High School Graduate in the Real World :: Personal Narrative Essays

High School Graduate in the Real World With surprisingly minimal reluctance I face my new life. My heart is filled with excitement, while my mind teems with anxiety. Everything has changed. I suppose it really hasn’t, but it seems as if one little difference can make you feel like the whole world is turning inside out. I go about what will soon become routine for me without any second thoughts. Perhaps none of this has sunk in yet. I sit alone in a tiny cubicle only about five feet square and examine my new surroundings. I have been given all the little luxuries that such an entrapment can afford. The outdated computer that noisily hums and groans, looking for sympathy. The adding machine, the pens, the highlighter, piles of papers and documents. It is all that I have right now. I am dressed in a new gray business suit, one of many gifts that I recently received. A new dress code for a new lifestyle. Only two days earlier I was standing on a stage, looking out on nearly one thousand people, summing up thirteen years in five minutes. How do you express what effect thirteen years of schooling have had on you and your classmates in a new and unused way? My valedictorian address was one of the hardest papers-or speeches in this case-that I ever had to compose. The effort put into it also made it the most rewarding as well. â€Å"For a college application I was asked what saying I would publicize if given the opportunity. My answer was ‘Living is doing, not merely being.’† Those two sentences were my favorite part of the speech. I talked about taking charge of our own lives and making a positive difference in the world. I didn’t waste any time following my own advice. Two days later I am starting what will probably become one of the most challenging but personally fulfilling experiences of my life. At six o’clock this morning my alarm clock once again did not fail to wake me from my peaceful state. I can be so resentful of that. Only seconds before I had been driving as quickly as my car would go around hairpin turns on a seemingly endless highway with a strong cool breeze blowing my hair in all directions. The remorseless beeping brought me back to reality. I went about my usual morning routine, except this time my destination would not be the same.

Televisions Manipulation of the Facts Essay -- Argumentative Persuasi

Television's Manipulation of the Facts    One of the main activities that American's participate in during their free time is watching the television. Since its invention over sixty years ago, the television has been a source of enjoyment and information for the American citizen (Pember, 1981). Though what one sees on the television is not what one should always believe. Many people look at television with the "camera never lies" attitude, and are easily manipulated by this medium. People are manipulated by television because most television programming is controlled by a small number of companies, this is a main source of information, and people all too often trust what they witness in the media. Because television is controlled by an oligolistic market, the few companies that do control television programming are able to benefit from a great deal of selectivity, and would not put something on a news cast that would harm their business. The media is also able to manipulate people because television is one of the main source s of information in this country; from local news casts, to news related magazines like 20/20 and Dateline. These programs show a very limited view of the facts due to time restraints and company wide bias (Kaufman, 1998). And many people do not question what they witness on news shows, which can be very detrimental the their own knowledge of the facts. These three causes promote a society where the media many times has the upper hand in directing people's decisions, and therefore manipulating society as a whole. In the modern era, with cable and satellite television there is wide array of programming to choose from. A television connected to the latest technology can receive over 200 channels. Many pe... ...dia significantly effects many of the decisions that we make in our lives, and the media has learned to control how American citizens think and behave. There is no wonder that what we see on television is called "programming." Works Cited Bagdikian, B. (1983) The Media Monopoly pp. xv, 4, 187 Kaufman, R. (1998) "Review of Jerry Mander's Four Arguments For The Elimination Of elevision" availible online: http://www.netreach.net/~kaufman/ Mander, J. (1977) Four Arguments For The Elimination Of Television Review by Kaufman, R. availible on line: http://www.netreach.net/~kaufman/ Mann, J. (1982) "What is TV doing to America," Impact of Mass Media pp. 25-27  Ã‚   Pember, D. (1981) Mass Media in America pp. 178, 181 Stevetwt (1998) "Media Watch" availible online: http://www.infoasis.com/www/people/stevetwt/Media/media_watch.html    Television's Manipulation of the Facts Essay -- Argumentative Persuasi Television's Manipulation of the Facts    One of the main activities that American's participate in during their free time is watching the television. Since its invention over sixty years ago, the television has been a source of enjoyment and information for the American citizen (Pember, 1981). Though what one sees on the television is not what one should always believe. Many people look at television with the "camera never lies" attitude, and are easily manipulated by this medium. People are manipulated by television because most television programming is controlled by a small number of companies, this is a main source of information, and people all too often trust what they witness in the media. Because television is controlled by an oligolistic market, the few companies that do control television programming are able to benefit from a great deal of selectivity, and would not put something on a news cast that would harm their business. The media is also able to manipulate people because television is one of the main source s of information in this country; from local news casts, to news related magazines like 20/20 and Dateline. These programs show a very limited view of the facts due to time restraints and company wide bias (Kaufman, 1998). And many people do not question what they witness on news shows, which can be very detrimental the their own knowledge of the facts. These three causes promote a society where the media many times has the upper hand in directing people's decisions, and therefore manipulating society as a whole. In the modern era, with cable and satellite television there is wide array of programming to choose from. A television connected to the latest technology can receive over 200 channels. Many pe... ...dia significantly effects many of the decisions that we make in our lives, and the media has learned to control how American citizens think and behave. There is no wonder that what we see on television is called "programming." Works Cited Bagdikian, B. (1983) The Media Monopoly pp. xv, 4, 187 Kaufman, R. (1998) "Review of Jerry Mander's Four Arguments For The Elimination Of elevision" availible online: http://www.netreach.net/~kaufman/ Mander, J. (1977) Four Arguments For The Elimination Of Television Review by Kaufman, R. availible on line: http://www.netreach.net/~kaufman/ Mann, J. (1982) "What is TV doing to America," Impact of Mass Media pp. 25-27  Ã‚   Pember, D. (1981) Mass Media in America pp. 178, 181 Stevetwt (1998) "Media Watch" availible online: http://www.infoasis.com/www/people/stevetwt/Media/media_watch.html   

A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students Essay

Love Styles: A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students Love is a feeling known to many people. Sometimes, it becomes a goal for different individuals to find their love through different ways. Moreover, love is a feeling which helps individuals to be compassionate to other people. Hence, love is not a mysterious thing yet no one has really attempted to study such topic for its very vague concept. However, there is a study which presented varying aspects regarding love. The article Love Styles: A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students. Furthermore this article provides a very significant understanding towards the subject of love. Therefore, as stated by the author is categorized into six different types of love. The types of love which were mentioned are Eros, Ludus and Storge which are categorized as the primary styles of love. The secondary styles are Pragma, Mania and Agape. These are all composed of different categories which mostly provide the concept of love in the current society. Eros is known to be the romantic and passionate type of love. Ludus is known to be the game playing love. Storge is a love which is based on friendship. Pragma is meant to name the practical kind of love. Mania is the possessive or dependent kind of love while Agape is the unselfish kind of love. Thus, all of these kinds of love is dynamic that could interchange or develop through time (Neto, 2007). Hence, the author was able to create a study which does not focus on the concept of romantic love but also the varying kinds of love in the society. Hence, in order to understand the concept of love, the author view various culture such as the British, Portuguese and the Indians in order for to attain the accurate results of the data. In the conclusion, the author realized that the need to view love must go through a gender, cultural and psychological aspects for there are great differences in the ethnicity of varying individuals. The research question in the author’s mind is definitely leaning on the concept of love through utilizing the concept of Lee on various students from India, Britain and Portugal. Hence, this is the main basis utilized by Neto in order to derive to such study. In order to get the accurate data, the author used various students of different nationalities such as Indians, British and Portuguese that shall provide different view points of the study. The study was composed of 562 individuals who are not equally divided between male and female. The results stated that different cultures of people are important in predicting the kind of styles of love which they make. Furthermore, the cultural perspective mainly predicts what kind of love the participants wanted to experience. Moreover, the gender of the students who participated is significant in the study. Therefore, there are studies which show that Eros is important to both genders. Hence, in the study Indians is much leaning into three secondary type of love such as Pragma, Mania and Agape (Neto, 2007). Thus, the Portuguese and British participants are much active in the Ludus kind of love. In the whole study, I view that all the information provided is very interesting. The kind of love that is being practiced by different individuals from varying countries is truly affected by the culture and environment they have experienced. Furthermore, I find it very interesting that Indians tend to have a Mania style of love. Although I have learned their culture, I do not believe that Indians’ love style could lead into a very deep and possessive state. I have learned that although love is needed by everyone, the types of love could be different. Love is not only defined through an Eros relationship but also through different kinds of love such as Storge or Agape. Most people see love as a serious relationship that could end up in marriage. Friendly relationships and companionships are also love but with limitations. References Neto, F. (2007). â€Å"Love Styles: A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students. † Journal of Comparative Family Studies. Retrieved on May 13, 2010 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_hb3248/is_200704/ai_n32226385/? tag=content;col1

Arousal, Behavior, Stress, and Affect Worksheet Essay

What are the differences between physiological and psychological needs? Provide examples of each in your response. Need theories postulate that motivation is rooted on the fulfillment of once needs. Therefore, one acts and behaves in order to satisfy a need, there are many kinds and types of needs that several theorists have expounded along the years. One of the most popular need theories on motivation is that of Abraham Maslow. The hierarchy of needs differentiates between physiological and psychological needs. Physiological needs are those basic needs that must be met for survival of the individual like food, shelter, clothing and sex. Physiological needs also have to be immediately satisfied as it is crucial for the existence and stability of the human body. For example, if a person is hungry then all other functions may be affected and it would cause the person to be dizzy, to feel weak and be unable to work on tasks or even to exist. Psychological needs are needs that are basically psychological nature and those that contribute to the well-being of the individual. For example, need for belongingness is a construct that enables us to quantify the need of people for building relationships and being part of a group or family. Psychological needs can be satisfied immediately or it can be delayed, however a person’s sense of well-being and happiness is often associated with the fulfillment of psychological needs. Moreover, according to Maslow, psychological needs have to be satisfied in order, some needs are higher than others and it motivates people to fulfill the said needs incrementally, for example they can only begin to think about self-actualization if the individual has not been able to attain esteem needs such as the mastery of one’s profession. What is the relationship between arousal and behavior? Does this relationship impact performance and affect? A person’s behavior is said to be driven by a stimulus that is a person is aroused to act in response to the stimulus that aroused the behavior. Arousal is the state in which a person or organism is prepared for action. The brain signals the specific organs in the body to react to the stimulus, if the arousal is weak then the response may also be weak. In other cases, if the arousal is strong, then the reaction may also be strong. However, there are cases when prolonged arousal is detrimental to the body as it may result to heightened arousal which results to chronic stress. Behavior is the actions that an individual manifests in response to a stimulus. One’s behavior depends on the stimulus and the state of arousal of the individual. The relationship between arousal and behavior also affects performance and affect. For example, the level of performance of the individual can be increased by the state of arousal in the person. Arousal may come from several sources like the promise of reward or even punishment. At the same time, the individual’s performance may also become decreased because the person is not motivated which may translate to lower arousal state. Affect is also contingent on behavior and arousal. If the person likes what he/she is doing it would then motivate him/her to perform better. When a person desires the behavior and finds it meaningful and important, then that person would have positive feelings for that behavior and hence increase performance. On the other hand, if the person has negative feelings about the behavior then performance would also be affected. What are the long-term and short-term effects of stress on the body, brain, and behavior?   Stress is both a good and bad thing for the body, brain and behavior of man. Stress motivates the person to act and behave in ways that would lessen or eradicate the stress. Stress may come from an event, a person, a situation or even from a personal problem. Stress affects the individual by motivating them to act or confront the behavior but it is also possible that people would evade the stressor as a means of coping with stress. Short-term effects of stress are beneficial to the body but long-term stress is not.   Prolonged stress has many physiological effects; stress may bring the body heightened arousal which is manifested by increased heart rate, sweating, sleeplessness, nervousness and the like. The body can only take too much stress, and if the body is subjected to too much stress it may result to fatigue, sickness and certain illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases and the like. Stress can also wreak havoc to the person’s brain that is too much stress has been found to be the cause of post traumatic stress disorder which is a mental disorder and can lead to psychotic breaks. Due to very stressful situations or experiences that may result to trauma, the brain reacts to the stress to lessen it and hence tricks the brain into remembering only those events that are safe and provided a sense of security for the person. Prolonged stress can also cause behavioral symptoms such as erratic behavior, irrational thinking and low frustration tolerance. The natural response of the body to stress is to take control of it, but sometimes stress may be too much for the body. Reference   Weinberg, R. S. & Gould, D. (2007). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology 4th ed. Champaign, IL: Humans Kinetics.

Pursuit of Happiness

The Pursuit of Happiness In the book, â€Å"You Learn by Living,† Eleanor Roosevelt notes: â€Å"Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product†(Roosevelt 95). When one’s specific desire is fulfilled, feelings of happiness flourish. Therefore, happiness is the ultimate goal in life for many people in today’s society because their life revolves around desire. That said, everyone’s interpretation of happiness varies. Some may believe wealth and power will bring them happiness, while others might argue that beauty and popularity will keep them happy.Whatever the recipe of happiness may be, the product is universal—they all generate feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. Temporary pleasure and satisfaction, that is. What if the word â€Å"eternal† was inserted into the definition of happiness to say that it was a state of eternal well-being and contentment? How would one sought to pursue this form of happiness? At the start of Book One of The Consolation of Philosophy, Ancius Boethius, a learned official of the Roman Empire who awaits execution for unjust accusations, desolately rests in his jail cell, writing poetry and contemplating on life with the Muses of Poetry.He is soon interrupted by Philosophy, who appears to him in the form of a lovely woman that is â€Å"full of years, yet possesses a vivid color and undiminished vigor† (Boethius 2). As a physician treating a patient would, Lady Philosophy diagnoses Boethius with a serious illness, which she says she is here to cure, unlike the Muses she calls â€Å"hysterical sluts†(Boethius 2) who is only here to take Reason away from him. When asked to â€Å"discover his wounds†, Boethius begins to moan about the loss of good fortune: his wealth, his power, his friends, and even contact with his family.He goes on to complain that he is suffering unjustly in a state of complete innocence, blaming Fortune for taking away these goods. As for Lady Philoso phy, whether or not Boethius is a â€Å"victim of Fortune† (Boethius 4), as he calls himself, is simply not important. The fact that Boethius has fallen under Fortune's spell, and forgotten three important things: his true nature, the end and purpose of things, and the means by which the world is governed (Boethius, 10), seem to be the bigger issue since they are the main causes of his illness.Throughout all five books of The Consolations of Philosophy, in her intent to cure Boethius’ disease, Lady Philosophy corrects Boethius of the errors that caused his illness–the main error being his misconception of how happiness can be achieved. When told of Boethius’ sudden reversal of fortune, rather than feeling pity and empathy, Lady Philosophy scolds Boethius for mourning over tangible and earthly things like fame, wealth, and power. These â€Å"goods†, or rather â€Å"false goods† can deceive to bring happiness, but it fails to satisfy the true, eternal soul.Wealth and power were merely gifts from Fortune that temporarily visited him by the wheel of Fortune. Moreover, Lady Philosophy is able to prove that they are in fact false goods because they were taken away from Boethius; they did not belong to Boethius. Lady Philosophy tells Boethius, â€Å"Be not overcome by your misfortunes, for the gifts of fortune are fleeting and happiness is not to be found in temporal goods†(Boethius 21). The things that are thought to make us happy, wealth, honor, and power, have no actual value or power and therefore cannot truly make someone a happy person.Lady Philosophy further explains how these false goods only evoke feelings of negativity. Wealth only leads oneself to greed and further protection of himself, honor creates jealousy, and power is meaningless because it does not last. Lady Philosophy explains: â€Å"Why, the prefecture, which was once a great power, is now but an empty name†(Boethius 23). These lesser goods, which hold less power than mankind, cannot drive one to live a happy life; only a greater good that is more powerful than man possesses that power. This leads to the next question: How is true happiness achieved?In Book Two of The Consolation of Philosophy, Lady Philosophy thoroughly explains true happiness: â€Å"If I ask you whether there is anything more precious to you than your own self, you will say no. So if you are in possession of yourself you will possess something you would never wish to lose and something Fortune could never take away†(Boethius 23). She says that happiness can't consist in things governed by chance because true happiness cannot be taken away. She goes on to explain that nothing on earth can bring true happiness—not one that is eternal.The common belief of all mankind agrees that God, the supreme of the Heavens and the Earth is the highest good. True happiness comes from the desire for the perfect itself and the perfect Good—God. The refore, one can only attain true happiness through the pursuit of God through intellectual and spiritual means. On page 23 of Book Three, Lady Philosophy says: â€Å"Only by being like God, who is the highest good, can lasting happiness come to man. † Everyone desires happiness, and happiness is identical with the good, therefore God and true happiness is of neness. She also says that the good gain their reward automatically, since by being good, they attain the good, which is happiness. Furthermore, only our spirit and intellect can lead us to the true good—the true happiness of the soul, God. As a strong believer, and child of God, it is only sensible that I agree with Lady Philosophy on her reasoning that only one higher power offers true happiness. The all-powerful Creator of humankind motivates man to live a good, virtuous life under Him, which, according to Lady Philosophy defines true happiness.Seeking God, in many ways, is parallel to seeking true happiness. Th e bible, which quotes the words of God, in many cases, teaches the man in God to strive for the higher goods that make up true happiness and, to keep away from what are the evils of false happiness in not only religious terms, but also philosophical terms. In Psalms 37:4 of the New International Bible, it says â€Å"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. † The desires that the bible verse refers to are not casual wants that nature longs for, but innermost desires that satisfy the inner soul—the true goods.The bible disfavors certain desires, in which Lady Philosophy would consider â€Å"false goods† and the Bible refers to â€Å"lusts. † These desires are often described as cravings that long to satisfy physical appetite, like food, alcohol, sex, money, and pleasure. Once man rids himself of desire, he begins to be carefree, letting the mind be emotionally free, free of worry, confident, and at inner peace, reaching a state of happiness under God. Lastly, God rules the universe for the highest good, so man works to move toward that good according to their own will to be obedient towards the highest good, God.As I have begun to discuss above, I strongly believe that living a life for a higher power, rather than oneself, creates an optimistic state of mind, resulting in a more satisfied, happier person. Research shows that that religious people are happier and less stressed. Once one understands that the world is not governed by Fortune, but by a reasonable Creator, unhappiness becomes absent because he is agreeing to Divine Providence. Giving reason to everything that happens makes life less distressful.Rather than staying in a state of despair, only a person in God understands that suffering leads to the sanity of reason and therefore, with suffering, happiness will be awarded at the end. It can also be said that the person in God is not only happy, but also virtuous because being â€Å"goodâ⠂¬  consists of being virtuous. In relation to what Lady Philosophy defines as false happiness in The Consolation of Philosophy, someone who seems to have everything that most people desire, often times, suffers from severe depression. Marilyn Monroe is a great example.She had everything that many seem to think brings happiness—beauty, wealth, fame, sex appeal, and popularity—but she ended her life in suicide. It can be further argued that happiness consisting of anything other than the one God, cannot be everlasting. While these so-called â€Å"false goods† temporally satisfies one’s self, the one real true good, the Creator, provides consolation that is eternal. In comparison to lesser goods, faith is a consistent element of happiness and good health. In explaining happiness to Boethius, Lady Philosophy says, â€Å"Why, then, O mortal men, do you seek that happiness outside, which lies within yourselves? True happiness cannot be found through the sens es. Happiness comes from within one’s soul. It is not external. It is a by-product of an inner condition. It is not simply a temporary indulgence of pleasure. If one lives only for personal happiness, he will probably never find it. As American social writer and philosopher, Eric Hoffer said, â€Å"The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness. † Getting rid of the longing for false goods, or evil desires, is the first step of achieving true happiness—one that will last forever!

The Cuban Missile Crisis Essays

The Cuban Missile Crisis Essays The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay 1:) President Kennedys reaction to the photographs would be much like anyone else in the USA: shocking. He wakes up from a nights sleep to find that Cuba had made bases containing missiles and atomic weapons right under his nose. The missile once launched could easily destroy cities and towns across America; the furthest reaching parts of Canada. Once more the increase in Soviet cargo ships heading to Cuba made the Soviets suspects. Kennedy must have felt very scared. The fate of the world could have lied in this mans hands. Such a little country with so much power, this could not go on. America was very vulnerable at this stage, which was probably why Kennedy was so scared. President Kennedy said,we were facing great trouble, in source A. this shows he knew that nothing god could come of it, and there could be something very bad happening. Within a few minutes of these missiles being fired, it could have killed 80,000,000 American citizens. President Kennedy had every reason to be worried. 2:) I feel that President Kennedy decided to blockade Cuba because there were no other clever choices, and a blockade would mean slowing down the chances of war. He could bomb Cuba, and destroy their weapons, but the Soviets they would ship in more, and then retaliate, then a world war would break out, and other countries would have been in uproar that America picked on such a little country. He could have assassinated Castro, but if he did a new leader would come into power hungry for revenge. If he invaded Cuba, thousands upon thousands of his soldiers would perish in vain. There were no other options. If the US did blockade Cuba, at least it could ensure no more offensive weapons could have been transported in. Every other way had some sort of drawback, except the blockade. 3:) (i) The reasons differ greatly. Source E is putting its position to President Kennedy.The American side has conducted an unr

Eastern vs. Western Architecture essays

Eastern vs. Western Architecture essays Architecture has many unique characteristics as compared to the vast body of styles of art. Architecture must be functional and contend with difficult engineering challenges as well as an artistic statement. Even within the boundaries of architecture, it is obvious that the styles approached in creating the magnificent buildings seen in everyday life vary greatly. Difference in style is obvious when comparing the works of the Ancient Greek culture and those of the Islands of Japan. Both cultures have contributed greatly to the science and art of architecture, each in their own unique styles. The two contrast greatly, yet have some artistic similarities making each impressive according to yesterdays, and todays standards. The characteristics in architecture developed by the Greeks are considered among the greatest achievements in Western Society. The Greek style of architecture combines both simplicity and grandeur to create magnificent structures that are world renowned and have continuously influenced the latter day architecture of Western Society. There are many characteristics in the architecture of Greek temples that separate the Greek era from of the Japanese Shinto shrines. To fully comprehend Greek temple architecture, one must understand the basis of the Greek state of mind. Ancient Greek culture thought very highly of man. Greek philosophers believed that nature to served mankind and that man was second only to humanistic Greek gods. The Greeks built temples as monuments to the deities and were designed in attempt to conquer nature much like the gods; last for an eternity. An excellent example of a Greek temple is the Parthenon located on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. The Parthen on was built to honor the goddess Athena. The Parthenon is a regular but articulate building; although it is a stoa it is perceived more or less as a sculpture or monument rather than a place of shelter. Because the Greek culture was...