Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Examine and comment on Christian and Hindu beliefs about life after death Essay Example for Free
Examine and comment on Christian and Hindu beliefs about life after death Essay Death is the most fateful experience of each individuals life. Whether it is the end of ones life, or the beginning of a new life, no one knows. Death for the Hindu is merely transition, simultaneously an end to a new beginning. Death for the Christian is destined and is a time of judgement that is made from their former performances in life. These are very different views from two major world religions that both question the different events that may take place after ones death. The Christian faith believes that the body is resurrected at death and the soul of an individual is immortal and continues after death. The doctrines of the church teach Christians that after one dies, they will rise before God and be judged. They believe that Christians who have been faithful throughout their life by worshipping Christ and helping other who are less fortunate. A quotation from Matthew 25: 31-46, One day we shall be called to account for the way we have used our gifts, our opportunities and our energies. Above all, we shall be required for the way we have behaved in relation to the poor, needy and the marginalised, supports the belief of the Christian faith and continues to teach these beliefs to mankind. This judgement that is made by God determines whether a persons soul will spend eternity in heaven or hell. Based on Jesus teachings and other sources of revelation, Christians believe that heaven is a place of eternal life, extravagance and luxury, The best and sweetest flowers of Paradise God gives to his people when they are upon their knees. Prayer is the gate of heaven, a key to let us in to Paradise, There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 21:4), these quotations show Christians believe that heaven is a place for those who have worshipped God and have followed the teachings of Jesus. The bible has portrayed heaven as the kingdom of heaven, where kingdom refers to a place of monarchy and sovereignty, where people will be reunited with God. However, Christians can not just enter heaven when they die, but will have to show that they are worthy of entering heaven, For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:17-20), this quotation alternatively states that a person who thinks of themselves as higher than God, will never enter heaven. The question that then arises is, where do the unworthy of entering heaven, go after death? The complete alternative of heaven is hell, where people who have carried out immoral acts, such as murder and rape which are forbidden according to the sacred doctrines of the bible, along with people who do not believe in God and have not followed the Christian faith will live eternally in the brutal conditions that hell facilitates, The sword which shall pierce them with the greatest sorrow will be the thought of having lost God, and of having lost Him through their own fault, this quotation gives us a small insight of what hell is portrayed as by Christians. St. Augustine says that in Hell, the damned will be forced to think of nothing but God and that will cause them terrible torment. Biblical quotations such as and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42) and In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, show that Jesus talks about hell as being a place of fire and where souls are burnt and tortured for eternity. Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon which was titled Sinners in the hands of an Angry God. This contained a passage with a quotation There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery, stating that if a person enters hell, there is no turning back, and they will suffer in the fiery flames of hell. The bible also describes hell as an endless torture scene, with angels and Jesus present either as observers or as officials who are directing the torture of the victims in hell. However, there are two different concepts about the duration of the torture, Annihilationism and traditionalism. Annihilationism is the belief that unsaved individuals will be punished in hell for only a period of time that is appropriate to pay for the nature and frequency of their sins which they were alive on earth. Annihilationists also believe that when a persons punishment has finished, and they have paid the full penalty for their sins, they will be exterminated and their soul will cease to exist in any form. This mean that the soul will not be tortured for any longer, however, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven, which consequently means that at that point, their life has come to an end. In contrast, traditionalism is simply a belief that unsaved individuals will be punished in hell not only for a year, or a decade, but for eternity without any hope of relief, moderation or cessation of the pain. There are many passages and quotations that appear to describe punishment in hell as lasting forever such as the fire that burns them will never be put out (Isaiah 66:24) and And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12.2). These quotations from the bible clearly support the view of traditionalism which shows that even though Gods wish is for all to be saved, the ones who are not will be punished forever. Although this is the view for many Christians, others including Skeptics, Humanists, Atheists, Agnostics generally believe that there is no afterlife and accept that after death, there is personal annihilation. Roman Catholic Christians also have alternative but similar views as they believe that in between heaven and hell, there is purgatory. This is where people who have sinned within their lifetime, but have not sinned to the extent that they must enter hell and be tortured for eternity, are punished for their bad deeds until all penalties have been paid. This enables them to be cleansed from sin and can potentially enter heaven where their soul will rest for eternity. Roman Catholics also believe that people who have family and friends to pray for them after they die will be released from purgatory sooner than those who dont. This is why many Roman Catholics have an overwhelming fear of death as they feel they will certainly suffer, whether it is in hell or purgatory. Pope John Paul issued a piece entitled Incarnationis Mysterium which suggests that Roman Catholics visit certain holy sites to try and reduce the amount of time they will have to spend suffering after death. In this, there is was an appendix called Conditions for Gaining the Jobilee Indulgence which suggested ways for Roman Catholics to attempt to reduce the amount of time spent suffering after they die by carrying out good deeds during their lifetime such as visiting the elderly who live along, the sick, the handicapped etc. Some Roman Catholics carry out these deeds, but the question that has to be asked is, is this being done from the goodness of their heart, or for the goodness of themselves? It is clear that different Christians have different views on life after death, but are similar and can be linked together in some sense, for example, annihilationism is vaguely similar to purgatory in the way that people who have sinned are not punished eternally. However, can this be said for the views on life after death for Christianity and Hinduism? Certainly not, as Hindus have a completely different perspective of afterlife. For Hindus, death is referred to as mahaprasthana which means great journey. Hindus believe in reincarnation, which is the cycle of death and rebirth after a while in spiritual spheres into a new physical body, this is where the soul, which is the true self, remains the same, while the vehicle of the soul to make the needed learning experience changes. Death means nothing else but the loss of a vehicle the soul was using during its many reincarnations, which is a physical body. Saint Tiruvalluvar wrote that death is like falling asleep, and birth is like awakening from that sleep, this quotation shows that no Hindu should really fear death, as an individual is not the body in which they live, but the immortal soul which inhabits many bodies in its evolutionary journey. Samsara is the term referred to by Hindus and means wandering. They believe that the soul wanders from body to body in one lifetime to another. The Bhagavad Gita, which is the holy text for Hindus, teaches that death should not be feared and there is no reason to grieve, For sure is the death of all that is born, sure is the birth of all that dies: so in a matter that no one can prevent, you have no cause to grieve (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 verse 27). This quotation states that all are born again so there is no point grieving over something that cannot be avoided. However, the reason why all living things are continually reborn is based on the Hindu belief in karma. Karma means action and the law of karma is the law of cause and effect. Hindus believe that the life they are living may not be the first one, and they may have been born many more times before that. The law of karma states that any good or bad deeds than have been carried out in ones life will give an impression and will be carried over to the next life, for example evil and selfish actions will consequently results in a life of suffering. Therefore, it is said to believe that everything has a cause and purpose, What a man becomes in his next life will depend upon his karma (Brihad-aranyaka Upunishad. IV. 4.verse 3). For a Hindu, this belief could provide a strong incentive to live a good, moral life so the fear of suffering in their next life is overcome. The law of karma can also explain the differences in circumstances and inequalities between people around the world. Although many Hindus aspire to a good rebirth, the ultimate goal of any Hindu is for the atman (soul) to escape Samsara altogether and this is known as Moksha. Moksha can be described as perfect peace and happiness, or as the soul losing itself in Brahman. Brahman means God and moksha is a spiritual state of existence in which there is a union with God, When all desires that rest in the heart are liberated shall a mortal man become immortal and attain Brahman, which shows that when all thoughts are put to rest and when the atman is truly identified as the equivalent of the reality of Brahman, an individual will be able to make moksha their goal and achieve it. Yoga may be considered as a way of exercise to keep the body healthy and fit where as the true meaning of yoga is unity and integration, and is the means, methods and discipline that will enable an individual to bring union with a personal God, Brahman. There are three recognised ways of doing this and they are karma yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga. By carrying out these, and using them as a guideline, moksha can be gained. Hindus see their religion as a way of life and many Hindus apply themselves and live their lives wanting to act to the best of their potential in hope that when they die, they will be released from samsara and gain moksha. Christianity and Hinduism are two major religions that are followed worldwide. They also have very contradistinctive views on life after death. However, both Christians and Hindus turn to their religion to find answers for existence along with death. They also hold tenaciously to the beliefs taught by their particular denominations as a way of comfort. One thing that Christians and Hindus have in common is that they both portray religion as a way of life and use scholarly teachings to influence them on which rightful path to follow in life. Death has been questioned for a very long time and no one has been able to answer the question What happens after death?, which means no one really knows what events will take place after we die, where we will go or what will happen to us. Although we try and answer all of these questions with religious beliefs, until one experiences death, the question that has caused distress to people for over 2 millennia still remains, is there an afterlife?
Monday, January 20, 2020
Waste Land Essay: Isolation from a Noble Past -- T.S. Eliot Waste Land
The Waste Land: Isolation from a Noble Past     Desire to return to a noble past is a central theme of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land. The narrators of the poem consistently show dissatisfaction with the present, and describe, with yearning, the quality of the past; furthermore, Eliot portrays the contemporary world as irredeemably lost to the beauty of antiquity. In The Waste Land, the theme of isolation from a noble past is represented by descriptions of the environment, sexual corruption, and self-mechanization.       Eliot opens â€Å"The Fire Sermon†with a juxtaposition of antiquity and modernity that is centered around the Thames River. The mystical past of the river has been destroyed, and the speaker laments the current condition of his environment:                        The river bears no empty bottles, sandwich papers,                             Silk handkerchiefs, cardboard boxes, cigarette ends                        Or other testimony of summer nights. The nymphs are departed.                        And their friends, the loitering heirs of City directors;                        Departed, have left no addresses.                        By the water of the Leman I sat down and wept (177-82) Although this section is written in the present tense, the speaker means the Thames of the past. The Thames of the past was not polluted, and there were nymphs, giving it a mystical characteristic; however, these nymphs are departed now, and the river is nothing like it used to be. Eliot also juxtaposes different poetic styles to further distinguish the past from the present. Amid a group of unrhymed, rhythm-less lines, he writes, â€Å"Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song†(175... ...ing lost the sense of Good and Evil, has ceased to be alive†(46). This â€Å"living death†is seen very clearly during and immediately after the sexual encounter of the clerk and typist. Eliot uses desolation of environment as well to juxtapose past and present, especially when describing the â€Å"unreal city.† The destruction brought about by post-war modernity is rampant also in the description of the Thames River. Finally, Eliot shows the lack of vitality of modern people through their voluntary self-mechanization. The characters of the present in The Waste Land have no motivation to make, or live by, their own choices, and let the machine of life carry them where it may. The result is a stark depiction of the automation, isolation, and despair that define the contemporary world. Work Cited Eliot, T. S. The Waste Land. Collected Poems Harcourt : New York, 1963.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Gillette – Product Innovation
Question 1 : Evaluate product innovation at Gillette throughout its history. Gillette has invented the first safety razor with disposable blades in year 1901 which is one of the new-to-the-world products. This safety razor serves as a basic product, for the market segment of men who shave regularly, providing them high quality shaving experience. The safety razor differentiates itself from the razor used at that period of time– the straight razor with an open blade, with its cover over the two edged blades, make it easier to handle and prevent cuts while shaving. This safety razor can be evaluated as a successful product, with its outstanding market performance of 50%-70% over the next 7 decades, and achieving $6. 80 profit per share. However, due to the lack of focus on product development, Gillette lost its market edge to Wilkinson Sword-Schick’s Stainless-steel blade, a new entry to the shaving market with a significant reduce in market share to 49% in 1962. However, Gillette didn’t realize the importance of product innovation and it took them 12 years to introduce the world with another product, the Trac II razor , a safety razor with two blades whereby the second blade cut the number of strokes required & reduced facial irritation. Trac II is an improvement and revision of Gillette’s disposable safety razor. However, although being capable to continue its dominance in the razor segment, Gillette is unable to regain its past glory of high profit per share performance, and remained at the range from $1. 3 to $2. 83 in 1974. Later in year 1976, Gillette continued to innovate and introduced other products with improved performance, such as the Atra razors with a pivoting head which enable men to shave their neck. Other new products which continue to lengthen Gillette’s product line are the Good News! disposable double-blade razor, which is more convenient for men to use and Daisy razor, which serves the segment of wome n who shave regularly. These new product lines strengthen Gillette’s position in the global market by gaining 75% of the global market share whereby Gillette achieves for the first time in the historyâ€â€the $2 billion mark of sales volume by the end of 1980. In addition, the Good News! brand had been the best-selling disposable razor in the United States each year since 1976 and with its moderate increase in sales enabled it to maintain its position as the number-one seller in this product category worldwide. In the effort to further widen the product mix of Gillette to capture other segments of the market, Gillette continues to evelop new products. The Atra-Plus shaving system, which featured a refillable Atra cartridge with a lubricating strip, is an example of another incremental innovation. Along the same revolution is the Good News! line to include a disposable razor with a lubricating strip. Other new product-mixes which carries Gillette’s brand name are the Aapri facial care produ ct, Dry Idea deodorant, Bare Elegance body lotion, Mink Difference hair spray, White Rain hair care products, and Silkience shampoo and moisturizers. These products help Gillette to serve other segments other than men and women who shave regularly and also build Gillette’s brand awareness and brand equity in the long run. In 1990, Gillette continues to strive for the dominant sales position around the world with more incremental innovative products. Gillette launched the original Sensor razor, the first razor to have spring-loaded blades which claimed that the blades receded into the cartridge head, when they make contact with skin, helping to prevent cuts and allowing for a closer shave. In 1993, the Sensor Excel was introduced with the added feature of â€Å"Microfins,†a piece of rubber with slits at the bottom of the cartridge and Gillette claimed this helped to raise facial hairs, making for a closer shave. Along the same product category which serves the women segment is the Sensor for Women system, launched in 1992, which is the revision of the Sensor and Sensor Excel product line. This system established a major hold on the market for female razor products in the United States. With such effort, I think Gillette succeeded in increasing Gillette’s brand awareness thus increased its brand equity, although the continued success of the Sensor family of shaving systems led to the gradual decline of the Atra and Trac II twin-blade shaving systems. Six years after in year 1998, Gillette introduced the world with Mach 3, a razor with three thin blades designed to provide a closer shave in fewer strokes with less irritation. The Mach3 featured five improved microfins and spring blades, a pivoting head with greater flexibility and a blue lubrication strip that faded with usage to encourage users to change their blades more frequently. The feature of the fading lubrication strip served as a great influencer to impact the consumer to buy more of Gillette’s productâ€â€the cartridges. The Mach 3 became Gillette’s most successful new product ever as sales hit $ 1 billion in only 18 months. Besides, being the winner of the American Marketing Association’s Grand Edison Award as the est new product of 1998 also proofs the success of this innovative product. Further innovation efforts in this product line are the Mach3 Turbo and the Venus system for women. Besides, Gillette is able to widen its market share to teens who shaves with a line of Sensor razors in a variety of colours in an attempt to develop lifelong customers at a young age. Due to the high profit margin Mach3 created for the shaving market and the uncontested market space, Schick’s enter the market with Quattroâ€â€the world’s first foue-bladed razor. Besides, another product which carries Schick’s brand is the Intuition razor, also suite as the close substitutes to the Venus and Sensor shaving system. The occurrence of direct competitor, competing for the same market segment has affected Gillette’s market share to fall 4. 3 % from 67. 3% to about 63%. Therefore, Gillette started to react aggressively by continuing its progressive geometry technology innovation by introducing the Fusion razor in 2005. The Fusion uses a unique five-blade design with a single blade on the back of the cartridge for use in trimming moustaches and sideburns. Initial sales were very successful as over 4 billion razors were sold within the first two months, 20% more than when the Mach 3 was launched in 1998. Despite many sceptical issues were brought up involving the pricing strategy, product value and the frequency to have to replace the cartridges, Fusion still gain its success by approaching the $ 1 billion sales within 3 years. However, the consumers reflected in the Consumer Reports whereby Fusion was no better than other razors, particularly the Mach3. In the later stage, Gillette continued to innovate by offering power versions of its razors that contain tiny electronic motors in the handle. These motors create a vibration in the blades that cause hair to stand more erect, thus giving a closer and smoother shave. The powered razors also helped promote each company’s batteries. Other products which contribute towards Gillette’s sales are the supplementary products, for example the chemistry if shaving creams, gels, and aftershaves in order to compliment the shaving experiences.
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Supply Chain Quality Management Retail Industry Essay
Supply Chain Quality Management: Retail Industry Introduction In an organization, product quality and delivery is largely dependent on the supply chain management which in turn affects the overall profitability. Therefore, supply chain quality control is essential in any organization to ensure a competitive edge in the industry and minimizing the operating costs. Firms are thus competing on the innovation front to stay upfront in meeting customer expectations. One of the industry in which advances in supply chain management have been evolving rapidly is the retail industry. Due to the changing nature of the competitiveness in the retail industry, supply chain managers must come up with expansion plans that align with multiple-channel and geographic growth. Supply Chain Trends in the Retail Industry The global supply chain in the retail industry has witnessed changes and shifts which have led to opportunities and challenges for the involved players. This has occasioned shifts in trade and consumer behavior patterns. Among these are global growth patterns brought about by explosion of more cities and thus growth in infrastructure. There have been flexible supply chain trends which have enabled retail operators to adapt effectively to unexpected circumstances and changes. Moreover, globalization has changed the way retail supply chain is managed as more mature markets emerge to provide logistic and standard solution needs of the businesses. Conversely, near-shoring hasShow MoreRelatedThe Effect of Supply Chains Management Process Essay1582 Words  | 7 Pages Supply chains management (SCM) is one of popular concept in business administration both in practical areas and academic discipline. Supply chains management can be seen as a response to the changing of global market conditions. 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