Educational Administration and Management

Questions: 1. Based on your own experience think of an educational institution that needs change. Discuss several methods that the organization can use to overcome resistance to change? 2. You must have observed many school principals and other administrators in educational institutions. Create two lists based on your observation? 3. What you would most likely do if you were the person described in the situation? Answers: 1. While researching about various educational institutions, I am across this institution which according to me was in a terrible shape and immediately needed some change in the way it was working otherwise it would die a natural death. As I observed its present condition, I prefer not naming g the institution and lets assume it to be XYZ. By bad condition I do not mean that it was did follow the rules and regulations as such or the administration was pathetic but as an outsider I could [perceive that the education does need some major changes to survive in the long run. According to the survey conducted by me and colleagues on the institution I noted the exact changes that were needed for its improvement. I believe what was important in this place was to bring about skill based teaching rather than the theoretical teaching that was been monotonously be carried out. It is very important these days to have practical knowledge about things because in the end it wills these skills that would help someone to feed their stomach rather than anything else. Another important change required is to get a smarter rather creative teaching faculty for this institution. This has become the need of the hour. The children in todays generation have become sharper and teacher need to match up their level, introducing new methods of teaching along with other interesting activities to keep them engaged and makes the sessions enjoyable for them. What else was required was a kind of total revolution in the technology used and infrastructural development of the institution. Here again I am not trying to say that the structure unacceptable or so but I simply mean that this change would be good in order to cope up with todays modern society. Another change which I found was absolute necessary was personalizing of education i.e. the way of teaching should be varying depending on the ability of the student. One thing that should be kept in mind that everybody is not the same and one size cannot fit all. Some kids take time to learn while some can learn faster. Thus the teaching methodology should be tailor fit depending upon the childs ability to cope up with things. Having noted so many changes in the educational institution I would now try to analyze what methods can the organization in turn follow to resist the changes taking place not necessarily the ones that pointed out here. People generally resist change due to reasons like misunderstandings, selfish interests, and low tolerance of change and so on. However there is a need to overcome such resistance and this could be done in the following ways: The foremost thing that is to be done id to manage the perception of the people. People tend to resist something when they feel that it is forcibly done to them. Once if the organization is able to overcome this, they can facilitate the change easily We should always keep in mind that something that would always remain constant is change. Thus the institution should try and make change in any form a part of their culture. The institution should try to take the reaction of a skeptical person in a positive manner and listen to them as that it can be pretty tough, but then again that is what is to be done here. The institution should thoroughly take up the background change which has taken place so far to facilitate the change in a better way. The institution should be ready for any preconceived notions that they might have to face while dealing with the changes. 2. Based on past observance heres a list of things that head of institutions did that highly motivated the teachers to put in their best and work harder was the following : Communication A very important thing I noticed was the institutions with a clear communication between the head of the institution and the faculty members resulted in their better performance factor as it acted a motivating factor. The members felt that they can actually talk and have a conversation with the head regarding any matter of concern. When the heads tried to take the initiative to facilitate contact between the students and the faculty members enabling the students to reach out to the faculties at any point of time and vice versa helped the members to be activelyinvolved in the work they did which actually proved to be beneficial. A positive attitude is the antidote or any problems or stress coming along the way. heads of the institution who were more positive in their approach with the faculty members showed better results as compared to the others Appreciation is something which is very necessary irrespective of the sector in which the organization falls under. The head of institutions who took the initiative to appreciate the members of the faculty, who had worked harder and showed results, had greater satisfaction in comparison to the other institutions. This was not only a motivating factor for the faculty members who did well but also a driving force for the others to perform well the next time The heads that conducting regular meeting to discuss problems and agendas with its faculty members resulted in greater success than the others because any issue that cropped up was instantly solved rather than its growing. Things that the heads did which destroyed the motivation of it faculty members were: The heads who were found very rigid in their approach with the I am always right attitude did not work well with the faculty members One of the most common demotivating factors found in many institution were the heads always pointing out the pitfalls with the faculty members with no emotion of encouragement for the next time Heads who were very strict in granting leaves or holidays to the faculty members thoroughly demotivated all its members Leading a monotonous life without any recreational activities of any sort provided to the members destroyed their motivation to work for the institution Not letting the faculty member to be creative in their ways and to stick to the traditional mode that has been followed throughout the years has acted as a demotivating factor too. Observing both the motivating as well the demotivating factors one can say that the head of any educational institutional should try and follow the middle path. One should neither be too strict making them unapproachable or too lenient. One should know how balance and know how behave one. Another quality effective leadership is when the head works in a diplomatic manner rather than being emotional. One should also be very particular about their behavior and not acting very bossy rather than imposing g the authority when the situations demand. For effective leadership one should always have self-confidence which is very essential in motivating himself before he motivates anybody else. However this in any case shouldnt become over confidence. All this would help a head to be an effective leader in any educational institution. 3. One such program I heard about was the training that was conducted in a local university on the concept of cooperative learning. This is a new very concept for the school and this could be something different and a new experience for the students of our school. I did some research work on this and found out that cooperative learning can actually help the children to perform better. As we all know that humans cannot live in isolation, and there is need for the people to interact with one another and stay together in a peaceful way if one living in a society. The theory of cooperative learning is based on this phenomenon. It helps the children to stay together, work together and also learn together. I have done a thorough reading on the concept of cooperative learning and its importance for school goers. Being the head of the institution, it is my sole responsibility to ensure that the implementation of the concept of cooperative learning happens in the most fruitful manner to provide maximum results. I need to demonstrate instructional leadership in order to facilitate, improve and promote the holistic growth and development of every student in both scholastic and non scholastic arena. I need to put up special focus for at risk children and whether they are being able to apply the skills they learn in the practical environment. The vision along with long and short term goals are clear for me and based on them, I engage the parents, teachers and students towards achieving the vision which is only possible through continuous and comprehensive work. The available data which I have gathered from all the stakeholders during the implementation of cooperative learning is being used by me for further analysis and studying the details and obscure areas so that they can be improved. I have also taken up a proactive role to support the instructional efforts of the teachers. I communicate frequently with the students and have also asked my respective teachers to directly communicate with me so as to pass on instructions and address the needs of the students. The instructional values are being directly imparted to the teachers so that the teaching learning process can be effective and interesting. Apart for instructions, being the principal it is my utmost duty to provide and allocate resources and materials to the teachers well ahead of the class so that they can prepare themselves in advance and make their respective classes interesting and worthy. I ensure that we have the latest technologies being used in the classrooms so that children understand better and thus learn better. All the classrooms are equipped with smart boards enabling the students to have a better understanding of each subject. In order to ensure that the students are comfortable in the ways and the methods that the teachers are using, we endure that we have regular checks for the same. For this purpose I took the initiative of sending the trained teachers for various programs to learn new methods of teaching and then coming and putting them into practice in our very own school. The grass root problems can be solved only if I visit the classrooms and see where there is an issue. So, I regularly visit different classrooms and evaluate the performance of students as well as teachers individually and also in a composite manner to have a fair idea regarding the success of this cooperative learning pedagogy. The various feedbacks and on spot criteria I obtain are being discussed with the teachers so that requisite rectification is made and then it is rolled out again. I also collect regular feedback from teachers and parents regarding this and look for areas where improvement is necessary. Be actively involved in the classroom activities with the students and teachers and draw upon points. I would now ask the teachers to switch on to the old method of teaching for a few weeks. Again I would be actively involved in the all the classroom activities along with students and the teachers. After undertaking my personal observation I would now compare the results as well the performance of each child during the time when cooperative learning was going on and in turn compare with the time when we had switched back to the old system of learning or rather the usual method that has been followed throughout. After gather all the facts together, I would thereby make a comparison of each students performs during the time when the cooperative learning method was undertaken and when it was put off. This would now give a very clear idea of what actually is the outcome of this method and whether the children are likely to benefit from this program or we should actually take it out of the system. Based on this I would be able to respond to the question and complains that are pouring in from the parents from al the sides. Response: After getting to know that the parents are complaining to the teachers as well as the boss, I decide to take this matter seriously and arrange a meeting with the parents who feel that the new method of cooperative learning would a be a problem for their children and creating problems for them as well. I arrange for a meeting with all the parents. Having done so, I would individually deal with all the questions that thrown at me. As I have already my homework, I am now in a position to make them understanding the benefits of cooperative learning, why it is important and how will it be helpful for their children in the long run. The first problem that a parent raised was it was slowing his/ her child. To this I could respond by making her understand that the method is not slowing the child but is actually teaching her/him how to work in a group with other children. It teaches the spirit of cooperation where the child is getting to learn a lot. The next question was dealt by highlighting the fact that this is actually a way to promote competition among the students, however this competition from every aspect is a healthy one. Another parent stated that cooperative learning is a waste of time. To this my response would be if the children do not enjoy what they learn how they would actually develop an interest in their studies. Learning through playing would be one of the best ways to make the child active and be drawn towards their work. All the activities undertaken during the cooperative learning classes actually promote a better understanding of their work and studies. One of the parents remarked that her child is given all the work of the group. To this I can definitely assure her that it will made sure that work is divided equally among the children and also endure that everyone is responsible for their own price of work. The last question came up was of other children being nasty to her son in the group. This could be solved by reshuffling his. We would decide to put him in such a group where he would have his friend , where he would be comfortable working with them which would help him to open up be tter and this would also make him want to come to the school. References: Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., Norman, M. K. (2010).How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. John Wiley Sons. Aydin, S. (2012). Factors causing demotivation in EFL teaching process: A case study.The qualitative report,17(51), 1. Eyal, O., Roth, G. (2011). Principals' leadership and teachers' motivation: Self-determination theory analysis.Journal of Educational Administration,49(3), 256-275. Farid, M. T. A. S. (2011). Factors affecting teachers motivation.International journal of Business and social science,2(1). George, L., Sabapathy, T. (2011). Work motivation of teachers: Relationship with organizational commitment/La motivation au travail des enseignants: La relation avec l'engagement organisational.Canadian Social Science,7(1), 90. Lunenburg, F. C., Ornstein, A. C. (2011).Educational administration: Concepts and practices. Cengage Learning. Schalock, R. L., Verdugo, M. A. (2012).A Leadership Guide for Today's Disabilities Organizations: Overcoming Challenges and Making Change Happen. Brookes Publishing Company. PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285. Sursock, A., Smidt, H., Davies, H. (2010).Trends 2010: A decade of change in European Higher Education(Vol. 1). Brussels: European University Association.

Astronomy and Renaissance essays

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The Problem Of Evil Philosophy Essay

The Problem Of Evil Philosophy Essay The Problem of Evil is a provocative philosophical issue that has perplexed the minds of great thinkers throughout the ages up to the present time. Intellectuals such Aristotle, Averroes, and Kant have vigorously debated and held various positions concerning the reality of malevolence in the world and how it correlates to the eminence of a Higher Being, better known as God. Questions such as If God is altogether good, where does evil come from? and Why does God reveal that he is going to punish the wicked if He created them to be that way in the first place? are among literally hundreds of others that have been contemplated in the minds of millions all over the world. The objective of this paper will be to address questions such as the aforementioned, as well as to spotlight an associated dilemma, The True Innate Nature of Man, which quite fittingly arises as a subheading under this broad heading of The Problem of Evil. The True Innate Nature of Man also serves as a quandary for numerous individuals who aspire to comprehend the supposed world beyond sensible perception. This too can be a confounding issue for most students of knowledge, as there are various opinions about what the correct stance of mans nature in relation to Gods is; although some may be deemed as more correct than others. Is it that man was created in the image of God, yet still in a corrupt state of sin due to a crime committed by his alleged father Adam for which he needs redemption, as affirmed by Christian theologians such as Thomas Aquinas? Or is that man is born absolutely pure on the true, bona fide nature of goodness or fitra (in Arabic) but may be tarnished by his environment, as asserted by Islamic metaphysicians such as Avicenna and Averroes? Perhaps it is neither, and man was actually born inherently evil and immoral, but may be trained to do good by following the Tao or Proper Way as is taught by Confucians including Xun Zi, also known as Hsun-tzu. A thorough investigation into the topic of The Problem of Evil and its sub related subject matter, The True Innate Nature of Man, is sure to clear many misconceptions and reveal the fundamentals of the issue. God, as defined by The American Century Dictionary, refers to the creator and ruler of the universe and the being or spirit worshipped as immortal and with supernatural power over nature, human fortunes, etc. As such, due to the postulation that God is the One that creates human beings, bestows on them reason and intelligence, provides for them food and drink, and promises a reward in one way or another for the righteous, while not asking anything from them except that they worship Him alone, the rational mainstream view is that He is a good God. Not only is he just a good God, but He is a perfect God; a God that is absolutely and eternally free from any and all faults and shortcomings of any kind, whether inwardly or outwardly, or deliberately or unintentionally. The supposed problem does arise for the skeptic, however, when this perception of God is applied practically to the sensible world that is filled with crimes such as theft, murder, and rape, as well as diseases including HI V/AIDS, leukemia, and cancer. There seems to be an apparent contradiction in the notion of God being a good God and there being evil in the world. According to the logic of the skeptic, since God created everything from nothing and can be traced back to the origin of everything and identified as the unmoved mover, He must also be accredited with having evil as one of His attributes. In reality, there is no genuine contradiction between the actualities of God being good and there being evil in the world. The misapprehension here stems from the fact that there is confusion in the minds of many with regards to the free will of man and the omniscience of God. Human beings have been created with a choice of whether or not they want to be virtuous upright citizens on earth. Their free will allows them to commit immoral actions if they truly wish to do so. The choices that they have are merely a reflection of the circumstances around them which may or may not be favorable. Nevertheless, they still do have a choice and may opt to do the right thing. The selection to be virtuous or immoral is ultimately made by the human being himself and not by God. Even though God knows any and all things that have already happened or will take place in the future, the choice is left to the person to do as he pleases. The knowledge of God is not to be confused with the deeds of man; th e latter being imperfect, while the former, flawless. Evil actions such as murder and prostitution are thus a result of the imperfections of man and are not to be attributed to God directly because He does not force any of His servants to commit the crime. Rather, He allows them to commit the offenses out of their own desires and in conjunction with His infinite wisdom. As a result, it may be said that since God is the creator of each and every single thing in the universe from nothing, He is also indirectly the creator of evil since even though human beings are directly to blame for the evil perpetrated on earth, He created the human beings to begin with. With that issue being settled, a more complicated one still remains in that of natural diseases, disasters, and occurrences. Part of the reason that diseases such as HIV/AIDS and cancer infect people is because of their refusal to act in a prudent and temperate manner. Before proceeding, however, it is necessary to explain what this virtue of temperance is and how it should apply in human beings day to day life: The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines temperance as a habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetites or passions. The ancient, as well as contemporary scholars of philosophy such as Thomas Aquinas, Stephen Pope, and Diana Cates generally seem to agree with this definition by consensus on a broad level. It is located in the concupiscible appetite, which deals primarily with the human lusts of eating, drinking and sexual desire; as opposed to the irascible appetite that is involved in the emotions of anger and exasperation. As Thomas Aquinas indicates in Summa Theologica IIa IIae, q. 141, a. 2, ad 2, temperance is a habit of responding with tranquility or serenity of soul to sense impressions of food, drink, and sexual relations. Its principal function is to moderate in the mean between extremes the emotions of enjoyments and service concerning the pleasures of touch and taste in order to achieve the good of reason as known in the concupiscible passions. Furthermore, it is con cerned with the sentiment of maintaining the gratification of sense pleasure as a whole, especially in the elation supplementing the impression of predominantly touch and secondarily taste. The ideal balance of temperance is generally found between the excess extreme of indulgence and the defect extreme of insensibility, while leaning slightly towards insensibility in this respect. Since the human species has an overwhelming innate desire for excess with regards to the pleasures of the flesh, it is only natural that most people seek to avoid this excess, and lean towards the defect while seeking to uphold the integrity of moral standards. The proximate object of temperance is the concupiscible appetite; pleasure on a general level, and contentment and grief more specifically. The remote object of this cardinal virtue is anything and everything that generates the gratification of touch and taste in an individual person; that is to say, food, drink, and sex. Through habitual moderation of temperance, as with any other virtue, the good of reason can be achieved in this regard. (Introduction to Ethics by John A. Osterle) It is clear from this brief introduction to temperance that this is a most serious issue that many people are heedless of. Moderation in deeds, particularly those of the sexual nature, preserves the wellbeing of individuals while an excess leads to their ruin. HIV/AIDS is the direct cause of the choice of human beings to be promiscuous in their sexual activities or act in some other carnal manner. God should not be held liable for the intemperate and depraved actions of human beings. Similarly, the diseases of certain types of cancers such as lung cancer and other ailments of the kidneys and such are usually the result of the choices of man to smoke sedatives or drink alcohol. Even though man has knowledge of the fact that these items have harmful effects on their wellbeing, he still chooses to willingly purchase and utilize them anyway; not only damaging ones self, but paying money to do so as well! The evil result of these diseases is brought upon only from the intemperate and male volent actions of man. While God did indeed create these types of diseases, He undoubtedly cannot be attributed as being the direct cause of someone acquiring them, as He does not force anyone to take the means to obtain these diseases even though He has perfect knowledge of the unfortunate individuals who will. The final type of alleged evil that occurs in the world which some people mistakenly attribute directly to God is that of natural disasters or occurrences such as earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, inherited diseases (both mental and physical), and the like that result in casualties. With regards to this type of evil, there is no clear cut definitive answer and it must be accepted that since God is described as All-Wise, there is wisdom behind all of these perceived tragedies. To explain, the perception of human beings is deficient, while Gods knowledge and wisdom are perfect. Even the greatest of metaphysicians such as Aristotle and Plato attested to this actuality. It would be irrational to try and prove that God creates evil through these calamities because human beings do not know the wisdom behind these occurrences. The truth of the matter is that there is actually much good behind these perceived dreadful and appalling incidents. A case in point example which may be likened to the understanding of this concept of the perception of natural disasters by human beings is that of when a parent accompanies his or her young child to the doctors office to obtain a flu vaccination from the doctor. The young child would be shocked at the fact that his parent would allow a person to thrust a six inch needle into his arm. The child does not have the foresight to understand that this is what is best and most beneficial for him; his perception of the action leads him to believe that this is a malicious undertaking being committed. However, it is apparent to any logical person that the good of this action by the doctor far outweighs any temporary harm that the needle may have been caused to the youth. Accordingly, this action would not be deemed an evil act. On the contrary, this action would be considered virtuous and very much necessary, even though the child might not agree at this point in his development. Similarly, since all human beings are mortal and vastly dis similar to God in that they are neither All-Wise nor Omniscient, they do not have the foresight that God does. Therefore, it would be extremely rash for them to label something as evil even though they do not understand the very core foundation of it. The good of these so-called natural disasters is evidently there, even if people do not have the perception to sense or understand it. A sub-related theme to The Problem of Evil is known as The True Innate Nature of Man. The genuine natural disposition of human beings is essential to understanding The Problem of Evil because if it can be proven that the mans natural disposition is one that is towards righteousness, this would also strengthen the argument in favor of the proposition that there is no valid Problem of Evil. Since the creation often reflects the creator, a legitimately good concept of the internal disposition of man would indicate an eternally good God, while an evil concept of the internal disposition of man would suggest some legitimacy to the Problem of Evil. Basically, the two main views with regards to The True Innate Nature of Man are that it is either one of vice and iniquity or it is one of morality and virtue. Scholars have rigorously debated this topic with great diligence in order to persuade the masses of people to see things from their perspective. The vast majority of religious scholars, h owever, have settled upon the notion that man is born virtuous, but with the ability to perform evil. The reasons for this view are abundant and not difficult to comprehend. Another view held by some of the scholars is that man is born inherently evil, but may be trained to do virtuous deeds. Attempting to explain and refute this view would certainly be much more remarkable, as the vast majority of people are oblivious to the arguments presented by the philosophers for this view and whether or not they actually carry any weight. One such unorthodox philosophical intellectual who believed that The True Innate Nature of Man is evil was a Confucian by the name of Xun Zi, better known as Hsun-tzu. He held the belief that all human beings are born inherently evil by nature. According to him, human beings must be trained thoroughly in order to become virtuous. Goodness is acquired by learning and cultivation from the sages. He puts a great deal of emphasis on the sages and regarded learning from these sages as an essential aspect in an individuals journey towards righteousness. Furthermore, Hsun-tzu made a clear distinction between nature and conscious activity. Whereas the nature of humans is the characteristics they are born with (i.e. natural instincts) and can never be changed or controlled, conscious activity is something that can be learned and taught by the sages; this is the part of man than can be changed and acquired through learning and effort. In order to support these various claims, Hsun-tzu also lai d down several arguments so that he could expound his bold stance on this issue. His foremost argument to support his claims is the notion that if a ruler did not have any limits or rules to abide by, then he would be unjust to his subjects beneath him. A different argument he uses is that the sage kings and ritual principles recognized that man was born evil, and hence, had to train the common man so that he would be good. Yet another argument presented was the assertion that people are born with intrinsic desires naturally in them, and these desires are never-ending. Clearly, Hsun-tzu is one of the greatest philosophers ever known to hold the view that human beings are born evil, but his arguments for this are questionable at best. Hsun-tzus primary argument for deeming the human nature of man to be evil is his allegation that the people underneath a ruler would be treated unjustly if he did not have any limits to his power. If the entire world were to function this way, there would be immense commotion and disarray. Similarly, if a man did not have any rules to live by, he would also be corrupt and evil. Conscious activity would be needed to show any goodness, and the leaders natural inclination would be towards evil. Therefore, the sage kings are needed so that a person can be transformed from the person he is born as into a moral individual that can eventually be able to honorably lead an entire nation. It may contended, though, that while it is true that a person needs to have some kind of formal training in order to be a just leader, the sage kings and Confucianism in general are not always required. This occurrence has undoubtedly taken place in many parts of the world. Authoritative rulers such as dictators tend to abuse their powers more than democratically elected officials do. This has always been the case throughout history. Since dictators are given much more power than elected individuals, they tend to oppress their citizens more as well. On the other hand, le aders that are given less power, such as the ones in most of the Western world, have a less chance to of becoming tyrannical and obsessed with power. The citizens of these Western countries are more easily able to prevent corruption in the government when it takes place. However, there are exceptions to this argument proposed by Hsun-tzu. There have been instances in history where dictators have not had a repressive stance towards their people. Leaders such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk have been classified by historians as treating their people with dignity and respect. These dictators, as well as others, did not abuse their powers even though they were never trained by the sage kings or even followed the Tao. While Hsun-tzu may argue that the dictators of recent centuries do not have unlimited power, it should be noted that they still have enough to be able to oppress the masses of people in their country and still get away with it. Perhaps following the Tao woul d help improve upon the leadership performance of many of todays heads of states, but this remains to be seen. Hsun- tzus argument that leaders would be unjust if no limitations were placed upon them is an unpersuasive one, as there are still some flaws in it which need to be addressed. Another of Hsun-tzus foremost arguments regarding the True Innate Nature of Man as evil is the affirmation that the sage kings of ancient times were aware of the fact that man was born inherently evil, and thus, they had to train the common man so that he would be good. By the use of ritual principles and setting guidelines and punishments for the individuals actions, a person is refined from his original malevolent nature into a more honorable and virtuous individual. This person then must continually practice Confucianism and the Tao and continually strive to become a better person. According to Hsun-tzu, there would be absolutely no need for sages if the people were naturally born righteous. Logic would hold that this view is vastly constricted. Hsun-tzu is thinking only from the point of view of a Confucian. If a person does not want to follow the Tao or Confucian way or life, then it becomes impossible for this person to develop into a state of goodness. Furthermore, Hsun-tzu is assuming that the sage kings are good people and able to cultivate others just because they are sages, but if they are not known as such in the community, does that make them any less wise or less competent in terms of teaching others about how to become righteous people? Just because a person known as a sage decides something to be correct, doesnt make it so. The sages arent the only morally good people in the world. People in todays society can be known as righteous, and many of them have never even heard about the Tao. The conclusion that Hsun-tzu seems to be drawing is that the fact that there are sages is proof that human beings are intrinsically inclined towards evil. This is illogical because he is basing his whole argument on what some people during the ancient times decided upon. There are people in todays society that do not follow the way of the sage kings and ritual principles, and can still be considered to be moral, righteous beings. This argument of Hsun-tzus may have been true during his time, but definitely not today. The fact that the sages teach humans to be good is not evidence that they are evil. On the contrary, this can go to show just how good humans actually are in their quest to improve their virtuosity from when they are born until they die. Conclusively, a final argument of Hsun-tzus is that human beings are born with intrinsic desires naturally in them, and these desires are endless. No matter how often these desires or natural impulses are acted upon, human beings are never satisfied and will always strive to satisfy these desires, though they can be contained by following the Tao and learning from the sages. Goodness is not natural to people; conscious activity is required to reach a certain level of virtuousness. According to Hsun-tzu, this is proof that people are naturally born evil and must learn to be good. This view of Hsun-tzus is a flawed one because it actually can be proven that goodness is natural to people. An example of this is when human beings deal with infants. Even the most hardened criminals in jail seem to show an exceptional amount of mercy and compassion when dealing with babies and little children. This shows that there is a quantity of good in all human beings that can come out when the circums tances are right. It is definitely true that humans have innate carnal desired similar to those which animals have. In spite of this, humans can be classified of being moral or immoral, while animals cannot. The intelligence of human beings is the aspect that separates them from animals and allows them to be judged according to their respective actions. This same intelligence that people possess causes them to learn to distinguish between what is right and wrong. If peoples psyche can be honed so that they can easily perceive malevolence and righteousness and act accordingly, they can undoubtedly become better human beings. This means that according to this logic, the true nature of human beings must be virtuous because there is an amount of good in the human, however small, that can be honed and cultivated. If humans continually give in to all of their desires like most species of animals do, they will eventually be overcome by them and be deemed immoral by society. Since people are naturally not adept at containing many of our societys taboo desires, they must learn to do so from experienced people such as the sages. Consequently, people will learn how to contain their infinite desires, and over time it will become like second nature for regular people as it has already become for the sage kings. This argument of Hsun-tzus can definitely be deemed as an adequate one, but still not sufficient to prove that human beings are inherently evil. Human beings have to greatly strive in order to stop themselves from acting upon these instincts, so this must mean that they have to continue to consciously act to become virtuous, and goodness is something natural and feasible if one tries hard enough. Clearly, the debate on whether mans intrinsic nature is truly virtuous or immoral is a highly controversial one that many people have strong opinions on and tend to disagree about. The Confucian philosopher Hsun-tzu was of the opinion that human beings are born naturally evil and must be thoroughly trained in order to become good people. He further believed that man is born with natural inclinations towards profit, envy, hatred and desire and if left unattended, these mere inclinations can transform into attributes of strife, violence, crime, and wantonness. However, he also believed that there is no limit to how righteous an individual can become, but true goodness must be attained through thorough and continual learning and cultivation from the sages. Anybody and everybody can become virtuous, although not just anyone can reach the moral level of a sage. The key is to follow Confucianism, the Tao, and learning from the sages. Learning is the most essential concept in an individuals path towards righteousness. Hsun-tzu also made an apparent distinction between nature and conscious activity. By conscious activity and learning from the sages, and following the Confucian rites rigorously, he can transform himself into a morally good person. To further expand on his views, Hsun-tzu presented a number of arguments to convince the masses of people to see things from his perspective. Firstly, he felt that if a ruler is not subject to any limits or rules, then he would be unjust to his the citizens beneath him. This assertion is true sometimes, but not always. There have been exceptions throughout history that contradict this theory. Another argument he proposes is that the sage kings with their ritual principles took notice that people were born evil, and as a result, had to teach the common men so that they would be good. This logic may be deemed as flawed because it took place during th e ancient times and may not be applicable today or even true for that matter, as many individuals would strongly disagree with this claim. The final and most reasonable, although unsound, argument presented by Hsun-tzu is the contention that human beings are born with intrinsic desires naturally in them, and these desires are endless. These desires are never to be completely satisfied no matter how much a person tries to satisfy them. However, they can be controlled through learning from the sages and following the Tao, which is to be in harmony with the laws of heaven. Clearly, there are various positions that can be taken with regards to the true nature of man and Hsun-tzu was of the opinion that human nature is evil. This is a rather ineffectual view, as it can be easily disproven by the use of logic in examining the arguments he presents. The Problem of Evil is a subject matter of philosophy that has been around since the first days of scholarly discussion. The metaphysicians have held various positions on it with the correct position being that there is no real Problem of Evil, but only an apparent misunderstanding of what evil actually is and how it takes place. God may be seemed as the creator of evil in the sense that He is the creator of each and every single thing in the universe out of nothing. In spite of this, He is not the direct reason that evil continually comes into existence, but rather it is due to the actions of human beings and their misjudgments of what the accurate perception of good is that the evil comes to be. Hence, God is indirectly the cause of evil, while man is the direct cause. As for the natural disasters and occurrences such as floods or diseases that happen on earth, there is the perception of evil by human beings but actually there is good in all of these happenings. The All-Wise and Omniscient God is far above what any human being can ever imagine or become, so it is only logical that the humans perception has some weaknesses and shortcomings in it, while Gods does not. This can be likened to a baby in front of its parents; the parents know what is good for the baby while the baby does not even really know what is good for its self. Likewise, God knows what is good for the human beings while the human beings, even though they may think they know, do not unquestionably know what is right or wrong for themselves. As one can clearly see, due to the cumulative evidence provided, The Problem of Evil is not really a problem at all and may be accounted for if a person uses logic and reason to try and contemplate over the nature and characteristics of God. The Innate Nature of Man, as proven earlier, is not inherently evil and thus, by default, should be inherently good. Hopefully, in the future, people will begin to realize these realities so that they can cease to blame others, such as God, for their shortcomings and live up to their respective natures as being citizens with a natural propensity towards goodness and excellence in conduct.

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary

Early life Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary was born into a mid-low class Malay family; whose house was without necessities and luxuries. His highest education was only until form five, and he never went to university. A whole lot of his knowledge and experience was gained through his own entrepreneurship experience during his youth time. Due in part his family's mediocre-to-poor background, Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary had to step into the working world in his early life, while pursuing his primary and secondary studies. Syed Mokhtar helped his mother planting and selling vegetables in the market and also selling roti canai. His numeric knowledge was used to help his father in doing daily book keeping. After finishing school, Syed Mokhtar helped his father in breeding cow business but only to see the business washed away by foot and mouth disease. Nevertheless, he took over the business and start over by selling meats. He then move on to packaging the meats and start selling them wholesale. His determination paid off and the business started to take off. Career Syed Mokhtar and Zainal started his business in Kedah in the 1990s dealing in rice. More success followed and he moved to rice trading business. He worked even harder after awarded the rice trading license from Lembaga Padi Negara, and was later awarded successions of supplier contract government-linked corporations as partner with Zainal Hatim Hj Ambia Bukhary. As his determination starting to skyrocket, he quickly moved to expand into diversification of other businesses. His next big move was in the logistics business, with initial goal to transport their trading materials. Today, his business empire has grown into areas such as plantation, property development, construction, engineering, power generation, infrastructure and ports. He owns 51. 8% share in Malaysian Mining Corporation via his wholly owned company, Syarikat Impian Teladan Sdn. Bhd. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal Hatim personally owns SKS Ventures, which was awarded the task of building the site for 2100MW coal-fired power station at Tanjung Bin, Johor. Tan Sri Syed Mohktar has a 32% share in PERNAS through his own company, Syarikat Ratu Jernih. Syarikat Perdana Padu Sdn. Bhd. and Corak Kukuh Sdn. Bhd. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal are Board Members of Syarikat Bina Puri Holdings Berhad, whereby, on his own, he has 7. 34% share. Apart from these, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal has varied interest in a number of companies, both in Malaysia as well as abroad. Charity His philanthropic values were nurtured from the age of 23 when he started a small business dealing in rice. When he received his first monthly income of RM1,500, his mother had told him to donate half of it to the poor. [3] From 1996 to 2006, his foundation has contributed almost RM1bil to charity, although his total income is probably in multiples of that figure. He has humanitarian projects in Asia and Africa, including rebuilding the lives of Afghan refugees, Pakistan's ear's tsunami victims and is now working to establish an AIDS hospital in Uganda. Among the foundation's initiatives are the Albukhary Tuition Programme for poor underachievers and the Albukhary Scholarship Programme for poor high achievers. Recognition In appreciation of his enormous services and contributions, he was bestowed with several awards, which among others, include the Panglima Setia Mahkota (P. S. M. ) by His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which carries the title Tan Sri and the Dato' Setia Mahkota Kedah (D. S. D. K. by HRH The Sultan Kedah, which carries the title Dato'. On 10 January 2008 or 1st Muharram 1429 Hijra he was announced and awarded as â€Å"Tokoh Ma'al Hijrah† by The Yang Di Pertuan Agong of Malaysia in recognition of his contribution to nation building and also Controversies A number of companies controlled by Syed Mokhtar have come under attack for development activities on greenfield sites. For example, the clearance of mangroves for the development of Johor Port has led to some criticisms from local environm ental groups. 4] He has also been identified as a major beneficiary of political connections that have given his subsidiary companies monopoly control over crucial Malaysian sectors, including rice, power and ports. Started out in the â€Å"bowl of Malaysia† as a rice trader. Later got government backing. Today controls Malaysia Mining Corporation (MMC); has stakes in Malaysia's Johor Port; the country's largest independent power producer Malakoff; and natural gas distribution company Gas Malaysia. Has invested in MPH (a book retailer in Singapore and Malaysia). He's contributed to a number of Islamic schools, mosques and Islamic arts.