Explain the contribution of Teresa of Avila to mysticism Essay Example for Free

Explain the contribution of Teresa of Avila to mysticism Essay Transfer-Encoding: chunked i »? Explain the contribution of Teresa of Avila to mysticism (35) Mysticism is an aspect of religious experience that is little understood. This term has been used to describe experiences that reveal spiritual recognition of truths beyond normal understanding, from the mildly ecstatic to the occult. It has been said that there are certain features which accompany such experiences which enable their recognition, such as a sense of freedom from the limitations of time, space and the human ego. Believers may also experience a sense of â€Å"oneness† or unity with God, accompanied with bliss and serenity. Mysticism is seen as the closest a human being can ever come to actually meeting God in this life. Mystical experiences can also be classified into two areas: extrovertive, where one experiences unity in the world through the physical senses and introvertive, where the person loses their identity as a separate individual and slowly merges into the divine unity. A key introvertive mystic is Teresa of Avila. In examining her contribution to religious experience, a good place to start is considering her background. Teresa’s background may be key to understanding her enigmatic personality and experiences. She was a woman from a wealthy background and had a turbulent start in life. When she was seven her mother died, and when she was fourteen she ran away to seek martyrdom. She had an alleged love affair with her cousin that tarnished her reputation and effectively made her unmarriable. This, coupled with her obsession with books of chivalry, may have corrupted her view of what love really is. Her father decided to send her into an Augustinian convent where she was very unhappy. This sense of rejection played a major part in her later religious experience. It was while she was in the convent that her religious experiences began. In 1554 she had a deeper conversion when she saw a statue of Jesus after he had been whipped. She was deeply moved and wrote, â€Å"I felt so keenly aware of how poorly I had thanked him for those wounds that, it seems to me, my heart broke. I threw myself down before him with the greatest outpouring of heart. † After this experience she progressed into a life of intense prayer and the Catholic practice of mortification, so much so that he motto became, Lord, either let me suffer or let me die. She was also deeply influenced by the Confessions of Augustine and other theological books – although she did not have access to the Bible. Perhaps the single most influential experience she had was when she ‘came back from the dead’ after suffering from what is thought to have been malaria. This increased her notoriety. Moving on, Teresa was encouraged to write about her experiences and her books continue to influence mysticism today. Her two main writings are Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle. Way of Perfection is considered her spiritual autobiography. Here she emphasises the importance of praying mentally as well as vocally. In sixteenth century Spain the common people were encouraged to restrict themselves to vain repetitions of learned-off prayers, Teresa rejected this in favour of a more personal relationship with God. Her superbly inspiring classic on the practice of prayer is as fresh and meaningful today as it was when she first wrote it. The Way of Perfection is a practical guide to prayer setting forth the Saints counsels and directives for the attainment of spiritual perfection. Through the entire work there runs the authors desire to teach a deep and lasting love of prayer beginning with a treatment of the three essentials of the prayer-filled life fraternal love, detachment from created things, and true humility. St. Teresas counsels on these are not only the fruit of lofty mental speculation, but of mature practical experience. In The Interior Castle she compares the soul to a castle with seven rooms, with the Trinitarian God residing in the inner room. Growth in prayer enables the believer to reach a deeper intimacy with God, symbolised by a progressive journey through the rooms of the castle. She also describes the resistance that the Devil places in various rooms, to keep believers from union with God. Throughout, she provides encouragements and advice for spiritual development. Teresa’s writings lack Biblical references due to the Spanish Inquisition restricting access to the scriptures, and this grieved her. William James identified four characteristics of religious experience: ineffability; noetic quality; transiency and passivity. All of these care clearly apparent with Teresa’s experiences. Starting with ineffability, this is when one experiences a feeling that cannot be described to anyone else. She wrote that, â€Å"the soul is fully awake as regards God, but wholly asleep as regards the things of this world. † Secondly, noetic quality is when the mystic experience gives insight into truths unobtainable by the intellect alone. This is also apparent in Theresa’s experiences: â€Å"when I return to myself, it is wholly impossible for me to doubt that I have been in God, and God in me. † Thirdly, transiency. The religious experience does not last for long, usually half an hour or so. Though they are remembered, they are imperfectly recalled, but recognised if they reoccur – the recipient usually feels a profound sense of the importance of the experience. Associated with Teresa’s raptures are always visions. Her most famous vision involved her seeing a small angel with a beautiful face holding â€Å"a long golden spear† tipped with a â€Å"little fire† which he thrust into her heart. Finally, there is passivity, when the mystic feels as if they have been taken over by a superior power. In Teresa’s case, her visions were sometimes accompanied by levitation or strange screams. It could be this aspect that led many to believe she was possessed by the devil. In terms of impact, Teresa of Avila had a profound influence on religious experience. She the first female saint of the Roman Catholic Church – the saint of headache sufferers, rather oddly. She was somewhat of a reformer, emphasising a personal relationship with God above rigid sacramentalism. In 1562 she established the strict Carmelite order in various areas of Spain and her writings continue to be studied by believers today.

Food Inc, opinion paper Essay Example for Free

Food Inc, opinion paper Essay Question 1: Based on your viewing of Food, Inc., how does your view of â€Å"farm-fresh† and other marketing messages that suggest a more organic flow of food products relate to the realities of 21st-century marketing channels for food? The American Marketing Association defines marketing as â€Å"the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large† (https://www.ama.org/AboutAMA/Pages/Definition-of-Marketing.aspx). The marketing mix consists of product, price, place, promotion, which means that a company needs to sell the right product at the right price and in the right place, using the best promotion. Because of all of this, â€Å"farm-fresh† and organic foods must fight in the marketplace against traditionally farmed foods. Looking at the product: what exactly makes a food organic? Organic can mean different things to different people, and even has a different meaning between companies. According to organic.org, the USDA defines organic food as that which is produced with emphasized use of renewable resources, plus conservation of soil and water. Organic food is produced without conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetics or waste, bioengineered, or ionized radiation. â€Å"Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones† (http://www.organic.org/home/faq). A government-approved certifier must inspect farms where organic foods are grown to assure that the farmer follows all USDA rules and meets organic standards. Price is a large factor when most people go grocery shopping, especially during these tough economic times. Many, including myself, can argue that organic or â€Å"farm-fresh† foods are just too expensive to buy on a regular basis, or even at all. Personally, I will buy whichever brand is cheapest, without paying attention to where or how it is produced. According to organic.org, one should consider the following facts when wondering why an organic product might cost more than it’s traditionally grown counterpart: Conventional farmers receive federal subsidies, while organic farmers do not, so the price of organic food reflects the true cost of growing. Environmental cleanups, that we pay for with our tax dollars, is not reflected in conventional food. Organic production is more labor and management intensive. And finally, organic farms do not benefit from the economies of scale that larger, more conventional farmers receive. The placement of organic foods is generally next to conventional foods in most grocery stores. Some stores may have a separate organic section, or the organic product could be placed next to its conventionally grown counterpart. Some grocery stores, such as Natural Grocers, only sell USDA approved organic or naturally grown produce and meat, and would not be concerned with placement. Organic foods are generally promoted as being more nutritious than conventional foods. Although, organic.org admits that there is not research to back this claim, at this time, there are studies that show that organic food has a higher nutritional value. This makes since, considering they are grown more naturally, with less chemicals. This film does expose something about organic or â€Å"farm-fresh† foods: the American food industry is supposed to be protected by the USDA and FDA, but they have been allowing these suppliers to focus on profit and put aside consumer health, the environment, and worker safety. Question 2: Based on your answer to Question 1, are you likely to change how and where you procure your foods (i.e., grocery stores, farmers’ markets, fast-food outlets)? Please explain your reasons. I have never been concerned about how my food was made or where it came from. I have never paid attention to organic foods, GMOs, all-natural, or anything related to the production of the foods I eat. As far as I know, my parents never paid attention to these things either. Because of this, â€Å"farm-fresh† and other marketing of organic foods has not affected me. I just purchase the foods that I want and pay no attention to whether they are â€Å"farm-fresh†, organic, locally grown, etc. I will buy whatever is cheapest,  not whatever is healthiest, most natural, or whatever. My opinion and food purchasing habits will most likely not change after viewing this movie. This question reminds me of high school health class, where we had to watch â€Å"Supersize Me.† Everyone started saying how gross it is, that they are never eating at McDonalds again, or whatever other promises they were making. All I could think was that I could totally go for some McNuggets after school that day! I guess it is just because I have never worried about where the food I eat comes from. However, I have always paid attention to salmonella and E. coli recalls. I remember not eating beef or spinach or peanut butter when there was an outbreak in their plants, because why would I want to get sick? So, I would say no, I will not change where or how I procure my groceries. I will not say that I did not get sad watching those little baby chicks die, or the chickens getting slung around. And those poor cows getting slaughtered, and that one that had that hole and the guy was digging around in her stomach, and said that she was not in pain†¦how does he know?! He’s just cut a big hole in her and is sticking his hand in her stomach, and she cannot tell you that she is in pain! Question 3: Finally, do you think there are any ethical and/or social responsibility issues that confront marketing channels for food distribution? Chicken are manipulated to grow bigger breasts, tomatoes are genetically engineered to not go bad by being picked while they are green, then ripened with chemicals. Tens of thousands of Americans get sick from new strains of E. coli every year. Levels of obesity are shooting upwards, and diabetes in adults and children have reached epidemic proportions. If Americans knew how corporations used subsidies and exploited laws to make more money, would they think more carefully about what they are eating? The truth is, most people have no clue where their foods come from. Below, I will list secrets and other things that the public should know about the food that they are putting into their bodies. I found a list on www.takepart.com (http://www.takepart.com/photos/food-inc-facts/the-impact-of-food-inc-lives-on-) of 18 â€Å"Food, Inc.† facts that everyone should know, which I have compared  with my notes and compiled the following paragraphs. I feel that if everyone was aware of these facts, it would increase the social responsibility of these companies, and people would have trust in them. These facts pertain to the slaughterhouses and meat packers. In the 1970s, the top five beef packers controlled about 25% of the market, while today, more than 80% of the market is controlled by the top four. In the 1970s, there were thousands of slaughterhouses producing the majority of beef sold, while today, there are only 13. In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections. Approximately 32,000 hogs a day are killed in Smithfield Hog Processing Plant in Tar Heel, NC, the largest slaughterhouse in the world. In 2006, the FDA only conducted 9,164. These facts pertain to Monsanto and the USDA. Prior to renaming itself an agribusiness company, Monsanto was a chemical company. In 1996 when Monsanto introduced Round-Up Ready Soybeans, the company controlled only 2% of the U.S. soybean market. Now, over 90% of soybeans contain Monsanto’s patented gene in the United States. In 1998, the USDA implemented microbial testing for salmonella and an E. coli strain so that the USDA could shut down the plant if they repeatedly failed these tests; the USDA no longer has this power after being taken to court by the meat and poultry associations. These facts pertain to the FDA, USDA, and congressmen. During the Bush administration, the head of the FDA was the former executive vice president of the National Food Processors Association. Also during the Bush administration, the chief staff at the USDA was the former chief lobbyist for the beef industry in Washington. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was an attorney at Monsanto from 1976-1979; after his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Thomas wrote the majority opinion in a case that helped Monsanto enforce its seed patents. The SB63 Consumer Right to Know measure, requiring all food derived from cloned animals to be labeled as such, passed the California state legislature before being vetoed in 2007 by Governor Schwarzenegger, who said that he couldnt sign a bill that pre-empted federal law. The rest of these facts are just interesting. The average chicken farmer (with two poultry houses) invests over $500,000, but only makes $18,000 a year. The average American eats over 200 pounds of meat each year. The modern supermarket stocks, on average 47,000 products, most of which are being produced by only a handful of food companies. About 70% of processed have some genetically modified ingredients. According to the American Diabetes Association, 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will contract early onset diabetes. Among minorities, the rate will be 1 in 2. E. coli and salmonella outbreaks have been more frequent in America. In 2007, there were 73,000 people wicked by the E. coli bacteria. Organics is the fastest growing food segment, increasing 20% annually.

Confucianism

Confucianism Many intellectual thinkers took birth in china that reformed politics, religion, and philosophy. To this day their impact can be felt in modern china. Confucianism became the dominant school of thought during the Han dynasty, but as we know, other ideologies, such as Daoism and Legalism became prevalent as well. Each ideology consisted of its own ideas of what a political and social society should be like. They all looked to determine solutions for problems people faced in their lives daily. All three of these philosophies differed vastly from each other but at the same time, they had some similarities as well. Confucianism and Daoism particularly share several beliefs and values, namely: idealizing the society somewhere in the past and belief in reform of society through self-cultivation. Whereas legalism can said to be totally different from both these philosophies in various aspects. Confucianism was founded by Confucius(680-740 B.C.). Confucius stated that his ideas were not completely new but only a restatement of the values from the early days of the Western Zhou. He believed that this period was, the lost golden age and should be recovered.(Dr. Wright 21). The society at the time of Confucius was not operating according to his ideals, therefore there was a great need for change. This change he advocated would not be to some new ideology but rather, society would revert back to the ideals of the early Zhou society, which in his mind was perfect. He further stated that specific qualities from this period had been lost. The most essential of these qualities was the performance of rituals, which he called Li. He further stated that Ritual must regulate all your conduct.(Analects 1:12) Confucius further stated that if Li was performed correctly, its constant practitioners would then learn to abide by the morals of society. This was attributed to the fact that just as a person performing a ritual had a certain position and role assigned to them, similarly a member of society had   moral expectations and obligations. Confucius also stressed that in order for a person to completely comprehend the importance of Li, one needed to posses Ren. This is described as benevolence or humaneness. Conficius believed that Ren was an inward quality as opposed to something one could acquire from outside. Taoism was found by Laotzu do a basic summary of the beliefs. Similarities between the two- One thing that Confucianism and Taoism have in common is that both ideologies believe in reforming the society through reforming the self first. In Confucianism,   one improved himself through becoming an adequate practitioner of Li, and becoming virtuous  Ã‚   Although Confucius stated that education played an important role in self-cultivation, it was not compulsory, as one could be considered virtuous by simply possessing nature qualities like: obedience, humility, loyalty and trustworthiness. Confucius further argued that one who possessed virtue or Ren and had practiced Li as well would be best fit to run a government as well as benefit society in general. Confucius belief that one must reform himself before he can change the society can be seen in the following quote from his analects. In serving ones ruler one deals reverently with the tasks involved and makes the livelihood involved a secondary consideration ( Analects 15:38). In Taoism, the individual improved himself by comprehending the meaning of the Tao intuitively. If one could get in touch with this Tao and understand it, this would lead to a immense transformation of society and government Another similarity between the two philosophies is that they both believed that society and government was perfect in the past and that those lost values must be brought back in order to achieve bliss. Confucius obviously believed the reign of the Western Zhou to be pretty well flawless. He sought to bring back social order and morality which had been lost after the fall of the Western Zhou. He argued that this social order and morality were achieved by the Western Zhou through understanding the importance of rituals (Dr. Wright 22-23). Much of the rituals performed during this time were borrowed from the Shang dynasty. An example of such a ritual is the usage of inscribed bones known as Oracle bones, in divination and posing questions to supernatural gods and deities.   This fact is also demonstrated in the following passage from The Analects, If by keeping the old warm one can provide understanding of the new, one is fit to be a teacher (2:11, Analects)(what Confucius thought) : http://www.heptune.com/confuciu.html) . In this passage Confucius basically states his understanding that in order to be successful in the present one must have an understanding of what other successful states had practiced in the past. Where Confucianism considered the past to be perfect, Taoism also idealized the past. Taoism believed that humans had once known the Tao and had lived their lives in accordance with it. It further stated that this understanding of the Tao had been lost somewhere in history and that peoples hearts no longer felt the Tao, which gave birth to intellectual thought rather than   intuition, causing all the disorder and the problems of society in general. This golden age was believed to be immediately following the discovery of agriculture by humans. At this time people lived in small homes, were greatly content and therefore were much detached from material things. Because simplicity and contentment filled peoples hearts, they were in intuitive rather than intellectual, therefore being in touch with the Tao. Taoism then claims that all this was shattered by ambition. Ambition caused people to do unnatural things like constructing large buildings, thereby causing people to lose the Tao(Dr . Wright 28) Both Confucians and Taoists assumed that the world should have a human ruler, and that he should live by, and promote, the ideals propounded by the thinker in question. While Zhuang Zhou may have considered government irrelevant, he did not condemn its existence. So while Taoists may have been less interested in existing Chinese social and political institutions than Confucians, none denounced monarchy or aristocracy, none would have understood or condoned modern ideals of egalitarianism or radical individualism. To all of them, no one is encouraged to discover or practice any new truth. Rather, one is to live the ideal life by finding and accepting ones real place within the existing world. Where Confucians and Taoists parted ways is that the former viewed the world primarily in terms of inherited socio-political norms, while the latter focused on humans continuities With the invisible dimensions of reality that Confucians were often reluctant to discuss. While both philosophies Confucianism and Taoism addressed questions about the inner self, Legalism was more concerned with ways to keep the ruler in power.   A major difference between Legalism and the philosophies previously discussed was that Legalism sought to control human behavior through the law of the state rather than changing ones self through discovering the Tao or by practicing Li and becoming moral. Han Fei, founder of Legalism, stated that there was no such thing as virtue or goodness, instead obedience was the most necessary quality a person had to possess (Legalism ,http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/china/legal.html). This was because the Legalists believed that human nature was innately bad, and that humans had to put under a system of punishment and reward. This system would be a way of controlling human behavior, which was believed to be unchangeable, as they would fear punishment from the state and cherish reward (Dr Wright 34).. Legalists also differed from Confucianism and Taoism because they did not believe in a golden age, but instead believed that no such ideal or perfect society ever existed in the past and that Legalism itself was trying to achieve that for the first time. The ideal Legalist ruler was then described as one that did not need to practicing Ren or be in touch with the Tao when dealing with society, as this would only spoil the public.   Legalism was then strictly a way of governing the people so that they may conform to the laws of ruler, as this was always right.Therefore Legalism did not focus much on finding morality and virtue within oneself as whatever the ruler considered right was considered virtuous and moral. Confucianism and Taoism were two philosophies that differed greatly in many regards but at the same time share many similarities. One such similarity was based on the fact that both believed that in order to bring social bliss, one had to change themselves first. Taoism looked to reform the individual by getting in touch with ones inner self, whereas Confucianism believed in learning from history and also from other virtuous beings around us as well as practice their rituals and ceremonies. Both philosophies also believed in a golden age and answer questions as to how one may revert back to it. Taoism stated that we should give up ambition and practice qualities such as non-action and simplicity of the past, and that this would lead to one getting in intuitive touch with the Tao. Confucianism on the other hand simply argued that one must practice ritualism and simply bring back values of successful states in the past. The third major school of thought in ancient china was known as Le galism. Legalism can be said to be completely different from the aforementioned ideologies. The single biggest difference was that Legalism was not much of a philosophy as it did not believe that a person could even be reformed. They held that ones behavior could only be temporarily controlled by laws, in particular a punishment and reward system. This was based on their belief that a person is innately evil in nature. Legalism was basically described as a technique in which would lead to conformity of the public to the rulers law. Whether these laws were just, moral or good, was irrelevant, as Legalists held the belief that whatever the ruler willed was justified and right. While it would be undeniable that Confucianism and Taoism vary vastly, their similar goals and beliefs have allowed them to co-exist successfully for thousands of years in many cultures of the world. In fact, many believe that without incorporating elements of both philosophies, an individual cannot be truly who le. As Taoism applies more to abiding by ones   intuition, it is more personal in nature, whereas Confucianism can apply to society as a whole and used to govern a state.

The Scarlet Letter Essay -- essays research papers

In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne discusses the issues of guilt, pain, and truth. For many people, it is hard to accept the faults of their own failures. Most do not acknowledge the reality of their lives, and wind up suffering for their mistakes. Guilt and Sin are bad and also cause pain. Hester Prynne endures in agony and pain because of the mistake she made. In the novel, Hester rarely gives up hope. Through her suffering, Hester maintains to keep her dignity. Hester is admired because of her strong will, and her ability to ignore other's views of her. "In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbors† (Hawthorne 50). The townspeople had no right to determine Hester’s punishment. God can only make this type of judgment. She also expresses her best qualities when she stands up to Governor Bellingham, and she confronts him about Pearl. Hester, being proud, headstrong, and confident, faces him successfully and convinces Governor Bellingham into letting her keep Pearl. She is not afraid of much in her life, especially for standing up for her family. She gains knowledge each day of her life and continues to live a fierce life. â€Å"This badge hath taught me—it daily teaches me—it is te aching me at this mom...

Areoplane Essay -- History, Inventions

Ratigan 1 The Airplane A cold breeze blows across the sand, and two men unknowingly about to make history. The men are Wilbur and Orville Wright. December 17, 1903 was the day and a mere five people were here to witness the historical feat(Brown 22). The invention of the airplane changed the way of life in many good ways but in bad ways as well. The Wright brothers were always interested in flight. As children their interest in flight was sparked by a toy rubber band helicopter their father gave them(Rinard 16). The boys attended a public school in Cedar Rapids( Brown, 20). Wilbur and Orville were the only members of their family who did not go to college( Brown 21). Instead the two of them opened a bicycle shop still keeping their interest in flight an understudy. The flight was not just a one day miracle. The brothers failed over fifty times, and never giving up trying everything possible until they finally their years of failure changed. The plane was not patented until January 22, 1904(Brown 22). First planes were far from high quality compared to planes of today. The propeller blades were made of wood and had a steel frame(Nahum 30). Yet to the technology of the time the invention was miraculous. Before this people could only be in the air for short limited time. Gliders and hot air balloons were the main way of flight. Many attempts had been made to fly with control somewhat like a bird. The Wright brothers plane gave the world the features of control and precision. The Wright brothers did not receive the instant fame which was definitely apparent. In fact many did not believe that the flight took place. Wilbur and Orville fin... ...the fastest plane the SR-71 flew at two thousand one hundred ninety three miles per hour(â€Å"Facts about Airplanes†). Passenger airlines The Airplane Ratigan 4 have affected the everyday person. By enabling them to fly from long areas instead of driving or riding in a train. The Boeing 737 weighs in at one hundred fifty thousands pounds(â€Å"Facts about Planes†). Boeing came about in 1970 and as made flying much more affordable(Nahum 35). Airplanes have through our history have changed the world. In so many good ways that can not be expressed in words, by bringing troops to safety to taking supplies to those in need. The worst is remembered the best like 9/11 or the planes that go down with passengers aboard. So many cases of bad experiences have occurred that maybe the world would be a better place without the airplane.

The Idea of a University :: College Culture Cultural Essays

The Idea of a University People have long assumed that university is the home of the educated and open minded people. People expand their personal horizons here. The public believes university students can deal with the cultural differences of human beings. The public believes students can deal with these differences because university students are exposed to a wide range of academic subjects including Humanities. Humanities exposes students to world literature, art, and geography. The public expects these subjects to aid university students in understanding cultural differences.Use of cultural differences should be emphasized in the universities. These differences should be emphasized not to humiliate or disgrace people but to influence students to accept and acknowledge cultural differences. The world is a complex mixture of people with diverse languages, skin tones, and cultural differences. These differences are the most evident in human beings. People are classified according to one or more of these differences. But the division gives the impression of being a negative one. Exposing these differences in universities and colleges should not be the source any problems. In fact, exposing these differences should help people understand and at times lend a hand to disadvantaged college students. Disadvantaged college students are the majority in college today, were yesterday, and will be tomorrow. At times disadvantaged college students feel ashamed of their cultural background. Disadvantaged college students feel ashamed because they feel other people will put them down. They don t want to talk about it. Concerning shame because of social conditions, Bell Hooks says that Class differences were boundaries no one wanted to face or talk about (95). Yet concealing cultural background can cause misunderstanding among peers. Learning about the class neighbor s cultural background, may perhaps help understand that neighbor s personality. Commenting on cultural background, Mike Rose depicts the life of a Guatemalan boy having trouble in school. The Guatemalan boy is troubled by his past. His brother was killed and dismembered near his house. These incidents are unusual for some people. The place that rose describes is filthy, chaotic, and unkept. this kind of place is the home of many college and university studentsw. Certain college students have had a depressing type of life.

Love or Fame: Which is More Important?

The issue regarding which is more important, love and family ties or fame and political power are issues that are always present in every generation. Well, which is really more important that we should devote our lives in search for the more important thing? Is blood really thicker than water? It is a subjective topic in which persons have different experiences and stand about the subject matter. This paper aims to answer this question by referring to three different epic plays: Oedipus the King and Antigone by Sophocles, and Aeneid by Virgil. It is also important to look at the values and actions displayed by the characters of the stories and to analyze whether they are still applicable in our contemporary time. In the story of Antigone, Haemon must choose between her love for Antigone and the fame and political power that await him if he obeys his father. Now Haemon is facing a dilemma because of the conflict between his love and his father. The same choice goes for Antigone for she wants to give her brother the honor of being buried in the right way. However, doing so would mean that she must disobey King Creon’s order. Disobeying the king does not only take the opportunity to be the princess by marrying the king’s son, Haemon, but her own life as well. But Antigone and Haemon decided to follow their hearts. In the end, Antigone killed herself. Knowing that his love is death, Haemon also decided to end his life. Thus, their value for their love ones cost them their own lives. However, they still gain the respect and sympathy of the people of Thebes. It can be said that the actions of Antigone and Haemon are not applicable in our present time. Although there are several movies that portray the same idea, this rarely happen in reality. It is a very rare case in which lovers decided to end their lives since it is impossible for them to be together. They can be considered as martyrs rather than heroes because of the act. Antigone also displays the kind of courage and determination that is greatly needed in our society today. Although she is a woman, she defies the odds and even the king for what she believes is right. Adding to the fact that she lives in the period when woman are considered inferior to man. This kind of courage is really needed by the present generation. Not only woman but men as well that have the courage to stand up and are willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to make a change. Today, although woman are accepted by our society and are ‘said’ to be equal to men, there are still some times that they are afraid to speak out and fight for their rights. Also both men and women are sometimes afraid to question some of the things that they find unjust in the society. They are afraid to face the consequences and are unwilling to make a change to improve social order. This characteristic is really needed in our society today, the courage to fight for what is right even if the whole society is against us. If only there are those like Antigone that are willing to give it all in order to make a change, I’m sure that our society will be a better place to live. On the other hand, King Creon cannot consider himself victorious. His persistence and determination to exercise his power over the people of Thebes had a considerably great cost. Not only had he lost the sympathy of the people of Thebes and the approval of the gods but the life of his son and wife as well. His authority blinded him and the result is loosing the persons that he values the most. If our present leaders will demonstrate the same reason and behavior like that of King Creon, the people will surely revolt and take their powers and authority away and give it to someone more deserving and just. The people will surely not tolerate such actions. In the Aeneid, Dido falls in love with Aeneas. They live together that makes Dido thinks that they are really husbands and wives. However, due to Aeneas vision of building a great city, he left Dido. Thus, Dido killed herself using Aeneas own sword. This action by Dido can also be considered as inappropriate in our time. Having that wealth and power is what everyone wants and throwing it all away together with your life is a very foolish thing to do. The same thing also goes for Aeneas, staying beside Dido ensures that a good future awaits him. No one would dare to exchange a wealthy living to a future that is unknown especially putting his or her own life on the line. But Aeneas is in search of greater glory and power. He pursues his desire to build a strong city. Indeed, he was able to build a great city and fulfill his destiny. He was a successful warrior, leader and founder and was able to fulfill a great vision. Still, things had not been easy for him. He also lost some of his love ones including his beloved wife and father. On the story of Oedipus, Oedipus chooses love over power. Although his known father Polybus is the King of Corinth, Oedipus decided to ran away from Corinth, sacrificing his title as the prince and the opportunity to be the future king. The fear of killing his father and marrying his mother had been the basis of his actions. In order to protect the people that he loves and to thwart the destiny that had been foretold about him, Oedipus lost everything that can be considered of great value, the easy and good life that he has in Corinth. In the end, he blinded himself and left Thebes without anything because of the words that he had given and as a punishment for all that he had done.   T oday, such punishment is not applicable and no one will also have the courage to do such thing. There are so many ways in which you can pay the wrong things that you had done and doing something like what Oedipus did is something unimaginable.   Death would be more acceptable than to suffer in the same way like Oedipus suffers. In the case of Queen Jocasta and King Creon, no one would abandon his or her child because of a prophecy. Abandoning a child at an early age is a very terrible thing to do. Yes there are times that we consult things like tarot reading, fortune telling an the likes in search for the answers to our questions about the future, but these visions are never considered as the primary basis of making decisions especially when life is involve. The respect given by the characters to the members of their family is also needed in the contemporary time. Today, youths are said to be losing respect especially to their parents whom they owe everything. Respect is a very important component of building a strong family ties. Also, respect for the authorities is needed in building a strong nation. Conflicts and wars arise because of the lost of respect to those who have the authority and to the right of every individual to live a peaceful life. In the three stories, those who value their family and love ones so much ended up in misfortune. The same thing goes for those who wanted to protect and achieve power. Thus, to search for love and for power both have negative consequences. To pursue love means to put your own life in the line and to face several hardships, to pursue power means to endanger the lives of the persons that you love and be left alone. Whether to choose love and family over fame and political power is really a big decision. You cannot have the best of both worlds. To pursue love means to let go of powers and fame and vise versa. Also we cannot really determine which is important, whether to choose love and family ties over fame and power depends upon the situation. What is important is that we do not only consider our own benefit in making the right decision. Also the stories show that to pursue love and power is not wrong, however living your life to attain just one of them is sure to cost you a lot. In making a decision we should both consider the heart and as well as the mind in order to come up with the right decision. Reference GradeSaver LLC,. (2007). The Aeneid. Retrieved December 8, 2007 from http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/aeneid/fullsumm.html GradeSaver LLC,. (2007). Oedipus the King. Retrieved December 8, 2007 from http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/oedipus/section3.html GradeSaver LLC,. (2007). Antigone. Retrieved December 8, 2007 from http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/antigone/section3.html