or girlfriend. Friends even become status symbols, so people long to ‘hang out’ with a particular crowd to look cool. Often crowds have leaders with egos, so staying on the right side of certain people is important if you want to be accepted. For some this means ‘sucking up’ to them, for others it means undertaking actions to make them think you’re ‘cool’. Friendship in the West is based on using each other. The proof of this can be seen in the fact that when friends became unusable they drift apart. Typically, if someone’s friend was to suddenly change and stop clubbing, partying and drooling over the opposite sex at every opportunity they would start treating them differently and normally ‘break out’ with them. Especially if this person begins to account them when they are wrong and advise them upon their actions repeatedly. As an example if someone begins to practise Islam and stops committing Haram and advises his friends to do the same. Those with the Western concept of friendship would change their attitude towards them and they would be distanced and only occasionally spoken to. The reason for this is that it there is no more benefit in their eyes to keep a close relationship with them, in fact it completely contradicts their lust for pleasure as when the person speaks about Islam it is seen as an attack on their lifestyle. Friendship in Western societies is normally false as the society is founded on greed, individualism and following lusts. Friendship in Islam is true as it is based on sincerity, trust and Taqwa (piety). Friendship in Islam Islam recognises that a Muslim will naturally spend more time with certain people and be more comfortable with them in raising their personal problems and issues. This does not mean in any way that the rest of the Muslims are not their brothers and sisters whom they love, rather all that it means that they will be closer to certain people than others just as people are usually closer to their family than others. Islam recognises that friends have a strong influence on people and that their environment will affect the strength of their relationship with Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala). The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"A person follows the Deen (way of life) of his close friend; therefore let each of you look carefully at whom he chooses for friends† [Tirmidhi] A Muslim should choose friends that will advise him and remind him of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) rather than lure him to the path of Shaytan. It has also been narrated that our friends in the Dunya (world) will be our friends in the Akhira (afterlife). It is therefore vital for a Muslim to choose good friends. The love between two Muslim friends is such that they would confide in each other, help each other in times of need and strengthen each other’s commitment to the Deen of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala). The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) encouraged for Muslims who have love for each other not to keep it to themselves. It has been narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Adaabul-Mufrad (no. 191) that Allah’s Messenger (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"If one of you loves his brother for Allah’s sake, then let him tell him since it causes familiarity to endure and firmly establishes love†. Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not guide you to something which if you carry out you will love one another. Spread as-Salaam amongst yourselves.† [Muslim] Friendship in Islam is not based on using each other; on the contrary, helping each other to stay away from the Haram is fundamental to it. How could someone watch his brother burn without doing anything to save him? A person who did that would be ones worst enemy rather than a friend. Therefore Muslims always warn and advise each other. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"Each of you is the mirror of his brother, so if he sees any fault in him he should wipe it away from him.† [Tirmidhi] This means the purpose of confiding secrets to each other wouldn’t be as in the Western values where people confide their secrets to feel good knowing that they will not be a comeback. Rather in Islam we confide our secrets to our friends to seek their sincere advice and help. So a Muslim will ask his friends about issues relating to marriage, problems within his family, troubles he feels at work or fears that he has. Friendship has rules in Islam unlike in the West – to visit them especially when they are ill, to inquire about their family, feeding them when they are hungry, attending to their needs, keeping their private affairs to yourself and sharing your wealth with them without hesitation. It is related that Ibn Umar (ra) was looking about from right to left in the presence of the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam), who asked the reason for doing so. Ibn Umar replied, â€Å"There is someone dear to me and I am searching for him, but do not see him†. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) then said, Umar bin Al-Khattab (ra) said, â€Å"Encountering your brothers lifts all grief. If Allah blesses you with good relations with another Muslim, hold fast to it†. Rule of friendship with non-Muslims As Muslims living in the West we interact with non-Muslims on a daily basis whether at work, University, college or in society at large. It is incorrect for us to cut ourselves completely from them and live in isolation. We should aim at building relationships with them in order to give them Da’wa to embrace Islam. Therefore we should have them as acquaintances, however this does not mean that we are allowed to have them as close friends, as Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) says: â€Å"O you who believe, take not into intimacy those outside your ranks: they will not fail to corrupt you.† [TMQ Al-Imran: 118] Not taking them as close friends means that you don’t share with them your innermost thoughts and feelings. For no matter how well you know them, they reject Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) and His Messenger (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam). The bond of Iman is even stronger than that of kinship. An example of this can be seen after the great battle of Badr, the Quraysh prisoners of war were bought to the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) who assigned them to the custody of individual Muslims. The Messenger (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"Treat them well.† Amongst the prisoners was Abu Aziz ibn Umayr, the brother of Mus’ab ibn Umayr (ra). Abu Aziz narrates what happened, â€Å"I was among a group of Ansaar†¦Whenever they had lunch or dinner they would give me bread and dates to eat in obedience to the Prophet’s instruction to them to treat us well. My brother, Mus’ab ibn Umayr, passed by me and said to the man holding me prisoner, â€Å"Tie him firmly†¦ His mother (i.e. Mus’ab’s own mother) is a woman of great wealth and maybe she would ransom him for you.† Abu Aziz ibn Umayr could not believe his ears. Astonished, he turned to Mus’ab and asked: â€Å"My brother, is this your instruction concerning me?† Mus’ab ibn Umayr (ra) replied, â€Å"He is my brother, not you!† pointing to the Ansaari Sahabi holding him, affirming that in the battle between the Haq and the Batil, the bonds of Iman are stronger than the ties of kinship. Prohibition of backbiting, slander, envy, jealousy & grudges The relationship of friendship is one of trust as a good Muslim is trustworthy and not deceitful, betraying or a backbiter. In reality this makes the love between friends in Islam stronger than friendship according to Western values as there is no constant thinking about whether your friend is speaking ill of you to other people or whether they are having a hidden relationship with your sister or wife. Islam has prohibited backbiting and slander and thus removing the cause of suspicion and doubt amongst people. Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) says: â€Å"Neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother. You abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.† [Al-Hujarat: 12] It is narrated by Abu Dawud on the authority of Anas (RA), the Messenger of Allah said: â€Å"On the night of Isra I passed by some people who had copper nails and they were clawing their faces and chests with them. I asked Jibriel: Who are these persons? He said: These are the people who eat the flesh of human beings and disgrace them.† Islam also forbids envy and jealousy which are the common causes of problems amongst friends in Western societies. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"Do not have malice against a Muslim; do not be envious of other Muslims; do not go against a Muslim and forsake him. O the slaves of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala)! Be like brothers with each other. It is not violable for a Muslim to desert his brother for over three days†. [Sahih Muslim, Tirmithi] Belittling each other is almost a pastime in the West. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"The believer can do no worse than belittle his brother†. [Iyah Uloom ad Deen] A Muslim should not hold grudges against another Muslim even if they are differing personalities. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) warned against this when he said, â€Å"The gates of Paradise will be open on Mondays and on Thursdays, and every servant [of Allah] who associates nothing with Allah will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. [About them] it will be said: Delay these two until they are reconciled; delay these two until they are reconciled; delay these two until they are reconciled†. [Muslim] Friends should feel at ease with each other without feeling inferior or superior. Ego’s must be tamed according to Islam. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"A man is on a par with the Deen of his friend and there is no good in the fellowship of one who does not regard you as highly as himself†. [Iyah Uloom ad Deen] Concealing faults It is important to conceal a friends faults, this does not mean that we ignore them; it means that we advise them and help them overcome their shortcomings. Uqbah ibn Amir narrated that the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"He who sees something which should be kept hidden and conceals it, it will be like the one who has brought to life a girl buried alive† [Hadith 2292: Abu Dawud] Abu Hurayrah narrated that Allah’s Apostle (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"He who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant so long as the servant is at the back of his brother.† [Hadith 1245: Muslim] Generosity & Kindness Sharing wealth with others is greatly encouraged in Islam. This encourages trust and closeness amongst people. It is sometimes difficult for Muslims to grasp this principle especially when they are affected by Western society which promotes greed and selfishness. Giving someone something without expecting anything in return is uncommon in the West even amongst friends. When the non-Muslims give each other presents such as on Birthday’s, Christmas, New Year’s or when someone leaves the work place it is done more out of tradition and knowing that they will get something in return rather than sincerity. Imam Bukhari narrated that our beloved Messenger Muhammad (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said: â€Å"None amongst you believes (truly) till one likes for his brother, that which he loves for his himself†. Examples of this perspective towards others can be clearly seen in the companions of the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam). It is transmitted by Imam Ahmad, in Al-Bidayah, volume 3, page 228 that Anas (ra) narrated, â€Å"When Abdur-Rahman ibn Auf (ra) immigrated to Medina, the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) established brotherhood between him and Sa’d ibn Al-Ansari (ra). Afterwards Sa’d said to Abdur-Rahman ibn Auf, ‘O my brother! I am a wealthy person of Medina. Look! Here is half of my wealth, take it! I have 2 wives. I will divorce one of them whom you like more so that you may marry her.’ Abdur-Rahman ibn Auf replied, ‘May Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) prosper your family and wealth, just show me the way to the market so that I may make my fortune with my own hands.† The Ansaar of Medina were extremely generous to their brothers, the Muhajireen from Makkah. Abu Hurairah (ra) reported that they once approached the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) with the request that their orchards of palm trees should be distributed equally between the Muslims of Medina and the Muslims of Makkah. But the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) was reluctant to put this heavy burden upon them. It was, however, decided that the Muhajireen would work in the orchards along with the Ansaar and the yield would be divided equally amongst them. Friends should have informality with each other so that they are not hesitant in asking for anything when in need. This can be seen from the example of the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) and his dear friend Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) had stayed at his house when after arriving into Madina whilst he was waiting for the mosque to be built. The Prophet stayed in Abu Ayyub’s house for almost seven months until his mosque was completed on the open space where his camel had stopped. He then moved to the roots which were built around the mosque for himself and his family. He thus became a neighbour of his friend Abu Ayyub. Abu Ayyub continued to love the Prophet with all his heart and the Prophet also loved him dearly. There was no formality between them. The Prophet continued to regard Abu Ayyub’s house as his own. The following anecdote tells a great deal about the relationship between them. Abu Bakr (ra) once left his house in the burning heat of the midday sun and went to the mosque. Umar (ra) saw him and asked, â€Å"Abu Bakr, what has brought you out at this hour? Abu Bakr said he had left his house because he was terribly hungry and Umar said that he had left his house for the same reason. The Prophet came up to them and asked; â€Å"What has brought the two of you out at this hour?† They told him and he said, â€Å"By Him in Whose hands is my soul, only hunger has caused me to come out also. But come with me.† They went to the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. His wife opened the door and said, â€Å"Welcome to the Prophet and whoever is with him.† â€Å"Where is Abu Ayyub?† asked the Prophet. Abu Ayyub, who was working in a nearby palm grove, heard the Prophet’s voice and came hurriedly. â€Å"Welcome to the Prophet and whoever is with him,† he said and went on â€Å"O Prophet of God, this is not the time that you usually come.† (Abu Ayyub used to keep some food for the Prophet every day. When the Prophet did not come for it by a certain time, Abu Ayyub would give it to his family). â€Å"You are right,† the Prophet agreed. Abu Ayyub went out and cut a cluster of dates in which there were ripe and half ripe dates. â€Å"I did not want you to eat this,† said the Prophet. â€Å"Could you not have brought only the ripe dates?† â€Å"O Rasulullah, please eat from both the ripe dates (rutb) and the half ripe (busr). I shall slaughter an animal for you also.†. â€Å"If you are going to, then do not kill one that gives milk,† cautioned the Prophet. Abu Ayyub killed a young goat, cooked half and grilled the other half. He also asked his wife to bake, because she baked better he said. When the food was ready, it was placed before the Prophet and his two companions. The Prophet took a piece of meat and placed it in a loaf and said, â€Å"Abu Ayyub, take this to Fatima. She has not tasted the like of this for days†. When they had eaten and were satisfied, the Prophet said reflectively: â€Å"Bread and meat and busr and rutb!† Tears began to flow from his eyes as he continued: â€Å"This is a bountiful blessing about which you will be asked on the Day of judgment. If such comes your way, put your hands to it and say, Bismillah (In the name of God) and when you have finished say, Al hamdu lillah alladhee huwa ashbana wa anama alayna (Praise be to God Who has given us enough and Who has bestowed his bounty on us). This is best.† [Iyah Uloom ad Deen] In putting others first, the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) demonstrated for us excellent examples. He (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) once entered a thicket with one of his companions and gathered two toothpicks, one of them crooked and the other straight. He gave the straight one to his companion, who said, â€Å"O Messenger of Allah, you are more entitled to the straight one than I!† The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) replied, â€Å"When a friend accompanies a friend, if only for one hour of the day, he will be asked to account for his companionship, whether he fulfilled his duty to Allah therein or whether he neglected it†. [Iyah Uloom ad Deen] On another occasion the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) went out to a well in order to wash. Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman took a robe and stood screening the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) whilst he washed. Then Hudhayfa (ra) sat down to wash himself and Muhammad (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) took the robe and screened Hudhayfa (ra) from view. Hudhayfa objected saying, â€Å"My father be your ransom, and my mother too! O Messenger of Allah, do not do it!† Yet he (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) insisted on holding the robe and said, â€Å"Each time two people are in company together, the dearer to Allah is he who is kinder to his companion [Ihya Uloom ad Deen] The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) also said, â€Å"The companions whom Allah considers best are those who are best to their companions†. [Ahmad & Tirmidhi] Giving of gifts has also been recommended by the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) and he explained that it creates love between people. It was reported by al-Bukhari in al-Adaabul-Mufrad (no. 594) that Rasool-Allah (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said: â€Å"Give gifts and you will love one another†. Kindness to our friends, helping them in need and consoling them in times of grief should become natural for us for everyone needs help, a shoulder to cry on and someone to share their joy. Ali ibn Abi Talib (ra) said, â€Å"Pay attention to your brothers for they are your provision in this life and in the hereafter. Do you not listen to the cry of the people of the fire? â€Å"So we have no one to intercede for us nor any dear friend† [Ash-Shu’araa: 100-101] Loving someone for the sake of Allah In the West people love each other for the sake of material benefits whereas in Islam we are encouraged to love each other for the sake of Allah. This means that we would undertake actions with regards to each other that even contradict our personal interests in order aid a friend or further our relationship with them. It was reported by Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said: â€Å"A man went to visit a brother of his in another town and Allah deputed an angel to await him on his way, so when he came to him he said, â€Å"Where are you going?† He replied, â€Å"I am going to visit a brother of mine in this town.† He said, â€Å"Have you done him some favour which you desire to be returned?† He said, â€Å"No, it is just that I love him for Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent.† He said, â€Å"Then I am a messenger sent by Allah to you (to inform you) that Allah loves you as you have loved him for Allah’s sake.† The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) also said, â€Å"Whoever would like to taste the sweetness of Iman (belief) then let him love a person only for Allah’s sake† [Ahmad] It was reported by Abu Dawud that Umar ibn al-Khattab narrated that the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"Indeed from the servants of Allah there are some who are not Prophets, yet they will be envied by the Prophets and the martyrs†. It was asked, â€Å"Who are they? That we may love them†. He (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"They are people who have mutual love through light from Allah, not due to kinship or ancestry, their faces will be enlightened, upon pillars of light, they will not fear when the people fear, or grieve when the people grieve†. Then he (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) recited: â€Å"No doubt! Verily, on the friends of Allah there is no fear nor shall they grieve† [TMQ 10: 62] In conclusion, it should be apparent that we can’t live in isolation and require company. Friendship provides a natural support structure the Muslim community. Therefore we should ensure that the company we keep helps us in remembering Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) and strengthens our commitment to Islam. This is more important for us living in the West as the corrupt society continuously bombards us with its poisonous culture and attempts to catch us in its net.

A Comparison of Creation Myths from Genesis and Greece

The words myths and legends tend to be used interchangeably, but usually myths have a religious purpose whereas legends are the stories of heroes. Creation myths   have commonalities, because they are all seeking to explain the same things.It is part of human nature to wonder about the unknown and to seek answers. At the foundation of almost every culture is a story that explains how the earth, its creatures and its people came to be.These myths may be dismissed by some modern thinkers, yet continue to have huge influence as a frame of reference. In the case of Judaism and Greek mythology both emerge from the Eastern Mediterranean region, so although there are lots of differences, these are people not so far removed from each other geographically and there would have been some trading links at least and so it is likely that each group would have had some knowledge of the stories of the other.Myths are stories created by a group of people in order to explain some of the great questi ons in life such as ‘Where did man come from and from where did he gain knowledge?’ They originate in oral tradition as people discussed such matters and it would have been many generations before they were committed to script in some form.This goes some way to explain why there may on occasions be slightly different versions extant, as in Genesis 1 and 2 where there are two version of the creation. They are both included because at the time when the canon of Jewish scripture was finally fixed in the early years of the Christian era, beginning in about 90 C.E.[1] both stories had been in circulation for so many years and both were felt to contain something of value.Although myths may have internal chronology i.e. this happened first and then that, but there is no link with modern times.The book of Genesis differs on this point from the general rule in that after the story of the first family, Adam Eve and their sons,   in Genesis 4 and 5 there is a list of the generat ions between Adam and Noah, considered by the Jews to be an historical figure and after the story of Noah, in chapter 9 there are further lists , partly to explain the origins of the various nations of the earth , and in part to provide a link to the story of Abram ( later Abraham), considered to be the founder of the Jewish race.So the stories in Genesis are more particular than the generalised creation myths of the Greeks, which do not mention the founding of the Greek race.There is no such definitive collection of Greek myths, probably because the ancient Greek religion totally disappeared early in the first millennium C.E.[1] What are the Deuterocanonical book s of the Bible? Available from http://www.bluffton.edu/~bergerd/deutero.html accessed 1st December 2008

Sniper Killings essays

Sniper Killings essays The month of October 2002 has been a very sad month; a Sniper (Jargon) has been on the loose killing innocent people for no apparent reason. He has already shot thirteen people, taking the lives (Euphemism) of eight and the rest were critically injured. Two suspects were arrested after being found asleep in their car at a Maryland rest stop, in the 3 a.m. hour on Thursday, October 24. The suspects were 42-year-old John Allen Mohammed, and 17-year-old juvenile, John Lee Malvo, who was "believed to be his stepson" (Vindicator). Not only are these suspects being arrested for questioning on the Sniper shootings but also for the liquor-store shooting in Montgomery, Alabama. "The law enforcement source told the AP that police found a piece of paper at the scene of the Alabama shooting that bore Malvo's fingerprints. Police then traced Malvo to the Tacoma home, were he had been living with Mohammed, the source told the AP" (Vindicator). In my opinion, if these two men are indeed the so-called Snipers, they should be executed in the worst possible way. One idea would be to properly punish the criminal to satisfy the citizen of the communities (Doublespeak). If the public saw how horrible their punishment was, there might be a less likely chance that anyone would try to do something like this again. People like this should not ever be able to go back on the streets again. Even if criminals get a lifetime in jail, they almost always get out early. I am hoping that the arrest of Mohammed and Malvo will stop the chain of killings in the Washington D.C. area. The police are not positive that all the shootings are related to the Sniper. For example, when the thirteenth person was shot on the bus, it was said that "We don't know if this is related but were treating this as if it is" (Nancy Demme)(Vindicator). Hopefully, Malvo and Mohammed are actually the Snipers, and are prosecuted, so that the ...

To Hell With Dying essays

To Hell With Dying essays In the picture book To Hell with Dying by Alice Walker, the narrator and her sibling were loyal companions to their elderly neighbor Mr. Sweet. Walkers use of point of view, setting, characters, themes, and figurative language help the story evolve. Walker writes this short story in first person point of view. The narrator, a now more matured woman, reminisces on her childhood memories of the revivals of Mr. Sweet but then towards the end she begins to talk about the present day and her attempt to save Mr. Sweet once again. The young girl is the narrator and protagonist in the story. The point of view affects the story because the reader cannot understand the pleasure that the children bring into Mr. Sweets somewhat meaningless life. With having the girl narrate the story, the reader is unable to detect her siblings emotional reaction to Mr. Sweet. Each characters outlook on a certain situation is vital to the overall story but the reader does not get that in Walkers story. The reader does not get any background information on any of the characters hence the characters are flat. The only character that is semi-round is Mr. Sweet because the reader learns about his alcoholism, diabetes, ambitions, and musical skills with the guitar. The protagonist is a girl in her early to mid twenties. The antagonist is her elderly neighbor, Mr. Sweet Little. The narrator of the story is a young, vibrant girl who doesnt really understand why and the important of reviving Mr. Sweet. The girl is very observant to Mr. Sweets ungrown-up like behaviors when he is with her and her siblings. She also noticed, how much [he] depended on her when she would participate in the revivals. The girls main purpose in the story is to help revive Mr. Sweet from the deathbed by kissing and tickling him all over with her other siblings keeping him company. The reader...

Conscience vs. Conscious

Conscience vs. Conscious Conscience vs. Conscious Conscience vs. Conscious By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between conscience and conscious? They stem from the same Latin root, but their usage is distinct. Writers occasionally confuse the two words, but if you remain conscious, you’ll likely be able to say with a clear conscience that you know the difference. Conscience and conscious both come from the Latin word conscius; the word elements mean â€Å"with† and â€Å"to know.† (Yes, the -science in conscience means the same thing as science itself.) Conscience is a noun meaning â€Å"sense of the quality of one’s character and conduct,† â€Å"adherence to moral principles,† and â€Å"consideration of fairness and justice.† Confusion between conscience and conscious occurs because the latter word is sometimes used as a noun synonymous with consciousness, meaning â€Å"mental awareness,† though the longer form is usually employed. More often, however, conscious appears as an adjective meaning â€Å"aware† or â€Å"awake,† or â€Å"involving perception or thought.† It also appears in combination with a noun in phrasal adjectives such as â€Å"budget conscious† to refer to someone who is concerned, sensitive, or vigilant about something. Conscience and conscious can be distinguished because the former word is qualitative people have various degrees of moral strength while conscious, as its antonym, unconscious, indicates, is quantitative: You’re either one or the other, whether the word is used as a noun or an adjective. However, consciousness, as the word is usually applied, like conscious refers to a continuum: We speak of raising one’s consciousness and of higher consciousness, because this quality can be improved or increased. Like the noun conscious, though, consciousness has a quantitative sense as well, referring to a state of mental activity, as opposed to unconsciousness caused by illness or injury. Other words descended from the Latin word are self-conscious, which literally means â€Å"self-aware† but has acquired a connotation of â€Å"preoccupied with how one is perceived by others,† an attitude that leads to shyness and stress, and conscionable and its more common antonym unconscionable; the latter means â€Å"inexcusable, reprehensible.† Conscientious means â€Å"scrupulous† or â€Å"careful†; a conscientious objector is someone who objects to a requirement on religious grounds. Originally, around the turn of the twentieth century, the context was mandatory vaccination, but ever since World War I, the primary sense has been of a person who refuses military conscription. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Mostly Small But Expressive InterjectionsPeace of Mind and A Piece of One's Mind50 Words with Alternative Spellings

Erecruitment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Erecruitment - Essay Example E here refers to online and recruitment as we all know means to employ people for jobs. In a lump sum, it is also referred to as online recruitment. Basically, by the use of the computer and the internet, it brings potential employers and employees into a single destination in the look for a job. Another form of recruitment that's available is the basic one; the one where companies advertise in the news papers, candidates apply and are called in for interviews. However, the orthodox recruitment system has lost its touch and e-recruitment is taking over. According to a recent study, a job is among the top reasons why new users will come to the internet besides e-mail. It is believed that there are more than 18 million rsum's floating online across the web at this time in history! Many big and small organizations around the globe are using the internet as a source of recruitment. How this process of recruitment works via the internet is that first of all they advertise job vacancies through the internet. Then many people view the positions and the interested job seekers send in their applications or curriculum vitae (what many people refer to as the CV in recent times) through an e-mail over the internet. Alternately, this system works in the reverse as well; the job seekers place their CV's over the worldwide web which can be viewed by prospective employers depending upon their necessities. Generally, there are two kinds of e-recruitment that an organization can use, 1) Job portals, and 2) By creating an e-recruiting section in a company's own website. Most organizations prefer looking for jobs through job portals then by creating a separate section for that purpose on their own company website. How organizations make use of the job portals can be compared to how a fishnet separates fish from water; the approaching organizations place the job descriptions and specifications on the job portal and then search the possible rsum's posted on the site to match their demand. Lets discuss how the second option works; the company adds a software to its website, where the hopeful applicants post their rsums into the company database for consideration when a job vacancy is reported. However if we compare the two options, the job portal option seems much better to me. The people who operate the job portals, even though they charge you a certain fee in case they find you a match, they always give you the best filtered results and save your time. What the people who work for the job portals do, is that they search the entire lot of applications, only for the most capable and deserving one's which are then forwarded to the organization for selection from the already shot-listed candidates. However, in the case where the company posts jobs on its own website, not only would be prove expensive to them, but would also take up a lot of their time. They would have to pay bills to their web-operators who set sets up the job adds on their website, then they'll have to waste time looking through all the candidates who

Develop an arguable, creative, and unique thesis about one theme in Essay

Develop an arguable, creative, and unique thesis about one theme in The complete Persepolis - Essay Example The author uses religion as a theme in the book on several occasions. For instance, Marjane introduces herself to the reader that she comes from a religious family yet her family is not religious. As observed at the beginning of the book, â€Å"I was born with religion† (Satrapi 6) according to Islam religion, God is viewed as a unique sustainer of the entire universe and accords favor upon those who call upon Him. God is the sovereign in the spiritual aspect of people’s lives and also the physical. Marjane at the tender age of ten believed in God and set out her imaginations of God for answers. Marjane mimic the historical revolutionaries in her dressing and pretends to be Cheguavera and Fidel Castro. This imaginative character in Marjane’s autobiography that offers a comic relief of macabre imaging of revolution and war in Iran at that time is seen. The religion of Marjane helps her to endure through hard times. She believes in religion as she even claims that she is a religious prophet. She emphasizes this by telling her teacher in the class that she want to be a prophet in future. When her belief in class is isolated, and her religion taken away from her, hope is lost for a while. Religion is forced on many women, through wearing a veil. The religion revolution of Iran had a significant role; they were two different parties who participated in the revolution religion. One party involved those who were trying to strengthen the religion in Iran while the other party involved people who were focused on modernizing Iran. This situation is seen and forecasted by Marjane as evident that she is a prophet, she claims â€Å"I want to be a prophet† (Satrapi 6). The Guardians of Revolution, who are focused to make Iran a religion country, detain anyone who breaks the rule of faith, just as they stopped the family of Marjane. Thos e who fail to

Starbucks' Mission (vision, goals, objectives) aligned with its Essay

Starbucks' Mission (vision, goals, objectives) aligned with its strategies - Essay Example Manifestation of Starbucks’ mission is through its six (6) major principles. According to the Starbucks Coffee Official Website, these principles are the: equality of work environment, business diversity, application of high-standard excellence, focus on consumers’ satisfaction, environmental and communal contributions, and profitability recognition. In addition, through these ways of measuring appropriateness of decisions, Starbucks envisions itself as the â€Å"most recognized and respected brand in the world,† (Starbucks Coffee Website). As in every corporation, especially those who are present globally like Starbucks Coffee, marketing strategies are developed and implemented. Specifically, it developed marketing opportunities and applied efficient marketing strategies to gain profit and be recognized. All marketing strategies should be related to the company’s mission and vision; and this study aims to analyze whether Starbucks strategies are aligned with its goals. First manifestation of Starbucks’ mission is its equality of work environment (Starbucks Coffee Website). That means that every human resource should be treated with respect and dignity. Indeed, human resources, especially in a coffee corporation like Starbucks are very important. Starbucks, having recognized this and embraced it into their mission, highly prioritizes their people, their baristas. They value their employees because they know that they contribute and play a major role in company growth. The employees are the ones who serve the customers (Catching the Starbucks†¦, 2002). It is the employees who the customers see, not the CEO or president of the company. In relation to this, Starbucks train their employees both in product expertise and customer service. And thus, more competent hired employees are more knowledgeable of the product, and they can serve customers well for the success of the company.

E-learning across mobile platform applications (m-learning) Thesis Proposal

E-learning across mobile platform applications (m-learning) - Thesis Proposal Example Mobiles are playing an important role in learning process characterized by their ability to incorporate transportable devices used in the learning process. Since several years, usage of m-learning technologies for teaching and learning purposes has been increasing across the globe, and technology development made m-learning is an accessible tool evens for the physically challenged people (Kiernan, & Aizawa, 2004). Using mobile technology for deaf language is really invaluable, and can improve learners’ learning and communication capacity, but is not economical for poor and developing countries. In addition, texting in a foreign language may be difficult if people who are deaf having limited English ( Thornton, & Houser, 2005). For technicians also it a challenging task as they have to keep up their skill for the requirements of the growing market. They have to provide technical support for hands on practice whenever needs, and trained children. It burdens more on the company as it has to invest money for the research purpose. It has an intention of guiding, and providing an opportunity for hearing impaired students to improve their learning, and communication experiences using mobile technology. At the same time creation of mobile environment for social interactions where students are able to follow the content through their personal digital assistants without affecting time and place. Generally, students with hearing loss would face great difficulty in acquiring languages, and they have to use aid for hearing. They may face problems while understanding the speech of others and at the same time achieving effective communication through speaking or using signs may not be sufficient for them (Garcia Cabrere, 2002). So, for acquiring academic and intellectual skills, there is a necessity of developing reading and writing dimensions of oral communication effectively. For the purpose, there is a need for new

Details of structural members in concrete and steel buildings Essay

Details of structural members in concrete and steel buildings - Essay Example Steel is not adversely affected by weather, easy to erect, strong and durable with low weight. Its main function is in the formation of a skeleton that holds the whole structure. The components for concrete, that is, cement, sand and aggregates are easily available and affordable worldwide making allowing preference for concrete structures. From research and studies, concrete has been realized to be brittle, strong in compression and weak in tension. From these properties, modalities of improving it have been designed. The most currently used modality is its reinforcement. Reinforced concrete therefore has been realized to withstand tension and compression leading to its durability and use in many structures. Literature review The study and test of steel for industrial construction has been done for many years. Its properties led to its popular use since the early 1990’s. Due to this demand, designs for steel structures have been implemented. The main factor that has driven the designs is earthquake disasters. Its design has evolved from stiffer approach to flexibility and ductility. During the 1970’s, proven formulas were used to design steel structures. Advanced technology through Computer Aided Design has improved designing work with building codes controlling the steel industry. Working stress design was the main factor for consideration in concrete members since 1960s. Strength design method was adopted by the International Building Code (IBC) in its 1956 edition. The concepts considered are strength needed inclusive of the load and strength of the design with an aim of achieving durable structures. The designs lead to increased costs in construction with reduced maintenance costs. Due t o low maintenance costs, projects like highway infrastructure and industrial buildings make use of reinforced concrete. Maintenance costs are likely to be incurred due to misuse of the structures and poor workmanship that are unpredictable (Berman, Gary 8). Details of structural members in concrete and steel buildings The success of concrete and steel structures is pegged on durability, economical factors and strength of structures. These attributes are achieved through proper design of structural members to support the weight of the structure and bear both the dead and live loads and lateral loads exposed to it. Live loads refer to inhabitants in the structure and dead loads are items attached to the structure while lateral loads arise from wind and or earthquakes. The purpose of members in steel and concrete structures is to unite and support all loads transferred in the structure via the allocated load paths to foundation members. Soil and or rock where the structure’s fou ndation is laid finally support the load. Structural members work as one unit using the joints to transfer bending moments, shear and axial forces. Structural members discussed in this article are; beams and one-way slab, two-way slabs, columns, walls and foundations. One-Way Systems In this type of floor or roof system, all members run in one direction with a common flexural

E-learning across mobile platform applications (m-learning) Thesis Proposal

E-learning across mobile platform applications (m-learning) - Thesis Proposal Example Mobiles are playing an important role in learning process characterized by their ability to incorporate transportable devices used in the learning process. Since several years, usage of m-learning technologies for teaching and learning purposes has been increasing across the globe, and technology development made m-learning is an accessible tool evens for the physically challenged people (Kiernan, & Aizawa, 2004). Using mobile technology for deaf language is really invaluable, and can improve learners’ learning and communication capacity, but is not economical for poor and developing countries. In addition, texting in a foreign language may be difficult if people who are deaf having limited English ( Thornton, & Houser, 2005). For technicians also it a challenging task as they have to keep up their skill for the requirements of the growing market. They have to provide technical support for hands on practice whenever needs, and trained children. It burdens more on the company as it has to invest money for the research purpose. It has an intention of guiding, and providing an opportunity for hearing impaired students to improve their learning, and communication experiences using mobile technology. At the same time creation of mobile environment for social interactions where students are able to follow the content through their personal digital assistants without affecting time and place. Generally, students with hearing loss would face great difficulty in acquiring languages, and they have to use aid for hearing. They may face problems while understanding the speech of others and at the same time achieving effective communication through speaking or using signs may not be sufficient for them (Garcia Cabrere, 2002). So, for acquiring academic and intellectual skills, there is a necessity of developing reading and writing dimensions of oral communication effectively. For the purpose, there is a need for new

Life cycle of malaria Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Life cycle of malaria - Outline Example These sporozoite stage plasmodiums enter into the blood circulation (Hall and Fauci, 1640). The merozoites invade and enter vulnerable erythrocytes from where they go through differentiation and replicate over several days. They are produced in large numbers and soon rupture the erythrocytes. These results in their release back into the circulation to begin the blood stage again (Hall and Fauci, 1640). The parasites may differentiate into gametocytes while in the blood stage. On been taken up by a feeding mosquito, the gametocytes replicate and mature into male and female gametes which fuse forming zygotes that go through differentiation and replication in the mosquito gut to form sporozoites that move to the salivary glands of the mosquito from where they can be transmitted (Hall and Fauci, (1640). a. Modifications of the plasmodium cells, the infected erythrocytes, and changes in transcript abudance during maturation of the parasite within the erythrocytes as Bozdech, Llinas, Pulliam et al., (n.p.) found out. Bozdech, Zbynek, Manuel Llinas, Brian Pulliam, et. al. â€Å"The Transcriptome of the Intraerythrocytic Developmental Cycle of Plasmodium falciparum.† Plos Biology 1.1, (2003); n. pag. Web. 24 March 2014. Delves, Michael, David Plouffe, Christian Scheurer, Stephan Meister, Sergio Wittlin, Elizabeth A. Weinzler, Robert E. Sinden and Didier Leroy. â€Å"The Activities of Current Antimalarial Drugs on the Life Cycle Stages of Plasmodium: A Comparative Study with Human and Rodent Parasites.† PloS Med 9.2 (2012): n. pag. Web. 9 March 2014. Hall, Fenton and Anthony Fauci. â€Å"Malaria Control, Elimination, and Eradication: The Role of the Evolving Biomedical Research Agenda.† The Journal of Infectious Diseases 200.11 (2009): 1639 – 1643. Web. 9 March 2014. Pongtavornpinyo, Wirichada, Ian M. Hastings, Arjen Dondorp, Lisa J. White, Richard J. Maude, Sompob Saralamba, Nicholas P. Day Nicholas J. white and Maciej F.

Multi-Cultural Paper Essay Example for Free

Multi-Cultural Paper Essay Introduction Finding a â€Å"multicultural† experience that brings me out of my comfort zone is something I found difficult. I moved to the city but am a small town girl at heart. I grew up riding a dirt bike, partying in fields, listening to country music, and hosting birthday parties that my friends and I built tree forts at. My first vehicle was a rear-wheel drive manual Chevrolet pick-up truck that I had to put weight in during the winter so I would not slide across the road. I lived on 140 acres of land, and the closest town was 15 minutes away. Since then, I have moved to the city and began, enjoying the convenience of everything like, bringing clothes to the dry cleaners, riding my bike to work, and preferring to lounge by the pool on a summer day, rather than explore like I used to. In college, I studied abroad in Scotland for a semester and had the opportunity to travel around Europe to England, Switzerland, Spain, and France. This experience exposed me to a number of different cultures, currencies, and experiences. It was the highlight of my college experience, but I became extremely homesick after a month and a half and, since then, have had no desire to visit anywhere abroad for longer than a couple of weeks. In addition to being familiar with both the small town and city lifestyles,not many things turn me off or make me uncomfortable. On the other hand, because I come from a small town, there are a few things I am unfamiliar with. I am not as familiar with different races or cultures, the wealth and fashion that comes with living near city suburbs, or the religion of anyone who isn’t Catholic. This is excluding the Europe experience, when I spent most my time in English speaking Scotland. Because of this, I chose three events that would expose me to new things in each one of those categories. Event #1: A Brazilian Carnival The first event took place at the Fine Line Music Cafà © in downtown Minneapolis. Classmate, Sarah Holman and I went to a Brazilian Carnival. I was interested in this sort of event because, in college, I worked at Afton Alps Ski and Snowboard, where they had a Brazilian exchange program and brought a number of Brazilians up for the winter to work. They became the best part of working there most years because they were so much fun and lived life to the fullest during their time in the United States. The event was fun, colorful, active, and something I had never been to before. There were dancers, drummers, people dressed up in costumes, and a band. After the introduction of drummers and dancers, a band began to play. Since we chose to attend on a Sunday afternoon, it was more of a family function but, if we had decided to attend on the Friday or Saturday evening before, I imagine the setting would have become a little wild after a few drinks because the music was so much fun. Instead, kids, parents, and couples were out on the dance floor dancing away innocently. When looking at what I know personally about Brazilians and comparing it to the event, it is clear that they typically like to have a good time. Their music is good, the people are often good looking, and they are extremely passionate about where they come from and their culture. My behaviors will not change in the workplace because of this event but the carnival did confirm the impression I had of Brazilian culture. Event #2: Omaha Fashion Week The second event took place in Omaha, Nebraska, where my youngest sister now lives. Once we found out that she would be walking in two of the shows, on both Friday and Saturday night, my mom, sister, her husband, and my boyfriend and I began planning our trip right away. When planning for the shows, I had no idea what to expect. I have never been to a fashion show, know nothing about fashion and, most importantly, I had no idea what to wear! Going into the first night we had been traveling all day, were hungry, and the guys weren’t around yet to stay at the hotel and babysit so we had to bring my two-year old nephew. One of the things that I am most insecure about is not knowing what to do and, worse, looking like I do not know what to do, in any given situation. To explain, I am always tentative to try new restaurants because I know that each one has a different culture that I may not fit in with. The way they do things, like the way one orders, dresses, and acts, are always altered. This doesn’t mean I avoid the experience but, when deciding to go somewhere new, I always get a nervous feeling with some immediate regret, wishing I had chosen to go somewhere familiar. This is something I am working on because, every time the experience is done, I’m glad it happened and always want to try something else new as soon as possible. This is how I felt going into Omaha Fashion Week. This time, I was more excited to see my sister but, since I was with my mom, sister and a two-year old at an adult event, and since they also had no clue what was going on, I was mortified. The first night felt like a warm-up, and I began to understand the scenery, people, what was happening, and everything else that was going on. There were individuals who were much more casual looking than me, but there also many who were more dressed up. By the end of the night I felt like I could pick out the more important faces by just looking around the crowd. My method probably wasn’t very accurate, but it led to some excellent people watching. The second night was a girl’s night, consisting of my mom, sister, and me. We were able to leave the boys and nephew at the hotel for the evening. Learning from the first night, we showed up right when the event was supposed to begin, which means that we only had to wait half an hour for the show to start, instead of an hour, like the night before. We made sure to get some pictures on the red carpet and relax while enjoying a couple drinks in advance. The challenge for me going into this event was having to go somewhere new, where I had no idea what the culture was going to be like. When looking at the event in a professional context, I was intimidated, going in, by those whom I thought were â€Å"better† than me. Meaning, those who know fashion, have money, status, and the wealthy (not so nice) personalities you see on teenage television shows. I did not encounter any of these stereotypes when at the event. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and not judging, as I would have thought. This makes me think of those who are more successful and intimidating than I in a professional environment. As I have always been taught, treat others as you would like to be treated. This is something I will remember in the workplace for future reference. If I go in treating someone with the respect I would like to get in return, chances are they will treat me with the same respect. I feel that going to this fashion show cemented this lesson for me. I need to not concentrate on my insecurities as much, and, instead focus on treating everyone the same. This event did not confirm the stereotypes I had imagined like everyone being snobby, rich, and over the top. Looking back on the weekend, I think of it as one of the best times I’ve had yet for year 2013, all because I stepped out of my comfort zone. Interview #1 In attempt to deepen the Omaha Fashion Week experience, I interviewed a friend’s sister, Michelle Olson, who is an extremely successful plus size model, living in New York City. Michelle has experienced a much different lifestyle that is very foreign to me; one that I can relate to class and to the multi-cultural experience above. I was able to ask the questions and get the answers below: Michelle Olson Interviewee #1 Michelle Olson Interviewee #1 Q: In class we talked a lot about one’s personal brand. As a model, I assume your personal brand is extremely important and somewhat determines your reputation in the industry. Is this true? Do you have any examples of this you can expand on? A: Personal brand is important in modeling because we have to show our personality somehow with only a few minutes. So its important to just be yourself and wear what you like. A lot of clients are particular about a models personality because they want to show their brand a certain way and target a certain customer. We also cant be too eccentric or too trendy because some clients are just looking for a blank canvas and one that they know their clothes will look good on without being too distracted by the person and their own style. Q: In the business environment one usually has to work hard to advance or know someone to get ahead. Is this true in modeling as well? How do you climb in your industry? A: Eventually a model can [achieve this ] by booking big clients and then having them like you enough to re-book you again. People and clients also tend to take notice, usually if a model books editorials in big magazines. Q: Is it difficult to keep your values in this industry? Is it difficult while keeping a positive image for yourself amongst peers? A: I have been lucky so far in my career in that I have only had good experiences as far as boundaries and my personal values go. Everyone I have worked for have been very respectful and professional. Its important to have an agent that cares about you and will only send you out to legit, professional companies. Q: We also discussed virtual groups/communication in class. Is this a common form of communication in this industry or is it usually easier to do things in person? A: Email is a very important communication tool in my industry. Most of my communication with my agents is by email. All my job details are always emailed to me before the job. When I am in New York, I usually have to actually go in and see and talk to the agents in person at least once a week, sometimes more. Castings however are always in person. They are usually just quick little interview type things where you go and meet the client, have them look at your portfolio, and sometimes maybe take a couple pictures and try on some clothes. If you are unable to see them in person then our agents usually just send our portfolio for them to look at. Q: With the perspective of models being stick thin, does this pressure you to be this way? A: Working as a plus size model is another world than working as a straight size (0-6) model. Plus size is usually like a size 12, so we still have to stay around that size. We still eat very healthy and exercise so that we have good skin and feel good, etc. However, most of us are at our natural size, and therefore theres a lot less stress about size. Its great! Q: Are there â€Å"leaders† in your industry? Or are they always changing because your jobs are always changing? What is that like? A: Our agents are like our bosses. They get us our job so its important to have good relationships with them. We have three of them, and they are all cool and friendly so its quite nice! Obtaining this information from Michelle has provided me with interesting insight on a completely different business environment, than of the corporate life I am used to. Event #3: Scientology Church Tour My third event was a tour and question and answer period at the Saint Paul Church of Scientology. I went to this with three classmates, Sarah, Cody, and Andrea. As mentioned at the beginning of this paper, I am not familiar with many different kinds of religion, beside Catholicism. Through Tom Cruise, I have heard a lot of wonderful things about Scientology. I have also heard the opposite about the religion from his ex-wives. From what I was told, saw, and learned, the experience had a positive impact that made me curious and left me wanting to learn more about the religion. The interesting part about the church is that it focuses on the here and now, versus the Christian religion where their beliefs are based on the Bible, which is many centuries old. The self-guided tour consisted of watching videos to obtain information about the religion. There were different categories, so we could watch the topics we were most interested in. After watching a couple of videos, we felt it would be most beneficial to speak to the tour guide and ask questions about her experiences. From her answers, I gathered that Scientologists like to help people. If you are having troubles in your marriage or need help finding where to go in life, you can join counseling groups. If there is a natural disaster in the world, Scientologists will travel to the location and help out where they can. The part that interested me most is their passion to help individuals with any issues that individual might be having. In a book recommended by Andrea that provided an opposite perspective of Scientology, Jenna Miscavige Hill writes about her â€Å"secret life inside scientology and her harrowing escape† (Beyond Belief, Cover). This is something I wish I would have known about before going into the tour because I would have asked questions in regards to this book. In the book, Jenna explains about her life as a member of the Sea Org, the church’s most devoted core group of Scientology. She describes how she was sent away as a child to receive an education in Scientology, the manual labor she was forced to perform, and the coercion she faced from officials. Nothing about children being sent away to Scientology school was brought up or asked about throughout our time at the Church. After reading the 10 Juiciest Bits about Scientology from Jenna’s book, it made me think twice about what I found out while at the church. Hearing both the positive and negative sides of Scientology will not change the way I act in a professional environment because, knowing both sides of the religion will not diminish the respect I have for other’s personal religious choices. I think the main challenge for the Church of Scientology is the extreme difference in viewpoints you can have on the religion. Those who are Scientologist think it’s the most wonderful thing, but those who know about it and have gotten out have nothing good to say about it. Interview #2 The second interview I conducted did not relate to any of my multicultural experiences, but was instead with a coworker, Violet. Violet is from Uganda, Africa, and came to the United States in January 2000 to attend school at the University of Minnesota. Violet’s experience relates to the â€Å"Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story† video watched in class. Violet Interviewee #2 Violet Interviewee #2 Since this was an in person interview, not many structured questions were asked. Instead, there was a lot of back and forth conversation, unlike the interview with Michelle. When explaining her experiences growing up, Violet made a point on how the way she was raised and lived is only one view, and not everyone was able to live the way she did. Violet comes from a very successful family. She explained how she lived a very privileged life, in Uganda, and does not know what poverty is when asked about it. When her family came to Minnesota, they brought their maid with them, which is not common for many when traveling to the States. Violet came on a student visa. Due to the fact that she was from out of the country, she had to pay almost three times more per semester than most students attending the university. This is something her father paid for so, unlike me and many others, she graduated with no student loans. I asked Violet about the manifestation of personal brand of Africa and she explained that it is very different. One in Africa is unable to choose their personal brand. When interviewing for positions, the question is always, â€Å"Whose son or daughter is that?† not â€Å"How smart or qualified are they?† In Uganda, there is a strong British influence, so class and tribal system is what makes you who are you. It is all about whom you know or who you are related to. Violet never professionally worked in Africa, but states that one’s choices are limited regarding what they can decide to grow up to be. You either plan to be a doctor, lawyer, dentist, or anything else with a designate d path. There are few opportunities and many talents are wasted. Marketing or human resource careers aren’t options or even thought about in Africa when choosing an education path. When Violet came to Minnesota to begin school, she had it in her mind that she was going to become a lawyer. Not until she was almost done with her Bachelor’s degree did she begin to realize that becoming a lawyer was maybe something she didn’t actually want to do. She went on to complete her MBA, with the mind set of beginning to work toward a law degree. She is now a Senior Human Resources Recruiter, and sometimes wishes she had received her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or Communications, instead of Business, realizing that she was still living in the African career mentality when choosing her education. While people in the US think that an 8% unemployment rate is high, Africa has over 50% unemployment. This is partially because there are not enough businesses to employ everyone. Unlike in the US, there are no government services to help the poor. There is also not as much access to goods like in the US. Not everyone has the convenience to go to stores like Target or Wal-Mart. Lastly, when asked if people treat her different based on what the average American knows about Africans – that they are poor – she admitted that people sometimes do. Some are surprised to learn that she speaks English very well, others reject her when they realize that she is not a suffering African, and the black community does not always accept her as black. She has wondered if she had come over as an African refuge; how things might be different in the way people treat her. The interview with Violet was a further look into what I don’t know about Africa. It gave me knowledge and taught me never to judge based what I see on television or read in books. As Violet made clear at the beginning of our interview, she has only one view point regarding Africa, and not everyone was raised like her. This reminds me to never judge when only hearing one side of the story. This is a lesson that can be brought into the workplace every single day. The two interviews and three multi-cultural experiences opened my eyes to things I would never have known about. I learned about what it was like to attend a fashion show, a different culture, and religion. These experiences changed the way I look at life and the way I approach professional environments. Due to this project, I will search for new experiences that will bring be out of my comfort zone, just like the activities above. References Adichie, Chimamanda, perf. Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story. 2009. Film. March 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html. Fallon, Kevin. 10 Juiciest Bits From Ex-Scientologist’s Tell-All ‘Beyond Belief’. (2013): n. page. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. Miscavige Hill, Jenna. Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape. 1. 1. Harpercollins, 2013. 404. Print. Nassalo , Violet. Personal Interview. 9 Apr 2013. Olson, Michelle. E-mail Interview. 4 Apr 2013.

Reflective Essay on depression and mental illness

Reflective Essay on depression and mental illness Depression is the commonest mental illness in the world yet only a few can tell you what exactly it is. Most people can well enough to recognise signs and symptoms of heart attack, diabetes, breast cancer and many more medical conditions. This statement is not only true for the general population, medical practitioner are no exclusion. Many different impression, perception and thought about depression from one person to another person, from one culture to another culture and from one place to another place. For me what is common throughout the world about this mental illness is ignorant. No wonder why John Kirwan, former New Zealand All Black rugby player, now rugby coach, recently said about his depression: Beating that was the hardest thing I had to do in my life. I didnt have a clue what was wrong with me, nor did lots of the doctors I saw. I finally found a doctor who really got it, understood. Thats what you need. There are so many preconceptions out there about mental illness. Before I learn this psychiatry module about a year ago, I like many of my friends thought that depression is not so common and it is actually not an illness of any kind. However after knowing that approximately about 20% of women and 12% of men worldwide suffer from depression1, which is higher than prevalence of other common disease such as diabetes where worldwide prevalence is about 2.8% in year 20002, it changes my perspectives on depression. Interestingly even though depression is very common I rarely encounter any patient who was diagnosed with depression during my medical and surgical attachment. I only saw one patient with depression for the whole attachment. This totally contradicts with what I learn where prevalence for depression among patient in hospital is about 10%1. This makes me think why such a gap occurs between what I learn and what I encounter in a real world. I began to question myself in lots of different ways in order to answer this question. I start looking back to myself first how my perception toward depression before I learn about this mental illness. I was clueless about depression. I used to have perception that depression has the same meaning to sadness. Depression is a normal thing to happen to someone that encounter unfortunate event in their life. I never knew depression is a mental illness that needs to be diagnosed and treated accordingly. I never heard people went to a doctor because they feel their life miserable and I also never heard a doctor prescribing a medication to patient because of depression. That was me before I learn this psychiatry module. Majority people in my country, Malaysia, have the same perception like me. There never knew that depression is a mental illness where it has specific criteria to diagnose and need to be treated accordingly like other disease. Why it is like this? In my opinion this is very much related to how culture in my country which is eastern culture where a lot of people believe in mysticism. Even though majority of them will seek medical practitioner when they get other physical illness but when it come to the illness related to mood, feeling or behaviour where there is no obvious physical pain, they prefer to go to shaman or spiritual healer. They believe some other spirit are harming and controlling their inner self. Although many of them are Muslim where they shouldnt believe in such away but a very long history of mysticism in that part of the world has made it hard to be washed away from people perception. This is the perception about depression in this part of the world. Here in Ireland or in the western culture, I find peoples perception toward depression is quite different. Many of people here know the depression is part of mental illness. However a lot of them as other place in the world dont know what exactly we called depression as a mental illness. If they do get depression they dont know to whom they should consult, how to deal with it and what the treatment option are available. Not many advertisements about the illness can be found out there in the public. Apart from that depression as other mental illness carry some stigma in the community here. Stigma that there is no cure for the depression, the depressed person will never come back to normal and they are dangerous to public. It seems clear to me that many factors why people are less likely to seek medical attention when they have depression. As many as two thirds of the people with depression do not realize that they have a treatable illness and do not seek treatment3. Lack of knowledge together with misconception what exactly the depression is unable people to distinguish and determine whether they are having depression or something else. As bad as ignorant about the disease itself, people dont know what to do when they know they have depression. Stigma that surrounding the depression also contribute to this phenomenon. The evidence for this is clearly stated in the conclusion of the research done by Lisa J. Barney et al where they wrote self- and perceived-stigmatizing responses to help-seeking for depression are prevalent in the community and are associated with reluctance to seek professional help4. Then I start to question myself it is only because of the public that do not seek medical treatment that contribute to the under diagnose of depression or there are others factor determine it. When I read an article title Depression over and under diagnosed in primary care4, it make me realise that most GPs have difficulty in diagnosing depression. According to the article a meta-analysis of more than 50,000 patients has shown that general practitioners (GPs) have great difficulty separating those with and without depression, with substantial numbers of missed and misidentified cases of depression5. Doctors in the primary care is the first medical person that patient will come and complaint about their depression symptoms. However if most of these doctors fail to recognise and diagnose it, this will bring the number of undiagnosed depression further up. Why is this happen? Why depression is so common to be unrecognised even by a doctor? I dont know the exact reason but for me may be because of the symptom of depression is a lot and varies from one person to another person make it harder to diagnose. According to the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode includes at least 5 of the symptoms which are low mood, anhedonia, significant weight loss, insomnia, loss of energy, psychomotor agitation, feeling worthlessness, low concentration and recurrent thoughts of death for the same 2-week period, representing a change from previous functioning, must include either low mood or anhedonia1. Apart from this criteria patient also present with atypical presentation where major depressive disorder may not initially present. In primary setting patient with depression often come with symptoms such as fatigue, headache, abdominal discomfort or change in weight1. Patients can become more irritable rather than low mood or sad. Initial symptoms of depression in children is harder to recognise and can be misleading as the children may present with irritability, decline in school performance or social withdrawal1. Misdiagnose depression in patients in primary care will lead to inappropriate treatment and poorer outcomes6. In term of treatment of depression, I learnt about biopsychosocial approach which is for me is very unique module of treatment. This type of treatment helps to tackle each aspect of the depression including brain pathophysiology, psychological state and social circumstances of the patient. For most patients with mild to moderate depression psychotherapy (cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy) is the treatment of choice. However, the combined approach with medication generally provides the patient with the quickest and most sustained response1. Usually, antidepressant medication such as SSRIs is used for severe depression. In conclusion, learning psychiatry module has change a lot of my perspective toward depression and mental illness generally. It has exposed me to a different and new perception in this topic. Before this I see depression as something that not important to diagnose and treat but now I see depression as a very serious illness that can lead to fatality if left untreated. I will make sure that in the future, I always put depression as part of my differential diagnosis for most medical or surgical cases that I encounter as a doctor.

The Importance of Romanticism in Literature Essay -- Literature Essays

The Importance of Romanticism in Literature In Wordsworth’s â€Å"The World is Too Much With Us† can be seen all the classic signs of the Romantic movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century well embodied, complete with a near-worship of nature (â€Å"Little we see in Nature that is ours†¦for this, for everything, we are out of tune†) that was perhaps an understandable reaction to not only the classicism of the prior era, but the sociopolitical realities of the day (such as the French Revolution), a sort of intellectualized version of the hippie movement of 1960s America. Clearly, Wordsworth here is taking a typically Romantic view of the social order and what remained acceptable norms even in religious view (â€Å"I’d rather be a Pagan†¦so might I†¦have glimpses that would make me less forlorn†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ), and a kind of individual, internal, take on the acquisition of truth that echoed the ultra-romanticism of Wordsworth’s fellow Briton, William Blake, in his insistence that he create his own â€Å"systems† lest he â€Å"be ruled by another man’s.† Much of these ideas would appeal, at least in their simplest forms, to much of modern consciousness, rebelling as it does not only against conformity and convention, but the apparent subjugation of the individual by the increasingly dizzying swirl of corporate culture and technological globalization. It is interesting to read Emily Dickinson’s take, as it were, on Romanticism from some five decades after Wordsworth. Dickinson wrote in the wake of the industrial revolution (or at least its initial stages) and fell only somewhat short of Thoreau’s radical view of the railroad as emblematic of technology devouring the human person (â€Å"We do not ride upon the railroad,† Thoreau famously asserted, â€Å"but t... ...hey seen as an outgrowth of Divine effort or merely an existent truth defiant of explanation. In other words, Romantic ideals may manifest themselves where Romanticism is not thought to be hiding in part because, quite simply, many Romantic ideals are common to human existence. The same can be said, of course, of the ideals of non-Romantic movements, and indeed this is so. Readers must be cautious to avoid rejecting the proverbial baby along with the bathwater in the common tendency to reject some truths simply because they are stated by those one considers an ideological enemy. In light of the above, Romanticism undoubtedly speaks to many readers today – as it did in its various reappearances in history – because it offers one side of a balanced coin which considers the individual as well as the collective, and the wonder of nature as well as the reason of man. The Importance of Romanticism in Literature Essay -- Literature Essays The Importance of Romanticism in Literature In Wordsworth’s â€Å"The World is Too Much With Us† can be seen all the classic signs of the Romantic movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century well embodied, complete with a near-worship of nature (â€Å"Little we see in Nature that is ours†¦for this, for everything, we are out of tune†) that was perhaps an understandable reaction to not only the classicism of the prior era, but the sociopolitical realities of the day (such as the French Revolution), a sort of intellectualized version of the hippie movement of 1960s America. Clearly, Wordsworth here is taking a typically Romantic view of the social order and what remained acceptable norms even in religious view (â€Å"I’d rather be a Pagan†¦so might I†¦have glimpses that would make me less forlorn†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ), and a kind of individual, internal, take on the acquisition of truth that echoed the ultra-romanticism of Wordsworth’s fellow Briton, William Blake, in his insistence that he create his own â€Å"systems† lest he â€Å"be ruled by another man’s.† Much of these ideas would appeal, at least in their simplest forms, to much of modern consciousness, rebelling as it does not only against conformity and convention, but the apparent subjugation of the individual by the increasingly dizzying swirl of corporate culture and technological globalization. It is interesting to read Emily Dickinson’s take, as it were, on Romanticism from some five decades after Wordsworth. Dickinson wrote in the wake of the industrial revolution (or at least its initial stages) and fell only somewhat short of Thoreau’s radical view of the railroad as emblematic of technology devouring the human person (â€Å"We do not ride upon the railroad,† Thoreau famously asserted, â€Å"but t... ...hey seen as an outgrowth of Divine effort or merely an existent truth defiant of explanation. In other words, Romantic ideals may manifest themselves where Romanticism is not thought to be hiding in part because, quite simply, many Romantic ideals are common to human existence. The same can be said, of course, of the ideals of non-Romantic movements, and indeed this is so. Readers must be cautious to avoid rejecting the proverbial baby along with the bathwater in the common tendency to reject some truths simply because they are stated by those one considers an ideological enemy. In light of the above, Romanticism undoubtedly speaks to many readers today – as it did in its various reappearances in history – because it offers one side of a balanced coin which considers the individual as well as the collective, and the wonder of nature as well as the reason of man.

Was the Civil War Fought over Slavery?

The Civil War was the bloodiest war in all of America's history. But some things still remains a mystery in the Civil War. There were many reasons to how the Civil War was cause. A lot of people thinks that slavery was the cause,but it is only one of the many causes. Slavery, Economy, and State's Rights were the main cause to the Civil War. The slavery brought tensions,many differences in economy,and fighting for a cause. Tensions rose as Republicans and Democrats fight for a solution in slavery,the North and South many differences in their economy,and reasons to fighting in the Civil War.The Civil War was fought for slavery, economy, and State's Rights. During the 1860s election,the topic of slavery brought many political tensions to the Republicans and Democrats. The Republicans was an anti-slavery party. The Republicans disagree of the spreading of slavery and would take this issue to Congress,whenever they can,to stop its expansion. They viewed slavery as an a problem that would last forever,and thought the problem would soon lead to extinction As for the Democrats,they were pro-slavery party.They viewed slavery was good not only for the slave holder,but also for the slave(John C. Calhoun). In the 1850s Abraham Lincoln said that slavery was â€Å"an unqualified evil to the negro, the white man, and the State,† but later on in his first Inaugural Address he said that he had â€Å"no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with slavery in the States where it exists. †Abraham Lincoln personally didn't like slavery but as a Republican he wished to abolish it. But as the President of America,he made a promise to the Constitution,which protected slavery.Therefore the tension that rose from slavery resulted in constant fighting of the Republicans and Democrats. The North and South had many differences one of their differences is their economy. In 1793, Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin,profited a lot. It reduced time the time it took to separate the seeds from the cotton. But it also increase the number of slaves on the plantation.Because of this machine that means that there will be more plantations which means that there will  be a greater need for slaves. The South soon became a cotton crop economy,depending on slaves. While the North was a factory economy relying on wage labors than slaves. To sum up this make the major difference in the economy of the North and South (http://americanhistory. about. com/od/civilwarmenu/a/cause_civil_war. htm). The North and South had many reasons to why they fought in the Civil War,but slavery was not the main reason. In Lincoln's first Inaugural Address he declared that it was his job to look after the Union.He also said that he has no intention of freeing the slaves. The Confederacy couldn't accept this so on April 12, they attack Fort Sumter resulting in the beginning of the Civil War. Few states cut off ties with the Union, after more attacks. So to keep ties with remain ing states Lincoln insisted that the war was not about slavery or black rights but was to protect the Union (http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2967. html). The South fought out of fear and for their rights to secede. The Union abides by the Constitution and the South fought to abandon the Constitution.In conclusion the many reasons of the North and the South does not have slavery as the main reason (http://library. thinkquest. org/CR0215469/secession. htm). The Civil War was fought on slavery, economy, and State's Rights. Therefore the tensions that rose resulted in the Republicans and Democrats constantly fighting,the Economy being the greatest difference in the North and South,and slavery not the only reason for fighting in the Civil War. Slavery may be the most important cause but it is not the only cause for the Civil War.