Conquerors or Jinas Essay Example for Free

Conquerors or Jinas Essay Jainism originated in ancient East India by the birth and ultimate liberation of twenty four conquerors or Jinas. People of the Jain faith believe that Jinas are human beings who become divine by subduing their sensual desires and overcoming karma, which is the accumulation of good and bad deeds. Good deeds allow living beings to be reincarnated into superior forms, while bad deeds force them to accept inferior forms after death (â€Å"Jainism†). The Jains believe that the first Jina or conqueror was a giant living on earth 8. 4 million years ago. The last Jina was Mahavira or The Great Hero, born in 550 BC. Mahavira is known as the founder of Jainism, seeing that he was able to attract a large number of followers to his faith (â€Å"Jain Dharma†). Like Siddharta Buddha, Mahavira had belonged to the warrior caste and â€Å"renounced the world† at the age of thirty (â€Å"History of Jainism†). Also like the Buddha, Mahavira had sought spiritual reality in the solitude of asceticism. Ultimately he had found enlightenment, although it had taken him thirteen long years to get there. He had converted eleven Brahmans to his faith soon after. By the time of his death, he had founded a community of ascetics with fourteen thousand monks and thirty six thousand nuns. Mahavira is further known to have starved himself to death – a practice referred to as salekhana (â€Å"History of Jainism†). According to the Jains, Mahavira is one of the fortunate ones, as he has â€Å"conquered love and hate, pleasure and pain, attachment and aversion, and has thereby freed ‘his’ soul from the karmas obscuring knowledge, perception, truth, and ability (â€Å"Jain Dharma†). † The first and foremost principle of living taught by Jainism is called Ahimsa or non-violence toward all living beings. Thus, the followers of Jainism have never encountered a problem of violence in their history. The only issue that the people of the Jain faith have had to confront is disunity. Two hundred years after the attainment of nirvana on the part of Mahavira, the Jain faith was divided into two sects: the Digambar and the Svetambar. Both sects hold different views or beliefs about a number of issues. For example, Digambar monks of the Jain faith do not wear anything because of their belief that clothes serve as reminders of the world. Svetambar monks, on the other hand, are known to wear seamless clothes that are usually colored white. Moreover, the Digambars are of the opinion that women are unable to attain liberation while they are living as women on earth. Svetambars, on the contrary, believe that women may indeed achieve liberation seeing that one of the Jinas was a woman. Likewise, the Digambars and Svetambars have varied views about the prayers that are traditionally recited by the Jains (â€Å"Jainism†). The Jains do not believe in a creator of the universe. According to them, the world is without beginning or end. Furthermore, there is no single god of the universe (Sivananda). The following is a prayer of the Jains describing their unique concept of divinity, following by a brief introduction of the same: I bow to the Arahants, the perfected human beings, Godmen. I bow to the Siddhas, liberated bodiless souls, God. I bow to the Acharyas, the masters and heads of congregations. I bow to the Upadhyayas, the spiritual teachers. I bow to the spiritual practitioners in the universe, Sadhus. This fivefold obeisance mantra destroys all sins and obstacles, and of all auspicious repetitions, is the first and foremost (Welcome to Jainism. org). Jains believe that all living beings are the same essential soul, but those human beings that perfect or liberate themselves are turned into gods. These souls – part of the single soul of all living beings, albeit separate – are worshipped by the Jains. Furthermore, these souls are the only ones that do not have to deal with karma any longer. They have achieved salvation through enlightenment, abandonment of worldly attachments, and asceticism. By controlling their selfish desires, they have followed their spiritual teachers to the core. For them, Jainism is the only true religion. Additionally, by attaining the divine status, they have become omnipotent and omnipresent (Sivananda). Before becoming gods, the liberated souls were able to achieve death at will. On the other hand are souls that are so attached to life that they do not wish to end their lives on earth. Such souls die nevertheless. Their death is Akama Marana, the death of helplessness, leading the soul to return to earth in an inferior form (â€Å"Death in Jainism†). There are seventeen kinds of deaths in the Jain faith: â€Å"Avici-marana; Avadhimarana; Atyantika-marana; Vasarta-marana; Valana-marana; Antahsalya-marana; Tadhava-marana; Akama marana; Pandita-marana; Balpandita-marana; Chadmastha-marana; Kevali-marana; Vaihayasa-marana; Guddhapristha-marana; Bhaktapratyakhyana-marana; Inginta-marana; and Padopagamana-marana (â€Å"Death in Jainism†). † Unsurprisingly, all of these separate types of deaths lead to a different kind of life after death. Jains are believers in the reincarnation of all living beings. Thus, the soul that dies the Pandita-marana death is said to have left the earth in peace and with satisfaction (â€Å"Death in Jainism†). The best kind of death is, of course, the very last one, that is, the end that leads to ultimate liberation from the process of rebirth (â€Å"Jainism†). Besides Ahimsa or non-violence, which forbids actions that cause verbal, emotional or physical harm to living beings; the principles of human behavior that the Jains must adhere to include the principle of Satya or the command to speak the truth and avoid falsehood; Asteya, or the command not to steal; Brahmacharya, or the principle demanding all Jains to remain monogamous in their sexual relationships; and Aparigraha, which is the principle of detaching oneself from the world by a reduction of worldly desires and abstinence from hoarding of material wealth (â€Å"Jain Dharma†). The Jains do not convert people to their faith. Hence, anybody who is willing to follow the faith of Jainism must believe in these moral principles and follow them without compulsion (â€Å"Jainism†). Jains additionally believe that every living being has the potential to attain ultimate liberation from the cycle of rebirth. The perfect and liberated souls serve as models on the path of attaining liberation. However, all living beings are responsible for their individual good or bad actions (â€Å"Jainism†). In order to attain ultimate salvation, souls must also believe in the triple jewels, that is, â€Å"[r]ight faith, right knowledge and right conduct (Sivananda). † Right faith constitutes belief in the perfect and liberated souls as real gods, the Jaina Sastras (written by spiritual teachers) as the scriptures of the Jain faith, and the saints of Jainism as the real teachers. Right knowledge provides the follower of Jainism with an eye of certainty that sheds all doubts. Right conduct, of course, constitutes the five moral principles that all Jains must adhere to, including Ahimsa, which compels all Jains to live as vegetarians (Sivananda). Lastly, Jains believe in overcoming all biases and prejudices, and gathering the viewpoints of others, despite the fact that the followers of the faith are divided into sects (â€Å"Jainism†). Works Cited â€Å"Death in Jainism. † Answers. 2007. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. answers. com/death%20in%20jainism. â€Å"History of Jainism. † Religion Facts. 2007. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. religionfacts. com/jainism/history. htm. â€Å"Jain Dharma. † Religious Tolerance. 15 Aug 2005. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. religioustolerance. org/jainism. htm. â€Å"Jainism. † Answers. 2007. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. answers. com/topic/jainism. Sivananda, Sri Swami. Jainism. 17 Oct 2004. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. dlshq. org/religions/jainism. htm. Welcome to Jainism. org. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. jainism. org/.

Achiles’ Shield in the Iliad Essay -- Literature Art War Papers

Achiles’ Shield as an Element of Contradistinction in the Iliad The Iliad is an epic of death. It is a tale of conflict, battle, agony, and horrific mutilation. Honor and glory are attained through warfare. The great shield of Achiles stands out in this context because it depicts the glories of an orderly, functioning, productive civilization. This depiction of life stands in stark contrast to the scenes of death that constitute a large portion of the narrative. An examination of the shield of Achiles in Homer’s Iliad reveals many ideas in conflict: love and honor, the pleasures of life versus a heroic death, free will and destiny. By viewing the shield as an element of contradistinction—that is to define it on the basis of contrast—one can see that the shield symbollicaly unifies the entire poem. Achiles’ shield is the mechanism through which the poet presents a tool of warfare as a reflection of civilization; explores the concept, structure, and nature of the universe; and examines the role of art in society. I. A Reflection of Civlization on a Tool of Warfare In the epic tradtion, the arming of wariors for batle holds particular significance. The description of a warior’s armor tels much about the individual character of the warior and about the values of the society of which he is part. The Iliad contains many such arming scenes which take the simple description of armor and transform it into a more expansive and iluminating portrait of ancient Greek mentality. When compared with one another, these descriptions of armor reveal some basic distinctions that make the shield of Achiles of utmost importance. As noted by Atchity in Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory, the armor of Paris is described in book thre... ...contradictions. Art is the medium through which humans explore life’s great questions and test its boundaries. Armed with the belief that ordered civlization will prevail, the artist—poet, metalworker, painter, actor—is free to enter into the batlle of ideals. Works Cited Atchity, Kenneth John. Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory. Carbondale, IL: Southern Ilinois Univ., 1978. Becker, Andrew Sprague. The Shield of Achiles and the Poetics of Ekphrasis. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Litlefield, 1995. Duethorn, Guenter A. Achiles’ Shield and the Structure of the Iliad. Amherst, MA: Amherst Colege, 1962. Edwards, Mark W. The Iliad: A Commentary. Vol. V: books 17–20. G.S. Kirk gen. ed. Cambridge, MA: 1995. Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Richmond Latimore. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago, 1961. Keats, John. â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn.† 4 Oct. 2003 < htp://www.poets.org/poems/>.

Change Management and HRM Essay

1. (TCO All) For the next set of questions, you will first select ONE of the TCOs of the course. Then, you will be asked to write an essay about the project you worked on this term over your two companies’ change program based on the TCO you selected above. Select the TCO your essay question will cover: TCO A – Given that progressive and successful companies require their employees to embrace change, examine how changing work conditions impact the employees. TCO B – Given the inherent reality that all organizations must experience change in order to improve, demonstrate how â€Å"models† are used in Change Management, for diagnosing an organization’s need for change. TCO C – Given external, internal and/or multi-levels of organization factors that drive change, assess and create a leadership model which supports and promotes each type of change within the organization. TCO D – Given that an organization’s mission and vision will determine its strategy towards change, ensure that an organization’s change initiative is aligned with and capitalizes on its culture and mission in preparation for change. TCO E – Given a selected Change Management implementation â€Å"model†, determine the causes of change and develop a plan of action to implement the change. TCO F – Given that both organizations and their employees commonly resist change, understand how to recognize and overcome barriers to change and develop a strategy to manage resistance to change that will ensure successful implementation of change. TCO G – Given that developing a â€Å"vision for change† and communicating that â€Å"vision† is a critical part of the change process, analyze the key elements of the â€Å"vision for change† and develop a strategy to communicate the change to the stakeholder. TCO H – Given the organization’s goal of creating and implementing a sustainable change while moving toward becoming a â€Å"learning† organization, develop a plan to implement change in a sustainable manner that can be applied to any change. Using the TCO you selected from the list above, which you felt was most relevant to your project this term, write an essay answer explaining how the change management you saw in one of your companies from your project this term followed or failed to follow the theory of success ingrained in the TCO you have selected. State the #1 thing you think that company’s change agent did which most contributed to the success or failure of the change and why that relates to the TCO you selected.  · Include in the answer the name of the company you are discussing.  · Explain/analyze why you think this way. (Points : 35) 2. (TCOs A, E) Your project this term asked you to compare and contrast two companies’ change projects or programs for change. This question will review what you learned about the change projects in a continuation of your project. It will ask you to apply course information to your project companies. For your answer, be sure to reference the names of the companies you studied in your project this term to help your instructor determine the score of your response. Recall that external and internal pressures often impact implementation of change in companies. For this question, please write an essay answering these questions: A. Define specific (at least 2 each) external and internal pressures that will (or did) affect the implementation of the changes in your two companies. (10 points) B. Name two strategies of handling these pressures that you would (have) suggested to the company leaders as being the most effective in managing those pressures during the implementation phase. (10 points) C. Defend your positions with details about why you feel your strategies would assist with handling these pressures. (15 points) (Points: 35) 3. (TCOs E,H) Your project this term asked you to compare and contrast two companies’ change projects or programs for change. This question will review what you learned about the change projects in a continuation of your project. It will ask you to apply course information to your project companies. For your answ er, be sure to reference the names of the companies you studied in your project this term to help your instructor determine the score of your response. You will assess the â€Å"sustainability† of the changes which occurred in the companies you studied. Select ONE of the company change programs for your answer to this question and state it here. Assess the change project. Was it successful or unsuccessful in your opinion? What will it take (what are some steps the company can, should, or DID take) to make it SUSTAINABLE? What theories did you consider in coming to this conclusion? Do you think this change will still be in place in one, five, or ten years? Why or why not?(Points : 35) As for the People, it should be determined whether the organization has the right skills and talents for the change to be supported and for the organization to achieve its strategic goal. For example, if the strategic goal is to increase revenue through increased sales then the company sales people should be given sufficient training about the company’s own and acquired products as this will enable the sales staff to more easily sell the company’s products. I feel that the changes made in SAP will stay in place for years to come. Now that steps have been gathered to analyze large amounts of employees, customers, and sales data being generated by companies it will enable SAP to create new processes and applications that will strength their success. 4. (TCO All) This question does not address your course project. This change scenario is envisioned instead, for this question. First, the scenario, and then the question. Scenario: You have been asked to handle a project where the company is going to close the plant in your company and offer all of the workers an option of taking a buy-out severance package which is quite generous OR relocate to another state, where the business climate is much better (but the cost of living is higher and the style of living is lower). The current location of the company is in an area where people live well, the culture is great, and because it is in a college town, there are many fun things to do on weekends, plays to attend, sporting events, etc. The atmosphere is quite upbeat. The city where the company is moving to has very little in the way of entertainment, the housing costs are higher although not as nice, and property taxes are higher as well. The company is offering moving costs for relocation costs, but not house sale assistance. It is likely most of your employees are going to take the buy-out, but most of them are in their late  30s or early 40s and are not going to be happy about it. The question: This term, we studied organizational development theory versus the more systematic nStep method of conducting a change process. What would be the pros/cons of using OD theory for this change project? What would be the pros/cons of using nStep? Which nStep would you recommend for this if you use one? Of the two methods (nStep or OD), which would you recommend we use for this particular change program? Why? (Points : 35) 5. (TCOs C,D) Your project this term asked you to compare and contrast two companies’ change projects or programs for change. This question will review what you learned about the change projects in a continuation of your project. It will ask you to apply course information to your project companies. For your answer, be sure to reference the names of the companies you studied in your project this term to help your instructor determine the score of your response. Consider ONE of your company’s change projects (not both companies – just one.) State the company and the change process/program/project. Name the leader of the change from that company. Answer the following questions about that change: A. Would you characterize your leader as the change â€Å"sponsor† or the change â€Å"implementer† of this change? Or was this leader in fact both? Describe the difference between a sponsor of change and an implementer of change, why they are both important, and why you feel your leader was one or the other. B. Evaluate the leader’s implementation of the change as it compared to the company’s vision and mission statement. Were they aligned? Did this alignment (or misalignment) contribute to the success or failure of the change? Why or why not? (Points : 35) 1. (TCO A) When JetBlue left their customers sitting on the tarmac for hours on Valentine’s Day, and their CEO was ultimately terminated as a result, the company was responding to (pick the best group) (Points : 7) A). external, reputation, and credibility pressures. B). hypercompetition, market decline, and internal pressures. C). mandated, fashion, and force field pressures. D). growth, identity, and new broom pressures. E). All of the above 2. (TCO A) Which of the following best shows forces for change vs. forces for  stability? (Points : 7) A). Change forces are: adapting, sustaining, and predicting; whereas stability forces are: bureaucracy, trust, and control. B). Change forces include: lay-offs, IPOs, and inventing new products; whereas stability forces are: hiring, stock buy-backs, and regular yearly dividends. C). Change forces include: lay-offs, stock buy-backs, and bi-annual new models of iPhones; whereas stability forces are hiring freezes, bureaucracy, and regular yearly dividends. D). Change forces include: Harry Potter Park at Universal Studios, Walt Disney Cruise Lines, and McDonald’s lattes; and stability forces are Cruise ship sinking at Giglio Island, bridging and buffering strategies, and JetBlue’s public apology after the Valentine’s Day fiasco. E).Both A and C 3. (TCO B) Which of the following best defines the â€Å"congruence† model of diagnosing change? (Points : 7) A). Includes purpose, structure, rewards, and helpful mechanisms B). Is based on the conceptualization of the organization as a transformation process C). Can be a starting point for an organization that has not given attention to the trends that may impact its future operations D). Includes strategy, structure, process, and lateral capability E). Includes structure, style, skills, super-ordinate goals, etc. 4. (TCO B) During the diagnosis for change period, it is important to analyze the stakeholders for their readiness to change. Using the power-interest matrix, you review the level of interest and amount of power of stakeholders and determine the following: (Points : 7) A). Your key players are those with the highest level of interest, but a lower level of power. B). Your key players are those with the lowest level of interest, but the highest level of power. C). Your most unimportant players are those with low levels of power but high interest. D). Your stakeholders who need to be â€Å"kept informed only† are those with high levels of interest but lower levels of power. E). Your stakeholders who need to be â€Å"kept informed only† are those with low levels of interest but higher levels of power. 5. (TCO C) The Burke-Litwin model states that there are four transformational factors of change. Identify the answer below which contains at least three of those factors. (Points : 7) A).Frames, lenses, angles, and hyperbole B). Mission and strategy, leadership, and organizational culture C). Hypotheses, problems, symptoms and inputs D). Vision, identification strategies, litigation, and execution E). None of the above 6. (TCO C) â€Å"This organization is running like clockwork!† This statement by a company leader is likely to result in â€Å"no change† because(Points : 7) A). the leader is blinded by the light. B). the leader believes his vision and mission of the company will align when the change is over. C). the leader has diagnosed by image that the company needs no change. D). the PESTEL framework has been unchallenged for too long. E). brainstorming for change was uneventful. 7. (TCO D) The art of a leader managing the meaning of a vision for followers and aligning it with his or her values is called (Points : 7) A).scripting. B). performing. C). staging. D). norming. E). framing. 8. (TCO F) The Emotional Intelligence domains and associated competencies are used to help us determine when a potential change agent, or person, is ready for leadership. When a person exhibits the competencies of integrity, initiative, and optimism, we know he or she has reached the stage of (Points : 7) A). Self-Awareness. B). Social Awareness. C). Relationship Management. D). Self-Management. E). Personal and Social. 9. (TCO G) One day, while on the company elevator, the head of HR is talking to the CEO and doesn’t realize his speaker phone is on when the CEO asks, â€Å"Do you think that we can afford to keep the downtown branch of the company  open? Or is it time to think about across-the-board layoffs?† The HR head frowns, turns off the speaker and replies, â€Å"I’ll call you later† and hangs up. Four employees from the downtown branch are on the elevator and hear this comment. The HR head tells the four employees (whose names he does not know), â€Å"Say nothing about this. You heard nothing.† They immediately rush to their cubicles and begin spreading the word. The gossip has hit the entire department and local news agencies by the 6:00 news that night. The CEO is featured saying, â€Å"This is nothing but a rumor at this point. We have no current plan to lay off anyone.† This is an example of what type of communication plan on the part of the CEO? (Points : 7) A).Spray and pray B). Tell and sell C). Underscore and explore D). Identify and reply E).Withhold and uphold 10. (TCO G) Toxic handlers, as related to change management communication, do the following: (Points : 7) A).handle all calls with the Environmental Protection Agency. B). talk in stages using assertions, requests, and declarations. C). listen empathetically, and help cool angry people down, act like sponges, and often burn out quickly. D).All of the above  E). None of the above 11. (TCO H) A sign that a change is â€Å"sustained† could be seen as (Points : 7) A). a significant and abrupt drop in the stock price of the company. B). receiving an offer from a competitor to buy the company. C). sending out WARN act notices. D). finding that the change has become baked into the culture. E). a reward system which is outdated. 12. (TCOs G,H) Review this story and pick the best answer based on your understanding of change management practices: Company X,Y,Z establishes a vision for change where â€Å"cutting costs is critical to our survival† and  establishes a reward system to the department which cuts costs the most in one quarter, and states it will be a â€Å"department-based reward† system for the next four quarters. By the â€Å"most† the management establishes, the cuts will be valued by a somewhat complicated algorithm % and $$ of cut in the total expense budget. The sales team goes for the gold and cuts their travel budget by 50%, which is by far the biggest department cut in both $ and %. They win the 1st quarter reward. In quarter 2, the IT team cuts expenses the most by ending the purchase of all new software or PCs. In quarter 3, the production line cuts their expenses the most by laying off 60% of the workers (sales have dropped significantly and technology problems have slowed production, so this was needed anyway.) (Points : 8) A). The company did a good job establishing urgency and aligning metrics with the vision for change, and this change appears to be successful. B). The company aligned metrics with the vision for change, and created its own nStep method of change. C). The company culture is dysfunctional and could have learned from CEO Bethune and the Continental Airline’s own culture of â€Å"cost is everything.† D). The company will probably win the J.D. Power and Associates award for customer satisfaction this year. E). The reward system is a â€Å"spray and pray† system.

Molières Death and the Color Green

Whether or not you are an actor, you probably know that it is considered bad luck to say Good luck to a performer. Instead, you should say, Break a leg! And if you have brushed up on your Shakespeare, then you already know that it could be disastrous to say Macbeth out loud while in a theater. To avoid being cursed, you should instead refer to it as the Scottish play. Unlucky to Wear the Color Green? However, many do not realize that it is unlucky for actors to wear the color green. Why? It is all because of the life and death of Frances greatest playwright, Molià ¨re. Molià ¨re His real name was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, but he was most famous for his stage name, Molià ¨re. He attained success as an actor in his early twenties and soon found that he had a talent for writing stage plays. Although he preferred tragedies, he became renowned for his hilarious satires. Tartuffe was one of his more scandalous plays. This vicious farce mocked the church and caused an uproar among Frances religious community. Controversial Plays   Another controversial play, Don Juan or The Feast with a Statue, mocked society and religion so severely that it was not performed uncensored until 1884, over two hundred years after its creation. But in some ways, Molià ¨res demise is even more intense than his plays. He had been suffering from tuberculosis for several years. However, he did not want the illness to prevent his artistic pursuits. His final play was The Imaginary Invalid. Ironically, Molià ¨re played the central character — the hypochondriac. Royal Performance   During a royal performance before King Louis the 14th, Molià ¨re began to cough and gasp. The performance was stalled momentarily, but Molià ¨re insisted that he continue. He bravely made it through the rest of the play, despite collapsing once more and suffering a hemorrhage. Hours later, after returning home, Molià ¨res life slipped away. Perhaps due to his reputation, two clergymen refused to administer his last rites. So, when he died, a rumor spread that Molià ¨res soul did not make it into the Pearly Gates. Molià ¨res costume — the clothing that he died in — was green. And since that time, actors have maintained the superstition that it is highly unlucky to wear green while on-stage.