Comparing Gotma to Siddhartha Essay

Siddhartha and Govinda both begin their journeys searching after the same goal, to find themselves and attain nirvana. They travel many of the same paths but each thinks differently in their situations. But while Siddhartha eventually reaches Nirvana, Govinda does not because he never learns to absorb what is around him and learn from life like Siddhartha does but mistakenly tries to find peace through other peoples lives. Even from the beginning you can see distinct differences in the mind set between Siddhartha and Gotma, one as a thinker and one as a follower. Siddhartha had grown uneasy in his state as a Brahman’s son. The riches of his lifestyle babied him too much and blocked him from the real world. He wanted to go off on his own and experience and find himself. Siddhartha is a Scientific thinker, his brain is always wanting and explanation and continues to ask questions and at this point his maturing mind is starting to doubt the Brahman and Hindu ways. The repetitious ways of the daily prayers and rituals seemed an unreal way to finding nirvana. Something that never changes cannot lead higher, it always stays at the same level. So when a group of samanas passes through town he joined their lead, wanting to experience their lives and to learn from them. Everyone was shocked at his decision; Govinda knew not what to say, and Siddhartha’s father became enraged at first thought, but later admits something very important to Siddhartha. â€Å"You will go to the forest and be a samana. If you find salvation in the forest, come and teach me salvation. If you find disappointment, then come back and let us once more sacrifice to the gods together.† His father has never reached the goal he has sought after his whole life, even now as an old man, and he understands that Siddhartha must leave for himself. The next morning Siddhartha leaves early and finds his friend, Govinda, waiting to go with him. This is the first true sign of Govinda’s misconception of how to find himself. Govinda only goes because his friend thinks it will be good. He did not think over in his mind and decide if it was truly right for him. So they wandered and learned from the samanas. Siddhartha had learned self-denial and meditation but started to doubt if they were progressing anywhere in their search for salvation. The Samana teachings were nothing more than trickery, magic and self- control all of which can be taught. None of these qualities would lead even a step towards salvation because you are never learning something new; it is purely a way to keep your mind occupied and content. He even compares drunkenness to the samana teachings. It is just another escape, a way to leave yourself and forget all life’s pains. Even their samsara leader had never attained nirvana so how would they ever get there either following him. Word comes of a great man, Gotma, who had reached nirvana. Surprising to Siddhartha, Govinda decides to seek out the illustrious one. Although Siddhartha has his doubts he is curious and travels with Govinda to listen to the Buddha. After hearing the teachings of the Buddha the simple and accepting Gotma immediately joins as his disciple. But Siddhartha comes to a realization here. He knows that the Buddha has reached nirvana but sees the difference between teaching and experience. The teachings of the Buddha were not for him, they were for the suffering, the weak, a comfort zone which numbs people from the harsh realities and allows them to live in a false contentment. Even the Buddha himself knows this; he is just trying to help the masses that are not as clever as Siddhartha. Siddhartha now sees that experience is the only way to gain knowledge and goes out into the world to try it all. For many years of his life after he tries many new lives. From Kamala, a young courtesan, he learns about Physical love. He learns to become a merchant and indulge in the pleasures of a wealthy life. He lived on many years like this and grows old and worn but finds it is all a false happiness. After everything he obtained he is still discontent. The women, clothes, wine; all do nothing for the mind. He abandons it all and runs away into the forest and falls asleep beside the river, wishing to die. Here he meets Govinda again for the first time since he had joined the Buddha. And Siddhartha saw that Govinda had not changed. Govinda was still blindly following in Buddha’s steps, doing the rituals and living under his ways. Vasuedeva the ferryman is very important to developing Siddhartha. He never tries to teach Siddhartha but hints at where to look. Vasudeva says that it seems as though the river has spoken to him and suggests that he stay with him beside the water. It is through Vasudeva that he realizes the symbolism of the river to life. Life is always flowing, changing but always there and continuing on. Even later on when Siddhartha gains and loses his son he again sees the cycle of life in the river. In grief for his loss he cries into the river and catches a glimpse of his reflection. In it he sees himself, his father, and his young son. Siddhartha sees the pain that his father must have felt when he left as a boy is the same as when his own son ran away. Although he tried otherwise, the same trials and pains he left behind are recurring again and again. He finally sees the true cycle of life. Siddhartha comes to realize that the whole world, everything, is one. We are born of our mothers, live our lives and eventually die, then decompose in the dirt. Trees grow up from the dirt and produce fruit, which is eaten by man and animals alike. The air we breathe is recycled and breathed back in by plants. Everything is made of the same particles that have been around since the beginning of time. The world is constantly changing: destroying, creating, and reforming every molecule into something new. So we are a part of that, apart of everything. Rebirth is made within yourself and what you choose to change. Siddhartha experienced many lifestyles all of which he learned from and his decisions to move forward and change was his renewal. And in the end he comes to see that you must let go of your self and your needs completely and love and appreciate everything because it is all one. Govinda appears once more when he asks the ferryman, now Siddhartha, to take him across the river. Once Govinda realizes it is Siddhartha he presses him to know too how to Nirvana. Siddhartha tries to explain that you cannot search for nirvana it must come to you. Nirvana is not one thing but everything you experience in life and if you are trying only to find nirvana everything around you will be missed and wisdom and understanding cannot be found. But even after Siddhartha’s speech Govinda did not understand, he still could not comprehend what Siddhartha was trying to convey. Nirvana cannot be reached only through writings and other teachings. These things can lead you down the path but it can bring you only so far because it is all feelings and discoveries that others have achieved through their own life. Writings can only convey part of the message because you cannot produce in words your experience and have another understand every aspect of the way you felt. That is how your mind dealt and reacted to that situation. Can you tell someone exactly how good jamoca almond fudge ice cream is? They can tell you how it tasted to them, but can they interpret the exact sense it will have on your tongue? Can you truly understand how much you would like it unless you have tasted some yourself? Some may think it’s too strong, some may not like almonds, some might like vanilla better, and everyone will have their own opinion and slight difference. Life is the same way. Govinda never reached his goal because his whole life he was searching in others lives. First he followed Siddhartha with the Samanas then leaves the samanas by his own choice, only to follow another. And in the end he comes back to Siddhartha with one last desperate plea to try and understand. He never learned anything about himself because he was blinded by the belief that someone else could show him how. Everyone must decide for himself or herself what they do with their life, for following only leads you down another minds path away from your own awakening.

Classical Management Theory

Classical management theory, for all it’s rationality and potential to improve efficiency, dehumanised the practice of management (Inkson & Kolb, 2001). Choosing either bureaucracy or scientific management, discuss this quote and argue whether modern business’ continues to dehumanise. People’s conception of the nature of work and the social relationships between individuals in various levels in organizations changed, brought by the industrial revolution of the late 1800s. Classical management believed in work specialization. That is, that work should be organized and divided according to one’s specific individual skill. There are three subfields of management, each with a slightly different emphasis: scientific management, bureaucratic organisations and administrative principles (Wrege & Stoka, 1978). Using scientific management, we will explore the ways it dehumanised the practice of management. Firstly, by discussing it’s systematic approach that was designed by Frederick Taylor, to solely improve productivity by reducing the amount of time and effort needed in solving a task. Secondly, by exploring how human needs and considerations were given little or no regard. Then lastly, how the human relations movement was formed and the ways it ‘humanised’ the practice of management to become what modern management is today. Scientific management was a systematic approach that was designed by Frederick Taylor, one of the original advocates of scientific management, to solely improve productivity by introducing a machine-like structure that reduced the amount of time and effort needed. His philosophy is encapsulated in his statement, â€Å"In the past the man has been first. In the future, the system must be first† (Wren, 1979). This job redesign was at the heart of the scientific management movement, and efforts to simplify job design reached its peak in the assembly-line production techniques that became popular in the early 1900s. It formed the basis for what became known as the scientific management movement, and had the following characteristics; Machine pacing – this was when the production rate was determined by the speed of the conveyor belt, not by the workers themselves. Task repetitiveness – tasks were performed over and over during a single work shift. On auto assembly lines, for example, typical work cycles (that is, times allowed for completion of an entire piece of work) ranged from thirty seconds to one and a half minutes. This means a worker performed the same task up to 500 times a day. Next were low skill requirements – jobs could be easily learnt and workers were easily replaced. Task specialization – each job consisted of only a few operations. Limited social interaction was also a factor – due to the speed of the assembly line, noise and physical separation. Finally, tools and techniques specified – selected tools and techniques were assigned by staff specialists (usually industrial engineers) to maximize efficiency. As you can see, organisations had machine-like structures, which increased a workers speed and expertise in one specialised area. It also reduced the amount of time spent on a task and the effort of teaching them a range of skills, which in turn helped the business achieve organizational productivity and efficiency. But buy doing so; management lost its human side. Human needs and considerations of its workers were given little or no regard. Therefore Taylor felt the worker was, essentially, just part of a huge line of processes. Although the techniques led to an increase in output as well an increase in efficiency, problems with this new form of management began to arise. Firstly, it became increasingly apparent that factors other than money had motivating potential for workers to increase output and efficiency. Second, managers became aware that many employees would work consistently without the need for close supervision and control. Lastly, some managers attempted job simplification techniques without having the need to increase pay when there was an increase in output. It’s failure to deal with the social context and workers’ needs led to increased conflict between managers and employees (Samson & Daft, 2009), as wages fell behind productivity and as increased efficiency lead to cuts in the number of workers. Job fractionation lead to unauthorized breaks, as people did not like their jobs. Workers reacted by refusing to co-operate, and unionization efforts and sabotage also became more common during this period. Over time, concern for improving worker’s attitudes arose and by the 1930s, behavioural scientists began looking at ways to make employees happier on the job. As we have just discussed, the benefits that arose from scientific management seemed outweighed by the multiple drawbacks we have just highlighted, relating the human needs and considerations of workers. Thus, the idea based on rationality and technique almost seemed to â€Å"dehumanise the practice of management†, through this statement Inkson & Kolb (2001) understood. This emphasis on the human factor in employee performance became known as the human relations movement. Management now realized that people wanted to feel useful and important at work. Attention moved away from scientific measurement of fractionation towards a better understanding of the nature of interpersonal and group relations on the job. Motivation had taken a shift from the piece-rate approach to having a stronger social emphasis. â€Å"Hardly a competent workman can be found who does not devote a considerable amount of time to studying just how slowly he can work and still convince his employer that he is going at a good pace† (Taplin, 2006). This quote reflects the previous generally accepted mentality of the average worker, in that their sole motivation was money – the human relations movement changed all of this. Workers wanted to be recognized as individuals and it was concluded that it was failure to treat employees as human beings was largely responsible for poor performance, low morale, high job turnover, absenteeism, among other problems. Because of these problems, an effort was made by managers to make employees feel important and involved. Morale surveys, for instance, became popular as an indicator within organizations, as well as departmental meetings and company newspapers. Supervisory training programmes were initiated to train managers in group dynamics. These were all attempts to help employees feel involved and important to the organisation. As you can see, scientific management, in all it’s rationality, had ultimately dehumanised the practice of management to the point where scientific research was undertaken to better understand the worker and recognize them as individuals. From a modern point of view, the advent of human relations has dramatically changed management techniques today. Although it is constantly changing, two aspects from traditional theories of motivation continue. Firstly, the basic goal of management remained employee compliance with managerial authority. The major differences were the strategies for accomplishing this. Second, nothing has changed in regards to the nature of the job itself. Instead, nterpersonal strategies in the workplace were introduced in an effort to make employees more satisfied and ultimately more productive (Youngblood, 2000). For instance, seminars to improve management and group dynamics were given by businesses to their managers, but their job is still the same. That said, such efforts are aimed at better understanding of human relations in the workplace, to improve employee morale and to recognize workers as individuals and the statement that ‘modern business’ continue to dehumanise’ can no longer be justified. We have discussed the quote â€Å"Classical management theory, for all it’s rationality and potential to improve efficiency, dehumanised the practice of management† (Inkson & Kolb, 2001)† and explored the philosophy of scientific management, which was an idea based on rationality and technique. It â€Å"dehumanised the practice of management† through a number of ways which we have explored in this essay. First, through it’s systematic approach designed by Frederick Taylor to solely improve productivity by reducing the amount of time and effort needed in solving a task. Second, by having little or no consideration for the needs of workers – they were merely part of a machine. Although two traditional theories forming the basis of management remain, the human relations movement has greatly impacted management techniques and it’s entire philosophy. From a once fractionised system it has shifted to having a large social emphasis, forming what modern management is today. Therefore, scientific management without a doubt dehumanised the practice of management and the argument that ‘modern business’ continue to dehumanise’ can no longer be supported.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY FOR FUTURE PAPER TITLED Improving Learning Essay

NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY FOR FUTURE PAPER TITLED Improving Learning With Computers An Attempt at Enriching the Experience - Essay Example Computers have changed our existence and humans are relying on the system for their survival. Interactive learning aids in better learning. Video conference, reservations, bookings, data collection and storage, almost in every field computers have contributed a lot to make life easy as well has enhanced the pace of life. It is the responsibility of educators as well as parents to exploit the technology in the favour of mankind and to meet the needs of students. One must keep in mind to mould the energy of future generation in a constructive path by channelizing their energies as computer education provides confidence and high level of flexibility in learning environments and accommodate the needs of all students. Printed books can never be replaced by electronic books but access to any literature and convenience has drastically improved with the augmentation in computer technology. Audio-visual aids provide a great insight and profundity to human understanding therefore learning has improved through computers. It is the greatest invention for the present era that has enabled human to understand the concept, procure, implement and contribute in any field of choice by means of analysis and research as learning is a continuous

Cinema in Egypt Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cinema in Egypt - Term Paper Example First, it is important to consider major milestones in the development of the Egyptian cinematography. It is noteworthy that the first â€Å"purpose-built cinema house† was built in Egypt in 1907 (Gamal 2). It suggests that Egyptians were interested in the new form of art and the industry could easily pave its way. Initially, foreign films were shown. The first national film was produced in 1917 (Danielson 87). However, those were first attempts, though they were quite successful. The industry started developing rapidly in 1925 when Tal’at Harb, a successful banker, started his own film company. Importantly, the banker employed only nationals and he even sent the most promising ones to Europe for the necessary training (Danielson 87). Unshudat al-Fu’ad / Song from the Heart (1932) was one of the first Egyptian sound films (Shafik 45). This musical film was very successful and it inspired many Egyptian filmmakers. Another musical, al-Warda al-Badha / The White Rose produced in 1933, was also the first Egyptian movie â€Å"to be successfully exported to other Arab countries† (Shafik 45). Muhammad Karim, Ahmad Badrakhan, Fatima Rushdi were among those directors who shaped the Egyptian cinematography and created or rather identified its most significant conventions. The middle of the 20th century is regarded as the golden age of the Egyptian cinematography. Numerous brilliant films were created at that period. It is necessary to note that major themes and genres remained the same. Those were often musical films and comedies that promulgated universal values. They will be considered in detail below. However, during the 1970-1980s, the industry was declining and the number of films produced decreased significantly (Russell 344). Their quality was often very low. At present, the Egyptian industry is on its rise and numerous talented filmmakers manage to produce highly successful national films. As has been mentioned above,

Impact of Magazines on their Readers Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Impact of Magazines on their Readers - Article Example However what is currently the case has never been like the one which used to be so in the 19th century. The press of modern times relies more on placing the advertisements rather than giving the readers something to read about. In other words, it is more interested in propagating advertisements than the news and reports on which the readers are focused. There is now an aspect of compromise when it comes to putting a news report and the magazine editor thinks of placing an advertisement on the specified place for the report so that he could earn more and bring more revenues for his magazine. This means that the unethical attitudes are pretty much apparent in the whole contexts of press and these need to be adjusted in a manner which could balance the benefits as well as make the news reports and analyzes visible in between the pages of the magazine. The media has always been used as a tool to educate and stimulate the audience's minds. The hype and controversy surrounding the Terri Schiavo euthanasia case is an ideal example of how language can influence the emotions and consciousness of ordinary people. The terminology used and the method of citing opinions basically created the controversy which turned into one of the biggest ethical discussions of our times. Similarly, throughout the Suffragette movement (1920's), the conservatives and the liberals used newspapers/magazines and pamphlets to circulate their views on the right for women to vote. What was primarily a case of simple human rights became a war of words and media manipulation. Constant exhortation of the word "mother" and "life-giver" in the newspaper issued by Christabel Pankhurst, The Suffragette, gave their requests a tinge of blackmail. During the early 1950's, newspapers, magazines and radio had created such an atmosphere of fear and suspicion over the suppose d communist activities taking place within the United States, that Senator Joseph McCarthy's sometimes far-fetched accusation of subversive activities against certain public figures were taken seriously. His ability further, to maneuver public opinion using words like, "Un-American", "subversive" and "unpatriotic" further deepened the masses mistrust, giving him carte blanche to prosecute anybody he considered guilty of communist leanings. During the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's also, the use of periodicals to promote the viewpoints of both the black community and the white was profound. Language played an important part in the struggle for emancipation. The difference though was in the approach of the two great leaders of the African American movement, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Where the former hoped to persuade the government to relent, Malcolm X was more vocal against white people, terming them as 'evil'. This battle of ideas within the Black faction itself cau sed great confusion to the Caucasian community. Supporters of Civil Rights themselves were not overtly sure where to stand on the issue. Moving on, David Gaunlett presented his own 'Ten Things Wrong with the Media Effects Model' in which he suggests that media does not necessarily have any direct effect on the lives of the people to which the media is generally addressed and in the related settings,

Stem Cell Research from Christian Perspective Essay

Stem Cell Research from Christian Perspective - Essay Example Stem cell research's eligibility and necessity is doubted through moral and ethical arguments, while the scientific approach tries to convince the humans that the primary goal is to make them healthier, to find the cure to cancer and many other benefits. The main reason why stem cell research causes such a controversy is because, in the stage in which the blastocyst is extracted, the embryo dies. Since it is impossible to remove the blastocyst without killing the embryo, certain religions believe that stem cell research is evil. This is because there is an uncertainty as to when life begins, and whether it begins from the time of conception, or it begins only after the fetus has begun to develop. This is where society is distinctly split, between the scientists and the religious ethicists. One of the positive aspects of stem cell research that goes in favor of the scientists is the fact that they can do a great deal to help scientific studies, especially in finding the cures for diseases. Scientists have found that, by experimenting with stem cells, they can possibly find cures for chronic and fatal diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, and many more. By performing stem cell research, scientists will be able to help hundreds of thousands of people who are affected by diseases such as these. This can be done by taking the unspecialized stem cells and removing certain protein coats, and therefore turning it into a certain type of cell (such as a cardiac cell or brain cell). These cells can then are transplanted into the needed areas and replace the existing, non-working cells to cure the person of that illness. During the process through which a stem cell is removed from an embryo, and the embryo is sacrificed. The argument many people make about this issue is that it is morally wrong. Many Catholics feel that it is not right to kill the embryos because they are human beings. Scientists believe it is not their part to judge whether it is morally right or wrong. Their job is to make the cures and this is one way to do it. Many people think it is wrong to kill humans to help other humans. This opinion is supported by four passages from Scriptures (Benson 2004): Genesis 1:26-27 - Humans are made in God's image Deuteronomy 5:17 - We are not to unjustly take human life Psalm 139:15, 16 - God knew us as individuals in our mother's womb and even before Matthew 1:20 - Our Savior was once a single cell embryo The debate over stem cell research is closely related to the cloning issue. As Dr. David Stevens has noted, the embryonic clone would be the patient's genetic twin displaced in time. It would be a human being because it has the chromosomes of a human perfectly formed for that stage of development. At that point in time, the embryo is self-directed and, if left in the proper environment, it will continue development through gestation, birth, maturity and eventually natural death, just like all humans (Benson 2004). The question here is when does the life begin according to the Creator Christians and the representatives of other religions are confident that the stem cell research

Manufacturing Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Manufacturing Engineering - Essay Example Machine operators working on holonic systems focus their activity on complex problem solving (Oborski & Szafarczyk 2001). Fractal and bionic manufacturing ideas propose manufacturing system performance improvement by stressing work organization factors based on autonomous groups. The human operator also plays a vital role in computer integrated manufacturing (Nagalingam & Lin 1999). All of those new manufacturing engineering paradigms are aimed at creating so-called advanced manufacturing engineering systems. In such systems, several factors are decisive for success: technology, information processing and human factor. Moreover, those factors must coexist together. One of the most crucial and not yet appreciated factors in this combination is the cooperation of technical systems and the human operator. The proposed research will be based on advances in socio-technical approach in Manufacturing Engineering. The socio-technical approach to system design was introduced by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relation in London in the early nineteen-fifties.