Judaism - Meaning of life Essay Example for Free

Judaism Meaning of life Essay The meaning of life is a philosophical question concerning the significance of life or existence in general. It can also be expressed in different forms, such as Why are we here? , What is life all about? , and What is the purpose of existence? It has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific, and theological speculation throughout history. There have been a large number of proposed answers to these questions from many different cultural and ideological backgrounds. The meaning of life is in the philosophical and religious conceptions of existence, social ties, consciousness, and happiness, and borders on many other issues, such as symbolic meaning, ontology, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, the existence of one or multiple Gods, conceptions of God, the soul, and the afterlife. Scientific contributions focus primarily on describing related empirical facts about the universe, exploring the context and parameters concerning the how of life. Science also studies and can provide recommendations for the pursuit of well-being and a related conception of morality. An alternative, humanistic approach poses the question What is the meaning of my life? The value of the question pertaining to the purpose of life may coincide with the achievement of ultimate reality, or a feeling of oneness, or even a feeling of sacredness. governs the universe. Closeness with the God of Israel is through study of His Torah, and adherence to its mitzvot (divine laws). In traditional Judaism, God established a special covenant with a people, the people of Israel, at Mount Sinai, giving the Jewish commandments. Torah comprises the written Pentateuch and the transcribed oral tradition, further developed through the generations. The Jewish people are intended as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation[69] and a light to the Nations, influencing the other peoples to keep their own religio-ethical Seven Laws of Noah. The messianic era is seen as the perfection of this dual path to God. Jewish observances involve ethical and ritual, affirmative and prohibative injunctions. Modern Jewish denominations differ over the nature, relevance and emphases of mitzvot. Jewish philosophy emphasises that God is not affected or benefited, but the individual and society benefit by drawing close to God. The rationalist Maimonides sees the ethical and ritual divine commandments as a necessary, but insufficient preparation for philosophical understanding of God, with its love and awe. [70] Among fundamental values in the Torah are pursuit of justice, compassion, peace, kindness, hard work, prosperity, humility, and education. [71][72] The world to come,[73] prepared in the present, elevates man to an everlasting connection with God. [74] Simeon the Righteous says, the world stands on three things: on Torah, on worship, and on acts of loving kindness. The prayer book relates, blessed is our God who created us for his honor and planted within us everlasting life. Of this context, the Talmud states, everything that God does is for the good, including suffering. The Jewish mystical Kabbalah gives complimentary esoteric meanings of life. As well as Judaism providing an immanent relationship with God (personal theism), in Kabbalah the spiritual and physical creation is a paradoxical manifestation of the immanent aspects of Gods Being (panentheism), related to the Shekhinah (Divine feminine). Jewish observance unites the sephirot (Divine attributes) on high, restoring harmony to creation. In Lurianic Kabbalah, the meaning of life is the messianic rectification of the shattered sparks of Gods persona, exiled in physical existence (the Kelipot shells), through the actions of Jewish observance. [75] Through this, in Hasidic Judaism the ultimate essential desire of God is the revelation of the Omnipresent Divine essence through materiality, achieved by man from within his limited physical realm, when the body will give life to the soul. Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy named after its prophet Zoroaster, which is believed to have influenced the beliefs of Judaism and its descendant religions. [77] Zoroastrians believe in a universe created by a transcendental God, Ahura Mazda, to whom all worship is ultimately directed. Ahura Mazdas creation is asha, truth and order, and it is in conflict with its antithesis, druj, falsehood and disorder. (See also Zoroastrian eschatology). Since humanity possesses free will, people must be responsible for their moral choices. By using free will, people must take an active role in the universal conflict, with good thoughts, good words and good deeds to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

Humor in Dickens Tale of Two Cities :: essays research papers

A Tale of Two Cities Frequently in literature, humor is added in scenes to make them more interesting and more appealing to readers. Often times underneath the humorous covers lay a much more serious principle. Charles Dickens does exactly this in A Tale of Two Cities, by making slight comedy of issues such as democracy, the lower class, and spousal abuse. In A Tale of Two Cities, the actions of Jerry Cruncher, while essentially very humorless, may seem peculiarly funny to some people. The events that occur in chapter one of book two, concerning Mrs. Cruncher, is an appropriate example of this idea. In this scene, Jerry Cruncher yells at his wife because he thinks she was praying against him. To start with, because of this accusations obvious ridiculousness, it strikes readers as comical. One may even argue that he didn’t actually believe this, but maybe he was just bored and finds joy in harassing his wife. To say such silly things out of boredom also may hit someone as amusing. What generally makes this scene humorous is that Cruncher is so unjustified in yelling at his wife for such an absurd thing, and furthermore, he lacks any real evidence that she was doing what he accuses her of doing. While this scene may seem like a comical one, with a silly husband, it is really calling attention to verbal abuse to wives. It is palpable that Cruncher has no respect whatsoever for his wife. At the time of this book, this was a common situation so either people did not notice the seriousness because of the humor that is masking it, or it was an every day happenning for them. When Cruncher wakes up to find Mrs Cruncher praying (in reality praying for him), he reacts by throwing a muddy shoe at her. This notion may also seem like a funny one to readers. Because the idea of somebody getting hit in the head by a muddy shoe can be humorous, if used in an appropriate situation, such as a TV show or a movie, it may also seem funny in this scene. The realness of the situation can be easily overlooked. When Dickens adds these unexplainable events, it may strike some as funny because his actions are so unjustified and random.

Analysis of poem: Half Caste (1996) by John Agard Essay

Question: Analyse the poem ‘Half Caste’ (1996) written by poet – John Agard, about his perspective on the addressing of biracial individuals. In your answer, you should consider: * Influence of context in which the poem was written * The ideas brought out of the poem * The structure and rhyme maintained Answer: John Agard gives painful and poetic expression to the mixed race experience. He was of Portuguese-Caribbean descent and lived in British Guyana (now Guyana), before he moved to Britain. The reference is to half-caste from the Spanish word ‘casta’ (origin, group) and being made to feel half a human being. The poem begins in an apologetic tone, and the strangeness of his situation is shown by him standing on one leg as he does not feel a complete man. The poet uses various examples from the world of art and music and the world of nature to challenge this stereotyping. The repetition of the words ‘explain yurself’ shows the poet’s frustration. He wonders if inanimate objects can become half-caste – Picasso’s painting in which colours are mixed to create a half-caste canvas, Tchaikovsky’s music on a piano with black and white key create a half caste symphony. The world of nature provides striking examples. Light and shadow mix in the sky to create half-caste weather. England always has ‘half caste weather’. Even the clouds are half-caste – so thick and dark and mean that they block the rays of the sun. The clouds are personified to show the negative impact they have on the earth, preventing the sun rays from reaching. The mixing of contradictory features contributes to their beauty, and this implicitly implies that only in human beings, the mixing is negative. The second part of the poem is increasingly sarcastic. Even looks and actions, dreams and shadows can be half caste. The poet listens with half an ear, looks with half an eye, and offers half a hand. This means that his reaction to life and other people is half hearted. This half-life, half identity has even affected his dreams. This could symbolise goals, ambitions that are limited or restricted. He does not have any impact on the world or other lives because he is only a half-caste human being (as per his perspective). The final suggestion is for society is to look and hear deeply and sensitively, to look at a half-caste human being’s sorrow with critical, evaluative judgement. The result of such an approach will increase understanding because the poet will tell him the other half of his story that is now hidden. The poem is built of short lines of uneven length. The first three lines introduces the subject in an apologetic tone – â€Å"Excuse me† and concludes with a small stanza of three lines promising to communicate. The middle of the poem is dominated by enjambment because the poet’s pain overflows in one unbroken recital. The word ‘half-caste’ is repeated 10 times. The title is used as an adjective, a certain condition in which a person is made to feel inferior. The absence of an article in the title shows this. The music of the poem depends on the repetition of words. Towards the end, the word ‘half-caste’ is juxtaposed with the whole. The poet moves from physical sensation – eye, ear to the idea of deep thought and feeling. There is a greater assertion in the last stanza, suggested by the words ‘I will’. The poet speaks English with overtones of a Caribbean dialect called Patois (mainly spoken in Jamaica and Barbados) – â€Å"wha ya mean† repeated 4 times, de (the), dat (that), dem (them) etc. to show that he has half a language and is incomplete even in that area. The half caste has a vivid imagination and uses a variety of examples to prove Agard’s point. The style of the poem is a question – wha yu mean and this is followed by the explanation – you mean. Various symbols are used in the poem – keen half of mih ear, keen half of mih eye implies a desire to ignore the stereotyping and yet keenly be conscious of it. The ‘half-caste’ offers only half a hand to show how deep the resentment is. Turning people into half-caste is one of the greatest of social predicaments the world faces. The need is for equality, dignity and respect to be given to each human being, bringing the marginalised to the centre. The poem ‘Half-Caste’ depicts the anger, pain and fluctuation of emotion felt by Agard, when (rude) comments were addressed to him, directed at his mix of nationality. It also validates that addressing a person as ‘half-caste’ is cretinous and in the conclusion, the lines ‘But yu must come back tomorrow, wid de whole of yu eye, wid de whole of yu ear, wid de whole of yu mind, and I will tell yu de other half of my story’ shows he is willing to make amends with the commentators, if they only cease to treat him as half a human being.

Research Into The Egyptian Stock Exchange Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2022 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? The stock exchange of Egypt is situated in Cairo, Egypt. The Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX) is one of the oldest stock markets established in Middle East, who traced its origin from the merger of two stock exchanges in Egypt namely, Alexandria Stock Exchange which was established in 1883 and Cairo Stock Exchange established in 1903, now known as Egyptian Stock Exchange which was formerly known as Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchange (CASE). Both exchanges were very active in 1940s, and both the exchanges combined were ranked fifth in the world. The vision of Egyptian Stock Exchange is To be a World-Class, Egypt-based exchange: which would serve best to its stakeholders in the Middle East and North Africa region. (The Egyptian Exchange, 2010). As every stock exchange has certain values and duties, the EGX also has system of values which have a common denomination of ethics practiced with every individual whether it is customer, members, issuers, local investment comm unities, employees and regulators. The Chairman, Mr. Maged Shawky is the head of the Egyptian Stock Exchange. (The Egyptian Exchange, 2010). The exchange has trading session from 10:30am to 2:30 pm on all days except Fridays and Saturdays and holidays declared in advance by the Exchange. Measure of Activity The main performance indicator or measure of activity of Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX) is EGX30, which was previously known as CASE30 index. It includes the top 30 companies in terms of liquidity or 30 most active companies in the Egyptian Stock Exchange. The CASE 30 was started with base value of 1000 points on January 2, 1998 and was renamed to EGX 30 on March 1st, 2009. Any company to get listed or to get included in EGX30 must have a 15% free float. (The Egyptian Exchange, 2010). Trends in Egyptian Stock Exchange C:Users$uYoGDesktopcma.ca.pngSource: Yahoo Finance, 2010 Egypt has a long and rich history of financial market. In late 1980s, Egypt had a sophisticat ed financial structure holding a mature stock exchange in both Alexandria and Cairo. (Wilson, 1995). The Egyptian Stock market has experienced several fundamental changes during major periods such as from 1888-1958, 1959-1971, 1972-1992, and 1992-present. Egyptian stock market was very mature and remarkable at earlier phases of its operation; in 1940s both the exchanges were very active. In 1959-1971 phases the stock exchange left its effective operations due to the intervention of government policies and restrictions. (MohieEldin, Sourial, 2000). After high intervention of government, there were several attempts made to improve the working and effectiveness of failing Egypt stock market which continued to stagnate. In 1990s the Egypt stock market went under significant revival of government liberalization policies and finally in 1997, major changes were made in Egypt stock market that reformed the stock market and several important steps have been taken by government to modernize t he stock exchange. The Egyptian Stock Market has significantly grown by 40% per year since the 1997 reforms and in May, 2001 it reached $36.7 billion. (AMF, 2001). In the current situation of Egypt Stock market, the prices of share fell down on Monday and EGX30 index fell by 3.84 percent with the closing of stock market (AFP, 2010). With the losses on two consecutive days the Egyptian Stock Exchange rose on Tuesday with an increase of 2.1 percent in the EGX30 gaining 140 points close to 6659 and the prices of share jumped to 3.5 percent (Egypt News, 2010). Egypt Stock market History The Egyptian Stock exchange is one of the oldest stock exchange which was established in the Middle East. In early times Egypt had two stock exchanges namely Alexandria Stock exchange which was established in 1883 and then Cairo Stock exchange in 1903. The Alexandria futures market was one of the oldest market in the world. The first transaction which took place in 1885 was of cotton in Alexandrias cafà © de lEurope, which was later, named as Mohamed Ali Square. At that time Reputation was everything and timing and reliability was considered to be important if the profits were made on regular basis. There were two respected institutions which were affiliated with the International Cotton Congress. At an informal meeting in the early 1900s, the Monsieur Maurice Cattaui reminded the merchants and broker that there should be stocks exchange in Cairo same as of Alexandria. The official headquarters for Cairo stocks exchange was chosen to be the old premise of Ottoman Bank. In 1928, the Cairo stocks exchange moved into its present premise Sherifien Street. In July 1961, the two stock exchanges merged into Cairo and Alexandria stock exchange which was ranked fifth in the world in terms of market capitalization. (The Egyptian Exchange, 2010). Currency and its History C:Users$uYoGDesktopcurrency.jpg C:Users$uYoGDesktopmoney.jpg Source: Google Images The official currency of the Egypt is Egyptian Pound (Geneih) usually written as L.E. Earlier Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire until the French occupation took control in 1798 and later on by British in 1801. In early 1900s the Egypt was made a British protectorate. In 1922, the Egyptian kingdom was declared and on November 14, 1936 Egypt gained its full independence. From 1958-1961, Egypt was untied with Syria, as a part of United Arab Republic. In 1834, the financial system was reformed by Mohammed Ali, setting 1 Egyptian Piastre/Qrish divisible into 40 Para and equal to 1/100 Pound. On November 14, 1985, the Gold standard was adopted and in 1898, the National Bank of Egypt started issuing Bank Notes but they were not legal until 1914. In 1961, Central Bank of Egypt took control and became the ultimate authority of issuing note and they started issuing some small denomination notes (Global Financial Data, 2010). The Egyptian Pound was pegged to the US dollar until 2000 and central bank of Egypt wa s forced to devalue the Egyptian Pound due to several economic crisis in Egypt. From 2000-2003 the value of Egyptian Pound felt almost to 50 percent. The paper money of Egypt has two faces; an English face and an Arabic face and there are different pictures on each faces. The Arabic face has pictures of mosques in Egypt while the English side has Pharaonic scene. The coins are generally made of silver and copper and the coins have pictures of pyramids on one side and value denomination on the other side (Egyptvoyager, 2000). Banking The banking sector of Egypt is one of the well-established part of the economy and the first bank in Egypt was dated back in 1920s and expanded markedly in 1970s by their so called open door policy (AmCham Egypt, 2010). The Central Bank of Egypt is the governing body of the banking sector in Egypt, which comprises of 11 Investment banks, 24 commercial and joint venture banks, 15 branches of foreign banks and 3 specialized banks (HSBC, 2001). There has been continuous growth in the annual growth in deposits and assets. By June 2004, the ROE and ROA of Egyptian banks rose to 9.8% and 0.5% respectively. The Egyptian banking sector is improving with time and has gone various reforms in the form of MA, privatization from 1991 up to today. (AmCham Egypt, 2010). Egyptian Currency Exchange to USD The Egyptian Pound is the official currency in Egypt and its symbol is  £E. The Current conversion of Egyptian Pound to US Dollar. Mathematically, 5.50 Egyptian pound per 1 USD. (Indirect Quote) (CoinMill, 2010) 0.18 USD per 1 Egyptian pound. (Direct Quote) (CoinMill, 2010) Business Practices In the Egyptian business culture, the key to doing business well is patience. Initial contacts regarding business are very important and they often mean the difference between success and failure. Egyptians are little more concern on the part of trust and know how i.e. why they mostly do the business that they know or trust, for t his reason before practicing any business in Egypt one should have a mediator or a representative who can assist in meeting and acts as go-between (CIA World Fact Book, 2007). As there is diversity in culture of every nation, there are certain Dos and Donts while practicing or starting or doing a business in Egypt which must be followed. Dos Before doing business, make appointments which should be scheduled either in written or over telephone a week before the appointment. (CIA World Fact Book, 2007). Maintaining an eye contact with the Egyptian counterpart, especially with male colleague is a sign of truth and honesty. (CIA World Fact Book, 2007). Always wait for your Egyptian business associate to initiate the greeting at first meeting. Addressing Egyptian counterparts with their title followed by their surname is deeply appreciated with pride. (CIA World Fact Book, 2007). While doing a business impeccable appearance is important. Male business visitors should we ar suits with neckties on most occasion. Donts Rushing or forcing the Egyptian business counterpart while making quick decision can sometimes proves to be ineffective. (CIA World Fact Book, 2007). If, Egyptian business associate stands very close to you and talk then dont get surprised and dont try to get back as this would create a bad impression and may lead to offence. Asking detailed question about their family members is considered to be inappropriate, especially family members. (CIA World Fact Book, 2007). Avoid setting up meetings during Ramadan. Starting a business in Egypt While starting a business or a firm in Egypt, one has to go through the legal and bureaucratic hurdles. There is a certain procedure which has to be followed while registering a new company or a firm. (World Bank Group, 2010). The first and foremost step in starting a business is to obtain a legal certificate from a well-known authorized bank, which might cost EGP 300 and take up t o a day to get the certificate in hand. Next step is to deposit the documents to the department of companies, which are viewed by a lawyer and a detailed invoice of all the fees is issued. Third step is to get the articles of association registered and notarize the companys contract. After the articles are registered, the authority then issues a certificate notifying the establishment of the company; this process might take up to 24 hours. Once the company gets establishment certificate, the company completes the tax registration process. Last step is to get the employees registered with the National Authority of Social Insurance. (The World Bank Group, 2010) Negotiation Practices Egyptian business people are mostly experienced in doing business and interacting with outsiders. While negotiating with these people one thing should always be kept in mind is that the people here expects the things to be done in their way. (Katz, 2008). There are some negotiating pra ctices while doing a business in Egypt: Leveraging relationships is a key element while negotiating in Egypt and Egyptian business people never look for situations like win-win. (Katz, 2008). Pace of negotiation is slow and protracted and often negotiation decisions are made in rounds rather than at a table.(Katz, 2008) Information is not shared freely as Egyptians think sharing information can create bargaining advantages. (Katz, 2008) Egyptian businessmen are very smart at using deceptive techniques and are often use them. Sources AFP. (2010), retrieved from https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g4kHjFmtReyhZpAkC_AVAs312NYA AmCham. (2010), American chamber of commerce in Egypt, retrieved from https://www.amcham.org.eg/BSAC/StudiesSeries/Report47.asp AMF. (2001), The database for Arab financial markets, pp. 51-55, AMF: Abu Dhabi CIA World Fact Book. (2007), retrieved from, https://www.communicaid.com/access/pdf/library/culture/doing -business-in/Doing%20Business%20in%20Egypt.pdf Coin Mill. (2010), retrieved from, https://coinmill.com/EGP_USD.html#EGP=1 The Egyptian Exchange. (2010), retrieved from, https://www.egyptse.com/English/Mission_vision.aspx The Egyptian Exchange. (2010), retrieved from, https://www.egyptse.com/English/homepage.aspx Egypt News. (2010), retrieved from, https://news.egypt.com/en/201003249948/news/-business/egyptian-stock-exchange-rallies-jumps-2.1-pct.html Egypt Voyager. (2000), retrieved from, https://www.egyptvoyager.com/features_money.htm Global Financial Data. (2010), retrieved from, https://www.ameinfo.com/financial_markets/Egypt/Currency/ Google Images. (2010), retrieved from, www.panoramio.com/photos/original/18078449.jpg HSBC Investment Bank. (2001), Treasury and Capital Markets: Guide to Egypt Katz, L. (2008), Negotiation International Business- The Negotiators Reference Guide to 50 Countries Around the World Mohie, E. M, Sour ial, M.S. (2000), Institutional Aspects, Distributional characteristics and efficiency of Egyptian securities markets; recent trends in Arab stock markets: Recent trends and performances, pp. 1-44, Cairo: AVC press World Bank Group. (2010), retrieved from, https://www.doingbusiness.org/ExploreTopics/StartingBusiness/Details.aspx?economyid=61 Yahoo Finance. (2010), retrieved from, https://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=CMA.CAt=5yl=onz=mq=lc= Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Research Into The Egyptian Stock Exchange Finance Essay" essay for you Create order