The Present Environmental Ecological Crisis Theology Religion Essay

The Present Environmental Ecological Crisis Theology Religion Essay There is the worldwide recognition of the present environmental/ecological crisis and there is a central belief amongst the religions that nature was created by God and should be protected. As environmental degradation has occurred, we begin to ask ourselves about the relationship between human beings and nature. The focus on religion and the environment has grown in recent years. Researchers have looked specifically at the role of religion and ecology. Taylor defines the field of religion and ecology as one that focuses on: Identifying the obstacles that the worlds mainstream religions may pose to environmental sustainability, and secondly the resources such religions may have available for promoting environmentally beneficent behaviors, (992). There is the recognition that the Earth is in danger from human activity and use and changes need to be made in order to sustain life on the Earth (Taylor 998). Why is it important to use religion as a means for environmental action? Berry states that it is human carelessness and greed that caused the environmental problems that we are faced with today (30). With this in mind, we look to religion as this is what some individuals believe holds a large degree of responsibility for the start of our environmental problems. Lynn Whites 1967 essay, The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis suggested a link between religion and the environment. White singled out Christian attitudes as a reason for the environmental crisis. He proposed that the attitudes of individuals who do not regard nature as a central importance need to be changed. The earth needs to be respected and used in a manner that will help to preserve it for future generations, rather than exploit it for the present. White suggested that it was when the Industrial Revolution began that the human concern for the environment was lost to a greater degree than had been seen in the past. White interpreted the Bible as presenting human dominance over nature, leading individuals to care about themselves and industrial progress rather than about environmental matters and the ultimate effects of their actions on the earth. Besides Whites interpretation, there are many other suggested explanations for how humans viewed the world, and their resulting actions. From the philosophy of Rene Descartes, the universe was seen as a machine. It was from this time that economic progress was a priority and the long-term effects from the development and use of nature was not regarded as an issue (Sevier, 41). This is a view similar to that held by White, in that human progress and development has led to the environmental effects. However, this view does not specifically mention the role of religion. Carters interpretation of this issue suggests that the ecological crisis is not a result of Judeo-Christian traditions, but rather stems from the interpretation of the Bible and giving human beings dominance over other life forms (animals, plants) (358). This led to the exploitation of natural resources and ultimately to where we are today with the issue. Regardless of how it initially happened, we have to face reality and realize that as a society we have caused considerable damage to our planet. The role of religion Anthropologists suggest that religion persists because it has value to us, and such value can be either intrinsic, instrumental, or a combination thereof, (Strada 59). Sevier writes that, Traditionally, religion used to play an integral role in linking people to the natural world, imbuing people with the knowledge and values that make caring for it a priority, (38). Six major religions Buddhism Christianity Hinduism Islam Judaism Indigenous Religious Buddhism There is a universality of suffering. Being aware of suffering and produces compassion. Though traditional Buddhism regarded human life over that of animals, there is presently the recognition that all life forms should be respected equally. As humans we got ourselves into this ecological/environmental crisis and we are the ones that need to get ourselves out. Source: Swearer Christianity There is often seen to be a failure on the part of Christians in how they had interpreted the Bible and used the resources that God made available to them. Lynn Whites 1967 essay is an example of this. However, this is not the belief of all individuals. There recently has been an increased awareness of the environment in the United States as churches are initiating responsibility towards environmental protection. Hinduism Hindu images relate to the powerful natural world. Ecological sensitivity is based on the relationship between humans and how they respect the gods and goddesses related to the earth. In South Asia, the effects of pollution, both in the air and water, have been felt, particularly in recent years. With the values that Hinduism has towards the environment, reflection is starting to occur on how individuals can best approach the ecological challenges that are occurring. Islam An environmental ethic is in the Quran, but leaves an opening for Muslims to incorporate creative and innovative solutions in the contemporary context. A green jihad has recently begun. This is a common term for the green movement that promotes environmental protection. Source: Denny Judaism Ecological issues were never a central focus of Judaism, but rather were dealt with as they came about. An environmental perspective suggests that a belief of Judaism is that we are only tenants on this earth. The earth must then be cared for as there are other inhabitants, both presently as well as in the future, that will be living here. Source: Fink Indigenous Religions For individuals following indigenous religions, there is an understanding of their place in the local environment. Native Americans have believed that there are spirits in nature and the environment needs to be taken care of. Grim writes that in indigenous beliefs, to analyze religion as a separate system of beliefs and ritual practices apart from subsistence, kinship, language, governance, and landscape is to misunderstand indigenous religion. The respect for nature and the environment is still present amongst the Indigenous peoples. What is evident, however, is wherever indigenous peoples have endured, they have maintained a loving experience of place and an understanding that spiritual forces capable of leading humans into both utilitarian and self-understandings abide in all of these places, (Grim). Source: Grim How do we create a solution? An environmental crisis is here. It is recognized throughout the world, and its presence is agreed upon by the major religions. But what is the next step? How do we go about creating a solution? Can there be a common ground for science and religion in that both work together towards a solution? Bouma-Prediger quotes Edward O. Wilson in saying that religion and science are the two most powerful forces in the world todayif religion and science could be united on the common ground of biological conservation, the problem [of biological catastrophe] would soon be solved (1392). Can religion and science work together? Hossein Nasr writes, The environmental crisis now encompasses the entire Earth, (3). He suggests that there is a crisis of values and that as humans, we have participated in creating the destruction of the environment. A need exists to develop a path across religious frontiers without destroying the significance of religion itself and to carry out a comparative study of the Earths of various religions as has been carried out for their Heavens, if these terms are understood in their traditional metaphysical and cosmological sense, (Hossein Nasr 3). We need to regain the loss of a moral and social awareness as ecology becomes more individualistic and systems based. Many researchers recognize that a global stance needs to be taken by religions, with them working together to create a more comprehensive worldview and ethics to assist in reversing this trend, (Tucker and Grim). This is along similar lines with what Hossein Nasr writes, that dialogue on the environment must take place between religions on a global scale. Tucker and Grim continue by writing that, This is critical because the attitudes and values that shape peoples concepts of nature come primarily from religious worldviews and ethical practices. The moral imperative and value systems of religions are indispensable in mobilizing the sensibilities of people toward preserving the environment for future generations. Religious factors and environmental behaviors and attitudes Sherkat and Ellison analyzed data from a 1993 General Social Survey to look at religious factors and environmental behaviors and attitudes. Their study revealed that contradictory findings on the connection between religion and environmental concern and activism are the result of varied influences of religious schemata and resource interactions on different indicators of environmental concern and activism, (83). Sherkat and Ellison were not able to conclude specific religious influences on the environment, but suggested that Whites 1967 essay had the possibility of being a primary influence for religious leaders to take a pro-environment stance and actions (83). Religion and the environment are intertwined in that they have had a history and will continue to have a role together in the future. This may be one area where science and religion can find a common ground both have the environment in their best interest and can work together to find a solution to the current environmental crisis. As religious traditions and beliefs have shaped human values and behaviors towards the environment in the past, this is one possibility for working toward positive environmental attitudes for the future.

Hillcrest Medical Essay

Chief Complaint: Tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, fast heart rate. HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLINESS: Mr. Barua is a 42 year old gentleman from Bangladesh who presents with chest tightness, shortness of breath, and tachycardia. Dr. J.K McClean of cardiology is evaluating his heart condition. The patient has had the recent onset of hemoptysis. He was treated for tuberculosis in Bangladesh 15 years ago. This has prompted the concern of weather his treatment of tuberculosis was adequate or if weather there is another cause of his hemoptysis. The duration of his tuberculosis treatment was apparently adequate, according to his wife. But no records are available. In addition, the patient had thrombosis of the axially artery treated last year at Hillcrest. He had an embolectomy and has been on Coumadin since. INR is significantly elevated at 16. None the less, because of the cavitary lesions that are seen in the right and left upper lobes, the possibility of tuberculosis has been raised. Ancillary history was been given by the wife, Nupaul, with the patient translating for her from the Indie language. PAST HISTORY: Tuberculosis is the past. Embolectomy at Hillcrest last year. SOCIAL HISTORY: Married with two daughters. Patient has been in the USA for 10 years. The patient has no recent history of smoking he smoked in the past. But the amount is unclear. He is a restaurant manager for the Marriot hotel chain. FAMILY HISTORY: No known family history of diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. Mother died of a stroke and father was killed in a MVA in Bangladesh. REVIEW OF SYSTEMS: Negative other than as stated in HPI. PHYSCIAL EXAMINATION: Vital signs are WNL. Apparently he has had no fever, chills or night sweats. Generalized malaise and the lack of energy has been the main concern. HEART: Regular rate a rhythm with S1 and S2. No S3 or S4 is heard at this time. LUNGS: Bilateral bronchi. No significant euphoric sounds were noted. ABDOMEN: Soft non tender. No hepatosplenomegagaly detected. RESTAL: Prostate smooth and firm, no stool present of Hemoccult test. DIAGNOSIS: Hemoptysis with history of tuberculosis. PLAN: I have reviewed the chest x-rays available here and agree with the finding of bleb formation in the right and left upper lobes. Despite the patient has had a high INR, because of his history of hempotysis and tuberculosis I believe obtaining sputum for TB is very, very important. We should rule out any other endobronchial lesions are the cause of his bleeding. I have discussed this matter with the patient and his wife. I told them that there is a possibility of observing the condition via x-rays and repeated tested of sputum. They understand that this is an option However, they have decided because of the concern regarding of his repeating hemoptysis, they would consent to bronchoscopy. We will arrange for the patient to have a bronchoscopy done. The patient is off Coumadin. We will recheck the prothrombin time and INR tomorrow. Depending on those results we will proceed with bronchoscopy and further evaluation.

Leaders and subordinates in Spain Essay

Influenced by its collectivist past, family values, a sense of identity and belonging to a group, are constitutive parts of society in Spain. They care for each other in society like a family. For many Spanish people, the family is effectively a replacement for the state. Generally, Spaniards are very conservative and they will resist making decisions on hazardous matters, particularly if the consequences of their decision would affect other people. Thus, most Spaniards will look for support and approval of family, friends and co-workers before acting on their own. The Spanish believe if you are not a part of a group, neighbourhood, town or business organisation then you are not an integral part of society. This important aspect of the Spanish collectivist culture might restrict business activities and force the ‘outsider’ and visitors to the country to bear down their ‘outsider’ status by fitting into a group. However, regarding personal attributes, individualism is highly valued in Spain, along with an emphasis on character and social status. Therefore, personal qualities, appearance, image and personal relationships are extremely substantial elements in modern Spanish culture. Also, personal attributes and character are frequently valued as highly as technical ability, experience or professional competence. While being rather collectivists in their private lives the Spanish show distinct individualism in business context. When doing business in Spain, you will discover that individualism is especially predominant in management, where Spanish managers are less inclined to prefer group decision making and team orientation, as sharing the burden of decision-making is seen as a sign of weakness. Motivation is based on individual rather than collective relationships. The fact that only the individual in highest authority makes the final decision indicates that decision-making can become very slow and tedious, for many levels of management will have to be consulted in order to analyse the proposition. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain a good relationship with these intermediaries in order to succeed. Spain being a feministic society points to a low level of differentiation and discrimination between genders in Spanish society. Machismo is the word for male dominance, and the culture of old men who created it has changed dramatically. Spain has become a very equalitarian society where women are present at universities and work. However, men yet hold the majority of positions within companies. The reason for that is that Spanish men still restrain to treat women as equals in society. Many women in Spain are career oriented and seek high positions in society. Their social and educational status often assigns the role they eventually play in business. Despite the advancement women have made up to date, the change of women trying to achieve higher positions is progressing very slowly, due to the major barrier of it being the mentality of the females themselves. An example for changed/changing attitudes is Soledad Becerril who became not only the first mayoress in the early 90’s but also a symbol for many women in Spain of how Spanish females have made progress in the last years. She was also the first woman to become minister in the government, in 1981. And that is very significant of how Spain has changed and how it continues to do so. Furthermore, masculinity and femininity can be referred to the goals that are aimed for in professional life. Spain being a feministic society indicates issues of security of the job, good employer-employee relationship, pleasant cooperation with the colleagues and friendly work environment. Also, Spanish managers tend to pay more attention to consensus and apart from that, they like to rely on their intuition. HAMPDEN-TURNER & TROMPENAARS Spaniards tend to particularism rather than universalism. Therefore, at work Spanish seek gratification through personal relationships, especially with their superiors. Charismatic leaders find it easy to put their personal stamp on every area in a business. Most of the time job descriptions in Spain have a different function compared to the job descriptions in other countries. In Spain they seldom serve for selecting an employee, but subsequently they will be tailor-made for the favoured candidate. Spanish culture tolerates – even advocates – the expression of emotions (affectivity), also in the business environment. The admiration and display of heated, vital and animated expressions are just as common as fluent and dramatic delivery of statements in Spain. People from diffuse cultures carry their status everywhere; your boss remains your boss and will expect the same respect even if you meet him/her at the gym. Spain indicates to be a specific culture, where official relationships are carefully isolated from relationships of other nature. Using the previous example it means that you may show respect to your boss at the office but his status will not follow him outside the office, and he/she may well ask you for advice. This explains the Spanish being paradoxical in their decision making and in their relation to the community. As a consequence of the fact that Spaniards separate work and personal matters, nobody would take work-related criticism personally. Another theory is that people from diffuse cultures prefer to â€Å"circle around† and establish a relationship before any deal is done; those from specific cultures would rather get straight to the point, focus on the deal first and the relationship will flow from that. This definition contradicts the Spanish being a specific society as they need long discussions prior getting down to business and want to know the person they do business with. Therefore, networks are quite important. For Spanish, status is a thing that is given to them because of what they are (ascribed). It does not matter what you do but what or who you are. Ultimately, status and respect are conferred with the aid of family ties and connections. Concepts like bien educado (good education) and enchufado (good connections) distinguish this phenomenon. Achievement-oriented concepts like ‘pay for performance’ cause for incomprehension in societies like Spain. FUKUYAMA Fukuyama suggests Spain to be a low-trust society where workers are isolated by a series of bureaucratic rules. He describes Spain as a society with strong families and family businesses, a strong state and large foreign owned companies, where hierarchies are necessary in order to force those by distinct rules and measures, who do not act out ethical codes. Evidence of different leadership styles in Spain backs up this theory. A study on ‘Leadership from a Spanish perspectivei drafted by Instituto de Empresa and Deloitte stated that 56% of Spanish Directors prefer a participative leadership style. The report shows that future leaders have to act as coaches, and they must issue their subordinates with the skills and knowhow they need to work efficiently with their teams. However, participative leadership is not the norm among the Spanish directors. Therefore, there is a need for adapting the other styles and make them more participative which requires great commitment from the leaders. The styles least preferred by Spanish senior managers are those based on compulsion with little or no participation of employees and exception-based management where the director only steps in to sort out mistakes. Leaders of relatively new businesses are better at leadership styles, which are based on objectives and development. Where different sectors are concerned, the report unveils how directors in the financial sector tend to use leadership styles that are more direct, transactional and less oriented to learning. While companies in the technology sector give more importance to coaching and vision. MONOCHRONIC vs. POLYCHRONIC Spaniards can be classed as polychronic where nothing seems solid or firm, and there are always changes right up to the very last minute or even in plans for the future. Polychronic cultures are unconventional and flexible with time because it is not seen as a resource or as opportunity cost. Usually start times are flexible and schedules are unrushed. For example, it is not considered to be impolite to keep people waiting, as long as it does not exceed 30 minutes. Since time is also non-linear Spanish tend to manage several tasks at once, often in an unplanned sequence (e. g. salespeople in stores talk to several people at once rather than give only one customer their attention and taking people in turn; a meeting can be interrupted by a phone call; etc.). Another significant cultural difference is the smaller radius of personal space in Spain. Spaniards are most likely not to appologise when bumping into each other or pushing their way through crowds, which can be a shock to visitors from foreign countries. In the business environment, when it comes to forecasting, plans are often based on assumptions, intuition and experience because every day is regarded as unpredictable. Spaniards in the business environment usually make decisions based on judgement, experience and political realities. The supervisory style allows for the rules to be circumvented, whereas style and creativity are highly valued. Titles describe a person’s status, which people take pride in, causing great motivation for competition in organisations. Additionally, personal feelings affect the performance. Spanish managers feel that the employees must be watched, thus giving them the total control where also mistakes can be blamed on other people. However, the supervision is based on trust and some power is still delegated. LEADERSHIP STYLE Generally, the leadership style in Spain, in terms of concern for production and concern for people, demonstrates a high concern for people and little concern for production, whereby they try to avoid conflicts and concentrate on being liked, even at the expense of production. Managers in Spain are acquiring some qualities they look up to in other leaders. However, this contradicts with the theory stated above. Nevertheless, evidence suggest that Spanish leaders are still concerned about their leadership style. One of the conclusions of the first study on i Leadership from a Spanish perspectivei drafted by Instituto de Empresa and Deloitte indicated that 75% of Spain’s directors say that they regularly, or almost always use coaching, a personalised style that focuses on employee development. These leadership criteria are essential when it comes to competitiveness and organisations’ survival. 41% of directors stated that their preferred style of leadership is contingent reinforcement, which rewards subordinates for their achievements. 37% use the goal-oriented style, based on meeting challenges. Analysing the relations between leaders and subordinates in Spain showed that only 46% of Spanish leaders have a good concept of their subordinates. These leaders tend to use coaching as their preferred style of leadership. 26% of survey participants, however, point out having a quite negative concept of their subordinates. These leaders show a clear inclination to use directive and transactional management styles. Finally, the results of the study show clearly that Spanish development-oriented leaders are also very concerned about developing and educating their subordinates.

A Farewell Of Arms By Earnest Hemingway - 1008 Words

Love is an unexplainable emotion that exceeds the boundaries of all. In Earnest Hemingway s A Farewell to Arms two character s share a climactic endeavor through pain and suffrage finding their way back to each other no matter what. Hemingway expresses love as a necessity in one s life, and even through gruesome terror and war it can never be broken. The story resonates with it s readers on a personal and realistic level, being that it is written with some truth behind it; Hemingway s style of writing portrays the definition of unexpected reality. To start with, love is a necessity amongst the characters in the novel. Henry and Catherine find one another amidst the First World War. Both of them longly desire to find something that will pull them away from the war and into something greater. 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Now here is why he is what he is by writing about what he was. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Ernest Miller Hemingway