15 Life-Changing Questions to Ask Yourself Today

15 Life-Changing Questions to Ask Yourself Today Like Socrates said many years ago, the unexamined life is not worth living. In order to unlock your full potential and achieve your greatest dreams, you need to take a step back and examine the kind of life you are living. In this article, we take a look at 15 life-changing questions that will help you to objectively put your life under a microscope. The answers to these questions will change your life, help you determine whether your life is headed in the right direction, give new meaning to your life, help you tap your hidden potential and open you up to new experiences. Below are the 15 questions you need to ask yourself today. 1. WHERE DO I WANT TO BE IN THE NEXT ONE, FIVE OR TEN YEARS?While it is impossible to predict where your life will be a year, or five years down the line, it is important to have a plan of where you want to be in that time. Asking yourself this question allows you to set goals about what you want to achieve in your life. Without goals, you will be like a sh ip that is adrift in the ocean without a destination. Any direction seems like the right destination. The problem is, when you sail without a destination, being tossed by the waves, you are more likely to get wrecked on a rocky island that find yourself in a great port.Having clear goals allows you to concentrate your efforts on activities that move you forward in life. Your goals give you the motivation you need to create the best life for yourself. Having goals also means that you have a lighthouse to guide your life. Goals help you align your decisions with your desired life and notice when you are going adrift. Actually, goal setting is so important that, according to this Harvard Business study, those who set goals are twice more likely to succeed than those without goals, and those with written goals and a plan are 10 times more likely to succeed than those without goals.Asking yourself this question will prompt you to decide what you want to achieve in your life. Your answer to this question should encompass all areas of life. Don’t just focus on your career or material achievements. You should have goals for your career, your financial wellbeing, education, family, health, pleasure, and so on.  2. WHERE WILL MY LIFE BE IN ONE, FIVE OR TEN YEARS IF I CONTINUE DOING WHAT I AM DOING TODAY?Fortunately, many of us already have visions of where we want to be in future, whether that is the next one year, the next 5 years or the next 10 years. Even if you did not have one, hopefully the first question has got you thinking about where you want your life to be in future. Unfortunately, many of us spend time doing things that do not help us move closer to our goals. Remember, your future life is dependent on the things you do today. You cannot live the life of your dreams in future if you spend your life today doing average things. If your dream is to be fit within the next one year, you will not get there if you keep eating junk foods and avoiding the gym. Ask ing yourself this question helps you identify the things in your life today that are wasting your time. It helps you identify things that you need to do in order to achieve your goals. Most importantly, it helps you stop procrastinating the important things that you know you need to do. If your dream is to be financially stable, asking yourself this question will spur you to start taking action towards securing your financial future, today. If your aim is to be fit, you need to start exercising and eating healthy, today. If there are people who are holding you back from going for your dreams, you need to cut them off, today. Otherwise, if you keep doing the kind of things you have been doing before, you will continue living the same kind of life you have been living before. Like Einstein once said, insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. 3. WHAT IS MY WHY?This question is important because it helps you identify why you are going after your dre ams. If one of your goals is to lose some weight, why exactly do you want to lose weight? If your dream is to become CEO at your organization, why do you want it? What will becoming CEO do for you? Do you want it because of the associated status, or because the CEO salary will allow you to give your family a better life? Your “why” is a deep-seated reason behind your goals.Without knowing the “why” behind your goals, dreams and aspirations, you minimize your chances of achieving your goals. The truth is, achieving your goals is not going to be easy. You will face challenges that will make you feel like quitting. Without a clear picture of why you are going for that goal, it becomes easy to quit when the tough gets going. However, a clear “why” gives you purpose and motivates you to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals. Knowing your why also helps you make the tough decisions concerning your goals. A strong enough why will give you the fortitude to figure out the †œwhat” and the “how” of achieving your dreams. 4. WHAT AM I GRATEFUL FOR?In this life, we are constantly trying to make more money, achieve more and improve ourselves that we often take for granted what we have going for us at the moment. However, it is important to take a step back and be grateful for what we have. Being grateful does not mean that we should get complacent and stop trying to improve our lives. Instead, it means that we should count our blessings and appreciate the kind of lives we have today. You might feel that your car is old and you need a new one. However, you should appreciate the fact that you have a car, since there is someone struggling to raise money for a bicycle.Gratitude is one of the keys to a truly happy life. Actually, research shows people who practice gratitude tend to have better confidence, better sleep and better moods. Being grateful will also lower your chances of experiencing stress and anxiety. Asking yourself this question will give y ou a dose of optimism and make you realize that your life is not as bad as you think it is. Think you don’t have anything to be grateful for? How about your good health, a roof over your head, food to eat, a happy family? These are all things you should be grateful for. Before you start worrying about a new car, a bigger house or a better job, take a moment to be grateful for the car, the house or the job you have now. 5. WHAT ARE MY VALUES, AND AM I BEING TRUE TO THEM?In this life, it is important to have values that guide you. Unfortunately, many of us never take a moment to identify what our values are. Values are your personal set of beliefs and ethical principles that guide your behavior and decisions. Your values are the essence of who you are. They help you determine what is important to you and help you determine between right and wrong. Asking yourself this question helps you to analyze what is important to you and what you stand for. Why are values important? Values prov ide you with a framework for making the right decisions even in cases where the decisions might result in conflict. They help you know who you are and are the basis on which you develop your opinions on important things. Values help you clear excess clutter from your life. They help you identify things that are important to you and allow you to let go of things that are not important. Finally, having values increases your confidence and provides you with a stable foundation for your life. Once you know what you stand for in life, you are less likely to be swayed by the opinions of others.6. DO I WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK?Human beings are social creatures, and the need to be accepted by others is a normal part of being human. This explains why each of us feels the need to act according to societal expectations. However, sometimes this need to get accepted by others can become so great to the extent that it starts affecting our lives. Worrying too much about what others w ill think about you, your behavior, you decisions and so on and trying to do what everyone expects of you can hinder your ability to think for yourself and make your own decisions. Instead of making your decisions based on what you want for yourself, your decisions will be based on what you think others consider to be right. Unfortunately, you can never truly predict what others will think of you, and therefore trying to please others is an exercise in futility. It is better to do make your own decisions without concerning yourself with what others will think of you. Asking yourself this question will help you determine if you are doing things because you think they are the right thing to do or because you are afraid of being judged.  7. WHAT DO I WANT PEOPLE TO SAY ABOUT ME AT MY FUNERAL?Thinking about your own death is not a very pleasant exercise. However, death also has a way of helping us identify the most important things in our lives. The truth is that everyone will die, incl uding you. What would you want people to say about you during your funeral? Would you rather they talk about the expensive car you drove and your big mansion, or about how you made them feel? Would you want your children to talk about how great a dad you were, or how you they never saw you because you were always in the office? Asking yourself this question will make you realize that there is more to life than chasing material things. Building good relationships with people and having a great character is what will matter in the end. People are going to remember you for how you made them feel, for living a life of love and kindness. No one will miss you once you are gone because you were the richest person in the family, or because you had a private jet. Asking yourself this question reminds you that you should not focus on pursuing success and riches at the expense of relationships and good character. 8. WHAT WOULD I DO IF I WASN’T AFRAID OF ANYTHING?This is a question that only few people contemplate, yet it can have a very profound impact on your life. Many of us go through life timidly, with fear holding us back from going for what we truly want. You keep your feelings to yourself because you are afraid you will be rejected by your crush. You stay at a dead end job because you are afraid you will fail if you quit to start your business. What if you were not afraid? How much would you achieve? What exactly would you do if failure was not in the picture?Pondering on this question helps you to identify the things that truly matter to you. The answers to this question are the things you should step up and do. In most cases, the fears holding you back are usually irrational, and you can easily overcome them.   If your fear is keeping you from moving from your home town, go ahead and do it. If your fear is keeping you from trying your hand at being a singer, go ahead and give it a try. In the end, when your life is nearing its end, you won’t care about the t hings that you tried and failed at. Instead, you will regret the opportunities you missed due to fear. Do not let your fears hold you back. Instead, face your fears and your life will become limitless. 9. WHAT WOULD I DO IF TODAY WAS MY LAST DAY?Imagine that today was your last day on earth. Would you spend it mindlessly scrolling through Facebook or watching useless programs on TV? Not likely. Instead, you’d probably meet up with that friend you have been meaning to meet up with, spend time with your family, or go for that one adventure you have been postponing your entire life. If there is a person you always had feelings for, you would probably go ahead and tell them. You wouldn’t care about rejection because, well, you only have a few hours to live, and you’ll go knowing that you made your feelings known.The truth is, no one knows when they’ll die. This means that today could very well be your last day on earth. Why waste it doing useless things? Considering that this co uld be your last day will make you stop procrastinating on things that matter to you. You’ve always wanted to visit the Seychelles? Why not do it now, who knows whether you’ll be alive next year. There’s more to life than working to pay bills and taxes. If today was your last day on earth, I doubt that you would wake up and head over to the office. Instead, you would do something that you have always wanted to do. I’m not saying that you should skip work today, but you should find time to do the things that you have always wanted to. You might put off doing something because you think you don’t have time today, only to find yourself at 70 years without having ever done it. Don’t put living your life to some day in the future when the future is not assured. Instead, live your wildest life today, because today is the only moment that you are assured of. 10. WHY NOT? From when we were kids, we have been brainwashed by society that we need to follow the rules and live a cert ain way. That we need to fit in, keep our heads down and play it safe. However, following this path often leads to an average life. Sometimes, you need to go beyond the confines of tradition and stop playing it safe. Don’t just accept everything as it is. If someone tells you that something cannot be done, ask them why not. If someone says that you cannot achieve your dreams, ask yourself why not? Don’t accept the limitations people put on you. Instead, you should challenge the status quo and go for what others think is impossible. If you look at some of the greatest people to have lived, most of them have looked at things that that seemed undoable and asked themselves “why not?”11. IS MY SOCIAL CIRCLE INFLUENCING MY LIFE POSITIVELY?Like Jim Rohn once said, you are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with. The circle of friends you keep around you influences your mindset, your behavior and your habits. Want to be successful? Hang out with successful peopl e. Want to be confident? Hang out with confident people. Want to be happy? Hang out with happy people. There’s even scientific evidence behind this. According to this study published in Psychology Today, people with low self-control can improve their self-control by surrounding themselves with strong willed friends.Asking yourself this question allows you to evaluate the social circle you surround yourself with. Are they people that challenge and encourage you to be a better version of yourself? Are they people that are dragging you down with negativity and mediocrity? Letting go of your friends can be a hard thing to do. However, if you want to achieve your fullest potential, it is important to surround yourself with people who share the same dreams with you, people who challenge you. If you are constantly surrounded by people who have no aspirations, you will eventually become complacent in your life because that is the normal kind of life in your social circle. However, if ever yone in your circle is constantly working to better themselves, you will be challenged to better yourself if you want to remain within the same circle. 12. AM I LIVING A LIFESTYLE THAT PROMOTES PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL WELLBEING?To enjoy life to the fullest, you should live a lifestyle that enhances your health and wellbeing. However, when many of us think about health and wellbeing, we only think about the physical part of it. A healthy lifestyle should focus not only on your physical wellbeing, but also your mental and spiritual wellbeing. According to many ancient cultures, the body, the mind and the soul are interconnected, with each one affecting the others. This means that it is impossible to have overall wellbeing when one of these elements is not healthy.Asking yourself this question allows you to make choices that allow you to live a healthy life and enables to channel your focus to your mental and spiritual wellbeing, two elements of wellness that are often neglected . Good nutrition and exercise will take care of your physical wellbeing. Reading and educating yourself continually will take care of your mental wellbeing, while things like religion and meditation will help you take care of your spiritual wellbeing. The important thing here is that your overall wellbeing depends on the three elements. Don’t focus on one and neglect the others. 13.  AM I GIVING THE PEOPLE I VALUE MOST ENOUGH TIME?Many times, we focus on the challenges of modern life that we forget how important it is to spend some quality time with the people we value most â€" our family and friends. You should never be too busy for people who love and care for you. In the end, they are the only ones who matter. You might get laid off your job, the money and cars might go, but your family and friends will always have your back no matter what happens. In addition to always having a circle of support, family and friends are also good for your happiness. People who spend more qualit y time with people they value tend to have higher levels of happiness. Spending time with friends and family even has a bigger impact on happiness than an increase in income. 14. DO I CARE MORE ABOUT HOW MY LIFE LOOKS OR HOW IT FEELS?Today’s society is fueled by marketing and extreme consumerism. In a world where first impressions matter a lot, people see the car you drive or the clothes you wear and not your character or integrity. Having the right image determines the kind of friends you will get, the relationships will get into and the kind of jobs and business deals you will get. Matters have been made worse by social media, where people are all about showing off how their lives seemingly are. This has led to a situation where most people are more focused on living a life that looks good, even if all this is a façade. Today, keeping up with the Joneses has become a way of life. People are taking loans to buy houses and cars with the aim of looking successful. According to a s urvey by the Country Financial Security Index, more than half of the respondents spend more than their income occasionally, while 21% spend more in a month than they earn in the same month for more than sixth months every year. Most of this expenditure goes towards buying material things with the aim of impressing others.While doing this might boost your image, it will have adverse effects on your life. Spending beyond your means to impress the masses can lead to a life of debt. Apart from setting you up for a life debt, living a life where you care more about how your life looks can lead to lack of joy and contentment. Instead of being appreciative of what you have, you will be more focused on getting more so that you can improve your image. Since you are so focused on getting bigger toys to maintain your image, you end up spending most of your time at work, which in turn also strains your relationships with family. You end up becoming distant to your spouse and miss seeing your ki ds growing up. Is this the kind of life you want? Asking yourself if you care more about how your life looks or how it feels will help remind you that living a fake life to impress others is a walk down a treacherous path. It’s better to be rich and look poor than to look rich and be poor. 15. WHAT WILL BE MY BIGGEST REGRET IF I WERE TO DIE TOMORROW?If you know you are going to die tomorrow, you most probably won’t care about where you lived, how much money you made or how many properties you had. Most likely, you will regret working so hard while neglecting your family. You will regret letting fear hold your life back. You will regret living the life others expected of you instead of charting your own path. You will regret not going after your dreams. Asking yourself this question gives you a sober reminder of what you should be doing with your life today. If you know the things you are going to regret when you are lying on your deathbed, why not do them today to avoid going ou t with regrets when the time comes?

The Problem of Global Warming Essay - 1139 Words

Global Warming is the increase of temperature on Earth which is caused by human activities and will have very serious consequences for life on Earth if humans dont start to do something about it now. Global Warming is caused when the Greenhouse Gases combines with the atmosphere and traps heat. It is strongly related to pre-human and pre- industrial global warming, it is also weakly related to depletion of ozone layer, which was caused by the CFC (Chlorofluorocarbons) gas. The effects of global warming on the environment are dangerous, such as: rising of sea level because polar caps melt, changes in the pattern of precipitation, floods, droughts, heat waves, hurricanes and tornadoes. These effects would take away life and†¦show more content†¦For instance, Nitrous oxide is the major greenhouse gas and has 296 times the effect of carbon dioxide (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrous_oxide, Feb, 2007). Human activities are the biggest contributor to global warming. Industrialization, transportation and forest burning releases gases that join the atmosphere and trap heat. Industrialization has been proved to release high amounts of carbon dioxide since the Industrial Revolution began in the early 19th century. The total amount of carbon dioxide has increased by one ? third of the usual amount in the atmosphere. Transportation uses fossil fuels to run and as a result, it produces gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Now, in the modern lifestyle, most of the people want and have private cars. This further increases the amount carbon dioxide released to the air by the means of transportation. The biggest cause of global warming is forest burning. This is because when we are burning forests, trees inside it, which usually absorb carbon dioxide, release lots amount of carbon dioxide. Besides this, the earth has also experienced natural global warming and ice ages several times before, which rises by up to 5 degree Celsius. A climatologist said that humans have contributed to Global Warming since 8,000 years ago, the year the amount of carbon dioxide started to increase. There are lots of negative effects on environment andShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming Is A Problem Essay1527 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Global warming is a dilemma; it is a debatable issue between a fact and a theory, between approval and disapproval and between having advantages and disadvantages. Endless questions that have indefinite answers arise to a man’s mind when just tackling the idea of the global warming. Many people do not take in consideration the environmental issues, their main interests lie behind thinking about their personal lives and needs. Only few who think about the environment they‘re living in. IsRead MoreThe Problem Of Global Warming1131 Words   |  5 PagesOne of the biggest problems facing in today s world is global warming. It is affecting the earth from climate changes, storms becoming worse over time creating damage to peoples homes, species dying because they can’t adapt rapidly to the changes, animal s population is shrinking and new diseases being created. Thankfully through time we have developed new technology to reduce the effect of global warming. However since we have dealt with global warming for so long for many years, we have doubleRead MoreThe Problem Of Global Warming1228 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is a Social Problem? A social issue is defined as an area of conflict in a social setting that influences different people and is often out of reach of the control of an individual or local geographical authority (Weart 73). Some social problems, however, are not perceived universally as such, resulting in a difference in opinion between different groups. Other social issues are universally recognized as justifiable and, therefore, are addressed by everyone. Global warming is a social issueRead MoreGlobal Warming Is A Problem1381 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is global warming? Global warming is the polar bears and penguins fighting for their lives because their home is melting. Global warming is seventy-degree weather in the middle of February. Global warming is the rapid increase in tropical storms. Global warming is the California drought. Global warming is the harmful wildfires occurring in our forests (NRDC). Many people, mostly politicians, believe that global warming is a problem that doesn’t exist. Global warming is a real issue that we cannotRead MoreThe Problem Of Global Warming1311 Words   |  6 Pagesknow is inhabitable is now being destroyed by man. As humanity has revolutionized we have created many problems along the way. The main problem we are facing right now is called global warming. We have damaged many ecosystems trying to better ourselves, and we have not yet once thought about the damage we are inflicting on our mother earth. We are already beginning to see the effects of global warming. It will make little changes that will have a huge impact, and devastate many ecosystems and everythingRead MoreThe Problem Of Global Warming1430 Words   |  6 PagesGlobal Warming in the United Stated Global warming is no longer just a prediction it is actually happening. It is undisputed that the average temperature at the surface of Earth has increased over the past century by 1 degree Fahrenheit, with both the air and the oceans warming. Since 1880, when people in many locations first began to keep temperature records, the 25 warmest years have all occurred within the last 28 years. The problem is that if we keep on hurting our own environment and ecosystemsRead MoreThe Problem Of Global Warming1443 Words   |  6 Pagesstruggle such as the Syrian war. One reason why Syrians are engaged in a war is that they are experiencing extreme heat and drought which causes them to be more rebellious and aggressive. The underlying cause of these trouble can be due to global warming. Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere because some of the sun’s ray cannot escape. It is a worldwide phenomenon that impacts each a nd every one of us because it cause irregular climate patternsRead MoreThe Problem Of Global Warming1088 Words   |  5 Pagesthe story in the movie The Age of Stupid, in which a man lives in the devastated future world of 2055. The man looks back to today’s date and asks himself why we did not stop the climate change when we had the chance. However, today global warming is out of control, global temperatures are steadily rising. â€Å"The primary cause, a consensus of scientists has said, is the rising emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane† (Stone, 2013). The CO2 stays in the atmosphere for 50 to 100 yearsRead MoreGlobal Warming Is A Problem1654 Words   |  7 Pagesthis reason is global warming. Global warming is a problem that some people choose to ignore. They claim it does not exist. Global warming is real. It is time for people to stop ignoring it and start searching for a solution. Although many people do not believe in global warming, blaming the climate change on the sun, global warming is a serious danger to the Earth because it could have serious effects on the plant and animal populations. To fully grasp the effects of global warming, one must firstRead MoreGlobal Warming Is A Global Problem1418 Words   |  6 PagesThe reason why, I decided to focus on global warming is because it doesn’t just affect one person it affects everyone as a national crisis. Numerous individuals don’t believe in global warming, but to scientist this is a big dilemma. In the article, â€Å"closer looks at climate change, it’s specified that these issues are not new, they have been around forever† (Schmidt, 2010). â€Å"In the article the real case against activist global warming, has gotten the response of the president of the United States†

The Case Of Martinez V. Reemployment Assistance - 969 Words

Unemployment compensation, currently renamed to Reemployment Assistance, is a mandated public benefit for eligible employees. Employers are required to pay unemployment insurance to help cover the costs of unemployment payments when employees are terminated. Business Legal Resources (2013) reviews the case of Martinez v. Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission, Fla, which brought to light that the employer was not properly compensating Martinez according the the Fair Labor Standards Act by paying lower than minimum wage. Martinez had voluntarily quit his employment due to not being compensated property, however was denied based on the technical factor of voluntary quit. During appeal and investigation, the discovery and confirmation of lack of compensation resulted in Martinez having good cause for quitting his job. His previous employer was ordered to pay back wages. Martinez then challenged the denial of his reemployment compensation claim and the amount of work credits h e was entitled to. The denial was overturned after good cause granted, however the additional income was not considered since income is calculated during the calendar quarter it is received and not necessarily when it was earned. Therefore, following the laws governing how reemployment assistance is calculated ruled that Martinez’s benefit amounts could not be adjusted to reflect back pay. How relates As a Human Resource professional it’s important to be familiar with different waysShow MoreRelatedFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesEmployee Benefits 286 Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Work Environment 312 PART 6 Chapter 14 LABOR–MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTS Understanding Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining 340 Endnotes 367 Glossary 389 Company Index 395 Subject Index 398 v Contents PART 1 UNDERSTANDING HRM Chapter 1 The Dynamic Environment of HRM 2 Learning Outcomes 2 Introduction 4 5 Understanding Cultural Environments 4 The Changing World of Technology What Is a Knowledge Worker? 6 How Technology Affects HRM Practices

Mexican View Point on the War with the United States Free Essays

A Mexican View Point on the War With the United States Introduction Jesus Velasco-Marquez wrote â€Å"A Mexican View Point on the War With the United States† sometime around 1991. He wrote to share how the Mexicans felt about the U. S-Mexican War. We will write a custom essay sample on Mexican View Point on the War with the United States or any similar topic only for you Order Now Mexico was only reacting to the United States government taking what was rightfully theirs. Body The U. S- Mexican War has two very different stories depending on whom you ask. The war officially started when the president of the United States at the time (James K. Polk) sent troops to the region between Rio Grande and Nueces River, Texans believed that its border was the Rio Grande. Mexicans did not acknowledge the Rio Grande as the border; they believed it was the Nueces River. The troops thought they were on Texan soil. Mexicans thought that the Americans had invaded their soil. So Mexican troops attacked The American troops, which gives birth to the widely conceived rumor of the Mexicans killed Americans on American territory. Jesus thought it was important to point out that this was not entirely true because the land was rightfully the Mexicans and they truly believed they were just defending their land. It was important to him to tell how the Mexicans were not just attacking American soldiers in cold blood. Even though there was a peace treaty wrote up before the fighting began Mexico did not consider it much of a compromise. They would lose all of Texas, Oregon and California. From the Mexican view point it looked like that had no choice but to fight the matter out. If they did not stand up for themselves they would look like a weak country. It seemed to them that the Americans were not treating them fairly. So, they started taking action. Which ended in an all out war. Marquez wrote his article with many valid points concerning the war and the Mexican viewpoint. I believe that it was a little hard to understand. Although it did have all the points well organized. One thing that Jesus thought was important to learn from his article was Mexico was simply defending its national security. Also he thought it was important to let the reader know that Mexico was not being arrogant, just responding to the American governments actions. He wanted others to know that the Mexican government was somewhat unstable at the time. If any leader tried to come to an agreement with the Americans and someone else didn’t like that decision that person would be overthrown. â€Å"Most people in Mexico believed the use of arms was the only option available to defend their rights and territorial integrity. † I think that this is an important quote from the text. It shows the view of most Mexicans at the time. They were not being irresponsible by fighting but just standing up for what they believed was right. In the American Pageant the Mexican-American War is mentioned in chapter 17. One subtitle is Misunderstandings with Mexico; the war is described as a result of the president’s want for manifest destiny. Another subtitle describing the war is American Blood on American (? ) Soil, which describes the confusion there was over the Rio Grande River and Nuece River being boundaries. /the page numbers are 368-373. Conclusion Before reading Jesus Velasco-Marquez article I knew nothing of the Mexican-American War. After reading the article I am much more informed about the war in general. Also I know have a greater understanding of the challengers the Mexicans faced during this war. How to cite Mexican View Point on the War with the United States, Essays

John Calvin Essays (2488 words) - Calvinism,

John Calvin Many people in history have made a very big impact on their culture, times, and/or religion. One that stands out is John Calvin. He had a really huge influence during his time?the early-to-middle sixteenth century. Calvin devoted almost his whole life to promoting Protestantism, and he made a big difference that is still seen today in Christianity. Calvin was born in France in July of 1509 and belonged in a set of five brothers. He was baptized to the parish of Sainte-Godeberte, where his parents were parishioners (Walker 26). Calvin, as a boy, was very liberally educated since his parents were as well. When he was eleven, his father arranged for John to be in charge of a chaplaincy attached to the altar in the cathedral in Noyons, the city of his birth. In his twelfth year, Calvin was aided by a succession of small ecclesiastical benefices without duties attached. These were the only things that Calvin did in accordance with the Roman Catholic Church, and it was very short, because John's father sent him to the University of Paris at the age of fourteen (29-30). His father's intention to send him to Paris was for John to specialize in the study of Theology, because he was remarkably religious, and was also a strict censor of everything vicious in his companions. But his father also wanted John to study law, because his father viewed law as ?the surest way to wealth and honors? (44). Also, his father had gotten involved in a dispute with the cathedral chapter where he was employed. But, otherwise, Calvin followed his father's ?wishes? and studied law at the division of the University of Orleans. Looking to new possibilities, he also learned the Greek language. When his father died in 1531, there was no pressure to make a choice. He received a master of arts in Theology in Paris and completed the doctorate in Law, but after his father's death, John came back to Paris and devoted himself enthusiastically to the language and literature courses of the newly appointed royal lecturers. In his second stay in Paris, he published his first book, ?Commentary on Seneca's Treatise on Clemency,? in April of 1532. While studying here, he came across the writings of Martin Luther. Calvin began getting involved in the movement, and in 1533, he had his ?salvation experience.? He wrote about it later and stated, ?God subdued and brought my heart to surrender. It was more hardened against such matters than was to be expected in such a young man.? Calvin knew that to fulfill his place with God, he would have to turn away from the Roman Catholic Church. He exactly did that. His first attempt to move from the Roman Catholic Church was November 2, 1533, when he gave a speech attacking the church demanding reform. He figured that if he spoke to the people and educated them on Protestantism, then they would be ready to make changes in the Roman Catholic Church. Unfortunately, it did not turn out the way he thought it would be. Instead of resulting in reform, the results were anti-Protestant protests all over Paris, forcing him to flee for safety. Two years later, while roaming over Europe and landing in Basle, Switzerland, Calvin published the first edition of Institutes of the Christian Religion. This eventually helped set John as a leader in the French Protestant Reformation (128). After this, he went to Geneva and worked with the reform of the Genevan Church (182). John went through many ups and downs during his stay in Geneva, and he fought through many personal and political conflicts. For example, a certain conflict was when he refused to distribute the elements for communion on Easter Sunday in 1538 while preaching at Saint-Pierre. For this action, he was ordered to depart from Geneva (213). Set out from Geneva, Calvin moved to Strasbourg at the urging of Martin Bucer (217). Here, he published a revised and longer version of the Institutes and a commentary on the book of Romans. The new version proved how intellectual mature he was, and thus showed that he attained full status as a theologian. During this time, he married Idelette de Bure, and the

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buy custom Abstinence Movement essay INTRODUCTION Abstinence movement is an initiative that aims to bring awareness to the youth in terms of leading responsible lives. Being responsible for oneself is centered on being aware of the changing times and being able to remain moral even at tempting times. This research paper details the motives of the abstinence movement under the understanding of morals as depicted in the novel Abstinence Teacher. The aim and purpose of this paper is not evaluating the novel, but using the novel to bring out the insight of the abstinence movement. The novel rotates around the lives of Ruth, Tim, Jaonne, Maggie, Eliza, and a Pastor. These characters in the novel are essential details whose understanding of sex education explains what abstinence movement focus on and the challenges it faces. The significance of this study is to enlighten the Diasporas on the advantages of sex education in the society. The youth are the future of any state of country, with this in mind the paper discusses what benefits of the abstinence movement to the youth taking into account lives of some characters in the novel Abstinence Teacher. Upon the aspects of the abstinence movement that are discussed in this paper include: The role of religion and its teachings in shaping the lives of the youth; the external pressure that makes the lives of youths be immoral; understanding of parents and the impact this understanding has on their children; the right way to deal with those desperate to change their ways. As for the characters in the novel, some odd understandings of sex education or sex itself and lack of self-realization are depicted. Their role in bringing out the phenomenon of the abstinence movement is utilized in this study using their actions and states of understanding. Ruths feminism and Tims realization that he does not belong to The Promise Keepers are some of the issues that this paper takes a toll on to relate to the abstinence movement. (Perrotta, 2008) The impact of religion on the youth Tim has been absorbed into the church. The church is not a responsibility but a place to get spiritual nourishment. The fact that Tim doesnt realize that the church is an addiction that he has developed, the responsibility of church goes beyond the personal mental state of an individual but to the specific religion one belongs to. The impact of the church to the people and its contribution to the abstinence movement is tremendous as discussed below. Religion has a great effect on the lives of youth in terms of their achievements, aspirations and self-image. These help the young people in their future physical, socioeconomic and mental welfare. Once self-esteem is improved, it will reduce such factors as: delinquency, alcohol and drug use, poor academic performance, the number of children born to unwed mothers and other varied destructive behaviors such as family violence. Information on how to improve the self-image or self worth of a person can be gotten from sources like in seminars, from self-help books with bible teachings. Adolescents seek ways on how to become independent from their parents without even realizing who they truly are. This is why teachings on self worth will help them try to identify who they are so that they avoid getting into trouble and into some unruly behaviors. (Harrison, 2000: 13) Self worth helps the youth to know how to respond to peer-pressure and how they think and experiment on such issues as experimenting with sex and use of drugs. Religion is a great force behind the forces of self-esteem and should therefore not be ignored when instilling these virtues into the young people. Feelings of self worth are diven by religious activities, beliefs, and activities. The insight of one being a child of God, an imminent purpose of life and an involvement in a caring organization may help strengthen the self-worth of people and not just the young alone. This will therefore make the young try to formulate the teachings of the bible hence living a moral life. Such teachings of the bible include the consequences that are attributed to the rebellious people and disobedient children to their parents that lead to lack of self-respect, which in turn leads to loss of contact with God. Although there are great controversies among different people whether religion really affects the way in which the youth behave, the fact is that the young people with a Christian understanding are less likely to get involved with negative behaviors as compared to those without a Christian upbringing. Many churches, according to findings, teach people to have good and morally upright morals and a positive image about themselves; this therefore may influence the youth to have self-evaluations in a positive kind of way. Once the youth attain this virtue of self worth they will definitely start performing in their class work since they believe in themselves and what they are capable of doing. Factors that lead to immorality in youths Taking a look at Ruth in the Novel Abstinence Teacher, it is clear that lack of sex education in her life has a tremendous contribution to her feminism. The fact that she felt bad when her daughter Maggie prayed in some event, points out that out of the most important factors of parenting. In the abstinence movement some of the most important pillars of shaping a young ones life is by pointing them the right way. However, there are many factors that lead to immorality in youths. Unless these factors are looked into, the success of the abstinence movement would be difficulty to achieve. The factors are described below and how they can be dealt with. (Cornog, 1996) Several factors lead to the unruly behaviors in the youth and some are external while others are internal psychological problems. Peer pressure is the greatest of all the factors. Most youths do things so that they can belong to a certain type of group of their fellow teens and not because they enjoy it. Some young people get into immoral behavior because their parents are not good to them and they therefore want to feel good bout themselves and have people who can appreciate them and get into sexual activities when they satisfy their partners in bed. Some parents have a way of not accepting anything their children do and always think they are wrong and this is what leads to the rebellious attitude, to prove a point. Parents therefore end up losing their children without knowing in the first place that they themselves contributed greatly to their behaviors. Very few of the youths however involve in irresponsible sexual behavior by lack of knowledge. There are those who are simply ignorant on the consequences sex may have in their lives and therefore need to be guided to avoid temptations and avoid people manipulating them into it. The society has also contributed greatly to the sexual decay in the world. Many people view sex as an ordinary thing and will even find it odd when someone is past the teenage period and still a virgin. In some colleges and universities it is even worse since one is openly ridiculed by their friends once they find out that they are virgins and therefore people do everything so that they can avoid such embarrassment. (Halstead Reiss, 2003) Other factors that lead to sexual practices among the youth include poverty and trying to live up to certain standards. Most parents cannot provide for everythingg that their young adults need. Girls end up engaging in sex with elderly men for the money while the boys go for mature elderly women for the money. Mostly the college and university-going students do this, as they want to keep up with the latest fashions and the parting life that is a bit costly. The right way to deal with those who want to change their lives Therapy is not an old means of dealing with troubled lives, but in sex education it is the responsibility of the society; starting from the parent level to religion level. Going the bible way, keeping in mind that Christianity is the largest religion, some of the teaching in the bible can be good examples for application in the abstinence movement. Some of these teachings are discussed under the light that Ruth does not provide them to her daughter, but they would be of great help if she had. The bible condemns premarital sex before marriage and calls it fornication, which is a sin. Fornication happens when people not married engage in sex and this category captures the youth. 1 Corinthians 6:13 says that the body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. This therefore means that the bible does not support sexual practices between or among individuals if they are not married since the body is holy and belongs to God. Anyone willing to follow the right path in life should shun sexual practices before marriage as it is a shameful act that leads to many negatives effects such as: school dropouts caused by unprotected sex between the youth who do not have knowledge on contraceptives. Sexually transmitted infections which are very shameful; poor performance since attention will drift from class work and the time that should be spent reading will be used for the sex escapades and feelings of fear since one will be suspecting of being sick sexually or pregnant. A factor to consider is that fifty percent of the people who have HIV are between eighteen and twenty four years of age due to irresponsible sexual behaviors. It is therefore wise to abstain since the contraceptives used like the condom are not one hundred percent safe. They can allow some viruses to penetrate and we do not want to be a victim of such life changing blunders that we can avoid. What the Bible preaches is abstinence by people who are unmarried. For the married, sex is basically meant for re-creation, that is, to bear children. Take a second and think about how different the world would be if people did not engage in premarital sexual practices. There would be no unwanted pregnancies, many deaths caused by abortions, poor lifestyles caused by the youth burdening their parents with an extra child from premarital sex, and sexually transmitted diseases. Why God prohibits premarital sex is to protect women from bringing up fatherless children, protect children from having parents who were not prepared for them or do not want them at all. (Kehily, 2002) CONCLUSION As much as The Abstinence Teacher is involved to figure out what is good for the abstinence movement. The roles of the characters provide us with insight of people and their understanding of sex education. Religion plays an important role in shaping the lives of the youth and the sexually confused. It does so by providing teachings that are aimed at bringing light to the youths through the teachings of the bible. Ruth and Tim are self absorbed to mentalities they do not quite embrace effectively. The problem is because they are not aware of sex education and the importance of self recognition. Buy custom Abstinence Movement essay

All About Plastics

All About Plastics Every day, people use plastics in various applications. Over the last 50 to 60 years, the uses for plastic have expanded to infiltrate virtually every aspect of life. Because of how versatile the material is, and how affordable it can be, it has taken the place of other products including wood and metals. The properties of the various types of plastics make it beneficial for manufacturers to use. Consumers like it because it is easy to use, lightweight and easy to maintains. Types of Plastics Overall, there are about 45 unique types of plastics and each type has dozens of different variations. Manufacturers can change the physical structure just slightly to benefit the application for which they are using it. When manufacturers change or modify things like the molecular weight distribution, the density or the melt indices, they alter the effectiveness and create plastics with many specific properties - and therefore many different uses. Two Plastic Categories There are two main types of plastics, thermoset plastics and thermoplastics. Breaking these down further, you can see the everyday uses of each type. With thermoset plastics, the plastic will hold its shape long term once it has cooled to room temperature and hardened thoroughly. This type of plastic cannot return to its original form - it cannot be melted down into its original form. Epoxy resins and polyurethanes are some examples of this type of thermosetting plastic. It is commonly used in tires, auto parts, and composites. The second category is thermoplastics. Here, you have more flexibility and versatility. Because it will return to its original form when heated, these plastics are commonly used in various applications. They can be made into films, fibers, and other forms. Specific Types of Plastics Below are some of the specific types of plastics and how they are in use today. Consider their chemical properties and benefits, too: PET or Polyethylene terephthalate - This plastic is ideal for food storage and water bottles. It is commonly used for things like storage bags, too. It does not leach into the food, but is sturdy and can be drawn into fibers or films. PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride - It is brittle but stabilizers are added to it. This makes it a softer plastic thats easy to mold into various shapes. It is commonly used in plumbing applications because of its durability. Polystyrene - Commonly known as Styrofoam, it is one of the less ideal options today for environmental reasons. However, it is very lightweight, easy to mold and it works as an insulator. That is why it is heavily used in furniture, cabinetry, glasses and other impact-resistant surfaces. It is also commonly added with a blowing agent to create foam insulation. Polyvinylidine Chloride (PVC) - Commonly known as Saran, this plastic is used in wraps to cover food. It is impermeable to odors from food and can be drawn into various films. Polytetrafluoroethylene - A growing popular choice is this plastic also known as Teflon. First manufactured by DuPont in 1938, it is a heat-resistant form of plastic. It is very stable and strong and is unlikely to be damaged by chemicals. Moreover, it creates a surface that is almost frictionless. This is why it is used in various cookware (nothing sticks to it) and in tubing,  plumbing tapes and in waterproof coating products. Polypropylene - Commonly called just PP, this plastic has various forms. However, it has uses in many applications including tubes, car trims, and bags. Polyethylene - Also known as HDPE or LDPE, it is one of the most common forms of plastics. New formations of it make it possible for this plastic to be flat. Its initial uses were for electrical wires but it is now found in many disposable products, including gloves and garbage bags. It is also used in other film applications such as wraps, as well as in bottles. The use of plastics every day is more commonplace than many might think. By making small changes to these chemicals, new and versatile solutions are obtained.