An Ordinary Hero

The Bruce Lee Story directed by Rob Cohen (1993) it has fghting, drama and all sorts of other intriguing things throughout the movie. The movie takes place from when he was born in 1940 to when he died in 1973. It is a true story about a legend that changed the martial arts world. It is one Chinese immigrants dream to make it big in the U. S. while making new friends and creating a family while not knowing he is going to become a legend. In the Movie Dragon you can see the understanding of being an immigrant, overcoming the impossible, and of course love is three main reasons Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a must watch movie. A hero is what we all look up to. Someone who doesnt necessary need super powers but can make other people believe and support them. As long as I can remember my hero has been Bruce Lee. When I was little all I ever thought of were is movies where he was Jumping, kicking, punching and the ever famous waaaahhhhhhh! whenever he would hit someone. When I grew older I started to realize what he stood for and what kind of person he was. He changed martial arts forever with his teaching. He thought to move like water. Bruce once said Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend. (chasingthefrog) Bruce Lee coming to America at his time was hard and difficult but nothing stopped him on his way to the top. He did have hard times but he pushed through and won everyones hearts over even the ones that once ridiculed him. His mother in law who didnt want anything to do with him soon came to love him. Bruce suffered a serious back injury in a duel. Doctors told him he would never walk again. While in the hospital, he wrote a book called Tao of Jeet Kune Do, which completely changed the world of martial arts. He could not write the book so his wife rote it down while he talked But with his will to never stop trying and achieve the impossible he worked his way right out of his chair and back to his kung fu. In the movie Bruce Lee is played by an actor named Jason Scott Lee. Jason played in movies such as Jungle book and Balls of Fury. He became Bruce and showed his true attributes and style. He made me feel like he was Bruce and felt like he could do anything Bruce has done. The acting of all characters throughout the movie was phenomenal and replayed Bruces life in the best way and represented/respected his ife, values and culture well. Its full of quality actors that wont disappoint you. Being an immigrant is always tough as well as getting in a serious injury. Having to be with a completely different culture is never easy. Imagine moving to another country and having to fit in with a totally different society. I am pretty sure everyone would agree how hard that would be. And getting injured is also a very difficult thing to go through which everyone knows and understands. Being told that you will never be able to do something ever again is a lot to take in. Then to overcome all that and achieve the impossible is almost starting a whole new life. Everyone is attracted to people doing an extraordinary thing which pulls them even more into the movie. People love, love. They are attracted to love and they love watching others love. Watching love makes them want to go find love or love their special someone even harder. So if you are a boy wanting to see a movie with a lot of fghting but you have to take your girlfriend to a movie she will like. Then take her to this one because the love in this movie is amazing. Let me give a brief summary of the love throughout this movie. Bruce met his wife Linda while instructing one of his kung fu classes. They started dating while others watched and Judged how she was white and he was and Asian. They kept it a secret from her mother for a while but once they told her she said she wouldnt allow it. But that didnt stop them as they listened only to each other. Lindas mother soon came around and knows how great of a guy Bruce is. They went on to get married and have two children named Brandon (boy) and Shannon (girl). Moving from country to country and back again took a toll on the family but the love was still always there. This drama throughout the movie will keep the girl grabbed throughout the whole movie and you might even get a kiss after the movie to make a little of your own love. Now you can see in the Movie Dragon you can see the understanding of being an immigrant, overcoming the impossible, and of course love, is three main reasons Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a must watch movie. The movie Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story by Rob Cohen shows everything you could ask for in a movie. I strongly encourage everyone to watch this movie and I guarantee you wont be disappointed. It has old history throughout the movie that everyone can relate too. Tie that into to jumping, kicking, loving and culture then it all turns up to be a pretty sweet movie that everyone can enjoy. Bruce had struggles throughout his life but always overcame them. He always grabs peoples attention and makes people want to be like him or Just do whatever he does.

E-commerce as a Business-to-Consumer International Market Entry Essay

E-commerce as a Business-to-Consumer International Market Entry Strategy - Essay Example In the following paper I will be examining e-commerce in terms of marketing entry strategy and business-to-consumer operations. Marketing mix and strategies for effective product distribution through the channel of e-commerce is reviewed to cover the topic. Ultimately, conclusions and recommendations end up the paper. As illustrated in Figure 1, business to consumer (B2C) refers to the selling of goods and/or services directly to consumers by businesses. The classic example is Amazon (www.amazon.com) which offers in excess of 1.5 million book titles online and has extended its sales into other products, including music CDs, videos and games. Business to business (B2B) refers to the selling of goods and/or services by one company to another as part of their supply chain, and is likely to contribute to at least 80 per cent of the growth of e-Commerce in the next five years. An example is Marshalls (www.marshalls.com). There are significant overlaps between Internet strategy and Internet marketing, particularly if a company adopts a broad perspective of marketing by engendering customer focus throughout the business, as described above. Indeed, the two terms can be regarded as synonymous. Chaffey (2002) regards Internet marketing as a subset of Internet strategy that he calls 'sell-side e-commerce', meaning that it focuses on building relationships with customers, in parallel with 'buy-side e-commerce' that focuses on supply chain management. Chen (2001) regards Internet marketing as dealing with operational rather than strategic issues, but includes customer relationship management in the 'operational' category. In this book, we use the term 'Internet marketing' in a broad sense, while still distinguishing strategic aspects and operational aspects. Usually, when speaking of B2C operations, the business of e-retail is implied in the term. The business of e-retail has been defined as the sale of goods and services via Internet or other electronic channels, for personal or household use by consumers (Harris and Dennis, 2002). This definition includes all e-commerce activities that result in transactions with end consumers (rather than business customers), i.e. B2C rather than B2B. Some e-marketing activities that do not directly involve transactions, such as providing (free) information or promoting brands and image, are considered to be part of B2C but are not normally considered as being within the scope of e-retail. Despite the dot.com crash of 2000, e-retailing has been growing, particularly for the 'top eight' categories that account for three-quarters of all European sales. These major growth areas comprise: books, music and DVD movies, groceries, sex products, games and software, electronic and computer equipment, travel, and clothes. Disadvantages of E-Commerce as an international marketing entry strategy Over perceived benefits of E-Commerce as an international market entry strategy that will be discussed later in this paper, this kind of product or service distribution has its disadvantages. Retailers, for example, may lack the technical know-how, the substantial investment required or

Cr(VI) reduction by natural product Research Proposal

Cr(VI) reduction by natural product - Research Proposal Example A new strategy to reducing hexavalent chromium, which is safer and more efficient, is therefore necessary and this study seeks to investigate potential use of ascorbic acid as a better reducing agent for toxic hexavalent chromium. Experiments will be used to collect data on reduction kinetics. Different concentrations of ascorbic acid will be reacted with a controlled solution of hexavalent chromium, at room temperature and changes in hexavalent chromium concentration observed, for each concentration of ascorbic acid, over time. The modified diphenylcarbanize colorimeter method will be used determine concentration of the hexavalent chromium and the project will be completed by June 2015. Regional and national forums will be used for immediate dissemination of research findings while peer reviewed journals will be used for dissemination in the future. The proposed research will improve scientific understanding of hexavalent chromium reduction and reduce environmental effects of the ch emical element besides supporting other research interests at GGG CCC science

Why do we do school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Why do we do school - Essay Example oday, an individual does not necessarily require a degree to make money because the contemporary age is full of opportunities using which people can establish their own businesses and make much more money than what they can by becoming employed in other companies. However, doing business in the 21st century requires much more knowledge, and different kinds of talents and competencies that make it much more complex than what one needed to do business in the gone ages. Today, if a person has a lot of money granted to him by the parents but the person himself is not educated, it is quite likely that the person would be caught in the net of frauds laid by other smarter and more educated people. In the present age, it is even more important to have the skills to survive and thrive personally as well as as a businessman in a dynamic and increasingly multicultural society than to have money. Schools today serve the very purpose of inculcating these skills in the students in a whole range of ways e.g. by teaching them foreign languages, business administration and management, and advanced accounting techniques and softwares etcetera. Schools have proved their importance already by helping nations rise because of the quality of education imparted by them. â€Å"When the economies of Japan, Korea, Thailand, and other East Asian countries were growing at rates so fast that they were predicted to surpass the U.S. economy within short periods of time, the education system was often blamed for the nation’s seeming loss of competitive advantage† (Hanushek, n.d., p. 141). We do schools to grow intellectually as well as socially so that we can live a happy and prosperous life in the challenging environment of the contemporary age. In the highly competitive society of the present age, getting a degree from a school is only one of the factors that increase an individual’s chances of getting employed. There are thousands of people in the society who have the degrees and are still

Communication in Teaching | Reflection

Communication in Teaching | Reflection Given what you have experienced during the first 21 hours of this study unit, reflect on an experience which involved communication, listening, group building or teamwork or conflict management skills (or any other skills covered in this part of the course) which occurred either during your personal secondary schooling or during your school observations throughout this year. Analyse and reflect upon this experience as explained in your course information sheets. The Value of Interpersonal relationships Interpersonal skills are important for human relationships to initiate, maintain and terminate one`s relationships. According to Johnson Johnson as cited in Johnson (2006) emphasis is made on the fact that â€Å"relationships are the key to your humanness, psychological health, personal identity, social, cognitive, and moral development, ability to cope with stress and adversity, self-actualization, educational and career productivity, and physical health.† On the other hand Johnson (2006) states that â€Å"it is only within constructive relationships that you may improve your interpersonal effectiveness and self-actualization.† (p. 25) Experiences are the most effective situations in life that help the individual to mature, learn and develop his/her personality. Every experience serves as a guideline so as not to repeat the same wrong encounters or methodologies that happened in the past. We must therefore work hard to acquire strong interpersonal skills which enable us to communicate and interact well with each other. Concrete Experience I will be discussing my personal experience with my pupils during secondary school in form three. I used to make part of a group of students in a church school who used to participate and help the school to organise fund raising activities. In the beginning of form three I was encouraged by my friends to be nominated for the students` council elections. Elections for the Council used to be held at the beginning of every scholastic year. Each class was asked to elect one representative for a two-year term. These elections were class-based and overseen by the Class Tutor. I was elected as one of the student council representative. My main tasks included promoting a greater environmental awareness. I was also responsible for the publication of leaflets regarding topics of interest in the school community, organising activities such as casual dress day in aid of charity and Christmas class decoration competition. We also used to organise fund raising activities to complement the school`s main annual fund raising event. The Council used to meet regularly once every month and this helped us to feel part of the school environment. Being members of the school council, together with the school administration we had the opportunity to set up the exams timetable for the half Yearly and Annual examinations. The teacher that used to monitor the students` council was very caring, helpful, understanding and down to earth. She used to encourage us to organise different activities for the benefit of the school. I was one of ten students from the secondary area. Our relationship was friendly and team oriented. We worked hard to reach targets and our criticism towards each other was always of a constructive nature. In fact we could freely discuss work related matters and find solutions to the difficult situations that arose from time to time. We were all hard workers, responsible for our actions and were capable to work well without supervision. As a team, we used to give feedback to the teacher who was responsible who helped us finalise our ideas about any particular activity. Before implementing a school activity every representative from each class used to discuss the matter with her classmates so as to ensure fairness with everyone. Furthermore, working with such a great team and with an understanding teacher was of utmost pleasure and satisfaction. We organised many other activities such as hot dog day, yogurt day and car wash day where parents contributed by bringing their cars to school on a Saturday morning and the students had to was h the cars. These activities were very instrumental in raising funds for the school. We also organised a play for Prize Day and decorated the school hall for that particular occasion. I also had to give a helping hand in the layout of the invites. I remember, Prize Day was held in March and we were awarded a prize for loyalty, teamwork and sense of responsibility. This was the result of the hard work and sense of commitment. We provided a good overall performance in our team and we built a good rapport with our teachers, assistant heads and the head of school. The school theatre needed continuous maintenance to be more welcoming for the students and the staff. So we tried our best to organise lots of activities to gain funds for this purpose. Unfortunately, this came to an end when the teacher responsible for our students` council was pregnant and she had to go on maternity leave. She was replaced by another teacher but things began to change very rapidly. The group started to disagree about lots of things being discussed as the teacher responsible was not doing her utmost to help us work for the school. I tried my best to get on well with everyone, however, difficult people tend to pose more challenging situations. The new teacher had difficult methods and ideas and her approach towards the school administration and staff was also different. Scheduled meetings used to be cancelled by the teacher in charge on a regular basis, due to other commitments, making it more difficult for us to communicate with each other. The fact that the entire group was bothered and cooperation was lacked it made me feel uneager to work and participate. I tried to do my very best to adapt to the situation. I decided to take action about the situation because the group was split due to disagreements. So I discussed the issue with the group and we agreed to talk to the new teacher about the problem. She tried to understand our concerns and provide a solution to our dilemma but it seemed that her ineffective management skills showed poor results. The school theatre remained in the same state as the school did not have enough funds to cover the costs for refurbishment. Reflection My own experience within the teams I worked for tended to have both positive and difficult times. These may be the result of the diversity of characters as well as the different approaches which one implements in order to tackle the various situations. In everyday life one comes across all types of circumstances and this also applied to me nonetheless. Looking at a glance at the beginning of my experience, when I was elected as a student council representative, I can tell that working with students and the teacher was a remarkable experience. This was because I could deal openly with all of them. Moreover, I was trained how to work within a group and to share ideas all for one aim. Later on, I was asked to organise and help out with the play for Prize Day. This was indeed a challenge for me because I had never organised anything of the sort that was so important for the school. It was my first experience. However, everyone was helpful and reliable and I learnt a lot of skills from different tasks. This was not an easy job and since I had to deal with other students and the school administration, it was difficult at times to handle their needs. Being part of a students` council made me feel responsible for the other students and one has to try his/her best to meet others` request in the best possible way. One could understand certain complaints raised by students whenever an activity was not very well met by the others. At the end, our group together with the teacher who was responsible for the Council tried to adapt according to the needs and priorities of the school. But as Council representatives we all worked hard to gain trust from students and the school administration and this made it possible for us to work hand in hand with them. We managed to build a good relationship. It is worth mentioning that we had strict rules to follow especially with regards to finance and we were very careful to choose certain activities that were educational and appealed to the school. We used to deal with these delicate situations in a calm atmosphere and we often tried to find out a win-win situation. The time spent working together was an amazing experience and our mutual support gave us a strong sense of unity. This helped us create a tranquil environment making it possible to increase productivity. Our effort was noted by the school administration and we were shown gratitude by being awarded a prize during the prize day. The goals we achieved and the positive feedback made us feel beneficial to the school and this gave us a great sense of satisfaction. However, this attitude changed completely when the teacher responsible for the students` council had to resign due to pregnancy. Another teacher came to replace her and since then things changed for the worse. Our work became more difficult since the new teacher was unfamiliar to our routine and we had to start from scratch explaining the whole process to her. We were encountering various arguments and although I never took sides certain unwanted behaviour left a negative impact on me. I was not used to working in such an environment and I could not concentrate in carrying out my tasks due to certain conflicts. The new teacher was not taking the council seriously. We met for a very few times and planned fewer activities than before. She created a sense of lack of collaboration and indifference within the group and the students used to spend more time arguing rather than working. The team was changing and I was not feeling part of them. I am quite a hard worker and I wanted to do my u tmost to overcome such a de-motivating situation. I did not want to hinder my sense of commitment as if I knew that I was capable of offering a better service. Our teacher was authoritarian and she did not accept suggestions from members of the team. In fact I was very surprised when she tried to understand our queries and was trying to do her best. However, nothing happened and our plans to modernise the school theatre remained unchanged as the school did not have enough funds for that type of refurbishment. The group split up and everyone ended working alone without any agreement. Skills Needed and Skills Reflected Upon The above description shows my first experience when being part of an effective group which came to an end. We had outstanding communication skills both verbally and non-verbally. Besides, our first teacher used to listen to our views and suggestions and this encouraged the participation of all concerned whilst the second teacher was indifferent to our ideas and lacked responsibility. The school administration seemed to have a sense of leadership yet it was always open to our suggestions each time a difficulty arose. The group was created with the aim of working for a common goal and we all managed to develop a positive attitude towards each other. This was accomplished since our main objective was to give our utmost. Participation, determination and enthusiasm were the ingredients that made the group functioning well. Bearing in mind the content level, the procedural level and the socio-affective level as priorities of our agenda, helped us to keep strong. Every day was a new challe nge for us and we never took each other for granted. The latter fostered respect among us. At first it was an effective group since goals were clarified and changed for the best of the group and everyone worked in a cooperative way. Communication was two – way, open and accurate expression of both ideas and feelings were empathised. Self-actualisation, innovation and interpersonal effectiveness were encouraged. (Comparison of Effective and Ineffective Groups-Lecture notes.) The strong sense of leadership skills could be felt as we worked and participated together to reach one goal and lots of activities were accomplished. It was important for us to establish clear goals and discuss with our superiors the issues related to our tasks. The relationships between us, the teacher and the school administration were a positive one. We were always welcome to bring forward our opinions, and our suggestions were respected even though they were not always applied. Furthermore, we really felt part of a team since our synergy was used wisely to enhance the smooth running of our s tudent council group. Thinking back, I now realise that although we used to negotiate well with the school administration, it would have been very relevant if we were offered some training during PSD lessons. Such sessions could have been targeted to tackle assertiveness as this would have been very helpful in the future and also to know how to deal with problems and with various characters where assertiveness was the order of the day. Therefore the skill to take unpopular decisions when these were really needed in order to be fair with the rest of the group members was of utmost importance. Unlike the beginning of the first group, when the first teacher in charge resigned and another teacher took over, the group communication became one-way and ideas were only expressed; feelings were suppressed or ignored (lecture notes.) In other words, I consider the group as ineffective. First and foremost our teacher was not open for discussions and she rarely held any meetings. This was a result of lack of communication. Personally I think that I have adequate verbal and non-verbal communication skills, although I still believe that there is always room for improvement especially in stressful situations. However, it was very difficult to reach a compromise within this team. Assertiveness was far away from reality. Our teacher’s leadership skills were very unproductive. As a result the team members were either passive or aggressive. She needed to organise herself and integrate us within one group since her system was drifting us apart each and every day, and eventually the g roup was split in two. An effective leader should possess the skill to inspire. Our teacher needed to be the person who should have encouraged us by sharing with us her enthusiasm towards a positive attitude. Unfortunately, synergy failed since she adopted a two ways and two measures attitude with regards to managing her students. It was her responsibility to support every member and create an honest and trustworthy environment. This would have improved our relationship, which would have in turn been possible to exchange ideas in order to identify and reach goals. Hard to admit, this change de-motivated me. The entire group was frustrated and adopted a different approach. Before it was more challenging and satisfying and I tried to do my best to adapt to the new situation. I decided to act on the new situation because the group was split due to disagreements. So I discussed the issue with the group and we had agreed to talk to the new teacher about the problem. In spite of these difficulties and apathy among the members I still tried to take action to re-unite the group. With regards to the unproductive attitude which was adapted by the new teacher and which led to unwanted circumstances, I feel that I still need to improve my self confidence when facing an unfair situation. Furthermore, our supervisor did not have the right skills to manage a group and to acknowledge our problems. She lacked assertiveness and she was not capable of addressing individuals. She could not delegate the right tasks to the right members and maintain collaboration t o raise funds for the school. At this point she should have held a meeting every month instead of cancelling meetings every time. It was essential to discuss and work on the positive issues and to improve negative ones as well as finding possible solutions to reach a consensus. Active listening which includes a psychological level by listening attentively to both verbal and non verbal content of another speaker and physical level were lacking in the approach adopted by the new teacher towards us. The physical level entails the word ‘SOLER’ (lecturer notes) S- Face the person SQUARELY, O- Adopt an OPEN position, L- Remember that it is possible at times to LEAN toward the other person, E- Maintaining good EYE-CONTACT, R- Try to be relatively RELAXED while engaging in these behaviours. (Lecture notes – Listening and Non-verbal attending: SOLER). Despite all the encounters with many people who may have different opinions and characters, I believe that one should still do his/her best in order to create a positive approach. Every individual should feel the need of contributing towards the creation of an enjoyable life within a community. This helps us reveal our identity and makes it much more possible to integrate healthily. Last but not least, although one may come across difficult people in life who restrain cooperation s/he should also keep in mind that these people are a minority. Mandela (2012) states that â€Å"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.† On the other hand Johnson (2006) emphasises that â€Å"to live is to communicate! All life communicates in some way. Communication is the foundation for all interpersonal relationships, and our daily lives are filled with one communication experience after another.† References Johnson, D. W. (2006). Reaching Out (ninth edition ed.). USA: Pearson International Edition. Sarah Bonello

Searching for Peace in Tulips Essays -- Tulips Essays

Searching for Peace in Tulips Throughout the poem â€Å"Tulips† by Sylvia Plath, the author seems desperately searching for peace and tranquility, and instead finds everything she despises, symbolized by the tulips she received as a get-well present.   The hospital setting, in which she is â€Å"nobody,† provides a place where she can â€Å"learn peacefulness, lying by myself quietly,† as Plath explains in lines 3-4.   She goes on to describe her room as very white and serene, and within the walls is a temporary escape from all the cares of the world outside, all the â€Å"baggage† she carries in relation to her family.   Then she receives the tulips, which contrast with the white so much that Plath says â€Å"they hurt me† in line 36.   The passage continues in this vein, relating that they â€Å"weigh her down† in line 40, in a similar fashion as her family does.   This is because the tulips make her â€Å"aware of my heart† in line 60, telling her that she is becoming healthy and will have to leave the hospital and again be weighed down by the obligations of the outside world.   The...

Are human naturally violent? Essay

We are surrounded by violence. Kids take it in with their first mouthful of cereals. They will see eighteen thousand (18,000) violent deaths on television by the time they graduate from high school. They will watch physical brutality in prime-time sports and learn that â€Å"bullets and bombs† make gridiron heroes. They will hear our respected political leaders tell us why we need to start a new war. They will be spanked by their parents and learn that violence and love go hand-in-hand. If it is not biologically innate, then violence must be something people teach (Kaufman, 2002). Violence is basically an act of aggression. There are many definitions of violence, one of which is that violence is the use of strength – overt or hidden – with the objective of obtaining from an individual or a group something they do not want to consent to freely (Bandura, 1961). Further, it must be noted that there are different kinds of violence. One must distinguish between direct and indirect or structural violence: Direct violence equates to physical violence while indirect or structural violence involves poverty, exploitation, social injustice, no democracy, and the like. In a situation of violence, the parties involved in the conflict see their economic and social rights being violated as well as their civil and political rights. The short-term and long-term consequences of a violent conflict in terms of human rights violations are devastating and leave deep scars in societies. (Baumesiter, et al. 2004). Many of ideas about society and how it should be organized are based on the idea that men are born with aggressive instincts; human nature is violent and that war is inevitable. Much of our political, social, religious and scientific thinking starts with the premise that human beings are born-killers. So much a part of our consciousness has this idea that we rarely question it. In essence it has become a truth—conventional wisdom that carries with it no requirement to examine the facts with a critical eye (Baumesiter, et al. 2004). The opposing side of the debate asserts that aggressive tendencies are innate. Freud (e. g. , 1930) is one of the most famous proponents of this view, and he contended that the aggressive drive or â€Å"Todestrieb† is one of the two main foundations of all human motivation. In his view, the drive to aggress is deeply rooted in the psyche and hence independent of circumstances. As a result, people have an innate and recurring need to inflict harm or damage, and this desire needs to be satisfied periodically, one way or another. He regarded self-control (as embodied in his concept of superego) as a form of aggression, insofar as one deprives oneself of other satisfactions by restraining oneself. To Freud, this was an effective but costly way to satisfy the aggressive drive, which otherwise would manifest itself by harming or killing others or smashing property. There are several problems with Freud’s theory of innate aggression. First, of course, it does not disconfirm the importance of learning just as the findings about learned aggression do not disconfirm the hypothesis of innate tendencies. Second, there is no evidence that aggression is a need, in the sense that people who fail to act aggressively will routinely suffer impairments of health or well-being. In that sense, it is possible to accept the view of aggression as having some innate basis without agreeing that the need to aggress arises independently of circumstances. Many people are convinced that human beings are naturally violent and that consequently we cannot avoid wars, conflicts and general violence in our lives and our societies. Other specialists in this field claim that we can avoid thinking, feeling and acting violently. The Seville Statement on Violence elaborated in 1986 by a group of scholars and scientists from many countries, North and South, East and West, confirms this by stating that: â€Å"scientifically incorrect when people say that war cannot be ended because it is part of human nature. Arguments about human nature cannot prove anything because our human culture gives us the ability to shape and change our nature from one generation to another. It is true that the genes that are transmitted in egg and sperm from parents to children influence the way we act. But it is also true that we are influenced by the culture in which we grow up and that we can take responsibility for our own actions. † It further includes another proposition stating that â€Å"It is scientifically incorrect when people say that war is caused by ‘instinct’. Most scientists do not use the term ‘instinct’ anymore because none of our behavior is so determined that it cannot be changed by learning. Of course, we have emotions and motivations like fear, anger, sex, and hunger, but we are each responsible for the way we express them. In modern war, the decisions and actions of generals and soldiers are not usually emotional. Instead, they are doing their jobs the way they have been trained. When soldiers are trained for war and when people are trained to support a war, they are taught to hate and fear an enemy (UNESCO, 1986). † Hence, â€Å"it is scientifically incorrect to say that we have inherited a tendency to make war from our animal ancestors. Warfare is a solely human phenomenon and does not occur in other animals†¦. ;† second, â€Å"there are cultures that have not engaged in war for centuries and there are cultures which have engaged in war frequently at some times and not at others†¦. ;† third, â€Å"it is scientifically incorrect to say that war or any other violent behavior is genetically programmed into our human nature†¦. ;† and lastly, that â€Å" it is scientifically incorrect to say that humans have a â€Å"violent brain†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ how we act is shaped by how we have been conditioned and socialized†¦ (UNESCO, 1986). † Humans are condemned to violence not because of our biology or human nature. For if humans are naturally violent, we would expect to find the most extreme and frequent expressions of violence in the cultures that are least socialized, most â€Å"primitive†. As a matter of fact, the opposite is true — those cultures that are most â€Å"civilized† and have the most complex social systems are the most violent. Further, while it is true that natural processes include death as well as life, it is very rare that one can find a case of what we could call real violence in any species other than human excluding involuntary biological reactions such as the need to eat, and cases of mothers protecting their young from harm, and you will find little remains other than occasional alpha male fights in wolves and primates. Therefore if humans are violent, it has less to do with nature than with nurture. There is really no evidence that people have an innate need to be aggressive periodically, in the sense that the need is independent of context (Baumeister and Bushman, 2004). If, as Freud proposed, the aggressive instinct comes from within and demands to be satisfied in one way or another, then failing to satisfy this need should be harmful, in the way that failing to eat or breathe or form social bonds is harmful to the person. But there is no sign that people who fail to perform violent acts suffer adverse consequences. Aggression is not a need, contrary to Freud, because a person could live a happy, healthy life without ever performing violent acts – provided, perhaps, that the person always got what he or she wanted. Aggression may likewise not even be a want. But it may be a response tendency. When one’s desire are thwarted, and other people stand in the way of one’s goal satisfactions, aggressive impulses arise as one way of trying to remove the thwarting and get what you want. ( Baumesiter & Bushman 2004) There are many strategies for influencing people, and these vary widely in how acceptable and how effective they are. Aggression is one strategy that does sometimes succeed (e. g. , Tedeschi & Felson, 1994). Violent activity, or even the credible threat of violence, is one way to get other people to do what you want. Ultimately, people can use aggression to further their innate goals of survival and reproduction, along with a host of other goals such as maintaining a sense of superiority over others, getting money, and intimidating others who might interfere with your desires. (Giberson). Aggression may be a last or near-last resort for most. Culture allows people many pathways to get what they want from other people. In today’s United States, the most favored way of getting what you want from other people is to pay them money. Cooperation, reciprocation, persuasion, even simple charm are often effective, and the culture approves of them much more than it approves of aggression. Still, when those fail and the person is faced with the prospect of not being able to satisfy his or her desires, aggression may present itself as a way of influencing others and obtaining satisfaction. Aggression thus helps the organism satisfy its biological needs, by way of operating on others. (Giberson). Humans are not â€Å"hard-wired† like insects or hawks, where a given stimulus results in a fixed response. Unlike most animals, we have a large cerebral cortex that allows for reasoning, consideration, creativity and culture. The instinct-controlling part of our brain is relatively insignificant in comparison to the cortex, and can be superseded by will and thought. It is this â€Å"flexible response† capability that enabled humans to survive and rise above the rest of the animal kingdom. Many anthropologists feel it was our ability to cooperate, not our ability to fight or compete, that was our evolutionary survival trait. Because of our ability to reflect and consciously choose the values we instill in our children, as a species we can be whatever we want to be. It can almost be said that there is no such thing as human nature, that almost all our traits and tendencies are culturally defined. This is not as obvious as it should be, because most of us are only exposed to one culture—a culture where everyone pretty much thinks and acts the same—and it is easy to get the impression that the way we are is the only way we can be. It is not instinct that drives us to commit atrocities, but our culture. Culture is a human creation. Our culture was molded by men who crave power and the domination of others. ( Tedeschi, & Felson 1994). In conclusion, most humans are conditioned to react aggressively and violently by our environments. We learn to think, feel and act aggressively and in some cases violently. Wherever we live, we are submitted to a social and cultural pressure that conditions us to read about violence, watch violence, and hear about violence almost constantly. Television programmes, advertisements, newspapers, video games and the movie and music industries contribute largely to this situation. Before reaching adolescence, a child has seen thousands of murders and violent acts just by watching television. If human nature is indeed violent and war is inevitable, then we need large strong states with central governments. We need powerful rulers with mighty armies and brutal security forces. We need repressive laws to protect us from each other. We need guidance from our churches on how to keep our destructive instincts under control. Of course, when we are constantly told that we are born to be killers, we have an excuse to act like killers. Violence becomes part of our culture, so we act violently. The fallacy perpetrates itself, and the irony comes full circle: our belief in the inevitability of human aggression, sold to us by the ruling elites, creates a world that makes ruling elites necessary. A person’s behavior is largely determined by his social environment such as the influence of the media, weapon availability, human relations, poverty, and the like. Individuals share the responsibility for their actions with the social forces around them. If a person is not exposed to negative social forces, he will not be prone to evil behavior. He â€Å"naturally† has â€Å"good† desires and therefore â€Å"good† behavior. To eliminate bad or evil behavior, one must focus on changing the social forces rather than on an individual’s actions. References Bandura, A. , Ross, R. , & Ross, S. (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575-582. Baumesiter, R. F.and Bushman, B. J. (2004) Human Nature and Aggressive Motivation: Why do Cultural Animals turn violent? RIPS / IRSP, 17 (2), 205-220, Presses Universitaires de Grenoble Baumeister, R. F. (1997). Evil: Inside human violence and cruelty. New York: W. H. Freeman. de Waal, F. B. M. (2001). The Ape and the Sushi Master. New York: Basic Books. Eisler, Riane. (1988). The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future. New York: Harper Collins. Giberson, K. Blessed Are the Peacemakers. Science and Spirit. Retrieved Nov. 10, 2006 http://www. science-spirit. org/matrix.html Kaufman, M. (2002) Men must abandon the notion they are violent by nature. Retrieved Nov. 10, 2006 at: < http://www. michaelkaufman. com/articles/menmust. html> Slife, Brent (March 1996). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Psychological Issues. William C. Brown, 9th edition, Tedeschi, J. T. , & Felson, R. B. (1994). Violence, aggression, and coercive actions. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. UNESCO. (1986) The Seville Statement on Violence. Spain. Retrieved Nov. 10, 2006 at: .