A Reflection of Faith free essay sample

A Reflection of Faith As I reflect upon my faith journey, I realize that like so many other â€Å"cradle Catholics,† I had become complacent. I was raised in a predominantly Catholic nation, by an Anglican mother and Catholic father. After being dutifully baptized into the church, I was set upon my path as any ‘good Catholic† should. Even though I attended Catholic girls’ school, my early days of catechesis consisted of Mass and Sunday school more as a ritual than an integral part of living my faith. I performed the rites of First Holy Communion and confession with no real understanding of my commitment and responsibilities.Confirmation was a spiritual fiasco, from which I almost did not recover. My parents did their best to provide a religious foundation for my siblings and me. In retrospect, they were probably ill-equipped to do so. My higher education and pursuit of my vocation have sometimes made it difficult for me to accept and conform to some simple dogmas of the church. We will write a custom essay sample on A Reflection of Faith or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I hold many strong personal views on many issues and have had considerable challenges applying the dogma to my personal life. I have always believed that God has a purpose for us all; my purpose was rather hazy until about seven or eight years ago.The illness and death of my mother at age 56, was a tremendous catalyst in my faith journey. I realized that in my vocational quest, I was not following Christ’s plan, moreover, I was trying to fit Christ into my plans. Consequently, my fervent observation of the Holy Days, abstinence form meat of Fridays in the early days, and unending serviced to my parish in the form of Eucharistic minister, Sacristan, and Catechist, were spiritually void. Once I truly succumbed to Christ and sought His path, my commitment to discipleship was fortified. When God provided me the privilege to serve at St.John, He facilitated a means for me to further enhance my own faith, and to impact that of students on a daily basis. This quote from 1 Timothy 4:12 â€Å"Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe;† allowed me to embrace my vocation and truly see its gifts. I am called to live out my vocation in the classroom and positively communicate the doctrines of our faith. This, as well as additional Catechesis has taken my understanding of the â€Å"universal† church to new levels. I love each and every one of my students for his or her uniqueness and ability to motivate me to be the best example of Christ that I am able. I no longer focus on my personal flaws or on the â€Å"flaws† I once perceived in the dogma; but on each minor success I gain in the Christian values of my students. Now that my role in Catholic education has come full circle, I feel very blessed to be part of such a rich tradition of faith and discipleship. I passionately believe in my purpose as a Catechist and I know that God will continue to strengthen me as I continue to walk His path.

Publishers are Shapers of History

Publishers are Shapers of History It is common knowledge that publishing firms employ people. They have a staff that includes editors and others who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the publishing house.[1] This means that publishing is not only about books but also about the business of selling books to make a profit.[2]Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Publishers are Shapers of History specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These areas of concern focus on the practical aspect of publishing.[3] However, publishers are not just employers and businessmen, they are also â€Å"cultural mediators and arbitrators of quality and taste.†[4] In other words publishers have the power to shape the course of history and one of the best examples can be seen in recent events when Pearson, the publishing firm that owns Financial Times and Penguin decided to withhold the payment of dividend to Libyan Investment Authority on moral grounds.[5] Accordin g to Thompson there are four types of resources that publishing companies possess and these are: economic capital, human capital, symbolic capital and intellectual capital.[6] The economic and human capital are aspects of the business that are tangible and easily recognisable by the general public. This includes the buildings where the offices can be found. This also includes the facilities and the equipment needed to publish books. The human capital on the other hand are the people involved in the business and make it possible for the firm to do all the labour needed turn manuscripts into books and deliver to the hands of the consumers. In the first two resources that was discussed a publisher is seen as both an employer and a risk taker. There is a need to learn the intricacies of managing people, hiring and replacing those that are no longer effective in their work. A good hire will increase the economic and human capital of the firm. In addition the publisher will have to manage the office, the facilities needed for publishing work and other material needed by the firm. This means that a publisher is the major risk taker in the said venture. He or she must learn how to make it work to succeed in the business or face financial ruin. However, making money and managing people are just part of the publishers major responsibilities. In order to sustain success a publisher must realise that there is a need to be mindful of the firms symbolic capital or how they outside world perceived the firm. This is true when it comes to current trends and issues that has to be addressed etc. A publisher has the power to shape culture and history. This can be achieved in two major ways. First, a publisher can choose what issues to support and what issues to condemn. Second, a publisher has the power to hire and support a particular writer while make it difficult for another to succeed.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is true for publishing firms that are already on top of the literary world. Imagine for instance that a powerful publishing firm decided to support an idea, runs with it and throws all its resources behind its promotion. Books will be published of course and when the book is successful the firm can even collaborate with film studios and create a film. This will further enhance the potency of the message and increase the scope of its influence. The publisher can also choose the writer whom it will groom and develop into a powerful dispenser of ideas. Imagine once again if a publishing firm chooses to support a controversial author and provide that person a platform from which he or she can express ideas that can change the world. This is the power of the publishing firm and of course the publisher. However, the most important aspect of this idea is the fact that publishers are conscious of this power. They are not obli vious to their capacity to impact culture and shape the opinions of people. In some cases the publisher feel that it is their responsibility to be painfully aware of their power. The same thing can be attributed to the leaders and publishers that belong to the Pearson group. The recent spate of headlines made it clear that the dictator that controls Libya is willing to bring the country down in flames and bloodshed. The whole world seems helpless as the only thing that can be done is to facilitate the repatriation of foreigners and assisting refugees that are fleeing out of the country. However, the Pearson group made a stand and they said that they will not pay the dividend owed to the Libyan Investment Authority for obvious reasons. It is a daring move and many people in the free world will undoubtedly applaud such actions. On the other hand the words of Thompson reverberates because he did not only say that publishers are merchants of culture and arbitrators of social values, he also said that publishers and publishing firms are in the business of making money. This issue is made more complicated when viewed from a corporate standpoint because a publisher is not the sole owner of the company. There are shareholders. Thus, even if a publisher felt that it is proper to do a heroic deed by bending the rules to teach a Libyan despot a lesson about the importance of human life, there are conflicts of interests that must be resolved. There is now a tension between the need to influence society and the need to make money and demonstrate financial responsibility. This is evident in the press statement released by Pearson:Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Publishers are Shapers of History specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Its abhorrent to us, what is happening in Libya. We have made it pretty clear we are uncomfortable with the holding, but we work in a public market company and we dont choose our sha reholders; our shareholders choose the company, so there is not a lot we can do.[7] It is clear that the publishers at Pearson worried about the impact of their action. They know that people can criticise them. Those who support the Libyan government will probably sue them in the court of law. It is therefore important to point out that Pearson was careful to demonstrate that their hands are tied because of recent developments and recent regulations that were made with regards to the crisis developing in the Middle-East, especially in Libya. They were careful to protect their interests but at the same time it is clear that Pearson exercised its power. The firm is conscious of its social capital and this means that its leaders and publishers were willing to do something that they believe is right even if it they will have to pay a steep price for such actions. Conclusion The business aspect of publishing is easy to understand. Books cost money to print and market. There is a need to maintain human capital and the publisher had to have solid skills in money management in order to run a company. However, publishing books is not just about making money. Publishers are aware of their social capital and they know that to some extent they have the power to shape history. This was in full display a few days earlier when Pearson, owner of the Financial Times and Penguin, decided to block the dividend payment to an investment company linked to Libyas dictator. They made a statement that they were not happy with the bloodshed and all the negative things that are happening in Libya. This is a prime example that a publisher or a publishing company is not just an employer and an investor, it is also in the business of changing the world. References Andrews, A. R. Cooper. Pearson Blocks Dividend Payment to Libyan Investment  Authority. Available from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/8354458/Pearson-blocks-dividend-payment- to-Libyan-Investment-Authority.html. [01 March 2011]. Greco, A. (2005). The Book Publishing Industry. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thompson, J. (2010). Books in the Digital Age: The Transformation of Academic and Higher  Education Publishing in Britain and the United States. Cambridge: Polity Press. Thornton, P. (2004). Markets from Culture: Institutional Logics and Organisational Decision in  Higher Education Publishing. CA: Stanford University Press. Yager, F. L. Touby. (2010). Career Opportunities in the Publishing Industry. New York: Infobase Publishing. Footnotes Yager Touby (2010), p.154 Greco (2005), p.3. Thornton (2004), p.38. Thompson (2010), p.32. Andrews Cooper (2011), p.1. Thompson, p.30. Andrews Cooper, p.1.

Catastrophic Terrorism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Catastrophic Terrorism - Research Paper Example Peace is friendly, peace is helpful, it is merciful and for these reasons, it validates itself as an indispensable requirement in any country. Terrorism has serious ramifications on various sectors of the economy, children and development of a country as a whole. To ensure continuity, oneness and communalism in the society, the issue of terrorism must be dealt with and ensure that peace prevails in the midst of all the citizens. Global terrorism has been on the rise in the last couple of years and as much as it has been met with a considerable amount of retaliation by the world’s superpower, it has not been completely dealt a major blow to an extent that it can cease. Terrorism has a number of definitions but the simplest one is â€Å"the illegitimate use of combat methods or force to achieve a certain political objective by targeting innocent people (Bruce, 2015). Further, it can also be referred to as a â€Å"set of combat methods rather than a recognizable ideology or a movement and involves use of violence against the innocent people to inflict a psychological effect of fear on others other the immediate targets (Bruce, 2015). While the effects of terrorism cannot be quantified, catastrophic terrorism aims at victimizing a large number of people, causing more damage to a larger proportion; otherwise called mass destruction. Today’s terrorism, whether local, regional or international act on greater variety of motives than it has been before. Accessibility to weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear devices, germ dispensers, poison gas weapons and even more interestingly, computer viruses has made the world that we live in more vulnerable to catastrophic terrorism. Catastrophic terrorism has become more of a possibility now due to dependence of technology and this has facilitated the terrorists with an easy way to targets. Catastrophic terrorism poses a major threat now more than ever before due to use of