South Asian Sufism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

South Asian Sufism - Research Paper Example This diversity has to a certain extent been created by the subcontinent?s numerous linguistic and cultural customs and its unique networks beyond the region. In terms of Islamic roots, Sufism has, in a way, played a key role in the spread of Islamic devotional and spiritual life in South Asia. At some stage in the eighth and ninth centuries A.D., a novel prominence began to grow within Islam. This prominence was a constructive response against the established uncongenial and ceremonial nature of Islam. The quest for deeper meaning started with a pietistic simplicity, which in turn led to the advance of the well-acknowledged mystical side of Islam - known as Tasawwuf or Sufism. Sufism is in essence a spiritual form of Islam focusing on the connection between the individual and divinity. The Sufis surfaced in South Asia around 800 years ago, and were initially stanch devotees, whose meager woolen attire signified their humility, hence the word â€Å"Sufi† that denotes Arabic wor d for wool. The Sufis sought the mysticism, divine realism or eventual truth that stands over all the fantasies and deceptions about the materialistic society. In order to attain ecstatic unification with God, Sufis integrated practices of sound and actions -- chanting and harmony, swaying and dance. Sufi followers joined in closed brotherhoods or tariqahs, each following a captivating leader (shaykh). They offered an Islam that fused South Asian customs and worship styles, including Christian saints and Hindu gods. Sufism highlights the importance of â€Å"Real†, as distinctive from a faint acceptance of what is considered to be real in everyday existence, by authentic comprehension of the self and the 'veils' which separate it from any understanding of the truth. (ELWELL-SUTTON). This also implies a quest for real existence. It also emphasized empathy from one soul to another, in spite of all other differences. The Sufi trend drew attraction throughout South Asia (as well a s Eurasia and Eastern Europe) can be recapitulated in Rafiq Zakaria?s book as: â€Å"Though unconcerned with affairs of state, the sufis had a profound influence on the Muslim polity. They humanized its rigours and reduced the area of conflict between religion and politics. They gave Islam a broader base. Non-Muslims flocked to sufi hospices in large numbers and in due course hundreds of thousands came into the fold of Islam. . . .† (Zakaria) Sufism: Spirituality or Libertarianism? Despite the fact that Sufism has been majorly identified as the spiritual and mystic extension of Islam, parts of literary research argues about the existence of Sufism as a political entity. For example, the way Sufis' tombs surfaced and grew as places of pilgrimage indicate that the ‘missionary’ agenda of the Islamic mystics was devised primarily for conversion and the establishment of Perso-Arabian cultural control in South Asia (R.Upadhyay). Despite of the cultural relevance of Suf ism, over the period of time, differences have also arisen from divergence of interests among Muslims over what should be the right standard for cultural and political life. As Sufism endorsed various forms of cultural articulation, it did not extend unilaterally as a response to orthodoxy and legalistic rigorism but from time to time it harmonized and engaged in these developments. In the same way, hostility between shari‘a (law) and tariqa (Sufi path) in Islam is an open topic of debate, although Sufi researchers emphasize that

Did the New Deal work Why or why not Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Did the New Deal work Why or why not - Essay Example Hence, prompted intense debates that persisted during the New Deal’s implementation. However, the New Deal eventually realized its goals giving the president during then a firm base meant to response to his critics’ opinions boldly while citing the then improvement of economic sector in all aspects including people’s lives. The New Deal despite at its inception and during implementation faced numerous criticisms from disbelieving opponents, it worked efficiently evident in the way it met its economic targets. As Roosevelt stated, â€Å"substantial gains well known to all of you have justified our course (Roosevelt, â€Å"Relief, Recovery, Reform and Reconstruction†)†. In this case, gains encompassed numerous and varied improvements that characterized then economy besides heightening people’s welfare. The president was even elaborative in defending his strategy with statistics though hesitantly to mention because those whom he was telling espe cially his opponents knew much about them. They encompassed gain in â€Å"average weekly pay† and reemployment of numerous people especially by private sectors, hence his strategy not only was economic-focused but also touched on citizens’ lives. ... this led to reducing incidences of bankruptcy and uncertainties, which the state together with its industrial firms earlier experienced due to economic unpredictability. In this case, Walker’s sentiments aimed at arousing his audience’s thoughts concerning what used to be the norm in comparison to the economy after implementing the New Deal whose benefits they could measure and experience. Therefore, this acted as a wakeup call for the citizens and especially critics of the then idea to see huge federal’s amount of money that had gone into stabilizing the economic and emerged successfully. This was in alignment with the New Deal intentions, which many before its inception thought was ineffective. New Deal’s emergency gave birth to the rise of varied the then emergent agencies aimed at heightening citizens’ welfare irrespective of their respective political persuasions. According to Mooney, â€Å"†¦.the legislation passed in the first â€Å"Hu ndred Days† of the Roosevelt administration created an array of new federal agencies intended to organize the economic recovery (Mooney, 96).† Agencies in the entire framework of the New Deal comprised varied aspects whose intentions were citizen-centered, for instance, WPA. Since, each state’s economic progress is the measure of citizens’ welfare and ability to offset daily bills satisfactorily without compromising regime of the day’s financial goals. Therefore, through strategy the state not only managed to help the people but also met their respective goals through establishment of agencies, though critics seemed too â€Å"blind† to notice them. The inception and taking over of New Deal contrary to numerous debates successfully managed to change

How is this artefact the product of a particular historical and Essay - 1

How is this artefact the product of a particular historical and cultural environment - Essay Example In addition to that, in order to focus the analysis, the research will examine a pair of jeans that is in possession of the author. To begin with, it may be suitable to perform a preliminary analysis. Thus, one should point out that one of the main characteristic features of jeans is the peculiar kind of fabric that it is made of. The actual cloth that is used in production is called denim and is different from regular fabric in structure as feature an unusual combination of warp and weft (Chauncey 5). In addition to that there are metal rivets that are thought to reinforce the pockets so that they could carry more. Finally, there a special kind of thread that is used for the seams. The jeans that were the direct object of investigation are made by Gap. Keeping in mind that this company largely uses factories that are located on the island of Saipan, it would not be an exaggeration to point out that the pair of jeans in question was produced on that island (Bendix 5). It may be rather difficult to identity the time when this artefact was manufactured as there is no date indicated on the cloth. However, there may be a way to define the approximate time. Considering the fashion of the jeans, one might conclude that the pair in question was made in 2012. Speaking of the processes that were used in its production, one might speculate that they were made by hands of the hired workers. In order to gain a better understanding of the artefact one may also consider the reason why it was made. Leading aside different speculations about the possible cultural meaning and the shifting paradigm of clothes, one may point out that jeans have become the most popular casual clothes in the world (Cunningham 31). This means that people who come from different cultural backgrounds may be willing to buy a pair of jeans in order to wear it on a daily basis. That is why the

According to what we have learned by reading Imagine book, how could Essay

According to what we have learned by reading Imagine book, how could you help yourself be more creative (from page - Essay Example Creativity holds no specific definition due to the broad concepts it encompasses. In this regard, scientific principles can also be factored in in creativity pursuits, especially in regard to more creativity in an individual. According to Jonah Lehrer (3), the brain acts as the central nerve to creativity. However, there are other complementing variables to the creativity process. These variables are generally the day to day surrounding that a person finds him/herself in, actions and activities undertaken by others, and all other influential factors that directly or indirectly impact on the life of an individual. More creativity can be realized from putting the brain to work (Lehrer 13). This is basically becoming more open minded, embracing diverse mindsets and evaluating a scenario in more than one aspect. Although creativity could be said to have been realized prior to undertaking this process, this still serves a better ground to realize more creativity. This brain technique to making oneself more creative works based on the fact that it personally allows the treatment of the same thing in a number of ways. In so doing, there is more than just a single approach to a brain-based activity. In the process, an advanced version of creativity could result. Personal success or failure is another way to enhance more creativity. Jonah Lehrer presents the case of Dylan (Lehrer 17) to depict this scenario. Characterized by frustration, failure or even success, it is possible to boost creativity, and specifically realize even more creativity. What defines success or failure is the individual’s goals and objectives in life. While some achievements are deemed success by other people, others could account for the same achievements as failure, and subsequently frustrations. This means that creativity is uniquely customized to oneself, and the various levels of

Results And Conclusion of Research Process Essay

Results And Conclusion of Research Process - Essay Example Since these sources of information are very reliable, they give the actual situation of the issue of teenage pregnancy (Nicoletti 2004). This information is then used to develop other better programs that will make teenage pregnancy a thing of the past and help in alleviating poverty among the American population. One of the steps used in ensuring the safety of the subjects involved in this research was through ensuring that the questionnaires they filled were anonymous. They were also informed of the potential risks and dangers that they had in participating in the study. One of the risk factor could be that the information they gave out could be accessed by other persons (Nicoletti 2004). They were given details involving the research in full including the intention of carrying out the study and how the information they gave could be used. The subjects were then required to sign a voluntary informed consent. The measure of reliability and validity of the data obtained was used made through the use of various analysis tools. Since the information was obtained from whole population, it was believed to valid since it was completely representative. For the quantitative data, various calculations such as the means, variance and standard deviation were carried out to measure its reliability. However, since the research was manly qualitative, reliability was ensured through the observation of the data sets. The subjects were also given two similar tests at different times and the scores from these test correlated using various correlation measures. This being mainly a qualitative study, data analysis was mainly aimed at giving deeper insight into the study by showing patterns. Qualitative data also gives details of information that cannot be represented in numerical format such as feelings, behavior and attitude. It also opens the topic to greater areas which may be considered in future studies. It also helps in the simulation of the unique personal experiences whic h can help in understanding why people act or behave in the way they do (Neinstein 2008). This also help to prevent prejudgment making the data collected from the research more reliable. In this study, the method of analysis that was used was deductive approach. The research was conducted based on various theories that have been developed about teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is a topic that has attracted the attention of many scholars leading to the development of various theories regarding tit. This research used the theories and information obtained previously on this topic to analyze the data obtained from this research. This has been very effective because it made it easy for new information on the topic to be realized. The inductive approach would not have been very effective for this study since it works well on research areas which have been remotely researched on. Using inductive approach on this topic would have a lower success rate of adding new information to this a rea which has already been widely researched on. The data analysis procedure involved the comparing of teen pregnancy data from different countries in Europe and America. This helped in answering the research question on whether the rates of teenage pregnancy in high in America compared to other countries. It also involved the analysis of the program that have been instituted at the state level such as sex

Sustainable tourism management in Spain, Benidorm Literature review

Sustainable tourism management in Spain, Benidorm - Literature review Example Before delving deeper into the nuances of sustainable development in the region of South of Spain, there is the question of an appropriate research design that will fit the criteria of the thesis statement. For relevant research and evaluation techniques, it is imperative to study the means and methods of the formulation of sustainable tourism aids through a purely business point of view. For this purpose, the two basic research design methods chosen were epistemology and ontology. Sustainable Tourism is the most important element of the dissertation. The most important piece of literature used in this regard is the book titled Sustainable Tourism Management. (Swarbrooke, 1999). This book has important notes on globalisation and a perspective on tourism management that can be applied to various parts of the world. It has developed a case in favour of sustainable tourism development through the conception of sustainable cultural tourism. This is in direct context with the model that will be developed for the South of Spain region on which the dissertation is based. The book also has relevant information on the European Union legislations as well as tourism behaviour and planning in context of foreign tourist operators and other smaller details. Another important piece of literature that has helped draw a more globally acceptable model for the South of Spain region of Benidorm is the paper titled Sustainable Tourism, Environmental Protection, and Natural resource Management: Paradise on Earth? (Neto, 2002). In this paper for the UN, the author has criteria for a sustainable tourism management model that will take the pressure off resources besides putting cultures in perspective.

Effective communication within my time at BP Essay Example for Free

Effective communication within my time at BP Essay While on my internship I wanted to show effective communication. This involved me communicating with my team, working well within my team and giving many presentations to them. At the end of my internship I got feedback from my manager who explained how I was able to show effective communication within my time at BP. Goal To improve my communication. 1. Introduce and talk to people who I don’t know. 2. Share ideas with colleagues. 3. Ask for help when needed. Feedback Being able to communicate effectively was an important part of her’ role, as she was dealing with numerous personnel for whom English was not their first language. In her first week she was tasked with composing an email to send to all the regionally based team members. She proved straight away that her written communications skills were good, although she was naturally looking for reassurance of her emails were as required. By the end of the internship, both her written and verbal communication could only be described as â€Å"excellent†. Goal To improve my ability to ask questions 1. List down any questions that come to mind during work or home. 2. Do some research on the questions before hand and find an answer. 3. If I cannot find an answer I will ask a college or supervisor. Feedback When she did have any questions she was happy to ask, and did so in a polite and concise manner. If she needed help on tasks or wanted extra elaboration on certain topics she was able to do so. Goal To improve team working with new people 1. Introduce myself to the new people in my team. 2. Think of questions and ideas to contribute to the team. 3. Contribute my ideas to them and ask questions. 4. Use the information gained and adapt it to my work. Feedback She fitted into the team from day one, she is reliable, punctual and always polite and courteous. Her attitude to work was excellent, she was always willing to give something ago, with minimal instruction. Goal – To improve my presentation skills 1. Plan a presentation and practice it. 2. Ask for feedback from colleagues. 3. Take the feedback into consideration and improve the presentation. 4. Invite colleagues, managers to listen to the presentation. The first time I met her, she highlighted that she wanted to improve her presentation skills during her time with us. So, on her first day I asked her to help me present the safety moment in our team meeting; and she did a great job! Over the next few weeks she had other opportunities to both help compile presentation material, and also present to others on her own. By the end on the internship when it was time to present to a room full of peers, parents and work colleagues, she was a professional! In conclusion, it’s always very important to show effective communication skills in the workplace as they are vital for teamwork and overall success. These skills were skills that I wanted to improve greatly as I know they will be beneficial in the future. The majority of the feedback from my line manager was very positive and I will take into account the comments for improvement.