The four agreements by don miguel ruiz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The four agreements by don miguel ruiz - Essay Example Dreams signify freedom. But our dreams are hardly unfettered, they are bound by the collective dreams of the family, country and religion and in the end most of us are domesticated like the animals we know, doing a lot of activities, without quite knowing why we are doing it. The general Theme of the Book is that most of the Truths in life are self evident and simple. We are unable to get to them because we create chaos and muddy the picture. Most of the solutions to various problems are within us. Also most of the problems are created by us too. The simple underlying fact of the book is that if we can make some simple but very substantive agreements with ourselves, we most certainly be more enlightened and bring happiness to ourselves and others. In this first of agreements, the focus is on one thing. It is one's word. Miguel Ruiz shows us that it is something which is very powerful and cannot be trifled with. The word is more than just an utterance. Indeed Bible has put the Word before everything1. Of course there it meant the eternal word of God. But even our words though at a lot lower level , still have a tremendous amount of power. It is who you are and what you feel. It is how you impact this world. Words have the power to create great good as it can create great evil. Miguel uses Hitler's rise as an example of how somebody's words caused not only to his country but to the World. Miguel likens the spoken word to a spell. And indeed words have the innate power to become self fulfilling prophecies. What one says, many times one believes, but it is more than that. The people who listen to us and respect us believe us when we say something. A word said in anger or frustration can have a life long impact on a child. But wha t does impeccability mean. Though it literally translates as being without sin, what Miguel means by it is word said without judgment and without anger. And the judgment has to be said aside not just for others but for oneself too. Miguel does say that even if caustic words are said about others by you, you are only reflecting on yourself. Though you cause damage to others by use of such words, you cause similar if not more damage to yourself. By doing that. Words are never spoken in vacuum. Indeed if you say a word in anger, they most likely will respond back with a word of anger. But a word of love and kindness will get back the same response. Miguel uses a phrase over here called "emotional poison". It is difficult not to notice, how drained we are after an argument or after loosing our temper, and there is an opposite feeling after pleasant words full of love and kindness have been uttered. By an extension of this gossiping is the vilest form of poison. It obviously hurts its in tended target, but if you are a part of it, it can cause intense damage to you, even if it is totally un true. Poison once mixed in water will mix through and everybody who drinks it will suffer from it. Miguel likens gossip to a computer virus, a small entity but with a potential of very large damage. What words you speak create a fertile environment for similar thoughts in your mind. A person constantly using impeccable words will always have a mind free of emotional poison. The Second Agreement Don't Take Anything Personally The second agreement presents a very interesting argument. Do not take anything personally. Indeed, even if somebody puts

Earth and Space Reflection

Earth and Space Reflection Reflecting on our class these past few weeks, makes me realize the inadequacies of my scientific knowledge. In order to help students learn science content, teachers must have a firm grasp of the important ideas in the discipline. I fall short of my content knowledge. In part, my lack of science knowledge might be a result of my college degree plan. I took the basic sciences in high school and in college. At the time of my undergraduate degree, elementary teachers had less extensive college coursework in sciences than did my intermediate or high school counterparts. For this reflection, I am challenging myself by choosing TEK 8.8A and 8.8B. These two TEKS reflect new information I have processed from our class discussions and investigations. TEK Breakdown TEK8.8A is a readiness standard and uses the verb describe to communicate to students. The students expectations are to use models for classification of universal components including by not limiting stars, nebulae, and galaxies (Lead 4ward, 2017). Teachers and students might also include planets, Galilean moons, asteroids, meteors, and comets. There are various ways to compare and describe these components of the universe. Some possible comparisons might be relative mass, relative size, orbiting objects that the components orbit, and objects that orbit the component (TEKS Resources, 2016). In this TEK, the students will be exposed to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for the first time. This model will allow students to examine and investigate the relationship between brightness, surface temperature and color of the stars. TEK 8.8 B is a supporting standard. I chose this TEK because although I thought I had some knowledge of the Sun, I lacked important knowledge and understanding to convey to students. The verb recognize will communicate that students expectations are to identify the Sun but also include recognizable attributes such as a medium sized star, near the edge of a disc-shaped galaxy, and many thousand miles closer to the Earth than any other star (Lead 4ward, 2017). Future Learning/Past Learning Eight grade students were exposed to TEK 6.11A during sixth grade with an introduction to the physical properties, locations, and movements of the components of our solar system. Students also had TEK 7.9A in seventh grade. In seventh grade students analyzed the characteristics of objects in our solar system that allowed life to exist such as the proximity of the Sun, presence of water, and composition of the atmosphere (Lead 4ward, 2017). Both TEKS helps eight graders to better comprehend the present school year science TEK 8.8A. However, students leaving eighth grade should know the universe is comprised of billions of galaxies. Each of these galaxies are comprised of billions of stars. Although these galaxies seem nothing more than fuzzy, dim spots seen through the lens of our eyes, they exist (TEKS Resource, 2016). Students should also comprehend that some of these galaxies are so remote that their light takes several billion years to reach the Earth. The understanding that peopl e on Earth see these galaxies as they existed long ago. Types of Instruction Students should be allowed to work in small group of 3-5 participants. This allows a safe learning environment for reflection, reasoning, discussions, and explaining. A graffiti writing wall could be established at the beginning of the content study. Each day students could add new evidence of learning, and use this wall as a reference for reviewing information. Eighth grade students have many challenging vocabulary words. Therefore, instruction is a must. Some words to consider; Universe, stars, nebulae, galaxies, Hertzsprung Russell, (HR) diagram, asteroid belt, nuclear fusion, blue giant, main sequence, luminosity, super nova, milky way, spiral, elliptical, irregular, telescope, big band theory, Hubble, etc. These words could be incorporated in a journal. Student could generate definitions and picture sketches. Also, vocabulary card sorts could be created to reinforce vocabulary acquisition. Using a PowerPoint along with realia pictures of the universe should be shown with information pertaining to the content. PowerPoints provide great note taking opportunities for students. Students could research information such as definitions of components of the universe (stars, nebulae, galaxies) and recognize and explain the types of galaxies. This type of information could be integrated into a group PowerPoint to present to the classmates. Using Discovery Education for videos on space, the universe, and the night sky will assist students in making connections with the content. Using provoking questions throughout the days of study would provide great student discussions about video information and content learning. A few questions to consider might be; What can observing stars tell us? or When we look into the night sky we are actually looking in the past. How do we explain that? Sentence stems should be used to assist students with their thinking and writing. Graphic organizers could be used for taking notes from the videos. Scaffold Instruction Differentiation for all whether ELLs, special education, or regular education students should be identified and specific. The incorporation of additional resources and teaching tools must be considered. One idea to be considered would be pacing. Slowing down a lesson may take longer to teach, but the end product is greater quality and the experience for the learner is much more rewarding. In small groups, reviewing standards should always be considered and individualized intervention as well. All students but especially our ELLs, should receive sheltered instructional strategies. Students should have the opportunity to incorporate their prior knowledge before beginning any lesson. Prior knowledge sets the foundation for new ideas and concepts. Pre-teaching vocabulary and using visual aids sets the students up for success. Throughout the lesson, teachers should always pause, ask questions, pause for responses, and finally a review of information. These scaffolding practices assures st udents achievement. Personal Growth When we started this unit of study I had many questions about the origin of the universe and the age of the earth. I had many questions about the components of space. As we studied these topics, I was reminded that the questions that scientists ask must be testable. Scientists have provided answers to testable questions that have helped us calculate the age of the universe, the distance of certain stars, and how fast they are receding from us. Whether we can get a definitive answer, we can be confident in the process by which the explanations were developed. These explanations allow us to rely on the knowledge that is produced through the process of science. Ive come to understand that many of these scientific questions can be answered by science investigations and calculations. Reference Texas Education Agency, Lead 4ward, (2017). Process standards. Retrieved from http://lead4ward.com/docs/resources/snapshots/science/teks_snapshot_science_gr_08.pdf Texas Education Agency, Lead 4ward, (2017). Resources. Retrieved from http://lead4ward.com/resources/ Texas Management Curriculum Management Cooperative, TEKS Resources, (2016). 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The Titanic Was an Avoidable Tragedy Essay -- World History

Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater – For movie buffs in the 1990s, when you heard someone talking about â€Å"Jack and Rose,† you would probably think Titanic. You would think about the Love and Mystery, Excitement and Suspense. You might hear comments like: â€Å"What a great movie† or â€Å"Oh, it’s just a movie†¦ It wasn’t really that bad.† The latter people would be correct: it was worse. The Titanic was so much more than a movie could ever depict. Death, destruction, terror, sadness: those were the emotions for the people aboard the Titanic. The disaster that is Titanic could have easily been avoided, and the needless loss of life would have been spared, if just minor changes in planning were taken heed of at the beginning of the voyage. Yes, the Titanic had a tragic ending, but life on the ship was far from tragic –until the crash that is. Titanic and her sister ships, Olympia and Britannica, were considered some of the most exquisite ships in the world. The Titanic was called the â€Å"Ship of dreams,† for it was the most elegant of the ships. On Wednesday, March 31, 1909, the keel was laid and construction quickly began soon thereafter. The ship took almost a year and a half to build and was 882 feet 9 inches long, 94 feet wide and 100 feet high to the bridge level. The final cost reached an astounding  £1,500,000 or approximately $7,500,000. Why did Titanic sink you might ask? Had it not been nicknamed the unsinkable ship? Yes it had; however, it was not the only ship called â€Å"unsinkable.† â€Å"Most ships were called unsinkable because they had watertight compartments to limit flooding in case of an accident.† This was also somewhat to excite the people that a new ship was arriving and to also make them feel safer if they decided t... ...thers were afraid since third class passengers were last in line for the very few boats left, they might try to overtake some for themselves and thus put even more people’s lives in danger. With gates locked and everyone gone, they had no way to escape, and, thus, their â€Å"cabin to America† became their watery grave. April 15, 1912-- that day will forever be remembered by many people all over the world. It is sad to look back almost one hundred years ago and think, â€Å"Wow, that really happened, all the people who died really shouldn’t have.† All the needless loss of life is a sad, sad thought. Bibliography Spitz, D.J. Investigation of Bodies in Water. In Spitz and Fisher’s Medicolegal Investigation of Death: Guideline for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigations, 4th ed. Ed. W.U. & Spitz, D.J. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas, 2006. The Titanic Was an Avoidable Tragedy Essay -- World History Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater – For movie buffs in the 1990s, when you heard someone talking about â€Å"Jack and Rose,† you would probably think Titanic. You would think about the Love and Mystery, Excitement and Suspense. You might hear comments like: â€Å"What a great movie† or â€Å"Oh, it’s just a movie†¦ It wasn’t really that bad.† The latter people would be correct: it was worse. The Titanic was so much more than a movie could ever depict. Death, destruction, terror, sadness: those were the emotions for the people aboard the Titanic. The disaster that is Titanic could have easily been avoided, and the needless loss of life would have been spared, if just minor changes in planning were taken heed of at the beginning of the voyage. Yes, the Titanic had a tragic ending, but life on the ship was far from tragic –until the crash that is. Titanic and her sister ships, Olympia and Britannica, were considered some of the most exquisite ships in the world. The Titanic was called the â€Å"Ship of dreams,† for it was the most elegant of the ships. On Wednesday, March 31, 1909, the keel was laid and construction quickly began soon thereafter. The ship took almost a year and a half to build and was 882 feet 9 inches long, 94 feet wide and 100 feet high to the bridge level. The final cost reached an astounding  £1,500,000 or approximately $7,500,000. Why did Titanic sink you might ask? Had it not been nicknamed the unsinkable ship? Yes it had; however, it was not the only ship called â€Å"unsinkable.† â€Å"Most ships were called unsinkable because they had watertight compartments to limit flooding in case of an accident.† This was also somewhat to excite the people that a new ship was arriving and to also make them feel safer if they decided t... ...thers were afraid since third class passengers were last in line for the very few boats left, they might try to overtake some for themselves and thus put even more people’s lives in danger. With gates locked and everyone gone, they had no way to escape, and, thus, their â€Å"cabin to America† became their watery grave. April 15, 1912-- that day will forever be remembered by many people all over the world. It is sad to look back almost one hundred years ago and think, â€Å"Wow, that really happened, all the people who died really shouldn’t have.† All the needless loss of life is a sad, sad thought. Bibliography Spitz, D.J. Investigation of Bodies in Water. In Spitz and Fisher’s Medicolegal Investigation of Death: Guideline for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigations, 4th ed. Ed. W.U. & Spitz, D.J. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas, 2006.

Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Samuel Rutherford

In 1642 England was starting to seek for changes in the way their government was set up. John Locke and Samuel Rutherford were the leaders of this change, calling for the removal of an absolute monarch. Their works would be opposed by the ideas of Thomas Hobbes, during this eighteen-year civil war in England. The ideas represented in this period would heavily influence the way England’s government would be set up in the eighteenth century. In 1644 Bishop Ross, also known as John Maxwell, published Sacro-Sancta Regum Majestas. The article’s ideas centered on Calvinist resistance theory and the political theory of Spanish neo-scholastics.In response Samuel Rutherford came out with his publication, Lex Rex, which translates to â€Å"Law is King†. This was the first document proposing rule by law and consisted of 44 questions. In Rutherford’s opinion, power was immediately from God in root. With that being his focus he concluded that not only should the king n ot be above the law but should also be subject to it. Lex Rex is the â€Å"Greatest work on the foundation, nature and constitutional government, the Civil Magistrate, and the separate but mutual relationship of Church and State† (Ford).The contents of Lex Rex develop the idea of a separation of powers between legislative, executive and judicial functions. They are to balance one another in no particular order to combine the best features of monarchic, aristocratic and democratic forms of government. He believes that the real sovereign is the people and that all government officials, including the monarch, should be subject to the rule of law and the rule of men as well. A monarch is contrary to God’s will because it requires subjects to surrender total control to a fallible ruler.The position of an absolute ruler is an intoxicating and corruptive force that would potentially lead to negative outcomes. The implementation of laws and government serving as a check upon t he ruler would be in the best interest of the people (Auchter). In his preferred government the King’s power would be lost when he violates the law because it is a right and even more a duty for the people to resist such an infraction. The ideas contributed in Lex Rex provided a bridge between early natural law philosophers and those who would further develop these ideas. The ublication planted the seeds to the type of government that would be laid not only in England but in America as well. Shortly into his reign as king, Charles II made it illegal to own a copy of the publication and had them all burned. There are only four confirmed copies left today. John Locke was a philosopher and political theorist from England. He is greatly known for his contributions to liberalism and empiricism. His faith relied in that of human reasoning and believed that just societies were those, which infringed minimally on natural rights and freedoms of its subjects.He claimed that a legitimat e government depended on the consent of those being governed. This philosophy was taken greatly into consideration when the founding fathers were drawing up the United States’ Declaration of Independence. Locke was known to preach private property and limited government. Locke’s association with Anthony Cooper (First Earl of Shaftesbury) led him to become successively a government official charged with collecting information about trade and colonies, economic writer, opposition political activist, and and finally a revolutionary whose cause ultimately triumphed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 (Uzgalis).Locke’s two major contributiong pieces of work are Two Treatises of Government and Essay Concerning Human Understanding. In Two Treatises of Government, Locke claims that the sovereignty resides in the people and he explains that humans naturally lived in a state of absolute freedom and quality with no government of any sorts. The earliest form of humans only h ad to follow the law of Nature. During this time individuals allowed themselves to follow their own rights to life, liberty and property. It was soon realized that the contrary outweighed the productive.From this, a civil society was established based on absolute equality and set up a government to settle disputes that would arise in their type of society. The government’s power, however, was not made to be absolute. The power of the government was meant to be surrendered to the people themselves and its authority was contractual with applied conditions. If these conditions were overstepped or abused society has the right to rid of it and create another. With Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Locke offered the first great defense to empiricism.The publication has to do with determining the limits of human understanding in respect to a wide variety of topics. The main focuses, however, is sensation and reflection. With sensation our senses focus toward the world and subcon sciously receive information. Within reflection the focus is on our mind itself and how it passively receives ideas. This all originates back to our sense of perception. He felt as if our minds were a black tablet, tabula rasa, and that only when we, as infants, start to experience things do our senses to perceive the external world register in our minds.This focus reflected upon the goodness and perfectibility of humanity. His theory had radical implications that, if all humans were capable of reason, education may be able to spread to level of hierarchies of status, race or sex. Much of Locke’s other works had to do with opposition to authority, while his main focus was to use reason to search after truth rather than simply accept the opinion of authority or be subject to suspicion. Thomas Hobbes was the young contemporary of Jean Bodin, though he had contrasting views than him.He was in support of absolute monarchy as he heavily thought that a king was absolutely necessary to protect the subjects of his land. He, like Locke and Rutherford, wrote many great pieces during his life. The two that relate are Elements of Law Natural and Political and Leviathan, his most major piece. Hobbes’ Elements of Law Natural and Political was a direct product of the intellectual and political conflict going on during the seventeenth century.During the time it was written, Parliament was fighting for power against King Charles I. In this writing he claims that society could only function if it is submitted to the governance of an absolute sovereign. His work was accepted with hostility causing him to flee to Paris where he would use this work as the basis to Leviathan. After the execution of Charles I, Hobbes started writing Leviathan. It is composed into four books; â€Å"Of Man†, â€Å"Of Common-wealth†, â€Å"Of a Christian Common-wealth† and â€Å"Of the Kingdome of Darkness†.No differently than Elements of Law Natural and Politi cal, his work was received with hostility as it offended both Loyalists and Parliamentarians. Even the exiled Prince Charles, who Hobbes had tutored, refused to read the document after seeing how the general public reacted to it. The method in Leviathan is modeled after a geometric proof, founded up principles of; each step of argument makes conclusions based upon the previous step. Conclusions derived by Geometry are indisputable because each step itself is indisputable.In Leviathan he wanted to base his philosophy off of irrefutable evidence [, therefore, making it fact] (Sparknotes). Hobbes believed that any form of government capable of protecting its subjects’ lives and property might act as an all-powerful sovereign. The state exists to rule over individuals and is thus licensed to trample over both liberty and property if the government’s survival was at stake. The people must surrender their liberties to a sovereign ruler in exchange for his obligations to keep the peace since man naturally â€Å"behaves like a wolf†.Now, having traded away their liberties, subjects have no right to win them back and the sovereign could rule as he pleased, free to oppress his subjects in any way except to kill them. The sovereign’s main purpose would be to preserve the people of their rights. He felt that if the king could not protect his subjects they were to be free from obedience. While Locke and Rutherford’s ideas are centered toward a limited monarchy contrasts with Hobbes’ beliefs of an absolute monarchy is the way to go, there is one thing they all agree upon.None of them believes that the King should be in one hundred percent control. Rutherford suggests that the executive’s (the king’s) decision have to go through a system of checks and balances with a judicial and legislative branch before it can be made permanent. Locke did not believe in a king at all, but rather than total control of a government. He did, however, agrees that if the government were to overstep its boundaries the people could rid of it in order to create another.While Hobbes’ case is a stretch, due to his strong belief in an absolute sovereign, he believed that if a king could not protect his subjects they were to be free from his obedience. Shortly after these documents were presented King Charles I was beheaded. Cromwell became in control as a monarch until his death when his generals seized power, calling for election of a new parliament. Charles II was soon restored to the throne but did not take on absolute authority. He agreed to follow the Petition of Right, agreeing that Parliament would meet at least once every three years.England had thus emerged from this great civil war as a limited monarch which were the ideas suggested by Locke and Rutherford. The works of these three men had a great effect on England’s government. After King Charles I was executed, Hobbes came out with Leviathan plead ing for an absolute sovereign, which was immediately taken up by Oliver Cromwell. However, it was the words of John Locke and Samuel Rutherford that prevailed in setting up the limited monarchy that came after and still exists in England and also ended up being the bases to the ideas that the United States constitution was based on.

Propelling the Salvation Army Towards Success Essay

In light of the massive adverse publicity surrounding non-profit organizations and charities, the key objective of the Salvation Army (â€Å"the Army†) in the coming years is to increase public confidence. Increasing public confidence arguably leads to increase in public donations that will allow the Army to extend its reach to more needy people in Singapore. This calls for a major overhaul in the Army’s organisation strategy, as new strategies need to be formulated to rise to the challenges of the turbulent environment. An organizational change is expected of the Army and the communication of change represents the key to a successful implementation of the new corporate strategy. Engaged to engineer the change, our consulting team will orchestrate the process in four stages. Firstly, we scrutinize the external environment in which the Army operates in and identify the key threats and opportunities in the near future. Next, we would perform a critical strategic analysis of the Army’s existing strategic framework and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses against the environmental threats and opportunities. Subsequently, we will propose changes to its strategic framework to better minimize the threats and capitalize on the opportunities. Lastly, we recommend the use of the Balanced Scorecard as a strategy management system to communicate the organizational change and execute its strategies. Designed by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, the Balanced Scorecard has been used by many profit-maximizing organizations and received spectacular success. As a strategic management tool that aligns employees to organizational goals and objectives, the BSC is equally applicable in the context of a charitable organisation. We espoused that if the pitfalls are cautiously avoided and the difficulties circumvented, the benefits brought about by the BSC will outweigh the cost of implementation. Careful use of the BSC will propel The Salvation Army towards sustainable success. The Salvation Army is a worldwide non-profit organization that provides social aid to the poor, destitute and hungry with the intention of bringing the message Christian Salvation to the world with no discrimination towards any race or religion. With its operations spanning globally, the Army has employed a highly de-centralized organisation design to better cater to local needs. While the London Headquarter provides guidance, the operations are run predominantly by a selected group of passionate local citizens. In Singapore, the Army provides social aid through its churches (corps) and a wide range of social and community programmes. The range of aid provided includes child care centres, children homes, personal development programmes for secondary school students, youth development centres, tuition centres, corps community services, family support services, elderly care, nursing homes and rehabilitation centres, prison-support ministries and services. The accounting scandals of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) took the Singapore public by storm. There was huge media coverage about the impropriety of usage of funds and the management was unable to account for the money received and spent. In a spate of scandals about charitable organizations hitting Singapore, public confidence towards these charitable organizations took a huge plunge. The need for the Army to improve its image and to adopt a new strategy is imminent in order to deliver its objectives continuously. These lessons are critical to the future success of The Army. †¢Transparency in Operations Consequent to the decreased public confidence, the public has become more careful in selecting the organizations they donate to. While it is uncertain as to the motivation of philanthropic acts by individuals, there is a healthy desire for more transparency about public funded activities. [Gallagher and Weinberg, 1991] This suggests that the more transparent the charitable organisation is, the more individuals are willing to donate to that charitable organisation. Corporate Governance The second lesson that can be drawn is the importance of good corporate governance practices in charitable organizations. Governance in the charity sector refers to the systems and processes concerned with ensuring the overall direction, effectiveness, supervision and accountability of an organisation. [CGC IPC, 2007] Charities are for the benefit of people by the people, it is just a form of organizing and making sure that the resources in cash or in-kind are being directed to those in need. Therefore, it is imperative that the charitable organisation be accountable to the public as to where the funds are directed and how they are allocated. Good corporate governance is fast becoming an important criterion for the public in deciding whether to donate to a charitable organisation and even a more important factor for volunteers when choosing which charitable organisation to volunteer at. To achieve this, the Army’s Board is entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that there is good governance in the company to build the firm foundation for maintaining clear accounting and high public awareness and trust. This also contributes towards performance indicators and operational structures. †¢Corporate Culture Corporate culture is perhaps the most vital towards promoting ethics in a company. Having a corporate culture that emphasizes ethical behaviors provide great boost to public confidence. Consequent to the NKF Saga, we have seen how the employees of NKF decided against blowing the whistle on their superiors despite being aware of the fraudulent practices of the upper management. This ill culture where unethical behaviour is condoned has brought down an otherwise successful and good-intentioned organisation. Our consulting team will perform a critical review on the Army’s existing strategies and tactics and propose changes to lift the Army out of the current situation through boosting public confidence and ultimately increase their donation funds to deliver its intended objectives. Subsequently, we propose the use of Balanced Scorecard (â€Å"BSC†) to implement the pro posed strategies and tactics in view of its success in the corporate world.