Does God Have a Future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Does God Have a Future - Essay Example Because by definition this is impossible many philosophers have relegated God to the dead letter box. But God is simply the belief that we each hold that defines the difference between right and wrong, and good and evil. It doesn't necessarily take a 'man in the sky' viewpoint to hold a belief in God or religion. Science changes its explanations and theories with time and so does God. This is not a dead God; it is a living and growing God. Armstrong contends that a "committed atheism can be more religious than a weary or inadequate theism". She points out that any explanation for God is either absurd or tyrannical. However, she uses the most extreme and lame versions of religion to cast her judgments. The living and evolving God is not left behind as a worn out concept, unable to keep up with science and technology. In fact, this is exactly why people are returning to God. We face challenges in our modern world that can't be confronted simply on logical or scientific terms. The decisions that we make need to resonate with the belief that there is a lasting good to come from them. This comes by being rooted in the 'passionate theism' that guides us. God may be a new and improved version of the previous over-ruling tormentor and keeper of the gates of hell.

Eva Duarte Peron (Evita) Essay -- Argentina History Latin America Evit

Eva Duarte Peron (Evita) Thesis: Her experience as a member of the lower class who overcame poverty and her belief in bringing justice to the poor made everything that she did for the people of Argentina possible. Eva Peron 'Mi vida por Peron!' ('My life for Peron!') [Evita] cried a thousand times before the roaring crowds, and then she died. There are parallels that could be drawn between her life and the lives of other obsessively ambitious women who have forced their way through poverty and fame.but instead popular memory finds parallels between Evita's life and the lives of the saints, because she did it all for someone else. (Guillermoprieto 100) From Colonel Juan Peron's election in 1946 until her death from cancer in 1952, Eva Duarte de Peron greatly altered the lives of the Argentine people. Knowing from her childhood what it was like to belong to the lower class population of Argentina, she felt she had the inside connection to making conditions better for her "descamisados," or "shirtless ones." Her experience as a member of the lower class who overcame poverty and her belief in bringing justice to the poor made everything she did for the people of Argentina possible. Social injustice was everywhere in Argentina. It was too much for Eva to bear, so she decided to take action (Peron 12). Eva Duarte met her opportunity to work for the government when an earthquake destroyed most of the city of San Juan on January 15, 1944. She helped take collections for the needy (To Be I). Later, she chose to work in the Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare. In this department she was able to meet many people and hear all of their stories and problems (Peron 71). She was especially interested in the lower class, the working class of Argentines. Coming from a family among the working class, she knew what they were going through. She had a special understanding of the working class and felt comfortable working with them to improve their situation (79). Eva considered each worker that came into her office a friend, and she was a loyal friend to each of them (81). In all of this, her main purpose was to give justice to the poor. In 1945 she married Colonel Juan Peron, who became Argentina's president in 1946 (Taylor 39). Eva helped him a great d... ...ood education. She gave Argentine women the right to vote and a place to go while beginning their career. She gave the orphans a home and the elderly a place to retire. All of these things she did without expecting anything in return. The only thing she desired was the love of her people and of Peron. Works Cited Guillermoprieto, Alma. "Little Eva." The New Yorker 2 December 1996:98+ Larson, Dolane. "Evita's Legacy." Evita Peron Historical Research Foundation. 10 January 1997. http://www.evitaperon.org/legacy/ (2 April 1999). Mc Henry, Robert, ed. "Eva Peron." The New Encyclopedia Britannica: Macropaedia. 1993 ed. [Peron, Eva.] evita by evita: Eva Duarte Peron Tells Her Own Story. Redwood City, CA: Proteus Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Taylor, J.M. Eva Peron: The Myths of a Woman. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979. To Be Evita. Part I. Trans. Dolane Larson. Evita Peron Historical Research Foundation. April, 1997. http://evitaperon.org/biography/part1.html (9 April 1999). To Be Evita. Part II. Trans. Dolane Larson. Evita Peron Historical Research Foundation. April, 1997. http://evitaperon.org/biography/part2.html (9 April 1999).

The Hunters; Scarce Resources in the Kalahari

The Kung bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa are one of the few bands of hunter-gatherers left in the world. They survive by foraging for their meals while traveling, never settling in one specific area. Hunting and gathering was the primary mode of survival until about ten thousand years ago. Anthropologists have made assumptions about the hunting and gathering lifestyle of current populations because it seems like a precarious method of living. Moreover, the Kalahari area where the ! Kung live in was perceived to be baron because it is a desert.However, a study done over a period of years beginning in 1960 led by Richard Lee disproved the common misconception of the life of these foragers, proving that they were not the uncultivated society that they were perceived to be. The ! Kung people live in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa where there is minimal rainfall, and they are physically isolated from any agricultural societies in the area. They do their fieldwork in an area with eight permanent waterholes that were about 125 miles away from a river. They do not cultivate agriculture, nor do they have livestock nor are under any heavy government authority.The ! Kung people rely solely on hunting and gathering for their survival because in the area that they live in, there is no other logical means of survival. Because of all of these observed setbacks, anthropologists of the 1960’s saw these bush people as a group living solely to find food for survival. This was not the case however. When anthropologists of the 1960’s went to study these people, they found that their perceptions were wrong. Although the people lived far away from other societies, and although they did not cultivate the land, they lived meaningful lives.Despite not having close neighbors from other societies, there was a relatively large population of other camps of hunter-gatherers that were associated with the waterholes. In addition, although the desert is a rid, there are many sources of vegetables that the people live consume. Despite what anthropologists believed, the author proved that the people did not have to live for the sole purpose of finding food. There was a six-mile radius near each of the waterholes that had copious vegetation and an assorted source of meat. This suggests that in order to obtain food, the people only needed to go a certain walking distance.It was not necessary to travel for long periods to get a small portion of food, as anthropologists thought. However, there was never a surplus of food, which could allude to the fact that there was not enough food for a surplus. This was a misconception because the bush people had more than enough food to live off, so there was no need to obtain a surplus because there was no need to store food when it was readily available. Another misconception anthropologists had was that the bush people had to hunt often for sustenance but this was invalidated.The Bushmen go out to c ollect food around every third day throughout the year. Anthropologists thought when they went out to get food, the ! Kung people went hunting. This was not the case. It was proven that around 60 to 80 percent of their diets were comprised of vegetation from the area surrounding the camp. This can be partially attributed to the fact that the men are not always successful when they go to hunt, and it also involves the fact that there is a large variety of vegetation available to the people.Previously, anthropologists thought that in a hunter-gatherer society, there was primarily hunting done to sustain the population because not much waste was found in the camps, however, the primary types of animals hunted are small and vegetation does not leave much waste. There is never a shortage of food for the ! Kung, they have their pick of what types of vegetation they wish to consume, partially based on the season, and they occasionally eat meat. The people do not have to scour for food and settle for whatever they can find, as anthropologists thought.There is actually an assorted variety of foods the ! Kung people choose from. And not every type of edible food is consumed. The people are selective in the types of food they want to eat, and sometimes settle for certain unpopular foods due to reasons such as drought. There is always food for the people to consume, but during certain times of year, the bush people have to travel farther to get to it. There is a shorter commute in the summer while in the spring, there is much more distance that needs to be covered to get food.The mongogo nut is a staple in the diet of these people because of its good nutritional value. This nut is attributed to around 50 percent of their diet of vegetation based on weight. This is a staple to the bush people, compared to rice or corn of other societies. The nut is hardy and drought resistant so it is always abundant throughout the year, and only of a fraction of it is actually cultivated. This is because of how selective the ! Kung people are with the types of food they consume. The more favorable fruits are usually consumed first, and then staples such as the mongongo nut are eaten.Anthropologists and others also believe these people eat animals such as rodent and insects because they are included in literature about the people, but the bushman actually despise these animals as food and do not consume them. Moreover, gathering never results in all of the available vegetations’ depletion. There is always food available, so the bush people do not go long without food. It was once thought that the people were malnourished because of their location, but that was not true. The bushmen eat relatively balanced diets that include enough of each food group to be healthy individuals.It was believed that the hunting and gathering way of life was harsh and rigorous, so the people who followed this lifestyle were quickly worn out and died at an early age. Some anthropolo gists even assumed that the average age a bush person would reach before they died was around 45. This was definitely not the case after research was conducted. It was also perceived that the bush people abandoned their old and sick members because they cannot provide for themselves or for the camp therefore were deemed useless. The ! Kung bush people do not adhere to any of these prior assumptions.In the population of bush people, there were a percentage of people over the age of sixty that was comparable to the percentage of those over sixty in industrialized societies. Elders were respected and were considered leaders of the camp, they were not abandoned and considered futile as once thought. Senile individuals were rare but they, along with crippled and disabled individuals were cared for and valued for skills they had. The elderly were taken care of by their children when they could no longer provide by hunting or gathering.Anthropologists also had the notion that people began hunting and gathering at a young age, so that enough food could be provided. It was discovered however, that there is a late age of assumption of adult responsibility, and that young people were not expected to provide until marriage. There was a large portion of the population that does not provide food by hunting and gathering, and there was a small population that provide for themselves and those that do not work. It was discovered that children and the elderly lead considerably simple lives.Although there is a small population of people that actually search for and gather the food, their time is not completely preoccupied with finding food. It is true that finding food is the most important activity, but that is also important to most other societies, especially agricultural societies. The people devote around twelve to nineteen hours of a traditional seven day week in search for food. The other time is used for leisure and recreation. As stated earlier, the Bushmen do not have a surplus of food, so there is no need to have rigorous seasons of work in search for food because it is usually always readily available.They obtain food to appease their necessary caloric intake and after that, their time is used for other purposes besides the search for food. Woman spend their time doing activities such as embroidery, resting, taking care of her children, visiting other camps, or entertaining visitors. A woman would also be required to take care of the home and kitchen routines. These activities include cooking, or collecting water. Men usually are involved in visiting, entertaining guests or dancing. Hunting is irregular and it is influenced by the hunter’s luck.For example, if a hunter is having bad luck for a certain period of time, they could stop hunting and participate in leisurely activities. It was assumed that everyone has to go out to get food, but that is not the case because some men can go longer than a month without hunting if their luck does not get better. Although they have large periods of time devoted to leisure, there is usually always a steady supply of vegetation and meat. Based on prior assumptions of a hunting and gathering lifestyle, anthropologists of the 1960’s thought hunter-gatherers lived â€Å"brutish† lives where all they did was search for food.With Richard Lee’s research of the ! Kung through the 1960’s he disproved these assumptions. Foragers were not barbaric individuals that lived solely off of meat and they lived for more than just finding food. Lee suggest that the â€Å"view of both modern and ancient hunters ought to be reconsidered. † And that hunting and gathering was â€Å"a persistent and well-adapted way of life. † The ! Kung of the Kalahari were an example of a set of foragers who lived lives with more meaning than just to survive through hunting.

Qu Tal and Other Ways of Using Tal in Spanish

To those learning Spanish, tal may best be known for being part of the question phrase  ¿quà © tal? but tal actually has a wide range of uses and meanings. Tal is of those words thats best thought of as representing a concept rather than as the equivalent of a particular English word. Functioning as an adverb, adjective, or pronoun, tal generally is used to refer in some way to something that has previously been said or implied, and it also is used in several common idioms. Here are the most common uses of tal: Tal As an Adjective As an adjective, tal often indicates that the accompanying noun refers to something mentioned earlier. When used this way, tal can often be thought of as meaning of that kind, and it is frequently translated as such. No existe tal lugar. (Such a place doesnt exist.) ¡Por quà © hay tal diferencia de precio? (Why is there such a price difference?)Habà ­a muchos tales libros en existencia a la hora de conquista espaà ±ola. (There were many books of that kind in existence at the time of the Spanish conquest.)Tal cosa jamà ¡s se ha visto. (Such a thing has never been seen.)Si una persona afirma tal idea, lo haga por error o por ignorancia. (If a person asserts that kind of idea, he does it out of mistake or ignorance.) Tal As a Pronoun As a pronoun, tal refers to something that is vaguely like something else: No hay tal como la escuela perfecta. (Theres no such thing as  the perfect school.)Mi hermano come hamburguesas, pizza y tal. (My brother eats hamburgers, pizza and things like that.)Dà ­galo tal como es. (Tell it like it is.) Tal As an Adverb As an adverb, tal typically means something like just as or in such a way: Tal me habla que no sà © que decir. (He speaks to me in such a way that I dont know what to say.)La cà ¡mara ve el color tal cual es en realidad. (The camera sees the color just as it is in real life.)Todo està ¡ tal como antes. (Everything is just as it was before.) In Phrases To Express Purpose Con tal que usually means for the purpose of. The phrase is typically followed by an infinitive. The similar phrases con tal de que and con tal que (followed by a conjugated verb) can have a similar meaning but most often convey the idea of provided that, as long as or in the case that. El exgobernador habla en espaà ±ol con tal de ganar votos. (The former governor is speaking in Spanish in order to win votes.)Los senadores està ¡n dispuestos a sacrificar la economà ­a con tal de que el presidente no sea reelegido. (The senators are inclined to sacrifice the economy so that the president isnt re-elected.)Con tal de que me salga mi casa, soy feliz. (Provided I leave my house, Im a happy person.)Con tal que me quieras, soy tuyo. (As long as you love me, Im yours.)Las personas que sufren de insomnio tratan con casi todo con tal de dormir. (People who suffer from insomnia try almost anything in order to sleep.)  ¿Quà © Tal? Tal functions as an adverb with quà © in questions to ask how people or things are. Literal translations of such sentences generally arent possible, since such questions are often casual and idiomatic, so context will determine whats meant. Hola  ¿quà © tal? (Hi, how are you?) ¿Quà © tal tu viaje? (How was your trip?) ¿Quà © tal tu dà ­a? (Hows your day going?) ¿Quà © tal lo estamos haciendo? (How are we doing?) Tal Vez The phrase tal vez means maybe or perhaps. The phrase, often written as talvez, especially in Latin America, is often followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood. Tal vez fuera el eco de una aparicià ³n. (Perhaps it was the echo of a ghost.)Tal vez compremos otro coche pequeà ±o. (Maybe well buy another small car.) Key Takeaways Because it can be translated in so many ways, it may be best to think of tal as a word that expresses the idea of something being like something else that has been said or implied previously.Tal can function as a pronoun, adjective, or adverb. It also functions as part of phrases such as tal vez in which the phrases has a meaning apart from the meanings of the individual words.One of the most common translations of tal is such, and a common phrase using the word is tal vez, meaning maybe.