Arangetram

The music began, the audience fell silent, and it was show time. I was about to give one of the most important performances of my life. For a Bharatanatyam dancer, an Arangetram is a graduation ceremony that marks the transition from novice to professional. From the age of seven, I have been taking classes in this Indian classical dance, and it had all led up to this day. When I made the decision to work towards my Arangetram, I knew that it would take years of single-minded commitment. The grueling preparatory classes tested my dedication and endurance. As I got closer to the day, the mental and physical demands continued to increase. Practices would last for hours on end, and I had to continue putting in the maximum amount of effort day after day. After two years of ongoing practice, the day of the Arangetram finally arrived. The curtains went up and I danced harder than I had ever danced before. All eyes were on me for three full hours. No matter how tired I got, I continued to do my best. All the long hours of practice really paid off. That day, I performed in front of over 300 people. While it was exhilarating, it also felt surreal because I couldn’t believe that something I had worked towards for the past ten years was over. Looking back, I learned many important things along the way. Throughout the Arangetram preparation process, I learned the importance of hard work and dedication. In the end, everything came together as I put on the best show of my life. This experience has taught me valuable life lessons about setting lofty goals and persevering to achieve them. I now have the confidence that when I set a goal, I will achieve it.

Hobbes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hobbes - Essay Example Hobbes’ perspective on human nature as self-interested cooperation is an enduring theory of philosophical anthropology (Wildawski, Chai & Swedlow 161). Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the work of Thomas Hobbes from a social, political and economic perspective in western civilization. The Paradox of Hobbes Even in his own time, Hobbes was considered to have paradoxical views. Though he was perceived as a fierce controversialist and a brusque dogmatist, his main anger was directed against dogmatism of any kind. Similarly, although he was hostile to the intellectual authority of the churches as in the universities, he wanted his own philosophical works to be the authoritative texts within the universities. Though he praised toleration, he advocated an absolute sovereign with total power over intellectual matters. In place of scepticism, Hobbes promoted science although in an extremely sparse form. He cleared away all that he considered doubtful and w as left with a â€Å"a bare a priori materialism, according to which the universe must consist of material objects causally interacting with one another† (Tuck 129), but the real nature of these objects and their interactions is not known. In the same way, in ethics, Thomas Hobbes eliminated all the complicated ethical theories of his orthodox predecessors whether Aristotelians or humanists, and was left with only the bare principle that people are morally entitled to preserve themselves. Hobbes’ Theory of Human Nature as Self-Interested Cooperation Hobbes had few to receive guidance from on the best way to live, other than sceptics such as Montaigne who had always acknowledged the practical necessity of self-preservation. In alignment with the sceptics, Hobbes also concluded that the laws of one’s country are constitutive of one’s general morality, and that whatever is necessary for one’s preservation has to be morally acceptable. He believed in t aking this stance to radical lengths, and considered the sovereign to be responsible even for defining who a human being is, as in stating that â€Å"upon the occasion of some strange and deformed birth, it shall not be decided by Aristotle, or the philosophers, whether the same be a man or no, but by the laws† (Tuck 129). Thomas Hobbes’ Theory of International Relations Hobbes is a standard or mandatory figure in international relations theory, and also forms the core of one of the major traditions. Along with Machiavelli and sometimes with Thucydides, Hobbes stands as an archetypal proponent of ‘Realism’. Usually, scholars proficient in the study of Hobbes’ political philosophy deal with the theory of international relations in a very brief manner, within a few paragraphs or sentences. Modern international theorists interpret Hobbes work in a fixed manner. â€Å"The basic Hobbesian assumption is that there are no objective principles of moralityà ¢â‚¬  (Malcolm 433). Morality is determined only by the sovereign, once the state is formed. Hobbes’ belief was that the state creates morality as well as law, and that there is neither morality nor law outside the state. Hence, the realist view was that ethical standards were not applicable to relations between states. Similar to Machiavelli, Hobbes perceived politics as â€Å"the practical art of obtaining and preserving state power as an end in itself† (Malcolm 433). However, Hobbes reaches a higher level than Machiavelli through his clear account of the role

Reflection paper 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection paper 2 - Assignment Example However, I need to work more on the manner in which I interact with each particular person so that I do not use one size fits all approach. That is why the desired outcome is focused on being able to choose the correct approach to each person. In other words, if I customize the way I deal with a person, I will be able to contribute to the productiveness of the interaction, making it beneficial for all the parties that are involved in it. It was mentioned that authenticity is a peculiar combination of various factors, verbal, non verbal communication and personal traits. I believe that the above mentioned concept is important to social intelligence since it contributes to ones social attractiveness. Indeed, in order to be successful in the society it is particularly important to be able to build a good rapport with other people and this is exactly what social attractiveness is about. It signals the people around that a person is ready to start productive and healthy relationships which will be effective for every person who is engaged in it. Furthermore, when it comes to leadership, authenticity is important as well since it reinforces the connection between the leader and the followers. In other words, the latter are able to see the actual person behind the image of a leader. Thus, I am trying to become more authentic through finding harmony between my words and inner thoughts. The society values authenticity a lot since it means that a person is able to become a worthy contribution to the contemporary social environment. Under conditions when there are so many people in the society, every individual should not turn it’s the grey mass, but become a particular element of the society which ultimately brings its uniqueness. In addition to that, it is important to know that only people with authenticity should become leaders as they are able to project the right kind of atmosphere and make sure that the processes in which they are engaged are organized in