Great Traditions In Ethics Essay Example for Free

Great Traditions In Ethics Essay The overcoming of the fear of death figures as a key component of Epicurean philosophy. Because the Epicureans valued above all other accomplishments, the living of a good life and that pleasure is the end of all morality and that real pleasure is attained through a life of prudence, honor, and justice the acknowledgment in Epicurean philosophy that the fear of death intrudes upon individual happiness is not at all the same as admission that fear of death is an insurmountable condition, (Epicureanism). To the contrary, the epicurean philosophy seeks forts to identify the root causes of the fear of death, which are: 1) The fear of being dead. 2) The fear that one will die, that ones life is going to end. 3) The fear of premature death. 4) The fear of the process of dying and for each of these considerations, Epicurean philosophy provides a response. The intention of epicurean philosophy is to persuade its adherents that death is not bad for the person who dies although death is inevitable and is the total annihilation of that person; despite the belief in total annihilation Epicurus held no regard for death itself. The basic center of the Epicurean refusal to fear death lies in the epicurean belief that God should not concern to us. Death is not to be feared and these facts are unchangeable despite ones subjective, emotional reactions. because death means the end of consciousness and the total annihilation of the individual, nothing exists beyond death which may cause fear at all,(Warren 4-7). It is only by admitting the fear of death and addressing it straight on through applied logic rather than religion or mysticism that the fear of death can be conquered. The Epicureans regarded the overcoming of the fear of death at the very heart of their ethical project. They identified the goal of a good life as the removal of mental and physical pain. Mental pain they further characterized as anxieties and fears because fear of death causes pain to the individual it must be overcome and it can be overcome by logical acceptance of the fact that death holds no pain for the person who experiences it. (Warren 6) Just as the fear of death prevented many individuals from achieving happiness in life, justice (or lack thereof) provides enmity to happiness in the Epicurean ethical tradition. For Epicurus, laws and justice are a matter of personal bearing and dignity as well as intelligence and experience. Under an Epicurean ethic, in a world full of Epicurean sages there would be no need for written prescriptive laws. Everyone in that case would be able to see and remember what contributes to the utility of the community and would act accordingly (Warren 183). The idea of breaking a rule of justice is wrong because it causes the eventual pain or threat of pain or disturbance to oters happiness as well as ones own. Unlike Epicurus, St. Augustine sees the need for rigid law to control human society and he envisions this law emanating directly fro the Divine. In his distinction between the City of God and the City of Men he makes clear that the church is divinely established and leads humankind to eternal goodness, which is God and that in the ideal city, The state adheres to the virtues of politics and of the mind, formulating a political community. Both of these societies are visible and seek to do good. (Bonner 54) By contrast, the City of Man exists to serve selfishly driven needs and does not partake of the Divine spirit of creation and Divine Law. The idea of self-love against the love of God separates the two cities an idea which springs from what Augustine was afterwards to regard in The City of God as the architect of the Earthly Citylove of self to the contempt of God (Bonner 54).

How Toy Story Helps Children Navigate Technology Essay -- Technology

Technology is rapidly growing â€Å"to infinity and beyond† from games to cars, modern technology fully encompasses our daily lives leaving society helpless without it. In the early 90’s, society knows little of how much this new technology eventually influences their children’s lives, so parents portray outwardly no problems with having companies heavily advertising new electronic products to children. The results change the world. Now, technology intertwines with the fast-paced lives of the society, leaving some frustrated parents finding it difficult on ways to teach their children to balance both modern technology and manual labor. Wisely, parents start to rely on the first thing that originally got them into them mess - the magical world of Pixar. The original Toy Story focuses on the societal view of the celebration towards the advancement of technology during the time the movie releases in 1995, which is what society needs at that time. However, by Toy St ory 3(2010), young adults actively disengage in the usage of the consumerism for the latest-and-greatest technology, so the tone of the movie sequel changes. Toy Story 3 actively encourages youth to enjoy the makings of the past without overlooking the new technological advancements. Toy Story, one of the first cartoon using the new animation technology, highlights one boy’s (Andy’s) first experience with technology, Buzz Lightyear, the most popular and advanced toy at that time. Andy is quickly amazed at the impressive high-tech features of Buzz and excited about the technology of Buzz. Andy starts losing his love for his old manual toys like Woody; Woody fears that Buzz is the new favorite toy in Andy’s life. At this time, the society starts to bring the technology into th... ...etc.) Back in 1995 when companies start releasing technology like computers, cell phones, and media players to the general public, Toy Story tries to encourage, introduce, and make technology interesting for kids; allowing them not to be afraid of the inevitable surge of technological advancements late 90s-early 2000s. In today’s modern-life, there is no huge need of encouragement for people to use the technology; although, there is a need to remind society that don’t over let technology overrun your life no matter how useful. Works Cited O'Neill, Charles A. "The Language of Advertising." The Contemporary Reader. By Gary Goshgarian. 9th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 146-52. Print. Toy Story 3. Dir. Lee Unkrich. Perf. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. Disney/Pixar, 2010. DVD. Toy Story. Dir. John Lasseter. Perf. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. 1995, .1995. DVD.

All I Asking for Is My Body Essay

Traditionally, â€Å"filial piety† has been greatly stressed among the Eastern culture for a long period of time. Filial piety basically means to care and support one’s elderly parents; it has been a top priority in part of the children’s upbringing. The novel All I Asking for is My Body focuses on Tosh, Kiyoshi and their parents. Based on the chosen quote above, the book highlights the tension between children owing their parents and parents owing their children. In this situation, Tosh and Kiyoshi should practice filial piety in resolving their family’s situation of facing $6,000 debt primarily because their parents brought them into this world, no one can predict natural disasters to happen, and children generally should honor their parents. We are all considered to be indebted to our parents, as they are the ones who brought us into this world. Without our parents, we would not exist at all. In the novel, Tosh’s mother states that â€Å"Every child must repay his parents† (Murayama 30). This is because the younger generation owes their elderly parents the care and attention that was once given to them. As younger generations like Tosh and Kiyoshi instill this mindset into their lives, their sense of social commitment towards their elderly parents will increase. Although Tosh and Kiyoshi came from a poor family, their parents were still able to fulfill their responsibilities of providing for their children’s basic welfare. They may not enjoy certain luxuries like other families had, but their parents did not let their children to starve or become beggars in the street. According to Murayama, â€Å"The Japanese had this special spirit called Yamato damashi, and they had more patience, perseverance, reserve, sense of duty, frugality, filial piety, and industry than any other race† (Murayama 65). Indeed, Kiyoshi’s parents were a great example of those who truly adapted this special spirit into their daily activities and had strongly stressed these values to their children. They have done their part in guiding their children towards their individual development in reaching full rationality. If Tosh continues to keep up with his despicable attitude, he might eventually end up with children of his own who act just like him and would mistreat him in the future. Therefore, Kiyoshi and Tosh should feel indebted to their parents’ sacrifice and inclined to fulfill their role as children to help resolve the family debt. The outcome of the $6,000 debt was not actually caused by their grandfather’s sinful wrongdoing but by natural disasters. In the novel, Tosh’s mother explained to her children that â€Å"In 1922, grandfather finally saved enough money to repay his debts in Japan and open his store in Tokyo. However, the next year the earthquake wiped out everything† (Murayama 16). Thus, this tragedy was beyond Grandfather’s control. If this incident did not happen, there was a higher chance that Grandfather would have the ability to pay off his debt and would not rely on his posterity to seek for solutions. As life is full of ups and downs, every family will eventually experience some form of trial during a certain point of their lives. Kiyoshi’s parents showed the opposite attitude of Tosh’s behavior by not complaining, murmuring, and pointing fingers over somebody’s wrongdoing. Kiyoshi’s mother also claimed that â€Å"Everything in the first seven years of marriage was handed over to grandfather. Years of frugal living and saving wiped out in less than a day† (Murayama 17). In this case, this problem is definitely fated for this Japanese family to deal with and there is no one to blame. Along the way, Tosh and Kiyoshi’s family also incur some debt of their own caused by the unexpected incident of â€Å"the Depression† (Murayama 89). This was due to the overfishing by fisherman at that time, which caused their family to earn nothing. However, the incoming expenses continued for the sum period of three months. After hearing his father’s story, Kiyoshi had grown to be a more understanding son, as he realized that it was not his father’s fault. Kiyoshi even stated that â€Å"I felt sorry for him. It wasn’t all of his fault, grandfather had got him into debt and once you went in the hole it was hard to get out† (Murayama 89). This shows that Kiyoshi was more able to comprehend what his parents had gone through and how hard it was to redict what kind of disaster would happen to a family. Therefore, Tosh and Kiyoshi should not cause more misery to the family and ought to be more supportive by helping the entire family to overcome the debt they currently have to pay. It is morally ethical for the children to play a role in resolving family problems. Exodus 20:12 reads, â€Å"Honor thy father and mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. † One o f the ways of honoring our parents is to give them our support, especially in times of need. In terms of honoring them, we should not follow Tosh’s actions of â€Å"throwing a left hook to father’s solar plexus, and father crumpled to the floor, holding his belly† (Murayama 44). This shows a form of disrespect which had greatly hurt parents’ feelings. We can see the despair Tosh’s father felt when his son did that to him; he commented that â€Å"There’s nothing worse than a child who puts out a hand against his father! † (Murayama 44). Therefore, it is unwise for children to behave rudely against their parents, as it will only worsen the family’s situation. Growing up in a poor Japanese American family, it is crucial for family members to stay united so that each member can share the burden. According to the traditional Japanese culture, the first son is expected to take care of the parents when they grow old. However, later generations such as Tosh (third generation) sometimes have a lower sense of obligation to support their family; this might be due to the influence of the haoles or Western culture. Although Kiyoshi was not the first son in the family, he actually contributed in trying to reduce the family’s debt. Towards the end of the novel, he managed to win $6,000 from gambling and immediately sent â€Å"Tosh a check for $6,000 and scribbled a note: ‘Won this in crap game. Pay up all the debt’† (Murayama 103). This shows how concerned he was for the welfare of his parents, as he seemed to be wiser and more respectful towards others compared to Tosh. Kiyoshi also had proven to be ethically concern over the future of the family by stating that â€Å"I got seven brothers and sisters, and my folks still pooping babies. I have been thinking if I get married, nobody around to look after my brothers and sisters† (Murayama 77). This shows that he would postpone his own marriage for the sake of keeping the family alive. Therefore, children have a role to play in helping their family during financial crisis so that they fully understand the true meaning of honoring their parents. In conclusion, filial piety is an important virtue that has been taught not only among the Japanese, but also in countries like Philippines, China, Latin America and so on. When children develop this sense of obligation towards their parents, they can better display their love for them. Therefore, children ought to repay their parents after what has been done for them over the years, as it is a great manifestation of honoring them. Moreover, we should not cry over spilt milk and should work towards a better future when trials arise.

Representations of Immigration Through Music Essay

Art encompasses many different forms, from paintings, writing, drawing, dance, and even music. It is a way of expression for the artist in its various forms. Music, in particular, allows the artist and listener to engage in the work and better understand what the musician wanted to tell. Music provides listeners with an escape from their world and into a world filled with tunes and emotion. There are many different genres and types of music and each can tell a story. Looking at these artists’ music videos, they also represent feelings of the artists. Things in the videos are used specifically to create an affective feeling and response. Music is able to represent different events and discus contested issues in a forum that the artist†¦show more content†¦The Mexican government and media also discouraged migrants from going o the United States. Newspapers and politicians alike, warned migrants of the potential discrimination they could face. The United States appeared to be the Promised Land, in which there was a need for cheap labor, something that was difficult to find in Mexico. Following this, illegal immigration also began to rise, which caused the United States to increase border patrol agents. This changed how the border patrol was and into what it is today. Mexican migrants began to be seen as a threat, instead of looking the many reasons for leaving Mexico, like a decreased job market and the still present effects of the failed Mexican Revolution. This program along with many acts to follow set the stage for increased anti-immigrant sentiment and frames what many Mexican American artists talk about. Stereotypes in the media portray migrants as drug smugglers or maids. These blatantly racist images only further the assumed stereotypes facing Mexican Americans. Immigration and immigration reform is a highly talked about issue in the media, which leads to false stereotypes being continually shown. In addition to this, music videos and lyrics are also ways in which Mexican immigration becomes a topic of controversy. Mexican American artists use music as a form of spatial entitlement to turn ordinary and sonic sites into a space of mutuality and solidarity . The use ofShow MoreRelatedThe Issues Arising From The Media Representation Of Race1271 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will highlight the key issues arising from the media representation of race. In the essay the concepts of stereotyping, othering and appropriation will be discussed with the hope of showing that there are many issues in regards race. Race is not easily defined, however simply put the Concise Oxford Dictionary d escribes race as â€Å"A group of people or things with a common feature.† To think of race is to think of racism as John storey says The first thing to insist on in discussion ofRead MoreAnalysis Of The Film The Visitor 1389 Words   |  6 Pageshad previously thought he would never experience again. 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