Connections to Enchantment Have we, as people, lost touch with the essence of soul? The modern age has been clouded with the falsehood of natural gratification in the form of materialistic values held by today’s generations. In the context of Moore (though not directly defined), soul amounts to our heart, our deepest self and the basis of our capacity for intimacy, while enchanting—giving a genuine dedication as well as value to things that create a natural, innate satisfaction—our heart. Enchanting differs in each person because we are not programmed to function or behave the same allowing us to enchant in many ways such as: nature exploration, gardening, recreating memorable recipes, or even as simple as spending time with our grandparents.
A line from The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life states, “A culture dedicated to enchantment recognizes our need to live in a world of both facts and holy imagination” (x). This quote ties in the importance of not simplifying and removing the mystery away from life. Life and the world we live should not be heavily reliant on the facts of life for then we kill some of the joy of exploring and adventuring into what the world has for us to experience. Another line Moore wrote claimed, “An enchanted world is one that speaks to the soul, to the mysterious depths of the heart and imagination where we find value, love, and union with the world around us” (x). This line deeply resonated with me as I, too, believe that an enchanted world gives off otherworldly sensations that allow us balance and maintain an appreciation for the world and the mystery it provides, whether through buildings, nature, homes, or the concept of
As Moore see it we are a civilization that is becoming riddled with anxieties. Moore does not see our advancements as beneficial to the enchantment of people as it hinders and replaces the creative and soulful in older art, buildings, and social structures into bland and predictive ones. Moore states, “If we continue to transform all nations of the world into homogenized high-tech, no-image, all-function cultures of disenchantment, we will have few unique spirits left to nourish our souls” (149). I cannot but partly agree with Moore’s thought because society has become progressively more uniform in the last decades. Similarities in buildings, art, social customs, and many more has made us more generalized and less unique as people and in what we create. As I agree that the soulful or creative drives that were more present in older structures are not as present in newer structures, yet I would not say that all modern buildings are soulless. I understand Moore view to connect closer with nature is a way to further enchantment, but to disregard something that may be different than your view of soulful is a little narrow-minded. Though, it may just me defending the roots of what we, millennials, believe about the status of how soulful our society is. Moore continues by using an example that states, “A corporation wishing simply to expand or to experiment with new
Every individual has two lives, the life we live, and the life we live after that. Nobody is perfect, but if one works hard enough, he or she can stay away from failure. The Natural is a novel written by Bernard Malamud. It is Malamud’s first novel that initially received mixed reactions but afterwards, it was regarded as an outstanding piece of literature. It is a story about Roy Hobbs who after making mistakes in his life, he returns the bribery money and is left with self-hatred for mistakes he has done. Hobbs was a baseball player who aspired to be famous, but because of his carnal and materialistic desire, his quest for heroism failed, as he was left with nothing. In the modern world, the quest for heroism is a difficult struggle, and this can be seen through the protagonist in The Natural.
Science cannot explain everything but it strives to look for answers and relies on proof. Religion is based solely on faith and believes in many things that do not make sense and do not have proof to support its ideas. The belief that there is a substance beyond the element that takes up no space, but is still connected with the body is one of them. The belief that the mind or soul are not linked to the body and that they are both two separate substances. The body is one and the mind is another. This belief is not logical and does not make sense now that without the brain, which is a substance that makes up a body, a person could not function in the world. The mind and the brain are one, and these two elements cannot be separated now that the brain is just another part of the body.
...h has expressed a discomfort with labeling her work, “magical realism” explaining that “the events people pick out as magical don’t seem unreal to me” (91). She has also been quoted to have said that “there is no quantifiable reality” (91). For her personally, multiple realities exist, and they are not limited by any cultural beliefs or practices. In these stories, Erdrich helps readers suspend their realities long enough to see that other realities exist. By doing this, she is expanding readers’ general perceptions of the world. The dual weaving of magical and literal language helps create a cross-cultural exchange between the author and reader that is truly unique. Erdrich’s stories, while wildly entertaining, also can teach readers about respecting differences, tolerance, and acceptance of other cultures—all lessons that are extremely relevant in today’s world.
In the article “Reading and Thought” the author Dwight MacDonald provides criticism and disagreement with Henry Luce’s idea of “functional curiosity”. Luce developed the term “functional curiosity” defining it as an eagerness of people to know the latest news happening around the world. On the other hand, MacDonald concludes that functional curiosity only strengthens reader’s practice in reading rather than in providing invaluable information. He underlines that literature nowadays is deficient and insubstantial since there is no deep meaning in the texts. Modern printed literature is simply being skimmed through by the reader as the reader nowadays tends to avoid too much information resisting thinking in such a way. Because of the new nature of the printed materials, MacDonald considers today’s reading behavior and the way people think as flimsy and indifferent. I agree that our thought has definitively changed since we are paying less time to serious critical thinking losing connections with society and awareness of it.
To truly invest in life with heart and soul means to care and love others instead of just existing among them. Touch and intimacy provide sensations of warmth and affection in all phases of life. The spiritual journey in life must encompass love, life, meaning, and reflection. The key ingredient to life is to love one another and most importantly ourselves. As nurses, we are the first ones welcoming life of a newborn as the first breath of air is inhaled as well as the last one holding the hand of a dying person as the last breath of air is
There is a old time saying that “you will never know what true happiness feels like until you have felt pain”. In order to reach where you are going in life you have to go through hardship and pain to find your inner contentment. Often times,people who have too much in life always takes it for granted ,because all they have is pleasure and not knowing the feelings of pain and being without. Martha C. Nussbaum author of “who is the happy warrior” states that you have to go through pain to find the true meaning of happiness while Daniel M.Haybron author of “Happiness and Its Discontents” states that pain doesn 't bring happiness,happiness is just a thing you feel when you think you may have enough. To find happiness you have to go through the unbearable process of life.
In “The Thematic Paradigm,” Robert Ray explains how there are two vastly different heroes: the outlaw hero and the official hero. The official hero has common values and traditional beliefs. The outlaw hero has a clear view of right and wrong but unlike the official hero, works above the law. Ray explains how the role of an outlaw hero has many traits. The morals of these heroes can be compared clearly. Films that contain official heroes and outlaw heroes are effective because they promise viewer’s strength, power, intelligence, and authority whether you are above the law or below it.
There are many themes that occur and can be interpreted differently throughout the novel. The three main themes that stand out most are healing, communication, and relationships.
In the story, The Natural, certain characters and events are portrayed in a distinctive way that makes this story unique to other books and shows the typical writing style of the narrator. The author uses a repetitive writing technique that is impossible to overlook. The writer of this book is able to catch the reader’s eye with his concept of the importance of beautiful description. The Natural, by Bernard Malamud, uses great imagery that makes the story appealing.
In a “Small, Good Thing” written by Raymond Carver, a family is faced with a horrific tragedy. The secondary character, the baker, is also faced with loneliness. Both the Weiss family and the baker feel that they are in helpless situations. We see in today’s society many people are facing the same feeling of helplessness. However, when dealing with life changing ordeals, ae we helpless or powerless?
To fully comprehend a work you cannot just read it. You must read it, analyze it, question it, and even then question what you are questioning. In Richard Rodriguez’s The Achievement of Desire we are presented with a young Richard Rodriguez and follow him from the start of his education until he is an adult finally having reached his goals. In reference to the way he reads for the majority of his education, it can be said he reads going with the grain, while he reads a large volume of books, the quality of his reading is lacking.
The concept of human nature has been theorized and debated repeatedly by philosophers throughout history; contrasting arguments regarding whether or not human beings are intrinsically competitive, or compassionate have been put forth by Thomas Hobbes and Peter Kropotkin. Understanding human nature is important in order to properly understand why human beings behave in the manner that they do, and whether or not all people instinctively are made to think similarly. Being equipped with this knowledge can allow for one to better understand events in history and different aspects of life, such as politics.
Many people wonder: what is the meaning of life? What is the human purpose on this earth? At least one time in our lifetime, we all look at ourselves and wonder if we are living our lives the way we were meant to live them. Sadly, there is not a definite answer to the principles of human life. Every human comes from different backgrounds and different experiences throughout their existence. Each person is different, each with different emotions and reactions to their surroundings. People strive to uncover the secrets to the meaning of life. In reality, humans are given the desire to live the way we want and have a critical thinking mind, unlike animals. In the essay Living like Weasels, Annie Dillard believes we should live more carefree and instinctual as weasels, but what we were given as humans is a gift that no other creature has – free will and choice to shape our own lives.
When it comes to the topic of addiction, most of us will readily agree that it is a miserable trait to possess. An addiction is a physical and psychological state of being that if not treated correctly could result into harmful wrongdoing. In The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, he recounts a story in which a fatigued housewife named Angie Bachmann lost all of her family’s assets, amounting to a million dollars due to a gambling addiction. Every habit has three components: a cue or a trigger of an automatic behavior to start, a routine the behavior itself, and a reward which is how our brain learns to remember this pattern for the future. According to Duhigg, “you cannot extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it” (63). Duhigg suggests that in order to change ones bad habit the “Golden Rule” must be implied. The Golden Rule is a theory of shifting a habit by retaining the old cue and reward, and tries to change only the routine. Duhigg’s answer to the question in the chapter title, “Are we responsible for our habits?” is simply “Yes.” If we have an awareness of our habits, then we are responsible for their consequences. In the case of Angie Bachmann, she should be held accountable for her gambling debts because she was well aware of her own bad habit and did not try to seek for help.
There are two major religious beliefs on the soul, and though they may seem diametrically opposed, we must remember that our ideas on the soul exist only because of the conditioned acceptance of these religiou...