The True Meaning of Life Essay Example for Free

The True Meaning of Life Essay What is the meaning of life? Well known Greek philosphers such as Socrates and Plato believed that our purpose in this life was to gain knowledge in preparation for the next life. Other Philosophers such as Epicurus believed that pleasure is the main goal in life. After giving these ideas lots of thought, I have come to my own conclusion that the true meaning of life is far more complex than either of these; far too complex for any human to fully comprehend. In fact these two different philosophies are only part of the grand picture. If it were that easy for men to figure out our lives wouldnt be so messed up now. The meaning of life revolves around many different things. I think these things include: self-understanding, development of mind and soul, and an afterlife. According to Epicurus, pleasure was the meaning of life. His ideas of life were completely opposite of Plato. Epicurus, in my opinion was a little bit niave and narrow minded in his view on the subject. He would say that the meaning of likfe was to experience pleasure until the end of your existence. He did not believe in an afterlife or that a person had a soul that lived forever. He just thought when you are gone thats it. I disagree with all of that because I have many religious beliefs from which I derive the meaning of life. One of these beliefs is that there is life after death, and that there is one supreme being of the universe. This goes back to Aristotles first mover theory. I would however agree that life is a balancing act between pain and pleasure; or good and evil. You cant have one without the other. For every thing in existence there is always something of opposition. Another ancient Greek philosopher was Socrates. Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. I agree with this in a sense that if you cant look back at your life and be proud of your accomplishments, then everything that you ever did was in vain. You have to be able to look at the mistakes you have made and be able to learn from that or you are doomed to repeat those mistakes. Maybe on a deeper level Socrates might have been talking about analyizing the purpose of ones life. This in my opinion is just as important. I feel that in order for me to succeed in life I have to at least examine the meaning of my being. I believe that it comes to a point in every persons life where they sit back and think why am I here? Whether it happens often or not, I wouldnt believe any person of sane health that said they never once thought about it. Socrates also said that the good of life is knowledge. He believed in a higher good in life that could be achieved through an endless search for knowledge. His definition of higher good was when virtue and knowledge united. Although I agree that what Socrates speaks of is an important part of living, I would not go so far as to say it is the reason for liveing. I say this partially because of my definition of knowledge. I see knowledge not as just to be found in the universe, but in a way created by humans not unlike myself. Many things that are classified as knowledge such as: language, mathematics, and history are all human created. Our language was created by people in earlier civilizations, as well as mathematics. History is the story of these early people and civilizations. Should I assume that my reason for living is to learn of someone elses life? If so, what was that persons meaning for living? Undoubtitly these things are of tremendous value to our civilization and how we live. But I ask myself once again how does it relate to why we live. As far as Socrates belief in a higher good, I agree 100%. I honestly believe that there is a higher good that can be achieved but not just through the search of knowledge. My theory of how higher good can be achieved is that a person must fully understand themself. That is when a person is able to recognize their potentiol and develop it. They also have to be able to relinquish any doubt they have about themself. One must commit to their spirituallity. Finally they have to become physically stronger. Not meant to offend anyone, but the highest good to me, is the best that you can be. A weak body is vulnerable and doesnt complete a person as a whole. An interesting connection to that is how it is said that humans only use a small fraction of their brain. I believe when someone can tap into the rest of their brain, they will be close to if not at their highest good. Last but not least we have the philosopher Plato, who was the pupil of Socrates. Therefore many of their ideas are similar if not identical. Plato also believed that knowledge was the most essential part of life. He thought that learning and knowing the truth was the only way to achieve perfection, and striving for perfection was the goal of life. I believe Plato may have been on to something. I have made it in one of my personnal philosophies in life to strive for perfection. Although deep in the back of my mind I know it is unattainable I still try like it is. This reminds me of a quote that I read that said aim for the moon, fore even if you miss you will land among the stars. I just means to improve you have to set your standards high. Once again that is only part of the bigger picture that is called life. Striving for wholeness and perfection, as I perceive are mere steps to achieving a higher good, and therefore are not the cumulative meaning of life. Plato was probaby the philosopher I most agree with. He also believed in an after life and preparation for it. But I dont particularly agree with him when he say that a higher good could only be accomplished by giving up all pleasure. Obviously there has to be some sacrifice, but to give up all pleasure would be to give up on what you are trying to accomplish. I think of pleasure as one of the most powerful motivating forces ikn life. Whether it be intellectual of physical a person has to be able to enjoy what they are doing to excel above and beyond. Even Plato had to in some way had to enjoy philosophizing or he probably wouldnt do it. It is now evident that the meaning of life has to far more complex for any one person to fully understand. All these ideas of these different philosophers are not necessarily inaccurate, just incomplete. All peices to a puzzle that I have no way of fully figuring out. Socrates spoke of a higher good to be achieved. Nobody has seemed to accomplish this yet in life. There are so many obstacles that we face as we try to achieve a higher good. Many of these are based in the fact that we are human beings, and because of that are flawed by the ways of our culture. Things such as self-doubt, worry, ignorance, and the values put into our heads since the day we were born all are road blocks on our way to a higher level. Also being human beings makes vulnerable to the ways of the world around us, so it is not easy to block these things out of our lives. In a summary I believe this life to be stage in which we are to develop our minds, bodies, and souls to their highest potential in preparation for the afterlife. A person living by this philosophy would probably become a genius or great thinker. But like Eupicures, Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato I could only form my own opinions of the subject. There isnt anyway for me to figure out whether I am right or wrong. Only God could ever really know the true meaning.

Macbeth: Natural Vs. Unnatural :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In different periods of time, the lives of humans and nature were thought to have a connection, and this is emphasized in William Shakespeare's play MacBeth. In this play, unnatural events in nature foreshadow bad or unnatural occurrences in the lives of humans. Through out the play, Shakespeare continuously proves this point.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Ross said "As sparrows eagles or the hare the lion" (I.ii.35), it proves this theory. Common knowledge says that sparrows do not classify as eagles does a hare classify as a lion. They may have similarities, such as they are both birds or mammals, but they are opposites. After the quote is spoken, Ross reveals that the Thane of Cawdor has betrayed his country and Macbeth shall take his place. Macbeth becoming the Thane of Cawdor was an unusual event and not expected.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Macbeth finds the dagger in front of him, it alludes to this point even more. The foreshadowing of Macbeth's choice becomes evident when he says, "Nature seems dead" (II.i.50) For nature to seem dead would be the complete opposite of living because nature is thought to be continuously growing and changing, not dying. This is an unnatural event, that again foreshadows something bad, which is Duncan's death. Other unnatural occurrences happened prior to Duncan's death but were not explained until afterwards. When the old man says "'Tis unnatural / Even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last A falcon tow'ring in her pride of place, was by a mousing hawk killed" (II.iv.10-13), it also proves the connection between unnatural events and humans. An owl tends to eat mice and hunt at night, a hawk is not it's usual meal. This strange event occurred prior to Duncan's death, which told of things to come. Another quote spoken by Ross, also foreshadows Duncan's death: "And Duncan's horses?. turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out, Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make way with man kind" And the old man responded with "'Tis said they eat each other'/" (II.

I Didn’t Know That Growing Up Milk Need to Have Sugars

First of all, we need to understand that children of growing up age needs some source of energy to help them grow. Main sources of energy are carbohydrates and fats. Carbohydrates are important, because it is the main source of energy which is needed for good growth and development of the body and the brain, especially for growing up children. Sugars are a type of carbohydrates. Milk which is a natural product in itself also contains sugars known as lactose. It is this sugar (lactose) in milk which helps your child to grow. Therefore, all Growing Up Milk will contain some form of sugars. . Tell me about the sugars in Dutch Lady's Growing Up Milk. First of all, at Dutch Lady Malaysia we have developed a well balanced formula which is optimal for growing up children in Malaysia. All Dutch Lady's Growing Up Milk products are fully in compliance with Malaysia's draft standard of Formulated Milk Powder for Children, Malaysia's Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) 2005 and World Health Organi sation (WHO) 2003 recommendation. Should we say this here or at the end of Question 3? There are two types of sugars most commonly found in Growing Up Milk powder. First, the naturally occuring sugars in milk which are called lactose. Second, there are added sugars which are natural plant sugars. Dutch Lady's Growing Up Milk has a combination of lactose and added plant sugars. This is because, at Dutch Lady Malaysia we always strive to develop Growing Up Milk products which can help bridge the nutritional gap of the children. By providing an optimally and nutritionally balanced Growing Up Milk coupled with a healthy daily meal, it will help your child to achieve a nutritionally balanced diet which is important for his/her growth. . So, why does Dutch Lady need to have ‘added sugar' in their Growing Up Milk powder ? Dutch Lady's growing up milk is nutritionally designed using a combination of naturally occurring sugars in milk i. e. lactose and also added natural plant sugars in order to maintain the natural ratio of lactose in milk. Based on years of research, we found that it is important that our Growing Up Milk is optimally formulated. Our research reveals that products which are not optimally formulated, for example those with high lactose are not well tolerated by Malaysian children. Some children who consume high lactose milk may develop the following complications such as diarrhea, bloating (due to too much gas) as a result of the inability of their body to metabolise the excess lactose. 4. I am concerned about my child's sugar intake from his Growing Up Milk powder. How does the sugar content in Dutch Lady's Growing Up Milk compare with the other brands who claims ‘no added sugar'? Dutch Lady's Growing Up Milk has approximately 15% to 32% less total sugars (per 100g milk powder) versus brands who claims ‘no added sugar'. In fact, the sugar levels in Dutch Lady's Growing Up Milk is well within the recommended Malaysian Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) 2005 level as well as within the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2003 recommendation. Lactose and ‘added sugar' which is the natural form of plant sugar, are all sugars. Total sugar of Dutch Lady's Growing Up Milk product is approximately 15% to 32% less (per 100gm of milk powder) than brands who claim they have ‘no added sugar'. 5. I read some brands that ‘have no added sugar' implied that other brands like Dutch Lady have a lot of ‘added sugar' in their Growing Up Milk and this is unhealthy for my child. Is this true? Growing Up Milk brands that claim ‘no added sugar' only talk about ‘added sugar' (which we explained are plant sugars). However, they do not talk about the overall total sugar content in their milk. Parents should look at the total sugar content in their child's Growing Up Milk. Total sugar includes both the naturally occurring sugar in milk which is lactose and the added natural plant sugars. Even though Dutch Lady's Growing Up Milk products has added natural plant sugars in our Growing Up Milk, our Growing Up Milk powder has a much lower total sugar content compared to brands who claim that they have ‘no added sugar’. 6. Is my child getting too much sugar from DL growing up milk? Rest assured that your child is not getting too much sugar from our Dutch Lady's Growing Up Milk as all our Growing Up Milk products are made in full compliance with Malaysia’s draft standard of Formulated Milk Powder for Children, Malaysia RNI 2005 and World Health Organisation (WHO) 2003 recommendations. 7. In terms of sugar intake, what should I really be concerned about? We understand that parents are worried about the effect of excessive sugar consumption in your child's diet which could lead to tooth decay, childhood obesity as well as diabetes. If you are worried about this, apart from ensuring that your child minimise the intake of high in sugar food or snacks such as that occasional bar of chocolate, you will also will need to look at total sugar level in your child's Growing Up Milk and not the added sugar level. There is no difference in terms of calorific value between lactose and other added natural sugars. . I came across a website in Malaysia where it provides a model to calculate sugar by looking at Carbohydrate content of Growing Up Milk's nutritional information. When I key in Dutch Lady's Growing Up Milk's carbohydrate content, your product would have 7-10 teaspoons of added sugar. Please explain. We are not at liberty to explain how the website makes its calculation. We believe that possibly the calculation method is factually misleading. In terms of total sugar content, Dutch Lady’s Growing Up Milk has approximately 15% to 32% less total sugars (per 100g milk powder) versus brands who claims ‘no added sugar'. . Is Dutch Lady planning to reduce its added sugar in its Growing Up Milk products? We firmly believe that the added natural plant sugars in our Growing Up Milk is necessary to ensure optimally balanced formulation so that it provides adequate carbohydrate (energy source) for a growing child. The level of the total sugars in our Growing Up Milk are not excessive. It is well within the recommended Malaysia Recommended Nutritional Intake (RNI) 2005 and World Health Organisation (WHO) 2003 recommendations.

Regional Geography Overview

Regional geography is a branch of geography that studies the worlds regions. A region itself is defined as a part of the Earths surface with one or many similar characteristics that make it unique from other areas. Regional geography studies the specific unique characteristics of places related to their culture, economy, topography, climate, politics and environmental factors such as their different species of flora and fauna. Also, regional geography also studies the specific boundaries between places. Often these are called transition zones which represent the start and end of a specific region and can be large or small. For example, the transition zone between Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa is rather large because there is mixing between the two regions. Regional geographers study this zone as well as the distinct characteristics of Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. History and Development of Regional Geography Although people had been studying specific regions for decades, regional geography as a branch in geography has its roots in Europe, specifically with the French and geographer Paul Vidal de la Blanche. In the late 19th century, de la Blanche developed his ideas of the milieu, pays, and possibilisme (or possibilism). The milieu was the natural environment and pays was the country or local region. Possibilism was the theory that said the environment sets constraints and limitations on humans but human actions in response to these constraints are what develops a culture and in this case aids in defining a region. Possibilism later led to the development of environmental determinism which says the environment (and thus physical regions) is solely responsible for the  development of human culture and societal development. Regional geography began to develop in the United States specifically and parts of Europe in the period between World Wars I and II. During this time, geography was criticized for its descriptive nature with environmental determinism and lack of a specific focus. As a result, geographers were seeking ways to keep geography as a credible university-level subject. In the 1920s and 1930s, geography became a regional science concerned with why certain places are similar and/or different and what enables people to separate one region from another. This practice became known as areal differentiation. In the U.S., Carl Sauer and his Berkeley School of geographic thought led to the development of regional geography, especially on the west coast. During this time, regional geography was also led by Richard Hartshorne who studied German regional geography in the 1930s with famous geographers such as Alfred Hettner and Fred Schaefer. Hartshorne defined geography as a science To provide accurate, orderly, and rational description and interpretation of the variable character of the earth surface. For a short time during and after WWII, regional geography was a popular field of study within the discipline. However, it was later critiqued for its specific regional knowledge and it was claimed to have been too descriptive and not quantitative enough. Regional Geography Today Since the 1980s, regional geography has seen a resurgence as a branch of geography in many universities. Because geographers today often study a wide variety of topics, it is helpful to break the world down into regions to make information easier to process and display. This can be done by geographers who claim to be regional geographers and are experts on one or many places across the world, or by physical, cultural, urban, and biogeographers who have a lot of information to process about given topics. Often, many universities today offer specific regional geography courses which give an overview of the broad topic and others may offer courses related to specific world regions such as Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, or smaller scale such as The Geography of California. In each of these region-specific courses, topics often covered are the physical and climatic attributes of the region as well as the cultural, economic and political characteristics found there. Also, some universities today offer specific degrees in regional geography, which normally consists of general knowledge of the worlds regions. A degree in regional geography is useful for those who want to teach but is also valuable in todays business world that is focused on overseas and long distance communications and networking.