Humor and Healing : The Mind Body Connection :: essays research papers fc

Humor and Healing: The Mind-Body Connection "As it is not proper to cure the eyes without the head, nor the head without the body; so neither is it proper to cure the body without the soul." —Socrates(Cousins, 56) The word, to heal, comes from the root word "haelen" which means to make whole. Bringing together the body, mind and spirit can be healing. The word humor itself is a word of many meanings. The root of the word is "umor" meaning liquid or fluid (Moyers, 221). In the Middle Ages, humor referred to an energy that was thought to relate to a body fluid and an emotional state. This energy was believed to determine health and disposition. In modern dictionaries, humor is defined as "the quality of being laughable or comical" or as "a state of mind, mood, spirit". Humor enhances the creative process and is one of the coping devices used to combat stress and disease. Humor can be used successfully in the classroom, in the workplace, in therapy and counseling, and in medicine to assist in the healing process (Cousins, 78). Laughter improves self-esteem, enhances social interaction, and generally makes life more enjoyable. Laughter can provide a cathartic release, a purifying of emotions and release of emotional tension. Laughter, crying, raging, and trembling are all cathartic activities which can unblock energy flow. Laughter is more than a visual and vocal behavior. It is accompanied by a wide range of physiological changes (Swencionis, 162). During vigorous laughter the body brings in extra oxygen, shudders the internal organs, causes muscles to contract, and activates the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands. This results in an increase in the secretion of endorphins (internally produced morphine-like molecules). This â€Å"internal jogging† produces an increase in oxygen absorption, increase in heart rate, relaxation of the muscles, and increases in the number of disease fighting immune cells (Moyers, 230). Humor is a quality of perception that enables people to experience joy even when faced with adversity. â€Å"Stress is an adverse condition during which one may experience tension or fatigue, feel unpleasant emotions, and sometimes develop a sense of hopelessness or futility. Responding to these demands while protecting oneself from the potential harmful impact will help one to remain healthy† (Dreher, 27). Hans Selye, a pioneer researcher in psychosomatic medicine, defines stress as "the rate of wear and tear within the body" as it adapts to change or threat (Dreher, 20).

Is Science Curse

Today, the mankind is living under the shadow of sudden death. It appears that we have come to the end of our journey. Now we stand on the brink of complete and final destruction. The earth has become a dangerous place. It may explode to pieces at any moment. Man has been living on this earth for thousands of years. It has been giving him everything he needed. Then, why it has become so dangerous. The only thing responsible for this is science and its inventions. Science has brought more fear and danger than hope and comfort.In the beginning, it appeared to be the greatest friend and helper of man. It promised to overcome disease and death. The atom bomb wiped out Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It has broken up the established institutins. What has to accomplished? It has not ended poverty. He loved his neighbours and respected his elders. It promised to make this earth a paradise, and man an immortal god. Science has developed such terrible weapons of war that in the next world war not a s ingle man will escape death. It has made this earth a hell and man an insance devel. Of curse, there were wars and famines sometimes.Science has, no doubt, made it possible to produce things in great quantities. The last two World Wars killed millions of people and destroyed many cities. The disadvantages: 1. Can be easily manipulated by irresponsible persons. 2. We'll be too dependant on it. When technology fails, we r helpless (in one way or another). 3. Sometimes, it affects our health and lifestyles(we'll be complacent and lazy. The chemicals r hazardous). 4. It destroys our simple and healthy life(I miss the traditional style of living). 5. Invasion of our privacy. 6. Science can pollute waters.Scientists die in labs because of accidents. * Too many species to keep track of. * Animals disturbed from habitats. * Plant species taken from environment. * Rare species threatened. due to nuclear development there is a danger of occurence of secon world war 2. due to nuclear radiation there are many diseases throught the world 3. it leads to globular warming On the minus side there is weaponry which is the inseparable issue of the new technologies. Hence the main problem is the proper use of this knowledge. Nevertheless, weapon engineering propels and provides a huge advance.Also, the industry despite highly developed machinery pollutes the globe. On the other hand while many people live in horrible conditions and famine governments spend a lot of money on developing weapon industry. Is it the right way? Maybe the modern technology should either stop or prevent social disproportions. Lastly, do new technologies make us happier? It is not an easy question and each person should consider it. If at one hand, science and technology has brought a lot of wonders for us then on the other hand, there are disadvantages of science and technology as well.Firstly, it has increased the anxiety in our lives. Secondly, when technology goes in the wrong hands then it can negati vely impact the society such as the increasing rate of cyber crime, hacking, stealing of personal information and pornography websites. Thirdly, technology has also increased the alternatives and opportunities for the terrorists. Moreover, technology has suppressed our physical efforts and we are getting more luxurious and comfort living. The economies which lag behind in incorporating new technologies are considered poor economies and their progress in the world is hindered.

Thor

Norse Myth V. S Marvel’s Although the most recent movie Thor was very good, it was not accurate at all. In Norse mythology, Thor is associated with a hammer, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility. Besides the movie not being accurate there are many differences between Norse mythology and Marvel Comics. In Norse mythology he has his red hair and a red beard. Marvel's Thor has long; flowing golden locks, and is typically clean-shaven.While the Norse Thor prefers to travel in style, the Norse myth travels with his chariot drawn by two magic goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr. In the movie, Thor was about to ascend to the throne of Asgard, and is tricked by his brother Loki to defy their father Odin. Against Odin's order, Thor travels to Jotunheim to confront Laufey, accompanied by his brother Loki, childhood friend Sif and The Warriors Three; Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun. A battle continues until Odin intervene s to save the Asgardians, destroying the fragile truce between the two races.A big difference between the myths is that the Asgardians, The Warriors Three, really have no place in Norse myth, and wound up a part of the Marvel myths essentially because they thought it would make the story better. For Thor's arrogance, Odin strips his son of his power and exiles him to Earth to live as a mortal. Odin, fearing the plotting of his manipulative son Loki, sends down Thor's hammer Mjollnir affixed with a command that only the man worthy of the throne of Asgard can lift it. Thor must learn wisdom and sacrifice before he can return to his rightful place.In the movie the Mjollnir is one of the few things that are true. He wears a belt that gives him strength, gloves of iron that enable him to handle his hammer. Marvel's Thor has raw power but the Norse myth indicates that Thor needed a magical belt and gloves to give him the strength to use Mjollnir to its full effect. In Marvel's version Tho r only occasionally used those items as strength-boosters. The losing of Thor’s hammer happens in both Marvel and Norse myth. In the movie the hammer is stuck in a rock and the only way to release it is when a man becomes worthy of the throne of Asgard.In Norse myth Thor discovers Trym had stolen his hammer. Trym had hidden the hammer eight stops under the ground. Trym stated he would return the hammer, if he could have the goddess Freyja for his bride. While on Earth, Thor meets the scientist Jane Foster. Against all logic and self-preservation Foster believes Thor when he claims he's a god who has been exiled to Earth. Over the course of the next two days the two fall in love. As they learn of the hammer in a field they set out to get it. Another true thing when comparing both Thor’s is that he is ladies' man.In the movie Thor falls for the mortal nurse Jane Foster and in the Norse myth the Asgardian goddess Sif. A difference in his love life is that Thor in Marvel's story had children in alternate futures, whereas the Norse Thor is the proud of at least three children from his various affairs when married to Sif. Thor's Asgardian friends eventually find their way down to Earth to help him fight off a big metal beast called The Destroyer. He has been ordered to destroy Thor at all costs. Thor's love for Jane and his lessons of humility gives him the power to pull the hammer out.He becomes an immortal warrior and defender of the people saving them from destruction. Thor saves the day in the end but destroys the only known way to travel to the mortal world leaving his love behind. In both Marvel and Norse myth, Asgard is connected to Earth by a bridge called Bifrost, which manifests as multicolored arc in the sky. Their last differences extend to their personalities; Marvel's Thor is a noble hero any of us would feel safe around; the Thor of Norse myth is a fierce warrior with a violent temper, who seems to revel in the slaughter of any who would challenge him.

An overview of Civil disobedience

An overview of Civil disobedience At the beginning of â€Å"Civil Disobedience,† Thoreau expresses agreement with the idea â€Å"that government is best which governs least†. When carried to its logical conclusion, this concept leads to the realization â€Å"that government is best which governs not at all†. Thoreau believes government is the mode people have chosen to affect their will and is apt to be exploited before the people can act through it. Whatever the government assumes or promises, Thoreau argues, it does not keep a country free and it does not educate. He claims that all good that has been accomplished in America has been done not by the government, but by the people. He also argues that further accomplishments may have been reached if the government had not interfered. Thoreau states that as a reasonable citizen, he does not ask for no government at all, but an improved government. The first step in improving a government is for the people to identify what kind of government would earn their respect and loyalty. The problem is that not every individual has a say in how the government should perform, and many do not have the respect or even acknowledgement from the government. The majority can rule simply because it is more physically powerful, and the minority has essentially no say in shaping law. To Thoreau, a government based on majority rule is not based on justice. He asks, â€Å"Should an individual citizen have to resign his conscience to the legislator?† If this is so, why would a person even have a conscience? Thoreau states that we should be men first and subjects later. It is not desirable to develop a high opinion of the law, so much as for justice and right. For an individual to do what he thinks is right is the only duty which one has the right to assume. Thoreau makes a good argument; a group on its own has no conscience. However, a group of conscientious people is a conscientious group. Thoreau claims that when the people have respect for an undeserving government, the only natural result is that the people will be following the law against their wills, against their common sense, and against their conscience. So, Thoreau asks, are these people men at all? He states, â€Å"A wise man will only be useful as a man, and will not submit to be clay†. Thoreau states that most men do recognize the right of revolution when a government’s tyranny or inefficiency are sufficiently great and unendurable. When most of a country is unjustly overrun, then this is the time for honest individuals to rebel and revolt. Thoreau refers to voting as â€Å"a game†. He states that a person votes as he thinks is right, but that he is not necessarily bothered by whether or not his belief – his vote – is successful. The people, he believes, seem to be willing to leave this to the majority. Thoreau argues that a real wise man would not take the risk of what is right not prevailing and would also realize that there is not much virtue in the action of the mass. But as far as real men go, Thoreau believes that they are few and rare. He makes this clear in this essay; â€Å"How many men are there to a square thousand miles in the country? Hardly one.† Thoreau believes that there are few real people, it seems, because we are hypocritical, inconsistent, and weak in our beliefs. He claims that many disapprove of the nature of the government but continue to support it. Such people, he argues, should be resisting the government. An individual cannot genuinely be content when he knows he is consciously being cheated or deceived. Thoreau believes that instead of obeying rules one knows to be unjust, the individual should attempt to alter those laws. He suggests that the power of governmental control is what causes people to perceive resistance as worse than obedience. The government and the mass do not seem to be aware of or appreciate the wise minority who would push for reform, and those who choose to resist are punished and humiliated. Most people would rather wait until the majority agrees that laws should be revised via traditional process than to resist. Thoreau argues that if a government expects an individual to follow and carry out injustice, then that government is not one that should be followed. He makes a very good claim by saying that when one is under a government which unjustly imprisons people, then prison would be the appropriate place for a true, just individual. Thoreau evidently believes that an individual should not follow laws which he or she believes to be unjust. He states, â€Å"Know all men by these presents, that I, Henry Thoreau, do not wish to be regarded as a member of any society which I have not joined.† He declares that a real man would find it less confining to be locked up in a prison cell knowing that he was doing what is right, rather than living â€Å"free† in a society while obeying laws he believes to be wrong. Thoreau tries to make it clear at the end of the essay that he does not hate the idea of government, but that it is in dire need of major improvement, and that it should only be followed if it is just and if it has the consent of those who it governs. He states that the state will never be progressive and free until it recognizes the individuals, rather than the mass, and respects them accordingly.

Grover Cleveland's Illegitimate Child Scanal Essay

Grover Cleveland's Illegitimate Child Scanal - Essay Example Hunter was a film-making staffer in his office. A comparison between the handling of the Cleveland’s case and the latter two cases reveals the significant transformation of America from a classical society that attempted to suppress such scandals to an open one in which guilty perpetrators are willing to admit their past mistakes publicly and show a sense of responsibility. This paper explores the impacts Cleveland’s illegitimate child scandal and the public response to such cases. Challenges of fighting sex scandals The US is better off in terms of surviving such scandals among political leaders (Wiid, Pitt and Engstrom 138). This is partly because the women, particularly those whose husbands have been caught up in these lies, are living testimonies of the historical female abuse in marriage relationships. In light of the long-standing challenges facing women, most of them tend to see child scandals as normal. As such, the problem has become so widespread among the pol itical elite that surviving them is relatively easy; especially once the media has directed extensive media coverage to other important issues affecting the society (Feschuk 85). Chotiner (5) has pointed out that prominent politicians have been at the forefront of these scandals, people who command huge following and admiration from the public. In light of this, these scandals have been misconstrued to mean private life events that have very little, if any bearing on the quality of services that the public is entitled to. This lack of concern on the part of the American public not only shows hypocrisy, it has resulted in repeated cases of child scandals by key leaders in the country (Berinsky et al 177). The repetitiveness of such cases affecting elected leaders has earned them some level of acceptance within the public domain, since forcing such leaders out of office has not been as easy as handling the conduct of the bureaucracy within government circles. Part of the issues that h ave aggravated such scandals by making the American public have a less serious approach to weeding out the perpetrators from public service is the effectiveness of some of the individuals in discharging their mandate (Chotiner 6). Most Americans would rather have an honest, apologetic political leader whose name has been tarnished by a child scandal, with an exemplary performance record to remain in office for the rest of his or her term than spend more time and resources replacing him. America survived Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, partly on this reasoning (Greenberg 52). Barring guilty would-be leaders from office Despite the virtual failure to bring all pre-existing holders of political offices to book over sex and illegitimate child scandals, most of the guilty would-be leaders have been successfully barred from holding public office. Senator John Edwards was a potential candidate for the vice-President of the United States five years ago, but was forced to abandon the race (Wiid, P itt, and Engstrom 141).  The leader’s ‘love child’ affair dented his image and leadership qualities when he misled his wife, and the country about the issue. Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford was forced to call it quits in 2011 over a similar scandal.  His vocations in Argentina, it later emerged, were a scandal in which he admitted to using public funds to entertain his mistress. However, he has

European Environmental Agency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

European Environmental Agency - Essay Example We are a main information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public" (p.1). The agency works towards reaching its primary goals in the following ways; "By providing a wide range of information and assessments of: The state of the environment and trends, Pressures on the environment and the driving forces behind them, Policies and their effectiveness and Outlooks/scenarios," (EEA, 1995-2008 p.1). Further promotion of the works of the group come with, "The European Environmental Agency (EEA) Scientific Committee has called for the suspension of the EU target of 10% biofuels use in transportation by 2020, and is recommending a new, comprehending scientific study on the environmental risks and benefits of biofuels," Further elaborating that, "The Scientific Committee assists the management board and executive director of the EEA by providing scientific advice and delivering professional opinions on any scientific matter in the areas of work undertaken by the Agency. The committee comprises 20 independent scientists from 15 EEA member countries, covering a variety of environmental fields," (Green Car Congress 2008, p.1). Each individual organization has a listing of primary responsibilities that are the primary focus for the organization, as well as the body of memb

Samsung Group (FINAL) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Samsung Group (FINAL) - Assignment Example Data Collection Method 8 Data collection process for the project 8 G. References 10 A. Background & Rationale Profile of the Organization Samsung is one of the leading electronic organizations around the globe. The organization introduced huge range of products in global market. Therefore, it is easy and convenient to conduct a research study on Samsung. This study will highlight various aspects of Samsung Electronics’ global value chain. Samsung Group is a South Korea based multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Seoul. The organization was founded in the year 1938 by Lee Byung-Chul (Peng, 2012). Over the next few decades the organization diversified into textiles, food processing, retail, securities and insurance industries. Electronic goods, semi conductors and mobile phones are Samsung’s key sources of income for the company (Chang, 2011). In terms of revenue, Samsung was recognized as the largest information technology company in the year 2012. In addit ion, Samsung Heavy Industries was considered the second largest shipbuilder around the globe measured by 2010 revenue. Presently the organization has more than 1000 business entities around the globe. ... This report will focus on two divisions of Samsung Electronics, such as connected media development and mobile media. The study will outline the innovation opportunities for the global organizations by determining the entry points in the organizational structure of Samsung Electronics. Moreover, the study will reveal how the global organizations can engage themselves in several stages of the value chain of Samsung Electronics. B. Research Need and Importance Management Problems Samsung has faced several problems regarding excessive localization. Huge localization had resulted more decentralized structure. It was very disappointing for Samsung group. The global operation of Samsung was not profitable at one point of time. In the year 1998, the organization closed down its few of the electronics factories due to lack of adequate decision making process of regional headquarters (Chang, 2011). Moreover, the organization implemented integration strategy for its employees, but the employee s of Samsung Group rejected this integration strategy. Moreover, the organization faced several labor problems in China. Negative publicity in the blogging community created huge challenge for Samsung in the year 2012. Samsung group is one of the leading mobile phone manufacturers in the world. An ongoing copyright dispute with Apple Inc. over some smart phone technologies affected the brand image of Samsung Group. The organization faced several legal and ethical issues due to the inadequate working condition in the Chinese manufacturing plants. Marketing Research Problems Marketing research activity is time consuming and expensive. Therefore, it is important for the organization to do effective real time research. However, Samsung group has identified