Moral absolutism Essay

When we speak of â€Å"Morality† we think of the difference between right and wrong, the difference between the good and the evil. We use morality to justify our actions and decisions. More often than not, people impose their morality on others and expect them to act in the way they find fit. They believe that the idea of right and wrong is universal. In her essay â€Å"On Morality†, Didion contradicts this theory and believes that everyone can have different ideas of morality based on their own perception. To make her point, Didion uses the examples of Klaus Fuchs and Alfred Rosenberg. Fuchs was a British traitor who leaked nuclear secrets to the Soviets, and Rosenberg was the Nazi administrator of Eastern Europe, where the Germans committed their most heinous and most murderous acts during World War II. Both of them claimed that what they did were morally appropriate. She then goes on to say that Jesus justifies what he did based on morality. The juxtaposition of these ideas affirms Didion’s theory that the conviction of morality is vastly based on perspective. This juxtaposition also helps prove that people use morality to justify almost anything. Osama Bin Laden believed that it was morally right to take the lives of millions of innocent civilians in the name of religion. President Snow, along with the Capitol, in The Hunger Games saw it fit to throw 24 teenagers in a battlefield and let them fight until only one remains. Morality does not seem like a tool to distinguish right from wrong, but a method to have a clean conscious, irrespective of whether one’s acts are good or bad. Didion also says, â€Å"For better or for worse, we are what we learned as children. † (158) This shows that the ideas we have of good and bad and the so-called â€Å"morality† is part of what we’ve learnt growing up. A lot of people might find it pointless to stay with a corpse on a highway. But to Didion, it is the moral thing to do. We do not leave behind our dead. Friedrich Nietzsche said, â€Å"Fear is the mother of morality. † Didion maintains that morality might differ from person to person. In my opinion, a lot of factors influence the decisions we make and then blame them on morality. â€Å"The right thing† is too abstract to be universal. Didion debates about the cannibalism acts and talks about the vestigial taboo that no one should eat their own blood kin. This might seem appalling to some while being a being of another’s culture. Didion says that morality has â€Å"the most potentially mendacious meaning. † (159) And I couldn’t agree more. There is a very thin line between right and wrong, and morality is what shows one where to draw it. But the basis of that line is so ambiguous, that people end up using morality to cover up their actions. The idea Didion presents is that humans are not equipped to distinguish between the good and the bad. We think that all actions are sound as long as they don’t hurt another person. But then we see people like Adolf Hitler. The man murdered millions of people. Yet, he had a bunch of supporters who helped him with these inhumane acts. But he did what he did in the name of morality, in the name of ‘respect for the greater race. ’ The central idea of this essay is that morality depends largely on perception. What one finds wrong may not necessarily be seen as inappropriate by another. â€Å"I followed my own conscience. † â€Å"I did what I thought was right. † Didion questions the reader how many madmen have said this and meant it? Didion doesn’t believe that these men shelter themselves under the illusion of morality but actually believe their actions are moral and justified. Maybe we ourselves have said it before and been wrong. Our conscience isn’t always the best judge of things. But the concept of morality makes it okay to just be impulsive and do what we think is correct in the moment. The relevance of our logic lacks frequency. One might not kill people on a daily basis but one might find it moral to do it someday and go ahead with it. Does this make them immoral? Is the act of killing immoral? What if the victim is a killer? The answers to questions relating to morality are not black or white. There could be various different instances where individuals might have different stands on issues. All of which they might believe to be morally correct. So the question is, who decides what is moral and what is not? What gives them the power to do so? Should the morality of one person be forced on another? Clearly, universal standards of right and wrong do not exist. The evidence Didion provided as well as instances we see around the world proves that fact. A lot of people do not agree with Didion’s idea of differing morality. The people who adhere themselves to a supposedly universal moral code can delude themselves into thinking people who do not follow that code are less humane. People need to stop fretting over moral absolutes and let morality run their life and effect every decision they make in order to ensure the future is safe from oppression and terrorism.

Nursing Theoretical Foundations of Practice essays

Nursing Theoretical Foundations of Practice essays Sleep deprivation among patients in ICU is a prominent problem in health care today. This could lead to further physiological and psychological problems such as delirium, in extreme cases. The cause of this is the stress associated with the critical conditions necessitating admission to the intensive care unit (Roberts, 2000). A further problem associated with this is that health care workers at times misdiagnose and misperceive the condition as less dangerous than is in fact the case. It is therefore clear that the problem of sleep deprivation needs to be analyzed for its nature and its causes. There is a lack of such analysis, mainly as a result of advanced technology taking priority over the functionality of the patients themselves (Johnson 2000). The human element is thus neglected in favor of treating the illness as an isolated problem (Roberts, 2000). Nursing models such as those created by Neuman, Roy and Johnson can be useful in bringing back the concept of the whole person to ICU patients experience sleep disruptions on average about every 20 minutes during a 24-hour day (Johnson, 2000). These disruptions come in the form of observations to ensure the physical stability of the patient. Another factor is the isolation from the natural day-night cycle as a result of ICUs constructed without any windows. If lights are always on at a consistent intensity, this furthermore disrupts the sleeping pattern and aggravates the inability of patients to reach the deepest stage of sleep. These factors lead to severe sleep deprivation, which may complicate to Stress-related sleep deprivation in the ICU can affect memory, concept formation, reasoning and executive function (Johnson, 2000). The fear already present as a result of the need for intensive care results in sleep deprivation, which aggravates disorientation, agitation, and possibly delirium. In order to...

Vietnam5 essays

Vietnam5 essays Vietnam is one of the most famous wars that America has taken place in. It is also considered by some to be the most controversial. Many say that America did not belong in the fight and that it was a waste of money, man-power, and time. Others say that it was important to show that the U.S. will not stand by and let a country or territory be taken in the wrong way. Vietnam lasted from 1959 to 1975. It involved the North Vietnamese and the National Liberation Front or NLF. It also included the U.S. and the South Vietnamese forces. From about 1946 to 1945 the Vietnamese had struggled for independence from the French during the first Indochina War. When the war ended the country was split into two creating North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam soon came under the control of Vietnamese Communists who really hated France and were looking to unite Vietnam under Communist rule. South Vietnam was controlled by Vietnamese leaders who favored the French. The reason that the U.S. entered the Vietnam War was fear of the Domino Effect. The Domino Effect is the term used to explain that if one country falls under Communist rule than soon after the countries in that area will soon fall also. If Vietnam became a Communist state than it was likely that more could fall also. This is also why the U.S. supported South Vietnam. The U.S. didnt send troops in until 1965. They were sent in to keep the South Vietnamese government from collapsing but in the long run they eventually failed. When Ngo Dinh Diem came into power he used very repressive measures. These measures led to growing organized opposition within South Vietnam. Another problem was that Diems government represented a small minority of Vietnamese who were mostly businessmen, Roman Catholics, large landowners, and others who were pro-French. At first the United States helped South Vietnam military advisors and financial assistance. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution...

HRM Book Summery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

HRM Book Summery - Essay Example logy-driven, fast changing business world where every corporation must compete for skilled talent, be able to influence its employees to provide the best products, be able to train and provide educational programs and be able to control and monitor personnel costs to maintain cost competitiveness Job analysis methods produce acceptable to high levels of reliability. Particularly high levels of liability can be demonstrated for methods that rely on structured questionnaires such as worker-oriented questionnaires, job inventories, or checklists Competence is a standardized requirement for an individual to properly perform a specific job. It encompasses a combination of knowledge, skills and behavior utilized to improve performance. More generally, competence is the state or quality of being adequately or well qualified, having the ability to perform a specific role. When it comes to executive incentives, human beings are both finite and creative; that means that the people offering incentives are often unable to predict all of the ways that people will respond to

Chinese Culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Chinese Culture - Term Paper Example Anthropological studies provide information, which explain cultural diversity that people experience across the world. Historical facts project various dimensions in human culture. Historians use cultural dimensions such as language, social structure, religion, beliefs, and relation to the environment among other dimensions to acknowledge diversity in humanity. Each geographical location in the world has people who are distinguished using their cultural identity. Chinese culture provides historical information about the Chinese people, their beliefs, and their attitude towards other people, social economic practices, and education among other factors. This paper is analysis of Chinese culture in relation to socio economic practices, language, education, belief, government, environment, topology, and historical facts about their cultural heritage. Language Historians believe that language is one aspect of culture, which distinguishes various communities from each other. Historians bel ieve that Chinese language has varieties, which have some close relation. The language family of Chinese is Sino-Tebetan (Pletcher, 68). Each group of Chinese language has its own dialect or sub-dialect. These dialects are less or more mutually intelligible. Chinese population, which stands at about 1.2 billion, speaks one these dialects. In China, Chinese is formal language, which they use in both public and domestic places. Sign communication and media communication in China uses Chinese language. It is arguable visitors coming China need to learn Chinese or use interpreters to help them in their communication. Clothes Chinese culture ranks clothing among other primary necessities in life. China a renowned history of garment making in which Chinese exchanged their garments in trade. Chinese garments in the ancient time had ornate details, refined artisanship, and bright colors. Clothes in Chinese culture changed with different dynasties. However, 20 century has observable changes in garments. Some styles portrayed on Chinese garment include Cheongsam, Qipao, western suits, silk stocking, hat, high heels, jackets, bell-bottom, bikinis, miniskirt, and bell-bottom among other fashion trends in the 20 century (Chen 111). Analysts believe that China decided to respond positively to the fashion trends in 1978 by embracing some western practices (Choi 89). During the ancient age, Chinese people devoted, various clothing to people according to the color of the skin. For instance, ordinary people wore costume and long hat when offering sacrifices to ancestors or gods. Another notable aspect of Chinese clothing culture is that ethnic minority wore clothing, which was colorful, flowery, and highly distinctive. Chinese people associate red color to good fortune. Red color characterizes wedding clothes for the Chinese people. It is notable that Chinese in the north wear qipao, and southern Chinese wear Kwa for their weddings. Dominance hierarchy Gender dominance is relev ant in Chinese culture. Men gender dominated over women in the Chinese culture. The culture views a woman a subordinate who is subject to his father during the youthful stages, to her husband upon reaching maturity, and to her son at old age (Palmer 44). Dominance by the male gender in the Chinese culture influences the activities of women. Women should not roam freely as men. Largely, their duty is to stay inside the house performing house chores. Cultural responsibility for women gave them the authority to govern their homes, whereas men guarded the outer world. In ancient time, women never had dominant role in the family. Historic information about hierarchy in ancient time in China indicates that social stigmatization characterized life of the Chinese people (Chen 138). For instance, women

Leader and organizational behavior Research Paper

Leader and organizational behavior - Research Paper Example I maintain that I am the ideal candidate for this job because I am sufficiently educated and possess the adequate qualities that would help me greatly in filling this position. A typical Vice President of Operations of a company as large and progressive as yours would be entitled to be a committed worker. I understand that the duties include creating and upholding the vision and overall direction of the company, and supervising and evaluating the work of other top position-holders, such as department directors, operations managers. Moreover, a Vice President would play a crucial role in the approval and laying out of the day-to-day operations of the company, aiding and assisting subordinates should the need arise while identifying potential areas of improvement. In addition, at times, a Vice President could be required to coordinate with the directors of different departments. Lastly, a Vice President would, of course, be required to analyze a company’s overall performance by reviewing financial statements, customer feedback and sales and activity reports. In general, a good Vice President of Operations would have to be sharp and in control of the operations at hand while maintaining a cohesive work environment to maximize productivity and eliminate internal conflicts. If I were to be awarded this position, I would be fully committed to being hard working and dedicated to the company and, in particular, to my job. In my experience, I have learnt that I work best in demanding conditions by being organized from the get-go and assigning myself goals and aims from the beginning of the project (Smith, 1992). I have found that goal setting helps me greatly because it allows me a sense of focus as opposed to being distracted by unnecessary objectives that should not be given precedence. Simply put, lacking a goal could disperse my attention over all the possible, yet needless, objectives in a certain circumstance. Moreover, because it has been found that the mo re challenging the goal, the greater the motivation to achieve it, I believe my work quality would improve dramatically as I would be more inclined and persistent to work harder. Furthermore, setting goals would help me in using my time more productively by allocating it to the pressing tasks at hand (Wilson, 2008). In addition, I would be using my resources most efficiently (with the least waste) to productively aid the company. I believe setting goals helps in personal growth, all the while motivating you to work harder and more diligently to strive for what you set out to achieve. Setting targets for myself would show me clearly the vision I aim to uphold and would push me harder and harder until I successfully achieve it. For someone in a position as demanding as that of Vice President, some direction is necessary. I feel that setting goals such as being prompt with my work, or being thorough in my reports would better motivate me into becoming a good Vice President for the comp any and would give me a sense of confidence once these goals are realized. In the past, I have worked for various companies and have had to deal with demanding circumstances such as rushed deadlines, miscommunications in the chain-of-command, and conflicting behavior of coworkers and lack of

Long Term Illness Essay Example for Free

Long Term Illness Essay In this assignment a focus on an individual with the long term illness/ condition of a stroke will be undertaken, examining the impact of the condition/illness from the perspective of the individual and their family and also the impact of person centred care upon nursing practice. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2008) Code of Professional Conduct Guidance has been maintained throughout this essay and therefore, all names have been altered for the purpose of confidentiality and anonymity. Currently there are around 1. 2 million stroke survivors in the UK, which is every year an estimated 152,000 people. More than half have been left with disabilities that affect their daily life. Stroke can affect anyone, no matter what their age. Around a third of all strokes happen to people under the age of 65, and around 400 children (0-18) have a stroke each year. Furthermore stroke is the largest cause of complex disability in adults. (Stroke Association 2012). A stroke is caused by the interruption of the blood supply to the brain, usually because a blood vessel bursts or is blocked by a clot. This cuts off the supply of oxygen and nutrients, causing damage to the brain tissue (WHO 2012). Mary is a 75 year old white British lady who suffered from a Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke) approximately five years ago. She is a divorced lady who lives alone in a two storey house, however she has three children and numerous grandchildren who live within walking distance and whom visit on a daily basis. Mary was admitted to hospital as she had sustained a fall, fortunately nothing was broken, but she had suffered with severe bruising to her face and left side of her body resulting in loss of confidence. Mary currently takes medication for hypertension and hypercholesterolemia which her G.P monitors quite closely. On assessment it was identified that Mary has been finding it hard to accept her diagnosis, she was hoping that she would return to the same quality of life that she had before the stroke as she had never been poorly or took medication prior to this happening. CHSS (2012) state that denial initially protects you from being overwhelmed by the changes in your life. Some people may become stuck in denial. The author has chosen this condition/illness as her grandmother suffered from a stroke 10 years ago and fights everyday with her disability, because of this experience the author decided to join the nursing profession and possibly work on a stroke unit or neurology department. This assignment will help to support, educate and contribute to patients ability to care for themselves after being diagnosed with any long term illness and will be part of life long learning, the Royal College of Nursing explain that nurses are committed to lifelong learning and continuous professional development (RCN 2012). Clinical reasons for choosing this condition/illness are that on this placement the author was allocated with the stoma nurses which gave her the opportunity to work on the wards of her choice on the final two weeks of the placement, she chose the stroke unit which also allowed her to complete many achievements and outcomes for example proficiency 2.4 was met which involved working with patients and families in order to use their strengths to achieve their goals and aspirations. As a nurse it is vital that patient centred care is met in todays NHS and the care management of patients with a long term condition meaning putting the patient and their experience foremost, through communication, discussion of treatment options, potential outcomes and possible psychological effects also empowering the patient and allowing them to make choices about their healthcare (Nursing Standard 2011). As Mary was admitted with a fall investigatory questions needed to be asked to find out whether trips and falls are a common occurrence within Mary’s life and whether any member of the multi disciplinary team has implemented any changes to prevent these from happening. Through engaging in a therapeutic relationship allowing us to gain mutual respect and collaboration to develop with Mary she informed us that she has had many trips in her own home and only this one major fall outside, along with her worries and concerns which were listened to attentively. Nicol, J (2011) explain that as a nurse managing risk and promoting health and wellbeing whilst aiming to empower choices to promote self-care must be a priority therefore certain referrals need to be put in place. Firstly a referral to the physiotherapist was made within the hospital in order to improve posture and balance and make sure it is safe for Mary to return home to her own surroundings, as this was not managed post stroke admission and it is within the nurses role to make sure the patient and family are comfortable with there discharge. It is known for stroke suffers to have problems such as weakness, clumsiness or paralysis usually to one side of the body or loss of balance (Stroke Association 2008) which is why Mary has not received any further treatment from a physiotherapist after her stroke five years ago as treatment is stopped when it is no longer producing any marked improvement to your condition (NHS Choices 2012). Although from this admission it is recommend from the physiotherapist that a cane will be useful to Mary in order for her to gain more strength and move about more freely when walking outside within her limitation. A lot of time and advice was given to Mary and her family through discussion, education and effective communication, in order to help her in the decision making process and allowing Mary to realise that regaining independence requires patience (National Stroke Association 2011). Furthermore from a staff nurse’s experience in the past a referral to the Falls clinic was also put in place which was deemed successful from previous stroke survivors who have been left with similar disabilities to Mary and found this useful in the rehabilitation pathway. The Falls Clinic, (2011) aims to reduce your risk of falling and falls-related injuries and review your progress every two months for the first year. From this it enables Mary to be followed up in others ways apart from the GP ensuring that nothing significant is being missed in her care. Good engagement and collaboration allows the patient to gain full confidence and allows the nurse to develop a therapeutic nurse patient relationship providing care in a manner that enables the patient to be an equal partner in achieving wellness, which Mary had never felt before. However the family stepped forward at this point and informed the nursing team that they felt that Mary is starting to struggle around her usual housing environment and made it clear that they had no knowledge of any movement aids or assistive device until this hospital visit and talking to other families with the same problems. A referral to the Occupational Therapist was then put in place to assess and treat the physical condition using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life (NHS Careers 2012). From this referral it was decided that assistive grab bars, shower seats, supportive hand rails were put in place for easier movement around her home and further safety. This helped put her family at ease as she lives alone and copes by herself. Many stroke survivors continue to improve over a longer time in many different ways. Their recovery is in fact a long period of rehabilitation, as they learn to deal with the effects the stroke has had on them, however the psychological impact of living with a long term condition are very popular such as 30% of patients will suffer from depression at some point post-stroke (British Psychological Society 2010) and a significant proportion these remain undiagnosed or inadequately treated ( Hackett ,Yapa, Parag Anderson 2005). Therefore as a nurse it is vital all the common problems after a stroke are investigated in depth. Upon Mary’s admission these psychological issues were assessed, Mary revealed that she had a feeling of hopelessness as she was unable to look after her younger grandchildren, worrying all the time and unable to sleep furthermore she felt like a burden to her family as they now had to do her housework and her weekly shop. Feelings of loss of energy were also described and a feeling of being isolated from her friends .As this attitude from a nurses perspective is not seen as a positive one the signs and symptoms of depression after stroke were researched. Stroke Association (2012) suggest that it is vital to seek help if four or more symptoms are present which include feeling worthless, avoiding people, feeling anxious or feeling blue and patients with long term conditions being more likely to develop depression, A Two Question Screening Tool was used which also determined that depression was a strong possibility NICE (2009) recommend a two question screen tool to determine who may have depression. These questions link to the key symptoms required for a diagnosis to be made and with both questions answered yes it meant things can be put in place to manage this. However this diagnosis for Mary and her family was hard to accept as she had felt like this for numerous years and nothing had been done about it. The nursing referral to GP for further screening in the community was put in place which has to include the diagnosed stage of depression which for this patient is mild disorder and the treatment and management needed. Then it is the GP’s responsibility to set up an active review which includes self help, cognitive behavioural therapy and exercise (CSIP 2006) NIMH (2011) suggest cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT ), a type of psychotherapy, or talk therapy, that helps people change negative thinking styles and behaviours that may contribute to their depression, from this as a nurse a recommendation of a day hospice was suggested to Mary, as similar patients from the nurses experience had thoroughly enjoyed there time visiting a hospice weekly. This form of empowerment allows Mary to take greater control over decisions and actions affecting her health facilitating choice, self care and self management. Using Gibbs model of reflection (1988) it was clear to me from a student nurse perspective that Marys psychological needs were not adequately addressed, as it took six years to pick up on this adjustment in her life the healthcare in this case was not acceptable. It was upsetting to observe the patient and her family feel frustrated that nothing was done as continuing health care in stroke is a primary need and stroke survivors are eligible for NHS funding for all the individuals assessed needs ( Department of Health 2009) In order to improve nursing the stroke patient the nursing role should involve preventative care which includes providing adequate information on stroke, risk factors and any lifestyle modifications, followed by curative care which involves accurate assessment’s, planned care that is person centred, physiological monitoring and risk assessment. Finally Rehabilitative/ promotive care which entails the carry on role (therapies), safe discharge planning and excellent communication with family/carers in which most of these steps should involve depression awareness and the importance of it as those people who have a Stroke and become depressed, failure to treat results is a less than optimal rehabilitation outcome (Stroke Recovery Association 2010). In addition to this nursing staff should aim to facilitate psychological adjustment and to support understanding of the emotions associated with recovery as the interaction of psychologists and nurses provides an opportunity to normalise patients’ reactions to post-stroke difficulties also they can exchange evidence-based and patient knowledge with each other (Vohora Ogi 2008). In Mary’s case I found that this aspect of her care was dealt with very well as Mary found it a challenge to accept this change in her life the and nurses spent endless amounts of time and dedication to help Mary come to terms with her disabilities. It may be argued that staff nursing levels were a relating factor to Mary’s poor post stroke care, from working on a stroke unit previously the workload is very heavy and consists of many clinicians with appropriate levels of expertise in medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech- language pathology, social work and clinician nutrition. Additional disciplines may include pharmacy, (neuro) psychology and recreation therapy, however it is within the nurses role to ensure all of these clinicians see there patient. In which some cases this maybe missed therefore implementing higher staffing levels may avoid this and signs of Marys depression could have been picked up amongst all of the reviews. In 2005 Lankshear published a systematic review of international research since 1990 that looked at relationships between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. Across the 22 studies covered the report stated that, †[The results] strongly suggest that higher nurse staffing and richer skill mix (especially of registered nurses) are associated with improved patient outcomes, although the effect size cannot be estimated reliably (Royal College of Nursing 2010). This would also be applied when the patient returned to there own home as people who have had a stroke and their carers value continuity, being kept informed, being included and having a clear, consistent point of contact with all the clinicians and services available.(Department of Health 2007). Another implementation that could be put in place not only for Mary’s psychological needs but also her physical needs is that Stroke specialist professionals could be involved in application and review of eligibility for Continuing Health Care in the community so that complex or hidden post stroke deficits which may be missed by generic staff can be considered. This could be included in the six week, six month and annual stroke reviews, and form part of the joint health and social care plan. (Department of Health, 2009). With this put in place Mary’s fall may have been prevented and her home could have become safer for her earlier putting her family at ease and allowing Mary to become more independent and less reliant on help. If the situation arose again and these changes were implemented then Holistic care, which is essential in nursing skills would be successful taking into consideration the psychological, environmental and spiritual needs of the patient, as well as the physical so that people are treated as whole human beings and the impact of the illness on their quality of life is met.(Nursing Standard, 2011). To conclude the role of the nurse in the management of care delivery for the patient and their family is to share their skills and knowledge with patients and their carers, acting as a key resource and providing a route to other services and professionals ( DOH 2005). As a person centred approach was used on this admission for Mary and her family it was clear that she was discharged more aware of services available to her in the community and the care given was beneficial in her life long rehabilitation process, leaving the Multidisciplinary Team confident they have done all they can for the patients individual needs.