Character Is Fate

Character is Fate – Essay â€Å"A man’s character is his fate† once said the Greek philosopher Heraclites. By this he meant that our personalities and actions shape the outcomes of our lives and therefore our destiny. This statement opposes the traditional view that man’s fate is determined by an external force (name it god or even chance). This argument is basically one of faith: do you believe we shape our own futures by how we act, or are our lives programmed in a certain unchangeable way? In other words, do you believe in an omnipotent being that has our lives or at least our futures predetermined? As we shall see, a man’s character defines his life (as his behaviour, emotions and actions determine his daily life), but I believe that our fate is predetermined and unchangeable and that there is divine intervention, therefore a matter that we have no control over. To support the fact that we might be able to define our daily life but not our fates or futures there is the unanswered question of ‘why do bad things happen to good people? Furthermore, character is not the only aspect in deciding a man’s fate: external events (chance and Nature) will also alter the processes and outcomes of our lives. Heraclites and Novalis (German philosopher)[1] had an interesting argument, but unfortunately one that only applies in a utopian world. Many people believe that a person’s personality determines their place in life, therefore supporting Heraclites’ idea. Basically, this suggests that depending on how a person lives, what he does and how he deals with events the outcome of his life will be shaped accordingly. For example, in Thomas Hardy’s ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’, we understand that Mr. Henchard’s personality flaws (his temper and his naivety especially) lead him slowly to worse situations, which finally end up in him not wanting to be remembered once he is dead. On the other hand, Farfrae, a character which is much more appealing, sensitive, humane and kind is victim of fortunate events such as the prosperity of his business and his marriage to Lucetta. Both these cases can be attributed to the fact that life is working against Henchard while it works very well for Farfrae due to their aforementioned personalities. Unquestionably, the way in which we act will attract positive or negative outcomes respectively. In this matter, we could say that we are the architects of our fates[2] and that even though it might be very difficult to do so, we can manage to change our personality and therefore change our fates in a desired direction. Fate is in our hands (or should we better say in our character), as Scottish author Samuel Smiles words tell us: â€Å"Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny. †[3] On the other hand, if we follow the argument discussed in the previous paragraph, then we could draw the conclusion that good things should always happen to good people and bad things to bad people. In real life, this is almost never true, and in many examples we can find quite the opposite: bad things happening to good people and vice versa. How many good and innocent people have been victims of the greed of evil people such as the Holocaust, the Iraq War or the bombings in Nagasaki and Hiroshima? If we want to narrow this to a theological explanation, then we can argue that God made us all in his image, therefore making us independent of moral choice and giving us total freedom (this suggests that we can control our characters in the way we decide because we have been given the freedom to do so. I don’t support this idea, but it is however the most rational to explain why bad things happen to good people: as there are also bad people in the world that act freely, then you can be a victim of their acts no matter who you are or how you are). However, as he has given everyone freedom, then we can all be victims of good and bad from other people. [4] Your character might determine your fate, but it is not the sole factor because as we can see, bad things can happen to good people and vice versa. I believe that this is a matter of chance (the fact that a good person might get in the way of a bad one and therefore have a terrible outcome which his/her character doesn’t reflect) and even tough we might have a certain personality that should lead us to a consequent destiny, unexpected and random variables get in the way and might change the course of our fates. Definitely our character will have an important role to play in determining the outcomes of our lives, but from this idea we can draw the idea that although character controls our life, we can’t control our fates: our fates are predestined. We can call these omnipotent force God, devil, providence or chance, but the fact is that our fate has already been planned for us and even if we could change our character (making us believe that we are changing our fate), we are only changing direction into a fate we think is new, but in reality is the fate that was always predestined for us. Furthermore, character is not the only factor in determining our lives. We must consider external factors such as the environment, nature and fortune. For example, in the novel ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ by Thomas Hardy, the main character, Mr. Henchard organizes a fair for the townspeople in order to show the people that despite what he appears to be, he is really kind and humane. Everything turns out wrong for him because heavy rain ruins the event (Nature intervenes) and later on in the book when he finally tries to redeem himself by taking good care of her daughter, he finds out that she is really not her daughter and that her real daughter died many years ago (fortune intervenes). We can’t attribute this ‘bad luck’ to Henchard’s character; this is simply a series of external factors that play against him in a random and unfortunate way. Yet another example is a Jewish story about a man, Moishe Lipsky, who moved into New York in the time of the Great Depression and when he applied for the only job he could find (a janitor), he was turned down because he was illiterate. So, he opened a little storefront and gradually became a rich and successful man. One day, when he goes to the bank to ask for a loan and he signs the papers with an X (as he was illiterate) and the loan officer tells him ‘Just think, in just a few years you have become a very rich man. It makes me wonder what you would have become if you could read and write’ and Lipsky answers ‘A janitor’. 5] It is ironical how things turn out in this story, but chance certainly plays a role in the success of this good and honest man. He arrives to America just in a difficult time and his predestined conditions make him illiterate. Without these factors of Nature, chance or omnipotence, the man could have actually turned out to be a janitor and not the successful businessman he turned out to be. Anyone who has a belief in an omnipotent body must understand that our nature is predestined and that our futures are set, so no matter what we do, we will always make our choices to lead the way to our predetermined fate. In an idealistic world, our character is certainly our fate, if no external factors (chance or nature) intervene. However, even though in practice we can definitely say that our personalities shape our destiny, I believe that God has a definite purpose for each one of us and therefore He has determined our destiny from the very first moment we were conceived. Furthermore, the fact that good things happen to bad people and vice versa reflects the fact that our fates must be predetermined, and therefore while our personalities might lead us in a certain way, our fate (whether good or bad) is already written. We can change our characters at free will and this will make us lead an ensuing life, but our destiny is set and no matter what we do, we will never be able to determine it. [1] â€Å"Character and fate are two words for the same thing† – Novalis [2] â€Å"Each man is the architect of his own fate. † – Appius Claudius [3] http://www. americanchronicle. com/articles/view/20750 [4] http://judaism. about. com/library/3_askrabbi_o/bl_simmons_murder. htm [5] http://www. petermalakoff. com/character_and_fate. html

Organism Physiology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organism Physiology - Essay Example Frog and Its Environment Researchers have done a lot of research on the physiology of frog. Some of the main organs of a frog studied extensively by the researchers include head, trunk, belly, webbed foot, hind leg, front leg, tongue, eye, nostril, and tympanum. Let us get an overview of some of the main organs of a frog in order to get an understanding of the roles that these organs play in making a frog adapted to its environment. Retrieved from http://www.infovisual.info/02/026_en.html Physiology of Frog Retrieved from http://www.biology-online.org/biology-forum/about14315.html Head Head is the uppermost part of a frog. The organs present in this portion include nostrils, mouth, eye, and tympanum. The internal structure of this portion includes vomerine teeth, maxillary teeth, internal nostrils, Eustachian tube, glottis, esophagus, and tongue. Trunk The trunk is the central part of a frog. Some organs attached with this part include head and limbs. Rear leg Rear legs of a frog hel p it take short and long jumps. Each of the rear legs has five toes. Rear legs are made in such a way that they act like springs for a frog and help it jump. Frogs have webbed feet, which help them swim in water (Drummond & Tom, 2011). Front leg Front legs of a frog are shorter in length. They help a frog leap forward and save the body from touching earth after jumping. Tongue â€Å"A frog's tongue is fastened in the front, not the back and is folded backward to the throat† (Thomas, 2007). The length of the tongue is nearly one-third of the frog’s overall length. There is a sticky material present on the tongue of a frog which attached the food to the tongue which is eventually swallowed by the frog. â€Å"It takes less than a second for a frog's tongue to roll out, adhere to prey, and roll back into the frog's mouth† (Anonymous, 1999). Frog lives in water as well outside. The amount of time that frogs spend in the water varies a great deal from frog to frog. So me frogs live in water most of the time whereas some live outside. They are carnivores and eat worms, spiders, fish, snails, and other small insects. They live in such environments where they can easily get their prey. They have good eyesight and a sticky tongue which help them get their prey easily. Frog’s eyes also help it take its prey into its belly. â€Å"Frogs' eyes have a surprising auxiliary function: they help in swallowing† (Anonymous, 1999). If we talk about the skin of a frog, we can say that the skin plays a vital role in the survival of a frog. The skin helps a frog breathe and drink. It is a fact that frogs cannot drink water. Therefore, their skin helps the take required moisture inside. The skin also helps frogs take oxygen in the body. Frogs need extra oxygen which their lungs are not able to take. Therefore, the skin of a frog helps it take required amount of extra oxygen that is needed for respiration. A frog also eats its skin once a week. It is a fact that frogs shed their skin once a week while blending, twisting, and stretching. They eat their old skin once they pull it off. Frogs need both soil and water for survival. They do not lay their eggs in soil. The reason is that their eggs do not have any kind of protective shell which can save them properly. Therefore, they lay their eggs in water because water protects their eggs from drying up. Frogs need a pollution free environment to survive. Although they can live in mud but the condition is that the mud should be free of harmful contaminants. Pollutants, such as, pesticides and insect killer sprays are very harmful for their survival because they contaminate the water in which frogs live. â€Å"Declines in amphibian numbers and increases in deformed bodies

In the UK, ethical businesses are not as successful as less ethical Essay - 5

In the UK, ethical businesses are not as successful as less ethical business - Essay Example Customers sometimes pay premium prices for products from socially responsible organizations but may also punish those businesses that are not socially responsible. However, I am in full support of the argument that â€Å"in the UK, Ethical businesses are not as successful as less ethical businesses.† McMurrian & Matulich (2006) say that changing business environment as a result of competition is making business organizations to change their strategies so as to achieve strategic fit. Ideally, being ethical is supposed to help businesses to gain consumer trust. This is aimed at increasing sale of products (p.11). An ethical business not only cares about its perception by the society but also cares about its employees. This means that if it treats its employees ethically, they become satisfied, loyal and productive, produce quality service and reach their highest level of capability. An ethical business also cares about their customers and for this they gain customer satisfaction and loyalty which translates to profitability (p.12). However, there are some organizations in the UK which do not operate ethically yet they continue making profits year after year. Reese (2010) gives McDonalds as an example; this organization has a negative impact on the environment in many ways. To star t with, it usually consumes large amounts of energy in form of electricity in order to run its multiple retail outlets. Pollution from the factories which produce its products is another and not mentioning the wastes as a result of the food produced. However, it still continues to rack profits annually because people can’t help themselves when it comes to eating their fast foods. McDonalds also purchases their products from privatized farmlands which is good. However, some of these farmlands at some point had been a rainforests. This cannot be directly attributed to