Men vs Women at the Pool Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Argument

Men vs Women at the Pool It was a Friday afternoon and the sun was shining off of her freckled nose. She was in a rage because her male counterpart had made plans to go the pool with the rest of his male friends. â€Å"Why can’t I go?† She asked in a whiney voice. â€Å" Because this is man time. Besides, you said you had things to do today.† He replied in a deep voice, as he scratched at his five o’clock shadow. It was funny how she would always have her â€Å"Girls Night Out† and he wouldn’t say a word about it. He actually liked the peace and quiet it afforded him. But if the tables were to ever turn as they did on that beautiful day, she could not understand for the life of her where this sudden urge to be separated came from. They both knew what was going to be going on at the pool that day. Groups of men sitting around their coolers talking about the girl with the big butt or helping their friends strategize on how to get the girl in the string bikini to come closer or at least bend over. That is what men do. The ones that are taken help...

Romanticism in Tim OBriens Going After Cacciato Essay -- Going After

Romanticism in Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato       Critics of Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato have examined its narrative technique (see Raymond) and its position in literature as metafiction (see Herzog).   Still other critics have commented on the motif of time (see McWilliams) and the theme and structure (see Vannatta).   On the last point, critics find the structure of the novel is fragmented to reveal the nature of the United States' involvement in Vietnam.   Unfortunately, this fragmentation makes the novel appear structurally weak.   Critics have found no unifying element to the parts to affirm the sense of wholeness readers feel after completing O'Brien's novel.   Nevertheless, the reader senses that the seemingly random construction of the novel serves to underscore the random nature of the Vietnam war.   However, to lightly dismiss O'Brien's organization as simply fragmentary does great disservice to this American author.   A critical examination of a traditional element found in American Literature since its inception--the symbolic use of Nature--unifies Going After Cacciato and places the work firmly in the Romantic tradition.   Just as Romanticists have always relied upon Nature to unify and add substantial depth to their novels so, too, has O'Brien.   Specifically, a different element of Nature appears in each of the sections of the novel.   The novel divides into three distinct parts: the observation post chapters, the recollected history chapters, and the chasing Cacciato chapters.   In the observation post chapters, Nature is represented by the sea.   In the recollected history chapters, Nature is represented by the land and the fresh water.   In the chasing Cacciato chapters, Nature becomes ... ....   Nevertheless, the defeat by the land provided O'Brien with a refreshingly new revitalization of the traditionally romantic motifs of water and land, while also exploiting the ambiguous nature of war.         Works Cited       Herzog, Tobey C.   "Going After Cacciato: The Soldier-Author-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Character Seeking Control."   Critique 24 (Winter 1983): 88-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   96.    McWilliams, Dean.   "Time in Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato." Critique 29 (Summer 1988): 245-255.    O'Brien, Tim.   Going After Cacciato.   New York: Delta/Seymour   Ã‚  Ã‚   Lawrence, 1978.    Raymond, Michael W.   "Imagined Responses to Vietnam: Tim   Ã‚   O'Brien's Going After Cacciato.   Critique 24 (Winter 1983).    Vannatta, Dennis.   "Theme and Structure in Tim O'Brien's Going   Ã‚   After Cacciato."   Modern Fiction Studies 28 (Summer 1982):   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   242-246.

African-American Street Gangs in Los Angeles :: Gangs Crime Essays

African-American Street Gangs in Los Angeles In Los Angeles and other urban areas in the United States, the formation of street gangs increased at a steady pace through 1996. The Bloods and the Crips, the most well-known gangs of Los Angeles, are predominately African American[1] and they have steadily increased in number since their beginnings in 1969. In addition, there are over 600 active Hispanic gangs in Los Angeles County with a growing Asian gang population numbering approximately 20,000 members. Surprisingly, little has been written about the historical significance of black gangs in Los Angeles (LA). Literature and firsthand interviews with Los Angeles residents seem to point to three significant periods relevant to the development of the contemporary black gangs. The first period, which followed WWII and significant black migrations from the South, is when the first major black clubs formed. After the Watts rebellion of 1965, the second period gave way to the civil rights period of Los Angeles where blacks, including those who where former club members who became politically active for the remainder of the 1960s. By the early 1970s black street gangs began to reemerge. By 1972, the Crips were firmly established and the Bloods were beginning to organize. This period saw the rise of LA’s newest gangs, which continued to grow during the 1970s, and later formed in several other cities throughout the United States by the 1990s. While black gangs do not make up the larges t or most active gang population in Los Angeles today, their influence on street gang culture nationally has been profound. In order to better understand the rise of these groups, I went into the original neighborhoods to document the history which led to these groups. There are 88 incorporated cities and dozens of other unincorporated places in Los Angeles County (LAC). In the process of conducting this research, I visited all of these places in an attempt to not just identify gangs active in Los Angeles, but to determine their territories. Through several weeks of field work and research conducted in 1996, I identified 274 black gangs in 17 cities and four unincorporated areas in LAC. Post WWII to 1965 The first major period of black gangs in Los Angeles began in the late 1940s and ended in 1965. There were black gangs in Los Angeles prior to this period, but they were small in numbers; little is known about the activity of these groups.

Benazir Income Support Programme Research Proposal Essay

In this ongoing research, the researcher wants to analyze the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). Keeping in view the agenda of our research the researcher identify the main organizational model and implement structure, characteristics or components of Benazir income support programme and there affects in social, poverty alleviation/reduction and economy of Pakistan. Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has been initiated by Government of Pakistan with initial allocation of Rs.34 billion (US $ 425 million approximately) for the year 2008-09 which is the third largest allocation in the total budget and is 0.3% of the GDP for the year 2008-09. The Programme has been initiated to partially offset the impact of inflation on the purchasing power of the poorer sections of the society. In the years 2005-07, inflation stood at almost 10% with food inflation in the range of 13-15%. In the year 2007-08 sharp rise in oil prices and primary products in the international as well as domestic market resulted in double digit inflation rate, which has almost halved the purchasing power of the people. Hence there is urgent need for direct and speedy relief to the poor sections of the society and BISP is the response to the above compulsions. The Programme is aimed at covering almost 15% of the entire population, which constitutes 40% of the population below the poverty line. A monthly payment of Rs.1000/ per family would increase the income of a family earning Rs.5000 by 20%. BISP will cover all four provinces including FATA, AJK, and FANA & ICT. Husband, wife and dependent children constitute a family. There are quite a few reasons behind this perception, the leading one being that the idea is fairly new and very attractive in order to describe the role and structural factors, mechanism of Benazir income support programme. The purpose and goal behind this study is to ultimate define the pro and cons of Benazir income support programme and their effects on Pakistan economy and what impact on poverty reduction and economic factors? i. Description: The proposed research will focus on the Benazir Income Support Programme mechanism , structure and their distribution of funds, impact on poverty reduction and alleviation, empowerment of women’s and economic factors. The research will initially be carried out locally which can be expanded to other major cities as and when required according to our research prerequisites. Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) working as to help the needy people of the society to a great extent and mitigate their sufferings. Some former economic experts said the programme should provide benefit as many as three million people will be implemented with complete transparency and beyond political affiliations. The special feature of the programme is to give priority to remote and backward areas where the people have fewer chances of business and employment. The government he said would provide maximum relief to 33 percent people living below the poverty line by supporting them through Benazir Income Support Programme. The main objective of the study is to determine either the BISP achieve their goals in order of poverty alleviation/reduction, empowerment of women and social and economic factors. In order to need of this research, tools like interviews and questionnaires will be used in addition to the literature available. On the basis of these findings, inference and analysis will be made to reach to the answers of our research objectives. Economic Context: 2005-2007 Inflation: over 10% Food Inflation: 13-15% 2007-2008 Oil price shock, inflation rate doubled Purchasing power since 2005 ~ halved Inflation in 2008-2009 was above 20% Urgent need for direct and speedy relief Demographic Context: All 4 provinces, including FATA, AJK, FANA & ICT Households 25 m Population 166 m Assumed Poverty Line: 33% Bottom 33% Bottom 20% Bottom 10% Household 8.2 m 5.0 m 2.5 m Population 55.0 m 33.2 m 17 m Source: Pakistan Economic Survey, 2007-08; adjusted for AJK & FANA population BISP Cash Transfer: Complements other social protection instruments and services like health, education etc. Confers dignity and choice. Lower transaction cost and higher value to beneficiaries than in-kind support. Impacts short term food security and long term alleviation of poverty. BISP can serve as a mechanism to deliver cash assistance in times of natural disasters/ crisis in affected areas. ii. Scientific Objectives: The main idea and objective behind this research is to find whether the Benazir income support programme have properly working in order to achieve their objective for ultimate reduction in poverty alleviation, empowering women and stabilize the economy and reduction in unemployment or other economic consequences. BISP is based on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the globally agreed set of social and economic targets that are supposed to be realized by 2015. The idea of BISP was to bring the women into the mainstream. Besides cash help, the programme caries other benefits like health and accident insurances as well as vocational training so that the recipients ultimately become self-sufficient. The hypothesis formulated would be: Null Hypothesis: Benazir Income Support Programme is fully geared and helping towards in order of reduction in poverty alleviation and empowerment of women in Pakistan. Alternative Hypothesis: Benazir Income Support Programme is not fully geared and helping towards in order of reduction in poverty alleviation and empowerment of women in Pakistan. The main objectives which are intended to be completed by the end of the study are: A measure to compensate low income families for reduction of purchasing power. A cash grant of Rs. 2000/ every alternate month. Only one benefit per family. Empowering Women: Only female recipients: Female head of family or adult female member of the family can be a recipient. â€Å"This is not a party specific programme, it is for the people of Pakistan, because of its transparency, the entire world, and donor agencies are cooperating and are sending their offers to us.† To helping the families of the victims of bomb blasts and those of the earthquakes as well as the displaced persons from the Swat region and bajour agency and etc. To reduction in poverty alleviation. Be timely and unbiased. Temporary so as not to create dependency. Not too large, so as not to jeopardize work incentives or have an inflationary effect. Careful attention to design and implementation. Careful monitoring and evaluation. Eligibility criteria to be predefined, transparent, easy to explain and simple to administer. Important linkages to the some studies and work accomplished by various workers in the field highlighted below: References: Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad, Director General (Operations) BISP. Grosh, M., Ninno, C., Tesliuc, E. & Ouerghi, A. (2008), ‘the Design and Implementation of Effective Safety Nets: For Protection & Promotion’ the World Bank, Washington, D.C. www.bisp.gov.pk www.pakistantimes.net/pt/detail.php?newsId=2949 iii. Methodology: The methodology involved in this research the researcher would be used content analysis both as qualitative and quantitative. Content analysis is part of the empirical, social scientific tradition and it is method which has been developed to investigate the patterns of our study. The two major techniques of content analysis, depending on the analytical methods used, which are quantitative content analysis and qualitative content analysis. Quantitative Analysis: The purpose of this analysis is to quantify and manifest features of a large number of media texts. Qualitative analysis is generally concerned with how often a variable is presented and the amount can communicate in numbers. Which allows great precision in reporting the results? So in quantitative research process the application of different test would be made and regression analysis would be used and run. Qualitative Content Analysis: This type of content analysis contains a minimum of quantitative measurement, standardization and mathematical techniques (opposite). Qualitative analysis of content is used to explain the quantitative data and to interpret direction of the contents. Steps of Content Analysis: Universe of the Study: To define the universe is to specify the boundaries of the body of content to be considered, which requires an appropriate operational definition of the relevant population. This research considers the main mechanism of Benazir income support programme in respect of their characteristics, objectives, components and their effects. Sample of the Study The sampling would include individuals, institutions and all the other society factors. The target will be all major sources. Questionnaires. Interviews. Emails. The information will be collected by specially designed interviews and questionnaires, keeping in mind the research objective. iv. Benefits/Usefulness: BISP Coverage: Allocation for 2008-09: Rs 34 bn (US$ 425 m) ~ 0.3% of GDP Target coverage (3.5 million families) ~ 15% of the population Allocation for 2009-10: Rs.70 bn (US$ 875 m) Target beneficiary families for 2009-10: 5 million Plans over the medium term to extend coverage to 7 million families by 2010-2011. Seperation of Function: Functional separation for transparency and efficiency. Eligibility Criteria Monthly income less than Rs. 6000. No family member in government service. Possession of no or less than 3 acres of agricultural land or up to 3 Marlas residential property. Possession of Computerized National Identity Card. Should not be beneficiary of other support programmes. Should not have an account with a foreign bank. Should not possess a passport or an Overseas Pakistani identity card. Requirements/Conditions: Identification of applicants / recipients through democratically elected Parliamentarians. Equal number of forms distributed to each Parliamentarian. Attestation by local level representatives of Parliamentarians and Union Councilors. Screening / Verification of basic criteria through checks with National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA). Cost effective & quick targeting process. Benefits Level A cash grant of Rs. 2000/ every alternate month. Rs. 1000 = 20% increase in income for family earning Rs. 5000/ pm. At prevalent prices Rs. 1000 payout is sufficient to finance 20-25 days flour needs of a family with 5-6 individuals. Rs. 1000/ pm not a labor disincentive – only women family member is recipient. Emergency relief package for IDP’s, victims of bomb blast and terrorism and earthquake affected districts of balochistan. Monitoring of Payments Internal monitoring mechanisms of Pakistan Post Department. External Monitoring through BISP Provincial and Regional Offices. Pakistan Post reports monthly (electronically) to BISP on payments, with list/addresses of houses and name of postman making the delivery. Eligibility and Payment status available on BISP. (www.bisp.gov.pk) Implementation Status Forms Processing Status by NADRA (as of 13 July 2009) Total Forms Processed: 3,736,914 Total Eligible: 2,122,038 Total Ineligible: 496,927 Total In†process: 50,600 Total Withheld: 1,067,349 2. Year wise physical and financial plan of work (Phasing): The following time line shall be observed while performing the research or study: 0-2 Literature and Data Review 2-3 Research Design will be Formulated 3-4 Theoretical Frameworks Designed 4-6 Collection of Data 6-8 Data Analysis and Discussion 8-10 Findings 10-12 Report Writing and Recommendations in the light of above analysis 3. Participating Personnel’s: Sir Sardar Zahid Sami Ullah Tahir Mukhtar 4. Infrastructure Facilities: Already Available: COMSATS facilities will be available, which includes office support, library support and research. Scientific Personnel: _____________________________________________ Proposed to be established: Fax Machine would be used. Scanner would be required. Photocopy would be required. 2 Laptops would be required. Laser printer would be required. USB Flash Drive would be required. One portable hard drive would be required. One Digital Video Cam would be required.

Chivalry Needing Comeback Essay

It was very important that someone would follow these laws because many people were strong believers in religion. Christianity was the largest religion during that time and the belief of Christianity is that following god and obeying God would give that person the gift of eternal life in Heaven. Heaven is described by Christianity to be a holy, pure, and a free from sin kingdom that was made by God. In the middle ages it was to win the favors of worthy women that men adhered to a higher standard of social behavior. Courtesy, honor, generosity and   faithfulness became as important as a superior warrior. This code of chivalry made a man a knight and worthy of love to a woman, otherwise he was considered a brute with a sword. A knight would be in comparison to a police officer or soldier that would fight for the right justice and to protect innocent civilians from harm. If someone was found to be dishonest or untruthful they would be executed or be in death machines like the guillotine that would chop a person’s head off in front of a large crowd. According to Authorsolen. om the number of cheating scandals has been rising in the past decade. Tiger Woods a professional golfer that has won 14 major golf championships and the highest paid professional athlete in the world was caught cheating on his wife on 27, November 2009. Tiger Woods was sponsored by Accenture, Tag Heuer, AT&T, Gillette, Gatorade, Electronic Arts, Upper Deck and Nike all dropped sponsorship with Tiger Woods after news broke out about his sex scandal. Tiger Wood’s actions caused him to have negative publicity as his approval ratings started dropping. Millions of children look up to Tiger Woods as a role model and wanting to accomplish their goals like Tiger Woods has and performing their best in athletics. Accenture made a statement about dropping sponsorship with Tiger Woods saying â€Å"At this time Tiger is not the proper representative for our product. † The dropping of sponsorships by companies don’t want a person representing their product or business if the media is writing negative reports about their representative being dishonest, unfaithful and controversial. During sex addiction therapy Tiger Woods claimed an astonishing 120 women have had a sexual affair with him according to the National Enquirer. Elin Nordegen officially decided to end the marriage of 5 years by signing divorce papers after learning about the 120th woman to have sex with Tiger Woods, which caused a $500 million settlement. On 20 February 2010 Tiger Woods made his first public appearance since when the scandal broke out apologizing for his actions and saying he was the only person to blame. Tiger Woods wasn’t loyal to his marriage and has been trying to regain his popularity in the past year, but that still doesn’t make up for promise his vows he said at his marriage ceremony that he broke. In today’s modern society everyone has cell phones, internet, and cable television to get their news and entertainment. Television programs on TV have became more vulgar over the years especially reality shows. MTV’s number one rated program is â€Å"Jersey Shore,† in the show it depicts the life of 8 â€Å"guidoes†

Choose One of the Following Models of Psychosynthesis

Choose one of the following models of psychosynthesis: (a) subpersonalities, (b) ‘I’ and the sense of identity, (c) the egg diagram. Discuss and critique its usefulness as a tool for understanding your own development and its possible application to clinical work. This essay will choose to discuss model (b) ‘I’ and the sense of identity, particularly in relation to the work of John Firman.This essay aligns with the definitions of â€Å"I† and Self as outlined by Assagioli (1965), that â€Å"I† is one’s sense of personal self, the centre of our consciousness and will, and not to be confused with the psychological contents of consciousness. Assagioli recognized a powerful integrative principle acting within the human psyche – the Self, stating that â€Å"I† is a â€Å"projection† or â€Å"reflection† of Self, seeing Self as the Ground of Being, the luminous Source from which our being flows.I agree with Firmanâ €™s (1997) singular use of the term Self to refer to the entirety of â€Å"I†s deeper being. Through the process of psychosynthesis, Assagioli believed that the â€Å"I† could become freed up to establish itself as an autonomous centre serving the Self, and it is this â€Å"freeing up† of â€Å"I† from its surrounding â€Å"contents†, including its many constellations of personalities, known as subpersonalities in psychosynthesis, that can allow for a person’s authentic sense of identity to emerge.This essay will focus on the fundamental nature of empathy in psychosynthesis thought, as an inherent quality of â€Å"I†, with its source in Self, and how, through the emerging sense of my own sense of â€Å"I†, the development of my own personal centre, this psychological tool assisted in my understanding of my own development, and was in fact utterly key to it. I will then discuss and critique the â€Å"I†s possible appl ication to clinical work, especially in relation to the importance of developing empathy.Empathy in this sense refers to the potential of â€Å"I† to be fundamentally loving towards all aspects of the personality (Firman and Gila 2007). This emergence of â€Å"I† may be seen as the heart of psychosynthesis therapy, and the pre-requisite for authentic self-expression in the world, as Assagioli affirms, â€Å"I am a living, loving, willing self† (Assagioli 1973, 156).It is precisely the ability of the therapist to provide an authentic unifying centre for the client that Assagioli emphasized as imperative to the development of personal identity, seeing such a unifying centre as â€Å"An indirect but true link, a point of connection between the personal man and his higher Self, which is reflected and seen in that object† (Assagioli 1965,25). Thus, the empathic, relational interaction with such an external unifying centre conditions the formation of an inner r epresentation or model of that centre, which can be called an internal unifying centre.In this sense the inner centre becomes capable of fulfilling the same function as the external one. In psychosynthesis, the â€Å"I† is taken as the sense of identity with its roots in Self. Assagioli (1965) affirmed the essential unity of â€Å"I† and Self, but he was also careful to maintain a distinction between them, since â€Å"I† is one’s personal sense of self flowing from the more universal nature of Self. In psychosynthesis, it is this relationship, between â€Å"I† and Self, that forms the very ground of Self-realization, defined here as one’s sense of authentic relationship.Assagioli’s insight into the nature of personal identity, or â€Å"I†, is central to psychosynthesis thought, and he was also clear not to confuse such personal identity with organizations of psychological content. Rather he saw â€Å"I† as distinct but n ot separate from any contents of experience, from any and all processes or structures of the personality† (Firman & Gila 2007, 9). One primary way Assagioli stressed to reveal the nature of â€Å"I†, was through introspection, an act of self-observation, attending to the ever arising contents of experience in consciousness. †¦the point of pure self-awareness (the â€Å"I†), is often confused with the conscious personality just described, but in reality it is quite different from it. This can be ascertained by the use of careful introspection. The changing contents of our consciousness (the sensations, thoughts, feelings, etc) are one thing, while the â€Å"I†, the self, the centre of our consciousness is another. † (Assagioli, 1965, 18). Here, a clear distinction is made between one’s sense of identity and one’s personality, a central and profound distinction within psychosynthesis thought.I began my own personal journey with a gre at need to establish my own sense of identity. I had a very broken experience of self that many times led me into a crises of identity. It was through the practice of introspection, or self-attention, in the form of continuous attention to the consciousness â€Å"I†, or the inner feeling â€Å"I†, that I developed my own sense of self. In my teenage years, my sense of identity would constantly move through what was for me, a very fragmented terrain of personality, and I had a very fragile connection to an authentic centre of identity within my personality matrix.Through the process of self-attention, I was able to establish an authentic sense of identity. Once this sense of â€Å"I† had been established as a â€Å"good enough† sense of self within me, a process of self-empathy could develop as a result of this, providing me with an â€Å"internal holding environment† (Winnicot 1987, 34), of empathy and love, an internal unifying centre, a ground fr om which to include ever more of my experience, allowing me greater exploration of self, and a centre from which to form such experiences into creative expression in the world.This leads onto one of the most useful aspects of this model in my experience, which is the concept of disidentification, a necessary requisite of empathic love. This refers to the capacity of â€Å"I† to not get stuck in, identified with, any particular contents of experience, such as thoughts, feelings, sensations, subpersonalities, etc, but rather to be able to shift and move through them all (Firman & Gila 2007).My personal practice of attention to the inner feeling â€Å"I† acted for me as an external unifying centre, that over time, coupled with my own therapeutic experience, became the internal holding environment of my own authentic sense of â€Å"I†. Through this psychosynthetic approach to identity, one may come to discover that one is not what one sees, that is the contents of c onsciousness, but rather, one is the seer themselves, the point of pure consciousness embodied within the various contents.Through this capacity of the â€Å"I† to be distinct but not separate from such contents of consciousness, the possibility of self-empathy may be born, whereby one learns to enter into a relationship with all parts of oneself, experiencing each, without losing one’s inherent sense of identity. This was of invaluable use to me in my development as it allowed me to find an anchor as it were, a point of stability, within an ever changing flow of experience.And for me, it was this process of disidentification that allowed me to disentangle myself from â€Å"survival personality† (Firman & Gila 1997), that defensive part of me that had formed as a result of not being â€Å"seen† and validated as an â€Å"I† when I was a child, due to what self-psychology calls â€Å"empathic failures† in my early holding environment. In my ca se this was due to a mother who â€Å"saw† me through a projection of her own self thus resulting in my own core essence not â€Å"being seen†.This led to deep â€Å"primal wounding† in me, and from this it becomes clear how Assagioli’s â€Å"introspection† may serve as part of what can heal such â€Å"primal wounding,† which Firman and Gila define as â€Å"an experienced disruption in the empathic mirroring relationship between the personal self or â€Å"I† and Self† (Firman & Gila 1997, 89). This may allow for a sense of continuity of being to be established, since the I-Self connection is that essential empathic connection, hinting at the relational source of human being.In my experience, one of the potential dangers of this model is that the concept of â€Å"I† may be taken literally, as a thought, rather than as a person’s authentic experiential centre of being. Here, a danger is that the tool of disidentific ation could act as a further form of dissociation rather than allowing space for the deeper vulnerabilities of the personality. For me, this manifested in that I would identify with the pure â€Å"I† as a single and specific mode of experience that rendered other modes remote, becoming a further aspect of my â€Å"survival personality†.However, since disidentification has been defined as â€Å"simple, introspective, self-empathic witnessing†¦. founded in the transcendence-immanence of â€Å"I† – the ability of â€Å"I† to be distinct, but not separate from the contents of awareness. † (Firman & Gila, 1977, 56), it is identification, and not disidentification that is the dynamic underlying dissociation. It is important here to bring in the concept of subpersonalities, that may be defined as the â€Å"many constellations of thought, each composing an identity† (Ram Dass, cited in Firman & Gila 1977,63), since the theoretical istinc tion between one’s authentic sense of identity and the many â€Å"subpersonal† identities is essential in psychosynthesis. Firman & Russel (1994) use the concept of â€Å"authentic personality† when referring to this â€Å"empathic reaching† within oneself to realize the authentic, whole expression of one’s essential nature or â€Å"I-amness†, which they argue is akin to the true â€Å"inner child†; and they distinguish between what they call one’s true personality â€Å"core†, and the varying â€Å"ego-states† or subpersonalities.Psychosynthesis therapy is able to provide a powerful environment of support and nurturance for the emerging sense of a client’s authentic â€Å"I-amness†, allowing for the client’s self-expression to begin to express their â€Å"true nature†, rather than their sense of identity and self-expression being based on an unconscious attempt at self-defence.So these ideas are very useful in relation to understanding how a person’s authentic sense of â€Å"I† or identity can become enmeshed in â€Å"survival personality† due to childhood wounding, and how, through the therapeutic experience of an â€Å"authentic unifying centre†, and a â€Å"holding environment† that fosters authentic, spontaneous expression of self rather than defensive focus on survival, the emergence of authentic â€Å"I† may emerge as the central feature of a person’s personality and identity, potentially allowing them a more creative and authentic life in the world.The point here is that identity is relational, and not an isolated event, and thus, a clinical setting may provide a holding environment that may allow for a â€Å"good enough† healing of a person’s I-Self connection to allow for enough personal continuity of being, begetting a stronger path of self-actualization. In my experience, my own therapist p rovided me with an external unifying centre that has continued to be a powerful centre for me and my journey into authentic relationship (Self-realization).My own psychotherapy became for me my first relational experience that allowed me to feel â€Å"seen†. â€Å"When I look, I am seen, therefore I exist. † (Winnicot, 1988b, 134), and thus begun my work of personal psychosynthesis with grounded and self-actualizing potency. For me, I realized that my true work lay in the mastery and integration of my total being â€Å"around the unifying centre of the â€Å"I†Ã¢â‚¬  (Assagioli, 1965, 51).Chris Meriam (1996) makes it clear, as already discussed, that the first principle of empathic enquiry, applied to ourselves, is our willing exploration of our subjective world as a way of understanding that world, holding ourselves as â€Å"I† distinct but not separate from all that we encounter. â€Å"When we relate to ourselves in this way – simultaneously t ranscending and engaging the vast array of psychological content†¦we become more deeply self-understanding, self-empathic† (Chris Meriam 1996, 18).Applying this to a clinical setting, Meriam speaks of the inner world of the client being engaged in much the same way allowing for the emergence of their own â€Å"I† and authentic sense of identity. In this sense, the therapist remains distinct but not separate from the client’s world, also taking the same stance towards the clients â€Å"issues†. It is referring to this capacity of empathic â€Å"I† that Firman & Gila (2007) speak of â€Å"I† as â€Å"transcendent-immanent†.This ability to â€Å"hold† the client in their â€Å"I-amness† allows them the opportunity for empathic engagement with â€Å"any and all† of their subjective experience. Thus, the emerging sense of empathic â€Å"I† that is given possibility through psychosynthesis therapy, allows a c lient to bring to awareness unconscious identifications that may be functional within their psychological patterning, constricting their consciousness and inhibiting their growth. In this vein, Assagioli writes, â€Å"We are dominated by everything with which our self becomes identified† (Assagioli 1965, 22).Here Assagioli is speaking of unconscious identification where we have become â€Å"captured† by our subjective world rather than standing in a â€Å"free† position to it. So the empathic â€Å"I† or personal self of the therapist allows the therapist to offer interventions based on an emerging understanding of the client’s subjective world as an interpenetrating mixture of higher, middle, and lower unconscious material â€Å"-of personal and transpersonal activities and states of awareness-all underscored and held together by a deeper empathic Self. (Chris Meriam 1996, 16) Here again, it is worth noting the potential danger of an individual m isusing the idea of transcendence as a form of â€Å"spiritual bypassing† (Firman & Gila 2007) of certain unwanted identifications or more â€Å"difficult† psychological content, thusly ignoring the deeper â€Å"transcendent-immanent† capacity of empathic â€Å"I† to engage in the full exploration of subjective experience.It is to be aware that withdrawal from psychological content as a form of avoidance is dissociating from the very ground of empathic relationship, and thus, authentic personal sense of identity is â€Å"disconnected†. However, within proper use of empathic â€Å"I† is held the tremendous potential that can be offered through the clinical setting in relation to the development of a person’s â€Å"I† and sense of identity.Here, as Chris Meriam (1996) notes, not only is â€Å"I† inherently of empathic nature, but also includes qualities of observation and awareness, responsibility, power, and choice. †Å"I† has consciousness and will. These potentialities of â€Å"I†, ever in line with true psychosynthesis, allow for the possibility of an ever deepening sense of identity and self-knowledge, an ever deepening degree of self-realization, and an ever widening field of authentic self-actualization, as one learns to express oneself with, and be guided by, integrity and creative self-expression in the world.In conclusion, it is clear how utterly central the â€Å"I† and sense of identity are to psychosynthesis and psychosynthesis therapy. In my own case, the profound insight into â€Å"I† underpinned my connection not only to my own inner and authentic sense of self, helping me distinguish between â€Å"I† and my â€Å"community of selves†, but also how it also lay down the foundations of my authentic relational experience with others.In this light, I feel that one of the major aspects of this model, is the understanding of the I-Self relationshi p as â€Å"containing† the very source of empathy, and thereby situating the very â€Å"heart† and â€Å"core† of personal identity as an empathic and relational experience, rather than an isolated event of personal liberation independent and detached from the relational field altogether, as posed by so many traditional spiritual paths. Also, through â€Å"I†s empathic presence in a clinical setting, and with applied echniques such as personal â€Å"introspection†, psychosynthesis therapy may allow for an ever more authentic and emerging sense of self within the client. Here the main point brought forth is that the psychosynthetic, psychotherapeutic relationship â€Å"works†, fundamentally, because of its allowance and nurturing of the clients emerging sense of empathic â€Å"I†, ultimately fostering the development of an internal unifying centre and the subsequent development of authentic personality. Taking this further, we might co nclude that empathy is the key to understanding our connection to all forms of life and all existence. We may even have a keen sense that everything from the tiniest particle of sand to the most distant star is held together in empathic wholeness. † (Chris Meriam 1965, 23) Thus, may â€Å"I† offer not only one’s authentic sense of identity, but â€Å"I† may also be the very point of relational connection itself, and the very heart of communion with All-That-Is.

A Process Oriented Approach to Waiting Line Management in a Large Pilgrimage Center in India Essay

This article documents an innovative approach to manage waiting line in the largest pilgrimage center in the world. By a judicious combination of process orientation and advances in Information Technology, the pilgrimage center’s management has been able to dramatically change the pilgrims waiting experience. The pilgrimage location under study is Tirumala located in Andhra Pradesh state in India. The number of visitors to this important location has been steadily increasing over time. As of 2011, the location attracted approximately 30 to 40 million visitors a year. The primary objective of a pilgrim visiting Tirumala is to have darshan of the principle deity in the temple. The secondary objectives include tonsure (shaving head as a mark of respect), offering donations, prasadam collection, thulabaram, arjitha seva (paid services), local sightseeing and shopping. The immense popularity of the temple and its location poses significant challenges to the management of the system. This temple is a tradition bound Institution. Therefore, some alternatives to resolve pilgrim waiting time are feasible and some are not. There are some hard constraints which may not stand the test of logic. The ability to manage the traffic volume is a function of processing rate (darshan duration) at the temple and darshan time available per day. This case study is an example of improving operational effectiveness by using formal management methods in addressing an important real life problem in an under researched area. This pilgrimage center is located in the extension of Western Ghats and is popularly known as Tirumala. It is considered to be the abode of Lord Vishnu in the form of Venkateswara. The temple is the richest pilgrimage center, after the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, of any faith (at more than 50,000 crore) and the most-visited place of worship in the world. This center attracts a large number of visitors from all over the country irrespective of their caste, religion, belief, social status and professional affiliation. The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily (30 to 40 million people annually on average), while on special occasions and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up to 500,000, making it the most-visited holy place in the world. The temple is on Venkatadri (also known as Venkatachala or Venkata Hill), the seventh peak, and is also known as the â€Å"Temple of Seven Hills†. Venkatadri, the hillock residing place of Lord Venkateswara is probably one of the oldest religious institutions in India. It is known to exist for over a period of 2000 years. It has a recorded history of thousand years. Based on the recorded history, the rituals and daily routines in this sacred temple are being performed without a break for more than 1000 years. Over a period of time Venkatadri has evolved as an epicenter of Vaishnavism. Several prominent Hindu religious institutions either have established a presence in Venkatadri or have made this as place of their administrative headquarters. Today, Venkatadri is not only a religious institution, but it has also evolved as a social institution. It supports financially a group of thirty (higher) educational institutions. Its mission is to systematically promote the study of Vedas and Sanskrit literature. The temple also provides generous financial support for construction of similar temples (Venkateswara) elsewhere in the country. Over a period of 50 years, the number of visitors to the temple and the town has increased by eight fold. [I960(2 million), 1970(4 million), 1980(7 million), 1990(11 million), 2000(16 million), 2010(30 million)]. Such a huge traffic generates tremendous stress on the social and physical infrastructure of the temple down (Tirumala and Tirupati). Being a tradition bound organization, certain modifications (on procedure, layout etc.) are not acceptable. The devotees (exposed to modern social norms) who come to the temple expect a better service quality and shorter waiting time. Thus, the managerial challenge is to balance the tradition, operational efficiency and increasing pilgrim expectations. Activities in the temple and the town and their management need to be also seen from a religious perspective. There is a divine dispensation in the institution, which may not be tinkered with in whatever modification(s) that are made in the facilities redesign and management of activities. Methodology The product and its delivery Pilgrims from all over the country arrive in the temple town. Usually they reach the foothill which is known as Tirupati. The mode of transport is rail, road (public or private transport) and air. Having reached Tirupati, those who have their own transport directly proceed to Tirumala. Some spend a few hours in sightseeing and visiting other temples and religious locations in and around Tirupati. The distance between Tirupati and Tirumala is 19Kms. Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates regular services between Tirumala and Tirupati. The round trip is about 2.5 hours including waiting time at both the boarding points. Having reached Tirumala, the pilgrims look for a suitable accommodation. There are about 5000 cottages owned and managed by TTD for pilgrim’s convenience. After (a brief) resting, pilgrims go for tonsure (there are 500 barbers who operate on a 3 shift basis; 15,000 tonsures are done in a day). The annual revenue from export of hair (from tonsure) is Rs. 100 million. Following tonsure pilgrims go for a wash and bath in the holy tank in the middle of the temple town and then join the queue for darshan. Some pilgrims on arrival at Tirumala directly join the darshan queue and after the darshan visit the tonsure centre, take a bath in the holy tank and departure to their place of residence. There are 32 waiting compartments to house pilgrims while they await darshan. The average capacity of these compartments is 500. About 17,000 pilgrims can be held in waiting at any time. The average waiting time for darshan can vary between 2-12 hours depending on the day and season. There is tremendous uncertainty as when darshan would happen. There is also anxiety as how long is the wait. There is no (accurate) information to the pilgrims on what is ahead. Because of the commitment to the pilgrimage process, individual pilgrims go through this tedious experience with reverence and patience. Finally on a FIFO basis, pilgrims arrive in front of the deity. The actual darshan lasts for about 1.5 to 2 seconds. However, the pilgrims can have a view of the deity from a distance of 30 meters from the main entrance. The travel time is about 45 seconds. Actually, the passage towards darshan admits a file of 6 or 7 columns of pilgrims to go through the darshan process simultaneously. After the darshan the pilgrims donate money at the Hundi, equivalent of donation box, located inside as well as outside the temple and then leave the temple premises. The Hundi collection is about Rs. 2000 million a year. Often, they stand in another queue to receive free laddu (there are several counters that sell laddu). Approximately, 75,000 laddus are sold in a day. In view of demand and supply gap, there is rationing and restrictions on how many laddus a pilgrim can buy. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) the administrative agency in charge of this temple provides free meal to about 25,000 persons in a day. After receipt of laddu(s) and a meal, the pilgrim returns to his cottage or wait for a transport to go Tirupati and subsequently to his place of residence.