Importance of Being Earnest Essay Example for Free

Importance of Being Earnest Essay The Importance of Being Earnest is a serious comedy about trivial matters The Importance of being Earnest is a play that satirizes the Victorian upper classes. In the play, Oscar Wide makes fun of the upper class in many ways. Most commonly, Wilde does this by using comic irony, humor, and witty statements. However, if we look deeper into the text, a lot of the trivial matters characters discuss have a serious side to them. Wilde uses these matters to satirize the Victorian upper even more. The seriousness of death is taken light-heartedly in the play. Rather than associating death with sadness and suffering and grief Jack and Algy portray death as a method of conveniently eliminating unwanted people, whether imaginary or not. When Algy confesses that Bunbury is â€Å"Quite Exploded† something comical arises however, his amusing phrase also has some serious implications. Although at first the fact that Bunbury has exploded may be hilarious, it is also shocking to some of the characters in the play, as Bunbury was â€Å"supposed† to be very close to Algy. Furthermore, Algy talks about his death so lightly, that it makes it seem as if Algy couldn’t care less about losing a close friend. The worst part about the way Algy communicates Bunbury’s death, is that he never admits that Bunbury never existed and lies to all the characters who felt truly sorry for Bunbury. Jack also tells Algy, If Gwendolen accepts me, I am going to kill my brother because Cecily is a little too much interested in him. Another trivial moment is when Jack admits to smoking in front of Lady Bracknell. Lady Bracknell’s replies with: â€Å"Every man should have an occupation of some kind†. Although the audience may laugh at this moment, Wilde shows how the Victorian upper class had absolutely no work to do – and therefore categorized smoking as an occupation. Cucumber sandwiches also are also used to criticize the British upper classes. â€Å"No cucumber sandwiches! † shows the absurdness of the upper classes. The scene and dialog is certainly comical, however, it shows how dramatic and over- the –top the British upper class was. Moreover, in the Victorian Era, The Importance of Being Earnest was watched by middle classes as well was the upper class; the scene must have told the Middle classes a lot about the upper class, especially when they were dramatizing trivial matters like not having cucumber sandwiches. The Name â€Å"Earnest† is also very important in the play, as this too is an example of triviality and seriousness. Gwenolden states that her â€Å"ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest†. Cecily says she pities married woman whose husband is not called Ernest. The name Earnest in itself is a very trivial thing. Although the name Earnest â€Å"inspires utter confidence† Wilde makes fun of the fact that both Jack and Algy are very unhonest men. A name does not define the persons personality or values, however the triviality of the name Ernest is taken out of proportions and treated very seriously in the play. In conclusion, Wilde satirizes the Victorian upper class by making fun of their trivial matters that they treat seriously. Wilde almost swaps seriousness and triviality around so that serious issues are treated trivially and trivial issues are treated seriously. Although back in 19th Century the Victorian classes may have found the play hilarious, today we have a broader view and are able to understand Wilde’s message about the Victorian upper classes more. In fact, Wilde originally subtitled The Importance of Being Earnest â€Å"A Serious Comedy for Trivial People† but changed that to â€Å"A Trivial Comedy for Serious People†. – Isn’t that the same thing though?

Employee Motivation Essay Example for Free

Employee Motivation Essay Abstract. Employee motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an employee to behave in a certain manner for accomplishing certain organizational goals. Individuals differ in motivation along three parameters viz. self-esteem, need for achievement, and intrinsic motivation. There has been a growing emphasis on employees needs rather than just organizational needs, and recognition of the strategic value of employees being developed to their best potential. Organizations have become increasingly aware that the effective development of their employees skills and knowledge has benefits for the whole organization. Performance appraisal can be a crucial factor in the setting of career goals and the perception of job satisfaction leading to increased motivation and productivity. The paper examines employee motivation at the workplace. What is Motivation? Motivation is based on emotions. It is the search for positive emotional experiences and the avoidance of negative emotional experiences. Motivation is involved in the performance of all learned responses. It is a behavior that will not occur unless it is triggered. In general, psychologists question whether motivation is a primary or secondary influence on behavior. For example, is the behavior stemmed from personality, emotion perception, and memory or if motivation stems from concepts that are unique. Each year, billions of dollars are spent on motivation courses by large companies. The course involves training in motivation, meetings to boost motivation, incentives to strengthen motivation, meetings to analyze problems in the workplace motivation, tools to measure motivation mission statements, etc. These training sessions also include how to cope with problems in recruitment, productivity and retention, problems of commitment to teams and corporate agendas. Motivation is extremely important to success and to reach personal and business goals that one has set. Ethics Employees must learn to work together towards common goals. Employees must have an understanding of the organization as a whole and how they fit into the organization. They will most likely need training to acquire the knowledge needed for organizational understanding. Once an understanding of the organization and their role in it has been established, the employee with act on the goals set forth. Management must show the employee the need for their being there and for their output and input. The top to bottom role should be fair and there must be a clear code of corporate ethics. There must be communication between all levels, top to bottom, bottom to top. No employee should be left out. Management should ensure that their employees feel secure and they can be trusted and are equals among their peers. Performance should be viewed as a learning experience, not a horrific experience. Appraisals The annual performance review is one of the most feared and fearful processes that leaves employees angry and depressed as opposed to motivated to perform better. Companies have started to look at the appraisal as a more developmental approach to performance evaluation, instead of making the employee feel more insecure about their job performance. By using this technique, it would emphasize on giving employees the skills they need to perform effectively. The goal of a plan such as this would be to achieve goals that have been set by the company and be appraised on how many of those goals they have reached. Goals should be clear and sufficient to motivate employees into action. Business performance will improve by using an effective appraisal system. By defining clear objectives, the employees will be able to focus on the specified task and company goals. Appraisals help the employees feel that their good work is recognized and that they are valued. It also provides an opportunity to discuss concerns and weaknesses that the employee may have and suggestions may be made to find a solution to the problem. Motivation Techniques In order to motivate employees, they must know what is expected of them. Employees must have a clear understanding of challenges and realistic goals that they must meet. Employees that are encouraged to healthy competition ensure that the criteria for successes are clear and do not encourage resentment or low morale. Tough approaches, like firing staff that are not working to their full potential, can motivate other employees to do work better and strive for those goals that have been set. There is no perfect way to motivate staff. Some psychologists hold that financial bonuses or perks will be enough to motivate employees to give their best effort. Competition between employees is also commonly used as a motivation strategy at times. However, the keys to effective employees are motivation strategies that provide a range of incentives that appeal to the different personalities of the employees. While one individual may be driven by money, another may find job satisfaction or creative opportunities more powerful factors. Some company employee motivation techniques suggest that most employees respond to the same incentives. Money is most commonly used to improve motivation, staff retention and ambition. Everyone is different and has their own view about what is important to their life. For this reason, there are steps that can be used to motivate employees by doing things that they value and mean doing the right thing. They are as follows: Find the right job for the right person Empower Employees Co-operation vs. Competition Involve employees in company development When staff feel secure and nurtured in their work environment they perform  better. These steps help employees feel secure in their environment: Praise and recognition of the employees successes as much as you constructively criticize them. Let employees be aware of their job security. Be a Leader to staff. Create a comfortable working environment. Treat employees fairly. Mangers are responsible for overseeing employees who are engaged in work or learning tasks. Managers must be aware that some employees participate more out of interest in the task than others are. Others gain their satisfaction principally out the way in which their performance on the task leads to rewards like pay or status. But typically there is a mixture of motives for which a range of different incentives is relevant. Most employees will find at least some satisfaction in simply doing the work. The balance of these intrinsic and extrinsic sources of satisfaction varies from one person to another and between different situations. Some people indeed are highly motivated by both intrinsic interest and extrinsic rewards. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation Most employees understand intrinsic satisfaction or intrinsic motivation, when an activity is satisfying or pleasurable in and of itself. These activities are things employees like and want to do. For most people, intrinsically enjoyable activities are things like eating, resting, laughing, playing games, winning, creating, seeing and hearing beautiful things and people, and so on. To do these things people do not need to be paid, applauded, cheered, thanked, respected, or anything. They do them for the good feelings that are automatically and naturally received from the activity. Intrinsic rewards also involve pleasurable internal feelings or  thoughts, like feeling proud or having a sense of mastery following studying hard and succeeding in a class. Many, maybe most, activities are not intrinsically satisfying enough to get most of people to do them consistently, so extrinsic motivation needs to be applied in the form of rewards, incentives, or as a way to avoid some unpleasant condition. There are many activities that are intrinsically satisfying to some people but not to other people. This diversity suggests that past experiences can have a powerful influence on determining what is intrinsically satisfying to an individual. In many activities, intrinsically satisfying aspects combine with extrinsic pay offs. For example, employees and people in general, intrinsically enjoy conversing and, at the same time, they get attention, praise, support and useful information. In this case where intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are mixed, one might suppose that over a period of time the accompanying extrinsic reinforcements gradually increase our intrinsic enjoyment of the activity and perhaps vice versa. Extrinsic Motivation Extrinsic Motivation comes from without, such as money, titles, honors, trophies or a date. Extrinsic motivation has been found to destroy intrinsic motivation. Presently there is a movement to eliminate extrinsic motivation from schools, hospitals, and government. Extrinsic Motivation can be based on the phrase, Do this, and get this. Methods of Extrinsic Motivation are sometimes controversial. Some argue that employees view their work as a form of punishment and the paycheck is their reward. Extrinsic rewards tend to focus attention more narrowly and to shorten time perspectives, which may result in more efficient production of predefined or standardized products. Job satisfaction and long term commitment to a task may also be affected. Management first thinks about rewarding employees with money as an effective reward. Unfortunately, money will not always motivate employees to perform better or stay with the company longer. Not everyone thinks money makes the  world go round. Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation is the satisfaction in which the rewards come from carrying out an activity rather from a result of the activity. Employees that are intrinsically motivated tend to be more aware of a wide range of phenomena, while giving careful attention to complexities, inconsistencies, novel events and unexpected possibilities. They need time and freedom to make choices, to gather and process information, and have an appreciation of well finished and integrated products, all of which may lead to a greater depth of learning and more creative output. Intrinsic Motivation is the outcome of a work situation that employees enjoy. It comes from inside of the employee. Employees feel that they are in charge and that they have the opportunity to acquire new skills and abilities to match a different challenge. Employees also feel that they are a part of a successful team. When rewards, such as praise, are based on performance standards that imply one is doing well and performing competently, then the intrinsic interest increases. People like to be told they are doing well. Intrinsic Motivation is an emotional preference that gives pleasure and enjoyment. It stems from a strong emotional interest in an activity. It can be classified as a sense of freedom. Theories. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Abraham Maslow is considered as the father of Humanistic Psychology. Humanistic Psychology incorporates both Behavioral and Psychoanalytical Psychology. Maslow, although he studied both types of Psychology, he rejected the idea that human behavior is controlled by only internal and external factor. Maslow, instead, based his Motivation Theory on the basis that mans behavior is controlled by both internal and external factors. (pp. ) He also emphasized that humans have the ability to make choices and  exercise free will. Maslow collected data for his theories by studying individuals with an outstanding presence. His studies led him to believe that certain people have needs which are unchanging and genetic. Some needs are more basic than others are and others are more powerful than others are. As these needs are satisfied, new needs are created and other needs emerge. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is as follows: Basic Needs: Physiological; The need for sleep and rest, food, drink, shelter, sex, and oxygen. Safety; The need to be safe from harm. The need for a predictable world with consistency. The need for fairness, routine, and a sense of stability and security. Growth Needs Love and Belonging: The need for love and affectionate relationships, belonging to a group, and caring. Esteem (two components): Self-respect: The desire for confidence, competence, adequacy, achievement, and mastery. Respect of others: The desire for acceptance, recognition, reputation, appreciation, status, and prestige. Understanding and Knowledge: The needs to satisfy curiosity, explore, discover, find solutions, look for relationships and meaning, and seek intellectual challenges. Aesthetics: The need for beauty in surroundings. Self-actualization: The need for growth, development and utilization of potential, becoming all that one can be; self-fulfillment. McGregors X and Y Theories Two theories of human behavior at work were developed by Douglas McGregor. Theory X and Theory Y. McGregor did not indicate that workers would be type X or type Y. He saw the two types as extremes, with various possible behaviors in between. Theory X workers would be described an individuals who dislike work and avoid work when possible. They also lack ambition and do not like responsibility and prefer to be followers instead of leaders. These individuals also have a desire for feeling secure. Theory Y workers are individuals that could be characterized as individuals who did not dislike work and are considered responsible. These workers consider work as play or a rest time. For Theory Y workers, management would need to challenge the individual and create a working environment where they can show and develop their creativity. With Theory X, receiving rewards motivates the individuals. Kellers ARCS Theory of Motivation John M. Keller designed four conditions for an employee to be motivated. Attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) are these conditions that when an employee uses them, they will become more motivated to do their tasks and reach goals set by themselves or others. Keller suggests that ARCS must happen in sequence. By following the ARCS order, it will keep the employee interested in the topic. If it were to lose its sequential order, then interest will be lost and motivation would not take  place. This motivation theory argues that events that fulfill personal needs or goals will enhance performance and effort put forth by the employee. Each of Kellers conditions build upon the next condition. The management should keep these conditions in mind when designing goals and assigning tasks. The Conditions set by Keller are as follows: Attention: The first and single most important aspect of the ARCS model. It is gaining and keeping the employees attention. Kellers strategies for attention include sensory stimuli, question provocation, and variability. Relevance: Attention and motivation will not be maintained unless the employee believes the training is relevant. The training program should answer the critical question, Whats in it for me? Benefits should be clearly stated. For a sales training program, the benefit might be to help representatives increase their sales and personal commissions. For a safety-training program, the benefit might be to reduce the number of workers getting hurt. For a software-training program, the benefit to users could be to make them more productive or reduce their frustration with an application. Confidence: The confidence aspect is required so that the employee feels that they should put a good faith effort into the organization. If they think they are incapable of achieving the objectives or that it will take too much time or effort, their motivation will decrease. In technology-based training programs, employees should be given estimates of the time required to complete the task or a measure of their progress through the program. Satisfaction: The last is Satisfaction. The employee must obtain some type of satisfaction or reward for achieving the goal or finishing a task. This can be in the form of praise from a supervisor, a raise, or a promotion. If managers are to use this Theory of Motivation, they must address adequate  examples and/or choices for their employees to be available to complete the task or reach a goal. Some employees may be active learners and enjoy experimentation. Some employees may be reflective learners and are more in tune with observing and lectures. These styles must be taken into consideration in order for the employee to feel motivated and be able to help the organization. There are currently thousands of articles on employee motivation research that has evolved from the early work of Maslow, Keller and McGregor. The application of these theories into new communication situations, like the Internet, will be an important contribution for generations to come. Benefits of Motivation Employees It is important that employees are motivated to work hard and increase productivity. Yet some workers are not reaching their full potential. Managers need to be proactive and start or improve existing motivation programs. Employees are aware of what their employers are or arent doing to recognize their efforts. The time it takes to set up a program is minimal, program administration is easy and efficient with automated program tracking and reporting. The end result is a program tailored specifically to the needs of the company. To develop a successful motivation program that benefits a company the following suggestions may be helpful: Specific goals that provide a strong sense of motivation and are expected to be obtained. Equity for all participants. Employees perceiving inequity may lower productivity. High perceived value so the participant becomes emotionally involved in obtaining the goal. Employee involvement during the development of the program and timely feedback to employees continuing throughout the program. Employee motivation is the responsibility of the company and its managers. The company must create a workplace that is full of culture and high achievers in order for the business to improve. Recognition, appreciation and rewards are crucial to employee motivation. A pat on the back or a mention of thanks can literally move mountains. Productivity rises for employees that are rewarded for the work they do. A companys reputation and productivity increases with employees that feel appreciated. Recognition keeps communication open. It is important to keep communication alive with staff. By opening the lines of communication and staying in touch with the employees it will keep you in touch with their needs and desires. Create an atmosphere of cooperation, and give credit where credit is due. In return, the company will have employees that will go the extra hundred miles, and the returns will be tenfold. When an employee is passionate about their involvement and contributions, there will be no limit to the success that can be achieved. Bibliography Pandy, Wayne. (2001) Safety Incentives Recognition. Creating an Achievement Based Safety Culture. Retrieved September 18, 2004 from http://siri.uvm.edu/ppt/csseincentive/sld030.htm Captain Webb, Bob. (2001) Developing productive skills through self-discovery. Retrieved September 18, 2004 from http://www.motivation-tools.com/ Accel Team. (2004) Motivation. Retrieved from http://www.accel- team.com/motivation/index.html Accel Team. (2004) Theorists and their Theories. Retrieved from http://www.accel- team.com/motivation/theory_01.html Carnegie, Dale. (1981). How to Win Friends Influence People; Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment (pp. 205-243). New York, NY: Pocket Books. Faculty of Information Studies. (1995) Motivation Theories. University of Toronto Retrieved from http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/FIS/Courses/LIS1230/LIS1230sharma/motive1.htm

Encountering God And Excuses Excuses Religion Essay

Encountering God And Excuses Excuses Religion Essay Theres a story of a Scottish discus thrower from the nineteenth century. In the days before personal trainers, he developed his skills by himself in the Scottish highlands near his village. He made his own iron discus from a description he read in a book. What he did not know was that the discus used in competition was made of wood with an outer rim of iron. The discus he made was solid metal and weighed three or four times as much as the ones used by his would-be competitors. This committed Scotsman marked out in his field the distance of the current record throw for all of Britain and trained day and night to be able to match it. For nearly a year, he labored under the self imposed burden of the extra weight. He became very, very good. He reached the point where he could throw his iron discus the record distance, maybe farther. He was ready. He traveled south to England for his first competition. When he arrived at the games, they handed him the regulation wooden discus, which he p romptly threw like a tea saucer, like wed throw a Frisbee. He set a new record, a distance so far beyond those of his challengers that no one could touch him. He thus remained the uncontested champion for year after year after year. From that moment on his life had a defining image: Train under a great burden and you will be so far beyond the rest of the world you will be untouchable. Each one of us has a story that tells us who we are. Every life is defined by a narrative. There was a time when our culture had such a defining story. The hours of the day were marked by the ringing of church bells. We lived Anno Domini in the year of our Lord. Our role models were the lives of the saints. When we left we said, God be with you, which we have today compressed into our word, Goodbye. But todays role models are movie stars and sports celebrities. Our greeting is Have a nice day. Oh, once in a while a story will come along, like the terrible tragedy or a terrorist threat, and pull us all together for a moment or two. Or we find a kind of togetherness in cheering for a sports team. I dont know about you, but I yearn to hitch my itty bitty life to some grand story that makes every moment throb with meaning and purpose and excitement and adventure. Ive found that story for me in the pages of this book the Bible. This book tells me the hunger in my heart corresponds with the reality of the universe. Thats why I like the name of our radio programme Word Alive. Theres a God who wants to enlist you and me to join him in loving, redeeming, and restoring the world. And this God comes to you the same way he came to an aimless wanderer named Moses centuries ago. To meet this God is to discover why youre alive and on this planet. So how big an adventure are you up for today? Are you ready to stop watching other peoples reality shows and star in one of your own as one of Gods everyday heroes? Lets step into Gods story today as we continue a series of messages on the foundational event of the Bible, God leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. Jane Thank you for joining us for todays Word Alive with Dr. Derek Stringer and Im Jane Moxon Ill be commenting from time to time. Derek has been teaching from the life of Moses and explaining how we can encounter God today and get His direction for our lives making it significant and of value. Heres Derek Derek And thanks for your help Jane. Have you ever been reluctant to take a call? I think weve all have been there, especially now that many of us have caller ID on our phones. Have you ever gotten a call, looked at the ID and then were reluctant to take the call? I am so thankful for the ex-directory in England because I think every salesman in the country knew when I sat down for a meal. They would decide thats the time were going to call Derek Stringer. Incidentally, someone has come up with a list of twenty responses to use with these telemarketers. I like several of them, but one is my absolute favourite and one of these days Im going to get up the courage to do it. It suggests: Tell the telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask him if he will give you his home phone number so you can call him back. When the telemarketer explains that they cannot give out their home number, say, I guess you dont want anyone bothering you at home, right? When he says, Yes, then you say, Me neither! Lets face it weve all had calls at times that we just didnt want to take, and we were reluctant to answer. I want us to consider the fact that sometimes were reluctant to answer the call even when we know that its God whos doing the calling. I want to talk a little bit about what it means to be called by God. Jane As we study Gods call of Moses at the burning bush, we understand that God doesnt call us the same way that he called Moses, but he does call us. Derek In fact, you may recall that the Greek word for church is ekklesia. It literally means, the called out. We are the called out people of God. Peter said, You areà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. I know that this broadcast will reach people who make no claim to be Christians. And I want you to understand that God is calling you this very day, calling you to make the decision to become a child of God. Many who listen to this broadcast are Christians whom God is calling to greater heights of service. There are things that God wants you to do for him. There are people that God wants you to talk to. God is calling you to proclaim the praises of Him who brought you out of darkness and into the marvellous light. As we look at the call of Moses, I want you to consider how God is calling you. Jane Were going to look at the first part of Exodus 4. Derek When I say Moses, what comes to mind? The old Hollywood Movie with the piercing blue of eyes of Moses Charlton Heston standing before the throne of Pharaoh Yul Brenner? When we glamorize Moses we create distance between ourselves and him. The more distance you put between yourself and any Bible character, the less help the character provides us in our life before God. The real Moses? He was probably a lot more like Charlie Brown. In one of my favourite Peanuts cartoons Lucy says, Life, Charlie Brown, is like a deck chair. Like a what? he says. Havent you ever been on a cruise ship, Charlie Brown? Passengers open up these canvas deck chairs so they can sit in the sun. Some people place their chairs facing the rear of the ship so they can see where theyve been. Other people face their chairs forward. They want to see where theyre going. On the cruise ship of life, Charlie Brown, which way is your deck chair facing? Charlie thinks a minute and says: Gee, Ive never been able to get one unfolded. Ever feel like that? Like people all around you are going somewhere in life and you cant even unfold the deck chair? Yet as the curtain rises on the man who will become the most important person in the Bible, second only to Jesus, Moses is a foot-dragging loser. Moses had it made in Egypt, then killed a man and fled for his life. Ever since, hed been going nowhere. What do you say to someone 80 years old who doesnt know what he wants to be when he grows up? (Someone has said the reason adults are always asking children what are you going to be when you grow up? is because we dont know ourselves and were looking for suggestions.) Moses was tending his father-in-laws sheep not even his own in the desert of Midian. He squinted out across the parched landscape in search of shrubs for the hungry animals and noticed a bush on fire that did not burn up. As he came closer to investigate, suddenly a voice spoke to Moses out of the fire. Moses mouth fell open at a bush ablaze with God: I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians. Jane Youll recall from our past couple of lessons that Moses is at the burning bush. Derek God has revealed to Moses his sacred name I AM, Yahweh and God has announced that he has chosen Moses to go to tell Pharaoh to let His people, the Hebrews, go. Jane Then Moses answered and said, But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, The LORD has not appeared to you.' So the LORD said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod. And He said, Cast it on the ground. So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the LORD said to Moses, Reach out your hand and take it by the tail (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you. Derek Furthermore the LORD said to him, Now put your hand in your bosom. And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. And He said, Put your hand in your bosom again. So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. Jane Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. And the water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land. Derek Then Moses said to the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. So the LORD said to him, Who has made mans mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say. Jane But he said, O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send. So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs. Derek God comes to Moses with a job to do. I want you to understand that when God has a job he wants you to do, he doesnt ask you; he tells you. He doesnt extend an invitation; he gives a commission. God said to Abraham, You go to this place I will show you. He said to Elijah, Go, present yourself to Ahab. Jesus said to his disciples, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. But now the call of God comes to Moses and Moses doesnt want to answer the phone. And I can understand a little bit of what Moses is thinking. Have you ever been asked to go back to the place of your absolute greatest failure? I would imagine that everybody can think of a place or think of a person that frankly you wouldnt mind if you never saw that place or that person again. Because it brings back a memory of a time when you blew it on a scale you dont even like to think about. And when we dont want to do something, we tend to make excuses, and thats exactly what Moses does here. Lets look at some of his excuses and as we do so, were going to notice that were still making the same excuses today. The first excuse Moses made was, I dont have any credibility. Jane He said in verse one, What if they dont believe me and they say, The Lord did not appear to you? DS Now Moses question may seem to be valid, but its actually a denial of Gods clear promise because if you look back in chapter 3, verse 18, God said, The elders of Israel will listen to you and Moses says, in essence, Yes, but what if they dont? Now that shows you what failure can do to a mans thinking. If we have tried and we have failed, it has a way of inhibiting us, it has a way of paralyzing us for years to come. In Moses mind, he was certain that he was damaged goods. There was no way that he could ever go back to the Hebrews and effectively exercise any authority in their eyes. He says, Lord, youve got the wrong guy. Ive got no credibility with those people. Now God graciously recognizes what Moses is worried about and the difficulty hes facing. So what God says is, All right, Moses, heres what were going to do. Im going to give you some authenticating miracles so that you can be convinced that you do have my credibility and you can be a man they can listen to. The first thing God says is, Take that staff and throw it down. So he did. It became a snake and the Bible says that Moses ran away from it. Now theres finally one thing that Moses and I have in common. If we see snakes, we both run away from them. I do not understand people who want snakes for pets. Snake experts will tell you that most snakes are not poisonous, and you can tell the pit vipers theyre the poisonous ones they have these little pits behind their snouts. I remember hearing that for the first time and thinking, You idiot! I dont ever intend to be close enough to the face of a snake to see if hes got pits! You dont take any chances. You see a snake, you run. Now God knows exactly what hes doing with Moses. Hes got to deal with Moses fear. So that thing becomes a snake. And then what did he say next? Pick it up by the tail. You dont do that to snakes! But God said, Pick it up by the tail. And Moses obeyed. And it turned into a staff. Jane Then God said, Put your hand in your cloak. Derek And Moses did, and when it came out it was covered with leprosy. You need to remember you couldnt cure leprosy in those days. Leprosy was fatal. You dont think Moses was afraid? Whats God doing? Hes teaching Moses, Listen, the things that you think are deadly are nothing in my hands. Like Pharaoh. The things that frighten you dont need to frighten you. You dont need to be afraid. And God says, Moses, you dont need to promote your authority. You just need to report and represent my authority. God has all the credibility he needs to deliver people from their bondage. You and I dont need to worry about credibility. Sometimes I make the mistake of thinking, Theres nothing I can say that will change this persons life. Who am I that he should listen to me? Folks, the authoritys not ours. Its Gods. Were just his ambassadors. We need to go and tell people what God said they need to hear, and Gods got enough credibility to take care of both of us. Jane Paul said to the Thessalonians, For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God. Derek And so, the second excuse. He said to God, I dont have the ability. Jane Verse 10, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. Derek Its strange that Moses should say that, because Stephen said in his sermon in Acts 7 that Moses was powerful in speech. So either Moses didnt want to admit his ability, or Moses had forgotten about his ability, or maybe after 40 years in the desert, he felt like he lost that ability. But at any rate, Moses is absolutely persuaded, God, youve got the wrong man. I dont have the gifts. I dont have the ability. And it sounds as if Moses is being very humble. Lord, Im just not good enough. Jane He said the same thing back in chapter 3 when God said to Moses, Im going to send you to Pharaoh, and Moses responded in verse 11, Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? Derek Now that sounds very humble, doesnt it? I hear Christians say the same thing all the time, Id love to teach a church class, but Im just dont have the ability. Id love to do this or do that, but I just dont feel qualified. And that sounds so very humble. After all, doesnt the Bible say we shouldnt think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think? I want you to learn something. Be careful not to confuse the virtue of humility with a spirit of inadequacy that causes us not to do Gods will. Now were supposed to deny self. So if youre talking about a humility that denies self, thats good. But if youre talking about a humility that denies Gods ability to use you, thats not real humility. But thats what we often do. We often refuse the call of God under the guise of humility, when thats not what it is at all. When Moses says, I dont have the ability, this is not Moses being humble. This is Moses displaying a lack of faith. And again, Gods patience with his servant is amazing to me. Jane So God says to Moses in verse 12, You go, and I will help you speak and Ill teach you what to say. Derek Well I want to make three quick points here about our feelings of inadequacy. First of all, God is aware of our weaknesses when he calls us. When Moses said to God, Im not eloquent, Im not a very gifted speaker, do you think God went, Oh, I forgot. Somebody pull up the file on Moses. If you say, God, you shouldnt choose me because Ive got a lot of weaknesses, well then who in the world is he going to choose? Who doesnt? Jane Paul wrote, We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. Derek Lets admit it, were all clay pots. Lets just admit our inability, dont hide it, but lets not be paralyzed by it. God knows our weakness when he calls us. Second point God never abandons us after he commissions us. You can search the scriptures all you want, but youre not going to find one time in the Bible where God gives a call and then he says, Now youre on your own. When he said to Abraham, Go to the land he said what? He said, that I will show you. Jane When Jesus said, Go into all the world he said what? He said, I will be with you always. Derek This whole matter of saving the Israelites doesnt depend on Moses eloquence or his lack of it. It depends on the presence and the power of God. God says, Moses, you may not have all the answers, but youve got me, and thats all you need. Third thing If God commands you to do something, if God calls you to do something, he will empower you to do it. God does not ask the impossible, it just seems that way if you try to do it without God. But and this is very important God usually chooses to supply the ability only after youve stepped out on faith to answer the call. You say, God, I cant do that because I dont have the ability. God says, Well, Ill give you the ability. And we want to say, God, you give me the ability, and then Ill go do it. God says, No, thats not how it works. You go do it, and Ill give you the ability. Let me give you an example of what I mean by that. I wonder how many times Ive stood outside a hospital room knowing that someone inside was suffering, needing a word of comfort. And if I waited outside that room until I felt adequate, I would never go in. But I pray, God help me to say what needs to be said and you step in by faith and you find that when you act by faith, God will not let you down. But if you wait outside the door and say, Im not going in until I have something profound to say youll never go in. And so, what God often does is to say, I know you dont have the ability, I know youre just a clay pot, but if youll obey me, if youll step out in faith, then I will not let you down. I believe the key to self-confidence is to have the right view of God-confidence. Paul said, I can do all things. now thats self-confidence. But thats not what he said. He said, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Its not humility to deny that God can use you. Rather, its a blatant insult to his grace. Now Gods been patient with Moses. Moses has had some legitimate concerns. Lord, I dont think I have any credibility. God says, Ill deal with that. But Lord, I dont think I have the ability. God says, Ill deal with that, too. Then look at what Moses said next: Lord, please send someone else to do it. After all the legitimate concerns are met, Moses finally just blurts out the truth. What he said was, I dont want the responsibility. Its a good plan, Lord. The Hebrews need to be delivered. Pharaoh needs to be confronted. Its a great plan, but find somebody else to do it. By the way, have you ever noticed that all of us want to serve God, but most of us want to do it in an advisory capacity? Were quite willing to sit back and tell God how it ought to be done. Now God has been willing to work through all the specific objections that Moses has had, God has been patient, but the Bible says that finally the Lords anger burned against Moses. And I think the reason that God was angry is because basically Moses was saying, God, you told me youre going to be there for me, you told me youre going to give me the authority I need, you told me youre going to be speaking through me, but I just dont think thats going to be enough. But even in his anger, God was gracious to Moses and gave him Aaron. Jane Let me ask a question why do you think God was so patient with Moses, and why is God so patient with us when we act the same way? Derek Now one answer is obviously because he loves us. But I think theres another answer. I think its also because he loves the people whose prayers hes calling on you and me to answer. Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought about the fact that the reason that God is calling you is because somebody else has been calling God? Back in Exodus chapter 2, the Hebrews were calling out to God, and God was concerned and he heard their prayers, so God turned to Moses and said, Ive a job for you to do. And I wonder how many times God has called you and said, OK, Ive got a lot of people praying for someone to help them, someone to teach them, and so Im calling on you to do something about it. Ill give you the ability. I just want you to go be my messenger. And you were reluctant to answer the phone. You had all sorts of excuses ready as to why you couldnt do it. Be assured that God is patient, but dont take his patience as an inability to see through our flimsy excuses. Moses said, Oh, come on now, be sensible, not me, Im a terrible speaker. Theyd never listen to me. And God said, Oh, for crying out loud, OK, Ill use your brother to help with the speaking. And Moses led Gods people out of disintegration. And Jonah said, Oh, come on now, be sensible, not me. Im not the type. And after a rather unexpected vacation in the fish just thinking things over, he talked to Gods people and led them Gods way. And Zechariah said, Oh come on now, be sensible, not me. My wife and I are too old to have any kids. And God said, Oh shut up. And he did shut up. For nine months. And John was born, and the way for the Christ was opened up. And I heard a child say, I cant serve God. Im too young. And I heard a boy say, I cant serve God, Im not good enough. And I heard a woman say, I cant serve God, Im not skilled enough. I wonder if God ever gets any new problems? What is it that Gods calling you to do? I heard once about a fellow that was going to preacher training school. They were sending them out on weekends to preach in different churches. He was asked to preach at this one country church with just a few old people but he felt it was beneath his considerable skills. He made the mistake of actually making that comment out loud. It seems there was a young lady who overheard him and she said, You know, the worlds a better place because Michelangelo never said, I dont do ceilings. Think about it. This worlds a better place because Noah never said, I dont do animals. Because Abraham never said, I dont do travelling. Because Ruth never said, I dont do mothers-in-law. Because David never said, I dont do giants. Im glad Paul didnt say, I dont do correspondence. Im glad Jesus never said, I dont do crosses. And I think the world would be a better place if God didnt hear, I dont doà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ quite as much. Jane Paul wrote, We have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. Derek Gods only option is to use clay vessels. Thats all hes got. And thinking about the audience for Word Alive, Id say theres nothing but clay vessels that listen. Its simply a matter of whether or not were willing to allow God to work through us. I love the story that is told of the famous Polish pianist, Padarewski, who went on to become prime minister of Poland. He was touring the United States, and was going to give a concert one night. There was a mother who was trying to get her little boy interested in the piano, so she bought tickets to hear this master pianist. The show was supposed to start at 8:00 and prior to that people were standing around and visiting. This mother didnt realize that her son had slipped away. Imagine her shock when she heard and saw her son at the piano playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. As the story is told, Padarewski walked out in his tux, sat down beside the boy and whispered, Dont stop playing. He put his left hand out and played some bass notes, put his right hand out and started playing, and he made this beautiful sound out of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. I want you to see that this describes so well what God does with you and me. God says, What do you have in your hand? A staff? Give it to me. And when God calls, you just give him whatever youve got in your hand. And once you allow God to use your life, he does things with it you would never dream possible. Maybe you need to respond to God and say, OK, here I am. I want to follow you. I want to serve you. I want to dedicate my life to you. No more excuses, no more delays. Just what do you want me to do? Jane Dr. Derek Stringer is our Bible Teacher here on Word Alive and this is a Good News Broadcasting Association production. Derek My thanks to Jane Moxon and my thanks to you for being with us today. Please join us again next time as we continue to explore the life of Moses and how we can encounter God today. Jane Thats Derek Stringer and Phil Critchley has been our Producer. From all here at Good News Broadcasting Association we send you our greetings. Good-bye and God bless.

Essay --

Cancer can develop anywhere in the body. Cells grow abnormally and become cancerous because of environmental factors, such as smoking cigarettes and exposure to radiation; genetics, poor diet, lack of physical activity, and even just luck (Stern et al., 2004). Even though genetics play the primary role in the development of cancer, the environment in which one lives also contributes to the chances of getting cancer. Some of the environmental factors that influence the development of cancer include alcohol use, obesity, asbestos, HIV, and Down’s syndrome. Cancer affects people of all ages. In infants and children, genetic abnormalities are generally the primary cause of cancer. Individuals over the age of 55 years old make up more than 80% of all cancers (Stern et al., 2004). 2.3 MYTHS ABOUT CANCER According to Aronson (2010), cancer is a humiliating and punishing disease as its treatments often deny people of the organs that give them their gender-identity, their sense of wholeness, and beauty. After treatment, patients also often feel less than whole. For them, cancer is not just a physical disease but rather a state of mind and a reason for societal quarantine and judgment. It is not discussed freely or accepted objectively. Cancer is seen as a "taint" upon the family, just as HIV is viewed as a disease that needs to be hidden away. There are many misconceptions across all ethnic and racial groups regarding cancer. Many believe that since no one in their family previously had cancer, then they would not get cancer. People also have a false impression that if they are healthy then they would not develop cancer (McGarvey & Brenin, 2005). According to Frymark, there are three chief myths about cancer: 1. Although chemothera... ...e. Among the members of the Solanaceae family, Solanumaculeastrumwas the most common plant used for the treatment of cancer (Koduru, Grierson & Afolayan, 2007). Scientists these days are also investigating traditional medicine for anti-cancerous effects. A popular ayurvedic herb Ashwagandha, frequently known as â€Å"Indian Winter cherry† or â€Å"Indian Ginseng† is used in ayurvedic medicine in a way similar to that Panax ginseng used in traditional Chinese medicine. This herb is normally used for its wide range of health advantages. Withaferin A, which derived from this medicinal plant, it often used for its anti-tumorigenic activity against various cancer cells. Withaniasomnifera flowers are small and green and the roots are mostly used for medicinal purposes. It is cultivated in the drier regions of India such as Punjab and Rajasthan (Singh, Verma, Pandey & Gilca, 2011).

The Development of Attachment Essays -- attachment theory, John Bowlby

One of the most important factors that affect child development is the relationship of the child with their primary caregiver. This is a tenet of developmental psychology known as attachment theory. John Bowlby, the creator of this theory, wanted to examine how early childhood experiences influence personality development. Attachment theory specifically examines infant’s reactions to being separated from their primary caregiver. Bowlby hypothesized that the differences in how children react to these situations demonstrates basic behavioral differences in infancy that will have consequences for later social and emotional development. To study attachment theory, Mary Ainsworth developed the Strange Situation Paradigm. This procedure examines the reaction of the infant when their primary caregiver leaves them for up to three minutes. The emotional response of the child to being left alone and the behavior of the child when the caregiver reappears are coded on a seven point rating scale. Based on these scores children are divided into three categories which illustrate the quality of the attachment. Securely attached children are confident in their relationship with their primary caregiver, and are not afraid to explore new things. In the Strange Situation, these infants are less distressed during separation and happy to see their caregiver during the reunion and will often make contact with them. Infants with an insecure-avoidant attachment are characterized by a lack of positive affect toward their primary caregiver. They are less distressed during the separation than most infants, and reserve their emotiona l response not for their caregiver but for toys or the experimenter. Infants with insecure-ambivalent or resistan... ...t. Child Development, 62, 906-917. Joseph, R. (1999). Environmental Influences on Neural Plasticity, the Limbic System, Emotional Development and Attachment: A Review. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 29. Koran-Karie, N., Oppenheim, D., Dolev, S., Sher, E., & Etzion-Carasso, A. (2002). Mothers’ Insightfulness Regarding Their Infants’ Internal Experience: Relations With Maternal Sensitivity and Infant Attachment. Developmental Psychology, 38, 534-542. Meins, E., Fernyhough, C., Wainwright, R., Gupta, M. D., Fradley, E., & Tuckey, M. (2002, November/December). Maternal mind-mindedness and attachment security as predictors of theory of mind understanding. Child Development, 73, 1715-1726. Sonkin, D. J. (2005, January/February). Attachment Theory and Psychotherapy. The Therapist. Retrieved from http://www.danielsonkin.com/attachment_psychotherapy.htm

Social Criticism in the Hollywood Melodramas of the Fifties Essay

Social Criticism in the Hollywood Melodramas of the Fifties In the early 1950s the films of Douglas Sirk led the way in defining the emerging genre of the Hollywood melodrama. "Melodrama" strictly means the combination of music (melos) and drama, but the term is used to refer to the "popular romances that depicted a virtuous individual (usually a woman) or couple (usually lovers) victimized by repressive and inequitable social circumstances" (Schatz 222). Sirk's films were commercially successful and boosted the careers of stars like Lauren Bacall, Jane Wyman, and Rock Hudson, who was in seven of Sirk's thirteen American films (Halliday 162-171). Although critics in the fifties called the films "trivial" and "campy" and dismissed them as "tearjerkers" or "female weepies" (Schatz 224), critics in the seventies re-examined Sirk's work and developed an "academic respect for the genre" and declared that the films actually had "subversive relationship to the dominant ideology" (Klinger xii). Douglas Sirk's Magnificent Obsession (1954) and Imitatio n of Life (1959) are representative of the techniques melodramas used to address relevant fifties issues like class, gender, and race. One characteristic of melodrama is the "lavishly artificial and visually stylized scenery (Schatz 234) which is exploited in Magnificent Obsession. Numerous scenes take place in moving convertibles, where the motion of the car is out of synch with the motion of the scenery. Whenever possible, rooms have large picture windows showing magnificent, but obviously fake outdoor landscapes. At one point a scene on the lakeshore cuts directly from a shot of Helen (Jane Wyman) sitting in front of a real horizon to a close-up of her sitting in front of a brightly c... ...ltural form" (Klinger xii). Works cited Aull, Felice. "Magnificent Obsession". http://mchipO0.med.nyu.edu/lit-med/lit-me...cs/webfilms.magnificent.obses3-film-.html Ellison, Ralph. Shadow and Act. Vintage International: New York, 1953. FilmFrog Archives: Lecture given at Sonoma State University (1995), Imitation of Life (1959). http://yorty.sonoma.edu:80/filmfrog/archive/Imitation_of_Life.html Halliday, Jon. Sirk on Sirk: Interviews With Jon Halliday. New York: Viking, 1972. Imitation of Life. Dir. Douglas Sirk. Universal, 1959. Klinger, Barbara. Melodrama and Meaning: History, Culture, and the Films of Douglas Sirk. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994. Magnificent Obsession. Dir. Douglas Sirk. Universal, 1954. Schatz, Thomas. Hollywood Genres: Formulas, Filmmaking, and the Studio System. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1981.

Dance Philosophy Essay

Dance is the reason I exist and as cheesy as it sounds its true. In 1982 my father met my mother at a dance club. He said after watching her dancing with her friends he had to talk to her. Dance has the power to cross boundaries and touch one’s soul. As a form dance can be anything. Rain falling into a pound, an individual tying their shoe, a swan boureeing across a stage or man rolling across a stage can all be dance. Dance is a series of movements stitched together with an intent and frame. Weather the intent is to express emotion, showcase technique, or make a statement it is all dance. I started dancing in high school after a teacher of mine recommended I take a class. My first real dance class was ballet. It was a foreign language to me. At first it was a string of movements empty in meaning and emotion. I just danced through the motions until one day my teacher told us that we needed to bring the movement to life. I did not understand this concept at first, how could movement come to life? It wasn’t until I began taking a modern class that I understood this concept. I could use movement to express my own thoughts, fears, joys, and questions. When I try and analyze what dances means to me, ultimately, I see it as a multifaceted entity. Dance is part of my identity and without it I believe I would struggle with understanding who I am. First and foremost dance for me has always been a form of therapy. Growing up I hated conflict and as a result internalized my issues. Through dance I was able to find a reliable outlet to release my frustrations, fears, and inhibitions, which allowed me to explore my personal struggles through movement. Secondly I believe that movement has the power to transcend boundaries and make statements that are often hard to say. Movement is an outlet to foster awareness, dialogue, change and growth while bridging the gap between artistic expression and community dialogue.