Hebrew Wisdom Essay Example for Free

Hebrew Wisdom Essay The book of Proverbs can be very useful to its readers when in need of wisdom or helpful insight. Everyday people are forced to make life choices—good or bad. The book of Proverbs covers various issues and topics that can be found useful when making any decision. Whether it is an issue of marriage, sexuality, wealth, poverty, guarding the tongue, dealing with emotions, or many more, Proverbs paints a vivid picture of what both the right path and the wrong path have in store. The book of Proverbs â€Å"presents a vivid contrast between the life of wisdom and the life of folly† (Hindson and Yates 263). Proverbs is God’s manual to His people on how to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Throughout the book of Proverbs, readers will see the words diligence and laziness multiple times. These words correspond with the contrast between wisdom and folly because diligence is the result of wisdom and laziness is the result of folly. Towards the beginning of the book of Proverbs one verse in particular tells its readers clearly where the root of gaining wisdom and diligence is at: â€Å"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline† (New International Version, Prov. 1.7). All wisdom comes from fearing the Lord. This type of fear is not a fear of terror but rather a fear of awe and reverence. By having a respect for God, His children should want to please Him, which would result in considering the outcome in every decision being made. When people make wise choices it results in diligence, peace of mind, wealth (literally or spiritually), and gaining more knowledge. In contrast, foolish decisions bring about destruction, fear, laziness, and much more. Throughout Proverbs readers will repeatedly see warnings against laziness and rewards for diligence: â€Å"Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor† (Prov. 12.24). There is a theme throughout Proverbs repeatedly stating the benefits of diligence and the consequences of laziness. These  principles tie into wisdom and folly because when being wise, people will be wise with their time and are on the path to be continually growing in themselves and in the Lord. The reward in being diligent is an overflow of blessings â€Å"The blessings of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it† (Prov. 10.22). When being foolish people do not recognize the preciousness of time. In being selfish, they do not understand that their lack of action affects others†¦or they do not seem to care. When not walking with God and depending on our own abilities and understanding, people will miss out on the rewards of diligence. â€Å"He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe† (Prov. 28.26). When reading the book of Proverbs, readers will find the book to be overflowing with wise instructions on how to live a life that glorifies God. Big or small, Proverbs offers many wise words and teachings for every situation people walk through in life. Whatever circumstance someone is going through the book of Proverbs gives helpful insight on how to wisely navigate life. Throughout the book of Proverbs readers will see a pattern of the rewards that diligence reaps and the natural consequences one must face when being lazy. This compares to the contrast between wisdom and folly in that when being wise in all one does, there will be a multitude of blessings and rewards. â€Å"†¦Get wisdom, discipline and understanding† (Prov. 23.23b). Just like when being lazy, when one is foolish there will be some unpleasant consequences in hopes that a lesson will be learned the next time around. â€Å"A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless† (Prov. 14.16). Works Cited Hindson, Ed, and Gary, Yates. The Essence of the Old Testament: A Survey. Nashville: BH Publishing Group, n.d. Print. New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d. Print.

Bill Gates :: essays research papers

In his high school years, Bill Gates proclaimed that one day he would be a millionaire. He greatly underestimated himself. He became interested in computers while in the 8th grade. His school received a hookup to a high powered computer. Bill and his good friend Paul Allen used to skip gym class to use the computer. Sometimes they would even break into the school at night to spend time on the computer. Eventually Bill made his first program. A virtual tic-tac-toe game. The Computer Center Corporation (CCC) wanted to rent a computer from the Digital Co., but they couldn't pay for it. Digital said they would provide it at no cost if they could find any bugs in their computer. CCC put an add out in the local paper, and Bill and Paul applied immediately. Although skeptical about hiring two teenagers to do the job, their doubts were quickly dissolved. When they were done, Bill and Paul had compiled a list of bugs that was over 300 pages long! Bill was next hired by his school. They wanted him to write a program for use in class scheduling. Bill was happy to do it. He used a programming language called FORTRAN for the first time in this program. FORTRAN was one of the major languages later used at Microsoft. With this program, Bill first took advantage of his skills. He designed the program to put him in classes with no other boys and all the girls he thought were cute, what a guy! At this time Paul and Bill also started their first company called Traf-O-Data. Keep in mind that they are still in high school! They designed a program that could analyze traffic counts by machine so counties could get government funding for road projects. They had clients in British Colombia and Delaware but went out of business in 1973 when the government offered the same services for no charge. Bill Gates scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SAT's. However, instead of going into computers, which would seem logical, he went to Harvard to become a lawyer. In 1974, a company in Albuquerque, NM, known as MITS made the first home computer. The computer was useless because it had no monitor or keyboard. In place, it had switches to input data and a device similar to a printer to display data. This computer was called Altair and when Bill and Paul heard about it, they were a-twitter.

Language and Culture Essay

One’s culture affects almost all of one’s communication behaviors. I discovered an article written by Margaret Cote, â€Å"Language Reflects Culture,† that reveals many of the differences between the Saulteaux language and the English language. Margaret Cote states, â€Å"Language determines the way a person views the world. † She describes how Indian people view things around them differently then English speaking people do. Margaret Cote says that she views the world around her in two different ways depending on what language she is speaking. In this paper I will discuss how attitudes and behavior are determined by the language one speaks and how language does indeed reflect a culture. One’s culture determines the way one processes information and how one copes with reality. Concepts and objects have frames of reference that differ from culture to culture. The meaning of a word partly depends on the culture’s historical relation to the concept or object described. When Margaret Cope returns home the topic of the conversation determines the language she speaks. Different cultures see the world differently. The Saulteaux people are extremely concerned with exactness and have different words for we and you, depending on whether they are being inclusive or exclusive. American culture is not as concerned with exactness and therefore we use the words we and you differently. Different cultures have different beliefs and values and these are expressed in their language, whether it be verbal or non-verbal. Many misunderstandings occur in intercultural communications because many are unaware of these differences. It is important for one to learn the differences of various cultures for one to understand one’s own identity. It is through knowing about others that one learns what is truly important to oneself. Language Reflects a Culture Languages group aspects of reality together. Things that are important to a culture have many groups and words for those things. Things that are insignificant have fewer groups and words. For example, there are many different words for car in the English language, because cars are very important to us. In the Saulteaux language there are many words for snow, because snow is an important factor for them. Both verbal and non-verbal communication reflects whether or not a culture values individualism or collectivism. Individualistic cultures value self-expression, speak out to solve problems and are confrontational when dealing with interpersonal problems. In collectivist cultures people have unconditional loyalty to the group and use avoidance, and face-saving techniques to solve problems (Hybels, S. & Weaver, R. (2007). P. 64). Culture determines one’s long-term or short-term orientation. In cultures with long-term orientation people value tradition, persistence, relationships by status, and having a sense of shame. In cultures with short-term orientation people do not value tradition as much because it tends to prevent innovation, nor do they have the same sense of shame or need to save face (p. 65). Communication between different cultures can be difficult. Many individuals either lack knowledge of other cultures or are just naive when it comes to dealing with individuals from other cultures. There are many barriers to intercultural communication, including ethnocentrism, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Ethnocentrism is when one believes one’s own cultural norms and ways of thinking are superior to all other cultures. Ethnocentrism becomes a barrier to intercultural communication when one refuses to believe that another culture’s beliefs have any real value. It prevents one from seeing another’s point of view and greatly hampers empathy (p. 66). Stereotyping is oversimplifying or distorting views of another culture. Stereotypes categorize and generalize the information we receive daily. The problem with stereotypes is once they are established they are difficult to remove. Individuals tend to view things that fit the stereotype rather than see things that dispute them. This can be a barrier to intercultural communication because if one believes a negative stereotype about a certain culture they are much less likely to empathize with them (p. 66). Prejudice is a negative attitude toward a cultural group. These attitudes are usually based on little or no experience. When one has prejudice feelings towards another cultural group they do not like them because of some unseen or unproven fact. This greatly hampers intercultural communication because when one has a prejudice they form an opinion about a person before they even get to know them. Stereotypes often lead to prejudice. Getting to know individuals from different cultures assists one in eliminating prejudice (p. 67). Discrimination takes stereotypes and prejudice one step further by excluding, avoiding, and distancing oneself from other cultural groups. Discrimination is a barrier to intercultural communication because it does not allow interaction between different cultural groups. When one does not experience interactions with other cultural groups they are unable to learn about different beliefs and values. In closing, language is a pattern that ascertains the shape our thoughts and experiences take. One’s culture affects almost all of one’s communication behaviors. It determines how one views the world. The words and actions of individuals are determined by one’s culture. Communication behaviors are mostly learned when one is young by imitating those around one. Culture affects one’s attitudes and behaviors, and it reflects exactly what is most important to the people of that culture. Learning about different cultures can assist one when having intercultural communications. When we open our minds and hearts we are much less likely to stereotype, be prejudice against, or to discriminate against individuals that are different then ourselves. Being open and accepting of others makes intercultural communications a rewarding experience.

Essay about Water Pollution and Drinking Water Scarcity

It is scary but true. Water, one hydrogen and two oxygen, is a compound that life on Earth is completely dependent upon. A clean drinking water supply is imperative if life is going to continue. Without a supply of clean drinking water, life would cease to exist. Much of Earth’s water is contaminated with chemicals and more water is being polluted each day. The sad fact is that the pollutants are being dumped into the water by man himself. We are slowly, and knowingly, killing off our own kind. Industrial processes all over the world are contaminating fresh water sources with biochemical waste. This waste makes its way into homes is causing unspeakable illnesses and in too many cases death. The predominant cause of death from†¦show more content†¦When disposed of by industry they are thrust into the environment and somehow end up in the drinking water of millions. The EPA, reports, â€Å"PCBs has the potential to cause the following effects from a lifetime exposure at levels above the MCL: †¦cancer† (Drinking 2). The Safe Water Drinking Act was passed in 1974 calling for the EPA to outline rules to regulate allowed amounts of classified harmful chemicals in drinking water (US EPA, Drinking 2). Although the EPA has set standards for concentrations of chemicals in drinking water, it seems that the established levels are too high. This is because the law was passed in 1974 and since then the number of cancer cases reported each year has risen. If the law served the purpose it was meant for the number of cancer cases should have decreased. Side by side with PCBs is a solvent used in many refineries and industrial plants called trichloroethylene, or TCE. The largest polluter associated with TCE is none other than the institution that is supposed to be protecting us with the greatest honor - the military. For many years the military has been carelessly disposing of TCE and polluting the water that eventually runs out of our kitchen faucets. With the military so widespread, it would be safe to assume that a majority of the nation’s drinking water is polluted, to an extent, with TCE and the other chemicals used by the military. The usage of TCE also extends to factories such as that of theShow MoreRelatedGroundwater Pollution and Drinking Water Scarcity Essay1007 Words   |  5 PagesBy means of water, we give life to everything. – Koran, 21:30 Drinking water is our most precious resource, something every human being needs to survive. Yet today over 1.2 billion people a day on average do not have access to drinking water. Even if they might have this access, the chances are good that the drinking water is polluted with many contaminants. 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