machiavelli :: essays research papers fc

Niccolo Machiavelli Statesman and Political Philosopher 1469 - 1527 No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution. —Machiavelli from The Art of War I was born on May 3, 1469 in Florence, Italy. I was a political philosopher and diplomat during the Renaissance, and I’m most famous for my political treatise, The Prince (1513), that has become a cornerstone of modern political philosophy. My life was very interesting. I lived a nondescript childhood in Florence, and mine main political experience in my youth was watching Savanarola from afar. Soon after Savanarola was executed, I entered the Florentine government as a secretary. My position quickly rose, however, and was soon engaging in diplomatic missions. I met many of the important politicians of the day, such as the Pope and the King of France, but none had more impact on me than a prince of the Papal States, Cesare Borgia. Borgia was a cunning, cruel man, very much like the one portrayed in The Prince. I did not truly like Borgia's policies, but I thought that with a ruler like Borgia the Florentines could unite Italy, which was my goal throughout life. Unfortunately for myself, I was dismissed from office when the Medici came to rule Florence and the Republic was overthrown. The lack of a job forced me to switch to writing about politics instead of being active. My diplomatic missions were my last official gove rnment positions. When I lost my office, desperately I wanted to return to politics. I tried to gain the favor of the Medici by writing a book of what I thought were the Medici's goals and dedicating it to them. And so The Prince was written for that purpose. Unfortunately, the Medici didn't agree with what the book said, so I was out of a job. But when the public saw the book, they were outraged. The people wondered how cruel a man could be to think evil thoughts like the ones in The Prince, and this would come back to haunt me when I was alive and dead. However, if the people wanted to know what my self really stood for, they should have read my "Discourses on Livy", which explains my full political philosophy. But not enough people had and have, and so the legacy of The Prince continues to define my person to the general public.

Infant Toddler Curriculum Essay

Developmental domains are one way to describe and think about the different aspects of development in the areas of: motional; physical, social, cognitive; and language skills of young children. And while we use the domains as a way to organize our thinking and observations of children, in reality all domains are function together simultaneously, especially in the first three years of life. This holistic development is separated into the developmental domains for the purpose of observation, study, developmental assessment, and planning (Blackboard, 2013). Therefore, it is important to understand how the developmental domains relate to the three themes of infant development; in order to provide DAP care and activities for children in each stage of arly childhood development. For instance, an understanding of the young infant stage, babies develop a sense of security from their caregivers. It is this sense of security, that allows the baby to build an urge to explore, later motivating t hem to take risks and advance their current knowledge of their environment. This may require removing all sharp objects from the area and covering electrical outlets and ensuring. However, prepping the room for child safety is not the only concern. It is imperative to play close attention, and respond to the needs of young infants. Nery oung children need adults who listen, smile, and talk with them or babble when they babble; watch for when they need quiet and solitude; and notice and communicate pleasure over such newfound skills as creeping, climbing, holding, dropping, or adding new sounds and words (Greenman, Stonehouse, and Schweikert, 2008, pg. 61). † An understanding of the mobile stage of development will make one aware of the safety precautions needed to allow mobile toddlers to explore the environment. Mobile infants often explore by mouthing and must be protected from small parts and fragile toys. In addition a rich learning environment for mobile nfants should include safe structures to climb and explore. â€Å"Moving around is essential to learning; it gives babies different perspective and vantage points, which they need in order to move from an entirely egocentric view of space toward a more sophisticated sense ot relationship between selt, space, and other people (Greenman, Stonehouse, and Schweikert, 2008, pg. 53). An understanding of the toddler stage of development enables caring adults to guide and assist young children’s emotional development. The first two years of a person’s life can set the foundation for the way hey create relationships, view others, and understand emotions and how to control them. â€Å"A toddler’s sense of self, of I and me, emerge in a group environment and a culture which private property and the acquisition of things are s omewhat scared. This makes the learning of related concepts like mine particularly challenging (Greenman, Stonehouse, and Schweikert, 2008, pg. 9). † â€Å"Toddlers learn about who they are in the world through relationships and experiences with adults who care for them. They learn to trust that their needs will be met, or that they will not. The motional domain includes the infant’s perception of herself and of herself in relation to others. â€Å"(Blackboard, 2013). The most important thing a caregiver can do to help a toddler’s emotional development is to create a safe and loving environment for the toddler to learn in. Caregivers should understand that each toddler is different and has different needs. Attending to each individual child in a well-organized and inviting learning environment is essential during his stage early childhood development. Infant Toddler Curriculum â€Å"Because of the specific needs of infants and toddlers the term curriculum is during he early stages of development is complex. To summarize all of the ideas of curriculum, as defined by leaders in the field (Gonzalez-Mena, Eyer, Dodge, Greenman, Stonehouse, Schwikert, Swim, and Watson), you must think about curriculum as an organized framework. To make curriculum DAP for infant and toddlers, it must be based on sound and relevant knowledge such as infant/ toddler development and research; so that it guides early care professional practices in providing purposeful and responsive learning opportunities for each child through daily routines and experiences (Blackboard, 2013) † â€Å"Infant and toddler curriculum plans focus on how to best create a social, emotional, and intellectual climate that supports child-initiated and child-pursued learning. The interests of the child and the belief that each child has a curriculum are what drive practice (Blackboard, 2013)†. It is understood that very young children need to play a significant role in selecting their learning experiences, materials, and content. Curriculum plans, therefore, do not focus on games, tasks, or activities, but on how to best create a social, emotional, and intellectual climate that supports child-initiated and child- ursued learning and the building and sustaining of positive relationships among adults and children. Responsive curriculum planning focuses on finding strategies to help infant-toddler teachers search for, support, and keep alive children’s internal motivation to learn, and their spontaneous explorations of people and things of interest and importance to them (Blackboard, 2013). † This should begin with study of the specific children in care. â€Å"Detailed records of each child’s interests and skills are kept to give g uidance to the adults for the roles they will take in each child’s learning Greenman, Stonehouse, and Schweikert, 2008, pg. 30). † It should also be realized from the start that plans should not be static. Adaptation and change are critical parts of the learning process and should be anticipated. â€Å"Once an interaction with a child or small cluster of children begins, the teacher has to be ready to adapt his or ner plans and actions so they work tor all children, no matter what kind ot physical , mental or emotional challenges individual bring to the program (Greenman, Stonehouse, and Schweikert, 2008, pg. 30). † Another essential component of planning s attention to a responsive learning environment and specific attention to how environments should be changed. The planning of learning environments is more important to infant-toddler development than specific lessons or specific activities. â€Å"The environment must be seen as part of the curriculum, creating interest and encouraging and supporting exploration (Blackboard, 2013). † Research has shown that much of how infants and toddlers learn best comes not from specific adult- directed lessons but from teachers knowing how to maximize opportunities for each child to use natural learning inclinations. The philosophy of routine care as learning opportunities for infants and toddlers is based on the premise that, â€Å"Relationships develop through all kinds of interactions, but especially during ones that happen while adults are carrying out those essential activities of daily living sometimes called caregiving routines (Greenman, Stonehouse, and Schweikert, 2008, pg. 5)†, such as: feeding, diapering; toilet training/learning; washing; bathing and grooming; dressing; napping. † For caregiving routines to become curriculum, they can’t be done mechanically.

The buddhas enlightenment - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1507 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? Buddhism is the second largest religion in Asia after Hinduism. Being also a philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, Buddhism is based on numerous teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha, who lived between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. Buddhists recognize his enlightenment (bodhi) achieved by entering a deep state of meditation and during which Buddha has achieved a total and direct realization of the truth. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The buddhas enlightenment" essay for you Create order Exactly Buddhas Enlightenment is the source of the majority of Buddhist teachings and practices and the proof that any human being (not a god) can directly perceive the true nature of reality through ones own efforts. It is the source of endless inspirations for every Buddhist and a sacred dream and aim of all Buddhas followers. The early texts provide somewhat different accounts of Buddhas biography. The major evidence suggests that Gautama was born on the periphery, taught by famous religious teachers of the day, and not finding the answer on how to permanently end suffering attempted an extreme asceticism, underwent prolonged fasting, breath-holding, and exposure to pain. Not finding any solution again, he chose the so-called Middle Way approach between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification meditation. At the age of 35, he has finally completed his spiritual quest under a sacred fig tree (later to be known as the Bodhi tree, or tree of Enlightenment): During his intensive forty-nine-day meditation, Gautama has achieved the complete and unshakeable state of full enlightenment and so had become the Buddha (One who is fully awake). Some important factors around Buddhas achievement of enlightenment state were finding a suitable place for meditation (the Bodhi Tree), conquering all distractio ns (the same as Jesus Christ, Buddha was being tempted by demons and evil forces), and, factually, attaining enlightenment. After this, Buddha gathered followers, instituted a monastic order, and spent the rest of his life travelling and teaching the path of awakening he discovered. Before discussing the teaching of Buddhism, it is important to fully understand what a state enlightenment is. Difficult to determine or properly describe, enlightenment refers to the state of having a direct insight into the nature of reality and into truth. Achieved through Buddhist meditation, enlightenment is a dynamic state of an innate wisdom with its basic nature allowing the mind staying quieted and focused and concentration strengthened. This means, it is far not about an intellectual knowledge, visions, or supernatural experiences, but about wisdom of another kind. Enlightenment releases from negative feelings and experiences like ignorance, worries, sorrow and unhappiness, and allows one enjoying pure being and seeing things as they actually are. It is the hearts release or nirvana and can be achieved both in ones life and after death. All Buddhas followers practice to and strive for achieving the state of enlightenment. At that, the faith is considered the primary conditi on to enter the sea of Buddhas teachings. Buddhas enlightenment had happened in three stages allowing him to realize the ultimate truth of reality unfolded like a lotus. The first one is calm thinking and a state of removal from everyday consciousness and reality. The second stage is detachment from the chatter of mind and entering the state of exalted rapture. Finally, the third stage is reaching ever purer joy and the final level of consciousness. This last stage makes the mind absolutely peaceful and clear enabling its direct perception into reality. The enlightenment had happened also on three different levels: of a Buddha, of a bodhisattva (a wisdom-being), and of an ordinary person. Shunryu Suzuki in his Zen Mind, Beginners Mind defines enlightenment as nothing special. You may say universal nature or Buddha nature or enlightenment. You may call it by many names, but for the person who has it, it is nothing, and it is something. And this characteristic of an ordinary mystery is maybe the most valuable about Buddhas en lightenment. Today, the entire Buddhist tradition exists in order to try and share Buddhas insight with others. The following principles, or primary/basic teachings, which are fixed in Tipitaka (the preliminary body of Buddhist teachings, analogous to the Old Testament in Christianity) and are shared by all schools of Buddhism, were revealed to Buddha during his enlightenment: the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and the Precepts. These teachings explicate the Buddhist doctrines of suffering, the five aggregates of being, refusing the self, ethics, karma, rebirth, enlightenment and Nirvana. The most basic Buddhist teachings, the Four Noble Truths give start to the spiritual path of this religion and encompass all Buddhas knowledge. They present the knowledge and understanding of the self, of karma and rebirth, and of enlightenment and Nirvana. These four are: (1) there is suffering in life; (2) the causes of suffering can be known; (3) suffering can be brought to an end by removing its cause; (4) the Eightfold path is the way to end suffering. The Eightfold Path, logically, includes eight points to cure the suffering of life. These are: (1) right understanding, (2) right intention, (3) right speech, (4) right action, (5) right livelihood, (6) right effort, (7) right mindfulness, and (8) right concentration. Right understanding refers to the Four Truths about suffering, the fact about changing nature of everything, and the fact about illusive nature of the self. Right intention is about giving up everything wrong and undertaking only good things/deeds as well as abandoning and cultivating the corresponding thoughts along with the deeds. Right speech refers to telling only the truth, avoiding negative statements, impolite and abusive language, babbles and gossiping, etc. as well as practicing kindly, meaningful, harmonious and necessary speech exclusively. Right action includes morally right, peaceful and honorable conduct and avoidance of causing suffering. Right livelihood means living in a right way, without doing any har m to humans, animals and whatsoever, including making of weapons, etc. Right effort refers to fostering good and preventing evil as well as constant self-improvement. Right mindfulness is about wakefulness. It refers to intentional awareness development and fostering right attention. Right concentration is mainly about practicing Buddhist meditation. These eight truth points aim at cultivating wisdom, ethical behavior, and mental discipline. They also are the key way of resolving all possible questions about life, death and oneself and the live guidelines for every Buddhist. The Precepts can be paralleled to Ten Commandments of Christianity. There are five of them: (1) do not kill but practice love; (2) do not steal but practice giving; (3) do not indulge in sexual misconduct but practice contentment; (4) do not tell lies but practice truthfulness and open-mindedness; and (5) practice awareness and mental clarity. In addition, Buddhas enlightenment is about understanding the fact that religious (and any) beliefs should not be taken as such. Buddhist doctrine asserts that one should not believe in something because he/she has heard of it, because there are long-lasting traditions, because it is spoken or written somewhere (e.g. in Bible) or popular, because it is taught so, etc. On contrary, one should believe because he/she has found the reasons to believe and has decided to choose and fully accept this particular way of living. Mysterious and wonderful, philosophic and deep, Buddhas enlightenment can and should be compared to the perfect way of meditation popular at the East. No other religion suggest similar way of perceiving the truth and the reality as well as says it is available for every ordinary person who has faith and who is willing to strive for this perfect state of consciousness. Buddhas revelation and teachings which he has received during his enlightenment makes him special, but he is a more close person (not really God factually) to his followers than any other god in any other worlds religion. In contrast to all other religions, Buddhism enlightenment experience is to figure out, to realize, to understand, to attain wisdom, and not to get the ready doctrines from the Bible, Koran, etc. Buddhism calls to strive for at least partial enlightenment to meditate in order to have at least some enlightenment experience. This is the core of this religion; this makes it democratic and very close to e ach of its followers. Because it is not after enlightenment that the true meaning is attained it is during the enlightenment An ordinary example of a raining weather can help explain Buddhas teachings in simple words. Today it is raining this is Buddhas teaching because he is everywhere. Religion is absolute and independent of somebodys perspective or interpretation; religion is everywhere. Buddhism says there should not be any particular teaching. Instead, people should see teaching in every moment of life, in their very existence this is Buddhas major teaching; this is what he was enlightened about. His enlightenment is not only the source of Buddhist teachings it illustrates the absence of a personal God present in Christianity, Judaism and Islam and the philosophic nature of faith which asserts that God is present everywhere in the world and in the human soul and at the same time transcends the world and the nature.