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The importance of ethics to the individual
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The importance of ethics to the individual
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The Art of Living Many events in our lives are beyond our control. We cannot control where we are born, the color of our skin, or who are parents are. We can control how we conduct ourselves and the actions we take. We need to embrace a standard of living that is morally acceptable to ourselves and to others. We need to accept boundaries for our actions and still pursue our dreams. Everyone has circumstances in their lives that they control and circumstances tha they cannot control; learning the difference between them is the key to a happy and rewarding life. Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, wrote a manual instructing people how they should live their life. “Some things are up to us and some are not up to us” (Epictetus 281). I agree totally with this statement. No one can control everything in his or her life. If they could control everything in their life they would not be human. Epictetus believed that if you deal with your own life and your own life, then no one will harm, blame, or hinder you. Almost every person in the world would love to be rich and achieve whatever...
This man had spent the better part of a year reading and rereading the Handbook of Epictetus, throughout that book the message is similar to one of the topics Sherman touches on, “Some things are up to us and some are not up to us,”(pg 2). Basically the circumstances maybe beyond our control, but ultimately what affects us is our judgements and the way we react. She makes a great point that we underutilize our ability to control ourselves when we let external things drive our happiness and that is the difference in so many people's lives, they wager their happiness and satisfaction on factors that should not ultimately
In order to be a responsible citizen in the world, a person must “take charge of their lives. They make plans for nurturing their talents and skills” (Spellings 15). Humans have done this so far but not always ending in positive results. A person can take charge of their life, as long as they do not allow too much progress to result in doing too much to take charge of their lives along with using their talents or
previous quote is referring to how the people are controlled. They have no say in their own life style.
accept the choices we make in life whether good or bad. The next possible interpretation
...ry were true, and if we were to come to a fork in the road, what use would it be to choose the right or the left path if our decision was determined and we had no power of decision. I find these teachings of Epictetus disturbing and hard to believe in. With his point of view, people can never be held responsible for their actions because they are considered appropriate.
It is quite evident that a combination of life experiences and heredity determine who one eventually becomes. Some people are blessed by having a good childhood and coming from a loving and nurturing home, which allows them to flourish in society; yet there are others who come from similar backgrounds are unable of functioning in society. Then there are the people who are born into a dysfunctional family or go through a traumatic experience and are simply incapable of adapting to social norms because of what they have experienced. Despite knowing that a combination of the two shape who one becomes, it is unclear whether one of them has more influence than the other.
Many people are confused when asked about fate and destiny. Through an extensive interview of five young adults, I was able to cover a basic understanding on this topic. Three of the subjects in question were generally unsure of how much free will is available, if choices are true or forced upon them by a higher power. The forth believed that destiny has no effect on life. To counteract this variance basic information was given.
Every person has wondered about something - whether it be a person, place, thing, law, or anything that someone can think about. They ask questions both rhetorical and actual to themselves, and usually make it a mission to answer these questions. Some of the biggest questions have something to do with culture and religion. One of the most major questions of all time - to what extent does an individual have control over the outcome of his or her life? There are many different opinions on this topic.
In the world there are two distinct types of things. There are things that exist external to us, such as one's reputation or a relationship. We do not have direct control over these things since they exist outside of us. Then there are internal things that we do have control over, like out desires, or things we dislike. The internal things can be controlled, while the external can be harder to control. Some philosophers even believe that the external things cannot be controlled, and attempting to control them will just bring unhappiness.
own need to control specific life events and the difficulty in the reality of act...
You can choose to live in the so-called "fast lane" without any sense of responsibility, but are you ready to pay the price? Proverbs 14:12: There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. In order to remain truly free you must learn to balance personal choices with biblical responsibility. Live your life to the fullest, mindful that we will all someday give an account to God for our actions.
Mills states that often, people feel trapped in their everyday situations and in their life as a whole. They feel as if they have no options or control over their circumstances (McIntyre 2014). Although in many cases they aren’t in control, they also aren’t always to blame for their situations, either. Often, society plays a role. With a sociological imagination, people are able to truthfully assess their own situations.
What is death? What makes death such an avoided subject? According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, death is defined as: the permanent cessation of vital functions; the end of life. So maybe we fear death and death’s process because the thought of life ending is unbearable or because we know little about the dying process and naturally, as humans, we fear the unknown. These all may be true and in most cases probably are. But if one was to take a look at death and the process and consider the true meaning of that very moment in one’s life, maybe we would view it differently and maybe, just maybe, see life itself in a whole new way?! Marie de Hennezel, in her book Intimate Death defines death as . . . “our life’s culmination, it’s crowning moment and what gives it both sense and worth” (xi). She sheds light on the positive side of death, the part no one thinks about or acknowledges. And she shows us that death can in fact make us see how amazing life can be. In his book, The Body Silent, Robert Murphy shares with us the changes in life and actions of society when faced with the process of death.
It is how our everyday decisions are made. Every individual’s mind is free from making choices, but it is influenced within or without the society. Elements that effect our decisions such as the people around us, the situation we are into. For example, parent can limit their children’s options by controlling every aspect of their life. Especially Asian American children who born in a traditional Asian family have to study a “good” major, go to a good college, or get good grade in order to please their parent. Because they were born in America, “they are exposed to freedom of speech, freedom to choose and well freedom to everything,” but “they cannot exercise their freedom to their full extent” (“Asian” 2015). Other than parent, friends are also another element that shapes our will. Friends tend to do many activities together, and in order for that to happen, they need to have the same idea. If you are belong to a group of friends that most of them want to go to the beach for summer, but you want to go to the mountain, you would have to follow the decision of the majority. It does not mean that we do not have free will to make our own choices. We could choose not to study what your parents tell you to and study what you like or you could decide to go to the mountain like you want, but the responsibility we have to take on for our decisions are not always what we want. We might have a fight with our parent or our friendship could be destroyed. Circumstances play another important role in determining our will. If you are sitting on a full bus and there is a pregnant woman standing next to you, you would let her take your sit because that is what most people do. Another example of this is when you are looking to buy a house. You might want to get a big and nice house for your family, but the price of the house is based on your financial situation. Therefore, whether
Throughout the ages art has played a crucial role in life. Art is universal and because art is everywhere, we experience it on a daily basis. From the houses we live in (architecture) to the movies we see (theatre) to the books that we read (literature). Even in ancient culture art has played a crucial role. In prehistoric times cave dwellers drew on the wall of caves to record history. In biblical times paintings recorded the life and death of Christ. Throughout time art has recorded history. Most art is created for a specific reason or purpose, it has a way of expressing ideas and beliefs, and it can record the experiences of all people.