So what do Americans do to fill that void? They take on another addiction -- which leaves them feeling even emptier -- and the vicious cycle begins. Some activists even claim the result of living in such a morally-vacuous, alienating, consumer-driven culture is an entire nation suffering from "a collective wounding" (Shaw, 2008). Author Chellis Glendinning wrote in 1994 that our primary needs are "those we were born to have satisfied: nourishment, love, meaning, purpose and spirit. When they are not met, we turn to the 'secondary' sources, which include 'drugs, violence, sex, material possessions and machines.' Eventually we become obsessed with the secondary sources 'as if our lives depended on them.'" (Shaw, 2008)
Behind the Mask
"Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without feminine upheaval. Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex, the ugly ones included." ~Karl Marx
"Deception, flattering, lying, deluding, talking behind the back, putting up a false front, living in borrowed splendor, wearing a mask, hiding behind convention, playing a role for others and for oneself -- in short, a continuous fluttering around the solitary flame of vanity -- is so much the rule and the law among men that there is almost nothing which is less comprehensible than how an honest and pure drive for truth could have arisen among them." ~Friedrich Nietzsche
Among women today, there is very little distinction between beauty and self-worth. Even men are becoming increasingly concerned about their looks, with more and more men turning to plastic surgery and eating disorders (Boghosian Arden, 2003). The media teaches Americans to worship beauty as power, no matter the price and no matter how artificial the final product may be (Anelauskas, 1999). Among Americans, it is normal, acceptable, and in some circles encouraged to hide behind a mask of: make-up, trendy clothing, trendy hair, fake hair, fake body parts, fake teeth, fake tans, a fake physique from liposuction or an eating disorder, fake nails, a fake smile, fake concern, fake morality, fake happy marriages, fake happy families, fake happy jobs, and even fake friendships. Today, children grow up in the culture of Facebook and Twitter, cell phones and texting, where the "most popular wins" and that popularity has nothing to do with genuine friendship or genuinely virtuous personality traits. People have become commodified like everything else, and use one another as stepping stones to social power (Twitchell, 2002; Goff & Fleisher III, 1999). As one author remarked, Americans "are living in a time of intense extropersonal relationships, in which the focus on things, on people as things, on relationships as things, defines modern meanings" (Twitchell, 2002). Even "romantic" relationships are defined in terms of economics: Is she worth the trouble? Is it worth investing in this relationship? Is he/she "a keeper"? What am I getting out of this? What have you done for me lately? (Twitchell, 2002).
The Fall of the Super-Empire
"History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce." ~Karl Marx
"As I have looked back across the ruins and landmarks of antiquity, I have been stunned by the parallels between those societies and our own. For most of us the destruction of Carthage, the rise of the Greek city-states, and the Fall of Rome are mere ghosts of the past, history lessons long forgotten. And such things as the capture of Constantinople, the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the kingdoms of France and Spain, and the slow withering decline of the British Empire are much less clear and less memorable. Most of us do not remember much from our history lessons about the French Enlightenment or, for that matter, the issues that led to the American Revolution. But this is the legitimate background of our own place in history, it is vital that we reconsider the nature of life in those earlier times. For within those eras and movements are the seeds of the troubles we face today." ~Jim Nelson Black (Anderson, 2002)
Is America really headed for an apocalypse? Wild stories abound about the world ending in 2012, about a vast conspiracy among the most elite to wipe out the crowding masses in a "great culling," about the powerful being saved and the poor perishing. While it's likely the downfall of America won't be that sudden and dramatic, it is clear that something dramatic must be done soon to change the course of history from repeating itself yet again.
Experts claim the fall of a nation occurs for many reasons, many of which are occurring in the United States right now (Anderson,...
Evidently, the teachers who have been subjected to the survey have already stayed considerably long enough at Vista High school. This just shows that these teachers find this school appropriate for their credentials as a teacher. It is also very clear that not all teachers have served this school since the very beginning of their teaching career. Some of them may consider this school as their second institution of
Similarly, employers may take advantage of this lack and not inform workers of their right to knowledge of the company's policies and procedures regarding safety features. It is also possible that individuals, particularly those working on a temporary contract basis, are afraid to be replaced when they raise health and safety concerns. Therefore these individuals prefer to take the risk for the sake of the income generated. In the beach environment
Full creativity allows the production of greater wealth, for a stronger and more evolved society. Further in defense of the moral systems or perceived lack thereof in terms of newly created wealth, D'Souza asserts that most wealth currently created is the result of personal effort, rather than means such as inheritance. The wealth can then indeed be seen as the reward for effort, rather than wealth as a result of
" Of these respondents, over 50% of them stated that they lack a disaster recovery plan (Anthes, 1998). However, most of the problems stem from the lack of communication at the corporate level. (Hawkins, et al., 2000). Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and other forms of strategic planning are no longer a luxury, but a must-have factor and an important element of any organisation's risk management system. Organisations are increasingly dependent upon
U.S. statistics indicate that 80% of aviation accidents are due to human errors with 50% due to maintenance human factor problems. Current human factor management programs have not succeeded to the degree desired. Many industries today use performance excellence frameworks such as the Baldrige National Quality Award framework to improve over-all organizational effectiveness, organizational culture and personal learning and growth. A survey administered to a sample population of senior aviation
These are designed to prevent any kind of burn out issues. Some of the most common techniques that can be utilized by the leadership during this process include: rethinking goals / objectives, looking at the speed of the changes that are taking place, making things fun and altering the team structure / format. Rethinking goals / objectives is when you are looking at if they are challenging enough for
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now