Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Meaning of Life and Happiness Essay Example for Free
Meaning of Life and Happiness Essay I do not think that there is a single person in the world who can say that knows what happiness actually is and, more importantly, that knows how to achieve it. We sometimes get the glimpse of pure happiness but those moments are so rare and so intense that we only recognise them too late. Each of us understands this feeling in a different wayâ⬠¦I, for instance, see it as the one that can make you feel that there is no worry in life and nothing and nobody can hurt you anymore. For me, it is when you feel like you can do anything and forget about the past, the future, just enjoying the mere present. In my case, it is one of two feelings that can make you cry with all your heartâ⬠¦because it is too much for you to express in plain words or pointless gestures. ââ¬Å"Tears are words that the heart canââ¬â¢t expressâ⬠a wise man once said and could have never said it better, as happiness is that joy which is so strong that sometimes even hurts. However, I never remember the recipe for happiness and even if I did I do not think it would work again because one of its components is also hazard. Still, this does nt make me stop searching for it and devote it everything I do, I am and I achieve. Likewise, each person Iââ¬â¢ve ever met, consciously or not, did the sameâ⬠¦we want to get something, to become someone. Why? Not because that would make us feel miserable, but fulfilled and maybe a little bit more: happy. Hence, I strongly believe that happiness is the main purpose of our lives, the whole aim of our ephemeral existence. We are born happy and we want to die the same; this is the true ideal that we all crave for reaching. Money, wealth, knowledge mean nothing, without someone who cares about what you have achieved. Human beings, whether they like admitting it or not, need other human beings to share their secrets with, to share their joy or sorrow; as genuine joy can only become happiness if there is another person by your side. In other words, happiness is, in my opinion, the actual meaning of life; and life seems so complicated especially because we seldom get to its core, we almost never get to know what happiness feels likeâ⬠¦and afterwards all that remains is an unclear memory of the moment and a wish of feeling it again.
Monday, August 5, 2019
Artificial And Non Artificial Ingredients In Foods Biology Essay
Artificial And Non Artificial Ingredients In Foods Biology Essay The aim of this research is to find out what are the differences between artificial and non artificial additives, and their modern use as well as the safety, benefits of their presence and side effects it might have on the body. As my examples of artificial additives I will discuss the properties of two synthetically obtained chemicals, a sweetner Aspartame and a flavor enhancer Mono sodium glutamate. Compounds vanillin and cinnamaldehyde as examples of natural ingredients. My intended sources of information were websites found on the google search engine, and other links associated with this topic.. First time line for the research was due on 20/02/2013 and it was requested by Joanne mitchel. 2 What are additives and what are they used for Food additives are ingredients added to foods during their manufacturing processes, food additives can also be identified as natural and artificial. Natural or non-artificial are often considered to be of natural origin, and have been used for centuries by people. These natural ingredients were obtained from organic sources such as part of the plants or animals that contained the active compound in them. Methods of obtaining these ingredients and their uses varied as many cultures and regions had their own methods of seasoning and preserving foods. Ingredients obtained synthetically are artificial, these ingredients are often obtained through bacterial fermentation, some artificial additives are simply, separated and concentrated active compounds found in natural ingredients, however synthetically obtained will never be the same as natural. Natural additives such as food dyes, preservatives and spices existed all throughout history, however their methods of preparation were often ver y time consuming and gave very little results, which not everyone could afford. Today the use of natural ingredients and natural ways of preserving foods has been greatly replaced by artificial additives. They can act as preservative to allow food to be eatable for longer, pH regulators to keep the food at its optimal pH, flavor enhancers to sharp the taste of other tastes and some additives can act as a substitute for tastes and flavorous such as sugar. Chemical properties and uses of Aspartame and Mono sodium glutamate Aspartame or E951 and MSG (Mono sodium glutamate) are two artificial ingredients used in the EU in many foods. Aspartame is a white odorless powder and it is very sweet in taste which eventually becomes bitter, chemically aspartame is a methyl ester of two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, in acidic conditions aspartame will breakdown to its components and also a 3rd dipeptide called aspartyl-phenylalanin, it will also produce methanol as a bi product. MSG is a sodium salt of an amino acid that is known as glutamic acid which is often found naturally in many animal proteins, chemically it is one sodium atom holding two glutamic acids together. Main use of aspartame are its properties that make it sweet in taste, aspartame is also widely used in soft drinks and chewing gums as a substitue for sugar. Although aspartame is not used in all sweetners, chemicals with similar chemcial properties are also used in other products such as confectionary and sweets. MSG is used as a f lavor enhancer, it works best when combined with other flavors. It is generally used in ready meals, processed meats, fast food restaurants and snacks such as crisps and many other, MSG is also used in seasonings and canned soups. Chemical properties and uses of Cinnamon powder and Vanilla oil. Both cinnamon powder and vanilla oil are examples of natural ingredients that can be added to food to increase their taste quality, these ingredients are often less active on the body than their artificial forms, naturally these ingredients have to be prepared from the actual flower or part of the plant that contains the active ingredient found within the part of the plant. Cinnamon powder is grated bark of the cinnamon tree, the active ingredient found in cinnamon is the cinnamaldehyde which gives cinnamon its taste in cinnamon based products. Presence of a compound known as vanillin gives vanilla its smell and taste and it is the active compound that is used in the production of vanilla tasting spices and all vanilla tasting products, however this chemical is obtained both naturally and synthetically. These natural additives are just a fraction of what used to be an everyday spice, even though the active compounds can be produced synthetically. These spices are still produced naturally, and are sold as everyday spices however products such as confectionary that resemble in taste may have been produced artificially. Benefits of presence of additives in food The main benefit of presence of artificial additives in foods is that it is more economically efficient than obtaining and preparation of natural additives, especially in additives that are used as food dyes, preservatives, pH regulators and flavourings, flavour enhancers and emulsifiers. Naturally preservatives would be just a matter of preserving the food keeping it in cool conditions but even that will not give it a long lasting date of expiration and preservatives can extend that date as well as pH regulators by keeping the food at its optimum pH to preserve its freshness. Sugar substitutes can also be beneficial to people with disorders that excludes sugar from their diet. Some of the properties of certain compounds found within the additives could never be separated out naturally. Possible side effects associated with foods containing natural and artificial additives. Natural additives like vanilla extract and cinnamon powder are non essential to the human body but will digest. The desired active compounds in them will correspond to their function and breakdown to smaller harmless compounds. Side effects that are often associated with consumption of foods containing these ingredients are allergic reactions to compounds found within them. Artificial additives work in similar way, when obtained and prepared it is in its pure form, then it is added during foods manufacturing process. Some artificial additives are synthetically obtained active compounds found in natural ingredients. Some like aspartame were designed using other compounds creating in effect a new compound, aspartame partially breaks down to methanol which is toxic in even small amounts and the more aspartame is consumed the more methanol is produced. Regular consumption of foods and drinks containing aspartame may result in headaches, dizziness, and even vomiting, another biproduct of aspartame is L-phenylanine which by some cannot be consumed as it gives allergic reactions to people sensitive to it. MSG contains glutamic acid that is naturally found in meat proteins, it is non essential but will breakdown and digest, MSG is purely an active compound, the role for glutamic acid in proteins is that it is a building block for muscules and also supports brain function. Foods containing MSG could alter the functions of the brain for the moment of consuming the food and its digestion, over consumption of foods containing these ingredients may cause headaches, bowel distress, acid reflux, indigestion, nausia and fatigue. Long term effects and the impact on society. Natural ingredients added to foods should not be a cause of any physical or mental disabilities, there are always foods in nature that have low toxicity and are considered to be healthy and there are always those more toxic and should be avoided, many natural ingredients and spices were unique to different cultures and regions of the world which were renowned for them as well. It can not be ruled out that compounds found within artificial additives can be considered toxic and be potentially dangerous to the body if excess amounts of foods containing these chemicals are consumed on a regular basis over years. Children can be particularly affected by such foods that it can even be noticed, children require less food so it takes less to see the effects of such foods. Sugar causes hyper activity as well as other sugar based products, there are also concerns that the active compounds found in additives such as MSG can alter the brain chemistry to the point a person will be craving for thi s particular food without understanding that they were actually craving for the ingredient in that food. This might affect children more severely because as they are developing they might become more prone to simply buying these foods over fully nutritional foods that they require. People prone to stress eating will be more likely to want to eat products containing, high sugar content and foods containing richer and stronger flavours, which many additives were designed to simulate. In my opinion it is not worth it to fill foods with ingredients that can be potentially harmful with just having this advantage that they can stay for longer or taste more stronger. The best solution would by minimising the intake of foods containing these chemicals to only required mass their body needs. People in most developed countries are aware of what is in the food they buy and the daily amount required but it still dose not help the growing population of obesity in most countries. It should also b e noted that additives were disqualified from many markets through out their short period of existence because they were considered potentially harmful and those considered vital were always replaced by new. http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/top-10-food-additives-to-avoid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_additive http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/food_additives.shtml http://www.wholevegan.com/food_additives.html http://cdn.zentrum-der-gesundheit.de/images/titelbild/vanillin-ia.jpg http://www.liquorpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/van.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_cinnamate Health Benefits of Cinnamon http://www.bmrb.wisc.edu/metabolomics/mol_summary/show_data.php?molName=methyl_3_4_5_trimethoxy_cinnamateid=bmse010223
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Learning Styles and the Accounting Profession Essay -- Business Accoun
Every human being in this world is unique and each individual has different ways in which they learn. Learning styles have been formulated over the years to help us recognize the way we approach learning and methods we use to gain knowledge. It is an individual's distinctive approach to learning based on strengths, weaknesses, and preference with a mixture of various styles. In this essay, we will take a look at different learning styles and how they can be implemented and integrated in the accounting profession. To determine the best way I learn, I carried out two different learning styles questionnaires online. One may find that they are not always categorised in a specific type rather they may have more than one learning preference. Firstly, the most commonly used Neil Flemingââ¬â¢s VARK model. Fleming believes that there are four different types of learner: Visual, Auditory, Reading/writing and Kinesthetic learners. The second model I tried out was Soloman-Felder Learning Styles and Strategies. The two tests that I have done have pretty much accurately described what kind of learner I am. VARK model states that my dominant learning style is Kinesthetic. Kinesthetic learners learn by doing things physically with hands on experience rather than listening to someone else. I tend to move around a lot when remembering or revising for an exam which helps me express a thought or understand a subject through bodily movement. My other style is Linguistic and Spatial Visual learning. It is easier for me to grasp the meaning of things by visually understanding a concept with the help of graphs, pictures, videos, etc or taking notes as I learn. My least preferred style was Auditory. This is fairly true as I ne... ..., I believe I can be a good accountant as long as I improve on my weaknesses and master my strengths. References: - â⬠¢ Chapman, A. 2009. Free learning styles test. Leicester: Businessball.com. Available from : http://www.businessballs.com/vaklearningstylestest.htm [Accessed 29th November 2010] â⬠¢ Clark, D. 2008. Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic Learning styles (VAK). Available from : http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/vakt.html [ Accessed 29th November 2010] â⬠¢ McCarthy, M. 2010. Experiential Learning Theory-From Theory to Practice. Orland. Available from http://www.gimi.us/CLUTE_INSTITUTE/ORLANDO_2010/Article%20111.pdf [Accessed 2nd December 2010] â⬠¢ Novin, A., Arjomand, L. and Jourdan, L. Teaching & Learning, Fall 2003, Volume 18, Number 1, pp. 24-31. Available from : http://www.und.nodak.edu/dept/ehd/journal/Fall2003/novin.pdf [ Accessed 2nd December
Saturday, August 3, 2019
The Age of Innocence Essay -- essays research papers
The truth that lies behind fantasies The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton is a book that gave the word ââ¬Å"loveâ⬠many other meanings, such as impossible, meaningless and incomplete. There were many unbearable obstacles that Countess Ellen Olenska, one of the main characters, had to face because of love. She was treated badly by many people and always longed for love but never obtained it. With everyone cursing her, betraying her and hurting her, there was one person who was always there for her. Newland Archer wasnââ¬â¢t only sympathetic towards her; he also began to fall in love with her. The love she always wanted. He was the man who truly cared for her and always helped her make decisions. Out of all the selfish people in New York who degraded her, including her very close relatives, Newland Archer was one person who was there to listen to her problems and helped her solve them. Countess Olenska had to face many difficulties in her life. After having problems with her husband, Count Olenski, she left her home in Europe and lived with her grandmother, Mrs. Mingott. When she came to New York, Newland Archer was the only one who was there for her and listened to her problems. Furthermore, when she wanted to get a divorce Newland Archer, being a lawyer, talked to her about it and made her change her mind. He fell in love with her, knowing he was engaged to her cousin, and supported her. If he wanted, he could have forced her into getting a divorce and get married to her with...
Ethics of Civil Disobedience Essay -- Ethics Morals Philosophy Rationa
Ethics of Civil Disobedience Ban animal cruelty! Give aid to the poor! Save the rainforests! Obey the law! As a human race we must strive to fulfill these commands, for they are our moral duties and obligations. Our obligation to morality sometimes leads to a dilemma. What happens when a law contradicts the morally right thing to do? Would it be moral to act illegally by breaking the law? No matter how drastic the measure, we are still required to act morally--even if one must break the law to do so. But why is it so important to be moral that one could justify something as serious as breaking the law? If morality is so significant that one could justify breaking the law we must consider the importance of being moral in the first place. The question ââ¬Å"Why be moral?â⬠is difficult for many philosophers to answer. Just by our attempt to answer this question we would already be displaying the need to act morally. This is more clearly seen with the difficulty is asking a similar type of question, ââ¬Å"Why act rationally?â⬠According to Singer many philosophers reject the question ââ¬Å"Why act morally?â⬠because it is parallel to this question of acting rationally. It would take rationality to explain why one should act rationally. Thus defeating the need to explain the importance of rationality in the first place. ââ¬Å"â⬠¦it needs no justification, because it cannot be intelligibly questioned unless it is already presupposedâ⬠(Singer 316). Similarly ââ¬Å"why be moral?â⬠asks for a moral reason to act morally. Modern Kantianism considers acting rationally to be the same as acting ethically. If this is true, one could rationalize a need that is in their own self interest, yet at the same time against the interest of another individual. Since this c... ... is the only means of preventing greater violence would be responsible for the greater violence they fail to preventâ⬠(Singer 307). Pacifism can be seen in the same way as the omission approach to euthanasia. Although you are not directly killing, by refusing to step in you are allowing to die. Since the ends can justify the means, even something as radical as violently breaking the law can be the moral thing to do. Above all we desire a meaning to life. We can find meaning by acting morally. Therefore, one is not obligated to obey a law that contradicts morality. After all, it would be morally wrong of the government to deny anyone meaning in life. Works Cited * Singer, Peter. Practical Ethics, 2nd edition. 1993. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press * Rachels, James. ââ¬Å"The Elements of Moral Philosophy,â⬠Fourth Edition. McGraw Hill, New York, 2003.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Branches of Philosophy Essay
In order to narrow the aims of discussion philosophy was broken into branches. Traditionally philosophy has been broken into four main branches; however we would like to add a fifth branch in our text -Epistemology Epistemology, from the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and logos (word/speech) is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin, and scope of knowledge and love. -Metaphysics Metaphysics (derived from the Greek words ââ¬Å"ta meta ta physika bibliaâ⬠) ââ¬â meaning ââ¬Ëthe book that follows the physics bookââ¬â¢. It was the way students referred to a specific book in the works of Aristotle, and it was a book on First Philosophy. (The assumption that the word means ââ¬Å"beyond physicsâ⬠is misleading) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the study of ââ¬Å"first principlesâ⬠and ââ¬Å"beingâ⬠(ontology). In other words, Metaphysics is the study of the most general aspects of reality, such as substance, identity, the nature of the mind, and free will. In other way is a study of nature and the nature of the world in which man lives -Logic Logic (from Classical Greek (logos), originally meaning the word, or what is spoken, but coming to mean thought or reason) is most often said to be the study of arguments, although the exact definition of logic is a matter of controversy amongst philosophers (see below). However the subject is grounded, the task of the logician is the same: to advance an account of valid and fallacious inference to allow one to distinguish good from bad arguments. -Ethics Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the ââ¬Å"science (study) of moralityâ⬠. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is ââ¬Å"goodâ⬠or ââ¬Å"right. â⬠The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy. Other Branches Philosophy of Education: Fairly self-explanatory. A minor branch, mainly concerned with what is the correct way to educate a person. Classic works include Platoââ¬â¢s Republic, Lockeââ¬â¢s Thoughts Concerning Education, and Rousseauââ¬â¢s Emile. Philosophy of History: Fairly minor branch (not as minor as education), although highly important to Hegel and those who followed him, most notably Marx. It is the philosophical study of history, particularly concerned with the question whether history (i. e.the universe and/or humankind) is progressing towards a specific end? Hegel argued that it was, as did Marx. Classic works include Vicoââ¬â¢s New Science, and Hegel and Marxââ¬â¢s works. Philosophy of Language: Ancient branch of philosophy which gained prominence in the last century under Wittgenstein. Basically concerned with how our languages affect our thought. Wittgenstein famously asserted that the limits of our languages mark the limits of our thought. Classic works include Platoââ¬â¢s Cratylus, Lockeââ¬â¢s Essay, and Wittgensteinââ¬â¢s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Philosophy of Law: Also called Jurisprudence. Study of law attempting to discern what the best laws might be, how laws came into being in the first place, attempting to delimit human laws from natural laws, whether we should always obey the law, and so on. Law isnââ¬â¢t often directly dealt with by philosophers, but much of political philosophy obviously has a bearing on it. Philosophy of Mathematics: Concerned with issues such as, the nature of the axioms and symbols (numbers, triangle, operands) of mathematics that we use to understand the world, do perfect mathematical forms exist in the real world, and so on. Principia Mathematica is almost certainly the most important work in this field. Philosophy of Mind: Study of the mind, attempting to ascertain exactly what the mind is, how it interacts with our body, do other minds exist, how does it work, and so on. Probably the most popular branch of philosophy right now, it has expanded to include issues of AI. Classic works include Platoââ¬â¢s Republic and Wittgensteinââ¬â¢s Philosophical Investigations, although every major philosopher has had some opinion at least on what the mind is and how it works. Philosophy of Politics: Closely related to ethics, this is a study of government and nations, particularly how they came about, what makes good governments, what obligations citizens have towards their government, and so on. Classic works include Platoââ¬â¢s Republic, Hobbesââ¬â¢ Leviathan, Lockeââ¬â¢s Two Treatises, and J. S. Millââ¬â¢s On Liberty. Philosophy of Religion: Theology is concerned with the study of God, recommending the best religious practises, how our religion should shape our life, and so on. Philosophy of religion is concerned with much the same issues, but where Theology uses religious works, like the Bible, as itââ¬â¢s authority, philosophy likes to use reason as the ultimate authority. Philosophy of Science: Study of science concerned with whether scientific knowledge can be said to be certain, how we obtain it, can science really explain everything, does causation really exist, can every event in the universe be described in terms of physics and so on. Also popular in recent times, classic works include Humeââ¬â¢s Treatise on Human Nature, Kripkeââ¬â¢s Naming and Necessity, Kuhnââ¬â¢s Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Empiricism is a philosophical idea based on the idea that all reliable knowledge about the world is gained in the process of experience. Famous empiricists were Hume, Locke and Berkley, basing themselves on ideas already postulated by Aristotle, that we are born with the Tabula Rasa which receives throughout our lives information on which it can base all thinking and knowing. The movement of empiricism was in part a countermovement to what Descartes and Spinoza had proposed as rationalism. Knowledge derived from experience is called a posteriori. ââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬â- Doing Philosophy Many fields can be studied and learned without ever actually working with the tools in the field. For instance, chemistry can be learned in depth without ever picking up a test tube or mixing ionic compounds. Philosophy, however, is more about the methodology behind deriving answers than it is about the answers themselves. As such, students studying philosophy must use the methodology of philosophy on the philosophy they are learning as they are learning it. Doing philosophy involves asking the right questions, critically examining the work of previous philosophers, truly understanding the works and the reasoning behind the works, and possibly building on the works of previous philosophers by expanding or testing this methodology.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Eid vs Christmas Essay
In the building with the blue windows and the diamond shaped roof tops, children dressed in red and green with rosy cheeks, were gaily singing: ââ¬Å"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to ride in a one more hoppinââ¬â¢ slay! Hey! â⬠¦ Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! â⬠In the building across the street, with the pink windows and the mosque behind it, families were visiting each other in their newly bought clothes and shining shoes, wishing each other: Eid Mubarak, Dear Brother, Dear Sister May Allahââ¬â¢s blessings be bestowed upon you and your family! â⬠The year 2008 is host to Christmas and Eid al Adha during the same month, only a few days apart. One would notice that decorations and celebrations favour one of the Religious Holidays over the other. Why have we chosen to commercialise Christmas and not the Islamic event of Eid? How is it that worldwide Christmas is rejoiced at an extreme point of merriment, whereas Eid al Ad ha is commemorated only within its Islamic communities? The historical references of the birth of Christ (As) and the sacrifice of Ibrahim(As) and his son are known within both religions and are testimonies of social gatherings. Actually, in our Islamic religion we learn that Ibrahim (As) would sacrifice his son Ismael (As) in Makah, while among the Christians, they believe that Ibrahim (As) would sacrifice his son Isaac (As), not Ismael (As), in Palestine. Artists painted the scenes, poets rhymed the stories, authors researched the history, all in tribute to the religious aspect of the culture of their upbringings. So, why is Christmas the prize of the globalization of the market, and not Eid al Adha? Why is Christmas more widely accepted as a commercial Holiday and not Eid? Throughout history, religion has been a battleground for the survival of cultures and traditions. Territory was fought for based on religion, international communications broke down because of different convictions. Yet, the holidays seem to unite even people who are the farthest apart. Thanksgiving, Easter, Ramadan, Eid al Fitr, Eid al Adha and Christmas are celebrations that should be known worldwide; and for the most part they are. In the United States and Canada they honour Thanksgiving, also most westren countries have Easter and Christmas holidays; the Orient celebrate with some of these holidays. However, come Ramadan or Eid, and only the immediate Islamic based countries, like the Middle East and the South-Asian countries, know the details of the holiday. Abu Dhabi is an example of a multi-tradition and multi-cultural city. Every year, Ramadan is noticed and felt all over the city, even its peripheries. Usually, both Eids are just as important as Ramadan is. Nonetheless, this year, because Christmas and Eid al Adha are so close to each other, the shopping malls, hotels and other retail outlets are decorated with the spirit of Christmas and not the joy of Eid al Adha. The controversy is that this is an Islamic country, yet the atmosphere feels very occidental. There are Islamic countries that allow a one-day or two-day holiday scheme for Christmas, whereas Western countries donââ¬â¢t instigate the notion of respecting the religion of others in their society. This demonstrates the respect Islamic based governments have towards their inhabitants, what does it say about the Occident? The Islamic goverments does no justice to the foundation of its roots. It is quite disappointing when the nationââ¬â¢s leaders are not intervening and stating that Eid is as important as Christmas; maybe even more so! This is a country whose laws and government regulations are born from the Quran itself. True, Jesusââ¬â¢ (As) birth is a belief amongst Muslims, but so is the sacrificial symbol of the Adha a belief amongst the Christians and other religions in the world. Why canââ¬â¢t all cultures adopt the Islamic tradition of gifting children with new clothes and taking them out to restaurants and amusement parks? The government does not encourage Eid as much as it allows public places to be enveloped in Christmas decorations. In France, the Arab communities hold visitations and share in Islamic customs within their brotherhood, whilst around them Christmas carols are sung and the city is embellished in tinsel and goblins, awaiting the arrival of ââ¬Å"Santa Clausâ⬠, or in their terms ââ¬Å"Pere Noel. In Dubai, much like Abu Dhabi, hotels and restaurants have special Christmas luncheons. Shops and Malls give away special offers during the ââ¬ËFestive Seasonââ¬â¢. There is yet to be established an Eid theme blanketing the cities where Islam is the religion of base, like that of Christmas. What is even more upsetting is that Christmas is in itself less religious and more commercial than it was 500 years ago. Christmas has a face, a fi gure one can imagine when thinking of the Holiday: a jolly man, with a red suit and a white beard. He did not always look like this. ââ¬Å"Santa Clausâ⬠acquired his red suit and the big belly through a Coca Cola advertisement in 1931. His image changed, distorted almost, into what we know now as ââ¬Å"Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! â⬠by many cartoonists. ââ¬Å"Through the centuries, Santa Claus has been depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to an elf. He has worn a bishopââ¬â¢s robe and a Norse huntsmanââ¬â¢s animal skin. The modern-day Santa Claus is a combination of a number of the stories from a variety of countriesâ⬠*. (Coca-cola. om) Children stop believing in him at a very early age, whereas before, they would reach the age of maturity and only then learn that ââ¬Å"Santa Clausâ⬠is a spirit of St. Nicholas. Eid al Adha, was, is and always will be the same. The story never changes. The facts are facts, not subject to individual interpretation. Families pass on the same heritage that remains untouched, untainted, unpenetrated by social ref orm. In conclusion, I strongly believe that the injustice the Islamic governors does, the discrimination between religions should be educated to a halt. Eid al Adha is my upbringing. Within my family, an uncle has a Christian wife, their house is always decorated with Christmas twinkles during the season; this year, they waited with the decorations until after Eid al Adha. As a Muslim in an Islamic society, I have been brought up to respect all religions and beliefs by our Islamic governments; so why now canââ¬â¢t the Islamic governments respect their religion that they take oath to respect, protect, and maintain it?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)