GIVING VOICE TO VALUES (What would I say and do if I were going to act on my values) Description 1 Value Clarification: What

is a value? Exercises to reveal values. Value Formation. (Please use the exercises in the attached notes, or anything else you can find in books on values) Comparative Religions: Inter-religious sensitivity, understanding and common action to build a world on shared values. Breaking through stereotypes. Communalism and Building community. (Video presentation on 3 religions: Hinduism, Islam and Christianity- Arnold Toynebee. After viewing a video programme on each religion, please get a group of 5 students to share on the meaning they get from their religions. Clarifications from the rest of the class are welcome. No discussions. A session on communalism and community building could follow. Talk by Ram Puniyani on communalism. 3 Corruption as a way of life: Case studies e.g. CWG, Adarsh and 2G. Attempt to analyse the causes. Dont get stuck on description. Then try and discuss strategies to avoid corruption. RTI. Civil Society groups. Other strategies to bring accountability and transparency. Violence and Conflict Resolution: Input from Kishu Daswani conflict resolution at the individual level Attraction to substance abuse: Resources from Linda. Film: My brother Nikhil, Portrait of an addict. The Problem of Evil: Video: God in the dock. A discussion following the film is useful Prayer Communal and Personal: Video: Seven Circles of Prayer. A discussion follows the film. Critical Thinking: Analysis of newspapers, TV, film, material from XIC. Ethical relationships: Young people, suicide, depression, ragging. Video on depression. 4 4

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10 Choice of a career: Meaning of a vocation

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Test/One question for 20 marks. Class presentations.

(Videos are available at MMR and SCAVI)

The definition of Values from a personal development standpoint with an example of usage. Values Definition: Values are deeply held beliefs about what is good, right, and appropriate. Values are deep-seated and remain constant over time. We accumulate our values from childhood based on teachings and observations of our parents, teachers, religious leaders, and other influential and powerful people. Example: Jennifer felt stressed out and didn't know what to do when her boss implied she should lie to a client; honesty is one of Jennifer's most deeply held values. What Are Your Values? Deciding what's most important in life Acting in alignment with your values. Your values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work. They (should) determine your priorities, and, deep down, they're probably the measures you use to tell if your life is turning out the way you want it to. When the things that you do and the way you behave match your values, life is usually good you're satisfied and content. But when these don't align with your values, that's when things feel... wrong. This can be a real source of unhappiness. This is why making a conscious effort to identify your values is so important. How Values Help You Values exist, whether you recognize them or not. Life can be much easier when you acknowledge your values and when you make plans and decisions that honor them. If you value family, but you have to work 70-hour weeks in your job, will you feel internal stress and conflict? And if you don't value competition, and you work in a highly competitive sales environment, are you likely to be satisfied with your job?

In these types of situations, understanding your values can really help. When you know your own values, you can use them to make decisions about how to live your life, and you can answer questions like these:

What job should I pursue? Should I accept this promotion? Should I start my own business? Should I compromise, or be firm with my position? Should I follow tradition, or travel down a new path?

So, take the time to understand the real priorities in your life, and you'll be able to determine the best direction for you and your life goals!

Tip: Values are usually fairly stable, yet they don't have strict limits or boundaries. Also, as you move through life, your values may change. For example, when you start your career, success measured by money and status might be a top priority. But after you have a family, work-life balance may be what you value more. As your definition of success changes, so do your values. This is why keeping in touch with your values is a lifelong exercise. You should continuously revisit this, especially if you start to feel unbalanced... and you can't quite figure out why. As you go through the exercise below, bear in mind that values that were important in the past may not be relevant now.

Defining Your Values When you define your values, you discover what's truly important to you. A good way of starting to do this is to look back on your life to identify when you felt really good, and really confident that you were making good choices. Step 1: Identify the times when you were happiest Find examples from both your career and personal life. This will ensure some balance in your answers.

What were you doing? Were you with other people? Who? What other factors contributed to your happiness?

Step 2: Identify the times when you were most proud

Use examples from Step 3: Identify the times when you were most fulfilled and satisfied your career and personal life.

Why were you proud? Did other people share your pride? Who? What other factors contributed to your feelings of pride?

Again, use both work and personal examples.

What need or desire was fulfilled? How and why did the experience give your life meaning? What other factors contributed to your feelings of fulfillment?

Step 4: Determine your top values, based on your experiences of happiness, pride, and fulfillment Why is each experience truly important and memorable? Use the following list of common personal values to help you get started and aim for about 10 top values. (As you work through, you may find that some of these naturally combine. For instance, if you value philanthropy, community, and generosity, you might say that service to others is one of your top values.) Step 5: Prioritize your top values This step is probably the most difficult, because you'll have to look deep inside yourself. It's also the most important step, because, when making a decision, you'll have to choose between solutions that may satisfy different values. This is when you must know which value is more important to you.

Write down your top values, not in any particular order. Look at the first two values and ask yourself, "If I could satisfy only one of these, which would I choose?" It might help to visualize a situation in which you would have to make that choice. For example, if you compare the values of service and stability, imagine that you must decide whether to sell your house and move to another country to do valuable foreign aid work, or keep your house and volunteer to do charity work closer to home. Keep working through the list, by comparing each value with each other value, until your list is in the correct order.

Tip: If you have a tough time doing this, consider using Paired Comparison Analysis to help you. With this method, you decide which of two options is most important, and then assign a score to

show how much more important it is. Since it's so important to identify and prioritize your values, investing your time in this step is definitely worth it.

Step 6: Reaffirm your values Check your top-priority values, and make sure they fit with your life and your vision for yourself.

Do these values make you feel good about yourself? Are you proud of your top three values? Would you be comfortable and proud to tell your values to people you respect and admire? Do these values represent things you would support, even if your choice isn't popular, and it puts you in the minority?

When you consider your values in decision making, you can be sure to keep your sense of integrity and what you know is right, and approach decisions with confidence and clarity. You'll also know that what you're doing is best for your current and future happiness and satisfaction. Making value-based choices may not always be easy. However, making a choice that you know is right is a lot less difficult in the long run.

Key Points Identifying and understanding your values is a challenging and important exercise. Your values are a central part of who you are and who you want to be. By becoming more aware of these important factors in your life, you can use them as a guide to make the best choice in any situation. Some of life's decisions are really about determining what you value most. When many options seem reasonable, it's helpful and comforting to rely on your values and use them as a strong guiding force to point you in the right direction.

Wikipedia A personal and/or cultural value is an absolute or relative ethical value, the assumption of which can be the basis for ethical action. A value system is a set of consistent values and measures. A principle value is a foundation upon which other values and measures of integrity are based. Those values which are not physiologically determined and normally considered objective, such as a desire to avoid physical pain, seek pleasure, etc., are considered subjective, vary across individuals and cultures and are in many ways aligned with belief and belief systems.

Types of values include ethical/moral values, doctrinal/ideological (religious, political) values, social values, and aesthetic values. It is debated whether some values which are not clearly physiologically determined are intrinsic such as altruism and whether some such as acquisitiveness should be valued as vices or virtues. Values have typically been studied in sociology; anthropology; social psychology; moral philosophy and business ethics. Values can be defined as broad preferences concerning appropriate courses of action or outcomes. As such, values reflect a persons sense of right and wrong or what ought to be. Equal rights for all, "Excellence deserves admiration", and People should be treated with respect and dignity are representative of values. Values tend to influence attitudes and behavior. For example, if you value equal rights for all and you go to work for an organization that treats its managers much better than it does its workers, you may form the attitude that the company is an unfair place to work; consequently, you may not produce well or may perhaps leave the company. It is likely that if the company had a more egalitarian policy, your attitude and behaviors would have been more positive. Personal values According to Morris Massey values are formed during three significant periods: 1. Imprint period from birth to 7 years of age. 2. Modelling period from 8 -14 years. 3. Socialization period from 15 -21 years. Personal Values provide an internal reference for what is good, beneficial, important, useful, beautiful, desirable, constructive, etc. Values generate behaviour[citation needed] and help solve common human problems for survival by comparative rankings of value; the results of which provide answers to questions of why people do what they do and in what order they choose to do them. Over time the public expression of personal values, that groups of people find important in their day-to-day lives, lay the foundations of law, custom and tradition. Personal Values in this way exist in relation to cultural values, either in agreement with or divergent from prevailing norms. [citation needed] A culture is a social system that shares a set of common values, in which such values permit social expectations and collective understandings of the good, beautiful, constructive, etc. Without normative personal values there would be no cultural reference against which to measure the virtue of individual values and so culture identity would disintegrate. Wyatt Wodsman one applies in order to evaluate whether goals have been met / values satisfied. Values are obtained in many different ways. The most important piece for building values is a persons family. Family is responsible for teaching children what is right and wrong long before there are other influences. As a child starts school, school helps some to shape the values of children. Then there is religion that the family introduces a child to that plays a role in teaching the right and wrong behaviors.

Cultural values Cultures have values that are largely shared by their members. The values of a society can often be identified by noting which people receive honor or respect. In the US, for example, professional athletes at the top levels in some sports are honored (in the form of monetary payment) more than college professors. Surveys show that voters in the United States would be reluctant to elect an atheist as a president, suggesting that belief in God is a value. There is a difference between values clarification and cognitive moral education. Values clarification is, "helping people clarify what their lives are for and what is worth working for. Students are encouraged to define their own values and understand others' values."[1] Cognitive moral education is based on the belief that students should learn to value things like democracy and justice as their moral reasoning develops."[1] educationist "ChaveenDissanayake" says personal and cultural values can be varied by the living standards of a man.

Values are related to the norms of a culture, but they are more global and abstract than norms. Norms are rules for behavior in specific situations, while values identify what should be judged as good or evil. Flying the national flag on a holiday is a norm, but it reflects the value of patriotism. Wearing dark clothing and appearing solemn are normative behaviors at a funeral. In certain cultures they reflect the values of respect and support of friends and family. Different cultures reflect different values. "Over the last three decades, traditional-age college students have shown an increased interest in personal well-being and a decreased interest in the welfare of others."[1] Values seemed to have changed, affecting the beliefs, and attitudes of college students.

Members take part in a culture even if each member's personal values do not entirely agree with some of the normative values sanctioned in the culture. This reflects an individual's ability to synthesize and extract aspects valuable to them from the multiple subcultures they belong to.

If a group member expresses a value that is in serious conflict with the group's norms, the group's authority may carry out various ways of encouraging conformity or stigmatizing the nonconforming behavior of its members. For example, imprisonment can result from conflict with social norms that have been established as law.{clarify}

Besides, Institutions in the Global Economy can genuinely respect values which are of three kinds based on a triangle of coherence[2] . On one side, it lies today within the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as in the second side within the United Nations - particularly the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - providing a framework for global legitimacy through accountability. On the third side, the expertise of member-driven international organizations and civil society depends on the incorporation of flexibilities in the rules, so as to preserve the expression of identity in a globalized world. Nonetheess, in a warlike econonomic competition, differing visions contradicts, particularly on culture. Hence a movie is

an artistic creation in Europe, and then benefits from special treatment, while it is only a mere entertainment in the U.S. whatever his own artistic performance. Even within the fragmented Europe, interventionist policies based on the notion of cultural exception get opposed to the policy of the cultural specificity on the liberal Anglo-Saxon side. Indeed, in international law, films are traditionally seen as property, and the content of television programs is defined as a service. Consequently cultural interventionist policies get opposed to Anglo-Saxon liberal position, causing failures in international negotiations. Value theory From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Value theory encompasses a range of approaches to understanding how, why, and to what degree people should value things, whether the thing is a person, idea, object, or anything else. This investigation began in ancient philosophy, where it is called axiology or ethics. Early philosophical investigations sought to understand good and evil, and the concept of "the good". Today much of value theory is scientificallyempirical, recording what people do value and attempting to understand why they value it in the context of psychology, sociology, and economics. At the general level, there is a difference between moral and natural goods. Moral goods are those that have to do with the conduct of persons, usually leading to praise or blame. Natural goods, on the other hand, have to do with objects, not persons. For example, to say that "Mary is a morally good person" might involve a different sense of "good" than the one used in the sentence "Wow, that was some good food". Ethics tend to be focused on moral goods rather than natural goods, while economics tends to be interested in the opposite. However, both moral and natural goods are equally relevant to goodness and value theory, which is more general in scope. Sociology Main article: Value (personal and cultural) In sociology, value theory is concerned with personal values which are popularly held by a community, and how those values might change under particular conditions. Different groups of people may hold or prioritize different kinds of values influencing social behavior. Major Western theorists who stress the importance of values as an analytical independent variable include Max Weber, mile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons and Jrgen Habermas. Classical examples of sociological traditions which deny or downplay the question of values are institutionalism, historical materialism (including Marxism), behaviorism, pragmatic oriented theories, postmodernism and various objectivist-oriented theories. Methods of study range from questionnaire surveys to participant observation. Economics Main article: Theory of value (economics)

Economic analysis emphasizes goods sought in a market and tends to use the consumer's choices as evidence (revealed preference) that various products are of economic value. In this view, religious or political struggle over what "goods" are available in the marketplace is inevitable, and consensus on some core questions about body and society and ecosystems affected by the transaction, are outside the market's goods so long as they are unowned. However, some natural goods seem to also be moral goods. For example, those things that are owned by a person may be said to be natural goods, but over which a particular individual(s) may have moral claims. So it is necessary to make another distinction: between moral and nonmoral goods. A non-moral good is something that is desirable for someone or other; despite the name to the contrary, it may include moral goods. A moral good is anything which an actor is considered to be morally obligated to strive toward. When discussing non-moral goods, one may make a useful distinction between inherently serviced and material goods in the marketplace (or its exchange value), versus perceived intrinsic and experiential goods to the buyer. A strict service economy model takes pains to distinguish between the goods and service guarantees to the market, and that of the service and experience to the consumer. Sometimes, moral and natural goods can conflict. The value of natural "goods" is challenged by such issues as addiction. The issue of addiction also brings up the distinction between economic and moral goods, where an economic good is whatever stimulates economic growth. For instance, some claim that cigarettes are a "good" in the economic sense, as their production can employ tobacco growers and doctors who treat lung cancer. Many people[who?] would agree that cigarette smoking is not morally "good", nor naturally "good," but still recognize that it is economically good, which means, it has exchange value, even though it may have a negative public good or even be bad for a person's body (not the same as "bad for the person" necessarily - consider the issue of suicide.) Most economists, however, consider policies which create makework jobs to have a poor foundation economically. In Ecological Economics value theory is separated into two types: Donor-type value and receiver-type value. Ecological economists tend to believe that 'real wealth' needs a donordetermined value as a measure of what things were needed to make an item or generate a service. (H.T. Odum 1996). An example of receiver-type value is 'market value', or 'willingness to pay', the principal method of accounting used in neo-classical economics. In contrast both, Marx's Labour Theory of Value and the 'Emergy' concept are conceived as donor-type value. Emergy theorists believe that this conception of value has relevance to all of philosophy, economics, sociology and psychology as well as Environmental Science. [edit]Ethics and Axiology Main article: Value (ethics) Intuitively, theories of value must be important to ethics. A number of useful distinctions have been made by philosophers in the treatment of value. [edit]Intrinsic and instrumental value

Main articles: Intrinsic value (ethics) and Instrumental value Many people find it useful to distinguish instrumental value and intrinsic values, first discussed by Plato in the "Republic". An instrumental value is worth having as a means towards getting something else that is good (e.g., a radio is instrumentally good in order to hear music). An intrinsically valuable thing is worth having for itself, not as a means to something else. It is giving value intrinsic and extrinsic properties. Intrinsic and instrumental goods are not mutually exclusive categories. Some things are both good in themselves, and also good for getting other things that are good. "Understanding science" may be such a good, being both worthwhile in and of itself, and as a means of achieving other goods. A prominent argument in environmental ethics, made by writers like Aldo Leopold and Holmes Rolston III, is that wild nature and healthy ecosystems have intrinsic value, prior to and apart from their instrumental value as resources for humans, and should therefore be preserved. [edit]Pragmatism and contributory goodness Further information: Pragmatism John Dewey (1859-1952) in his book Theory of Valuation saw goodness as the outcome of ethic valuation, a continuous balancing of "ends in view." An end in view was said to be an objective potentially adopted, which may be refined or rejected based on its consistency with other objectives or as a means to objectives already held, roughly similar to an object with relativeintrinsic value. His empirical approach had absolute intrinsic value denial, not accepting intrinsic value as an inherent or enduring property of things. He saw it as an illusory product of our continuous valuing activity as purposive beings. Dewey denied categorically that there was anything like intrinsic values and he hold the same position in regard to moral values -- moral values was also based on a learning process; they were never "intrinsic" either absolutely or relativist. (Indeed, a relative intrinsic values is a self-contradictory term; intrinsic values are also absolute or else they are by definition in intrinsive). Another improvement is to distinguish contributory goods with a contributory conditionality. These have the same qualities as the good thing, but need some emergent property of a whole state-of-affairs in order to be good. For example, salt is food on its own, and good as such, but is far better as part of a prepared meal. Providing a good outside this context is not delivery of what is expected. In other words, such goods are only good when certain conditions are met. This is in contrast to other goods, which may be considered "good" in a wider variety of situations. [edit]Kant: hypothetical and categorical goods For more information, see the main article, Immanuel Kant.

The thinking of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) greatly influenced moral philosophy. He thought of moral value as a unique and universally identifiable property, as an absolute value rather than a relative value. He showed that many practical goods are good only in states-of-affairs described by a sentence containing an "if" clause. For example, in the sentence, "Sunshine is only good if you do not live in the desert". Further, the "if" clause often described the category in which the judgment was made (art, science, etc.). Kant described these as "hypothetical goods", and tried to find a "categorical" good that would operate across all categories of judgment without depending on an "if-then" clause. An influential result of Kant's search was the idea of a good will as being the only intrinsic good. Moreover, Kant saw a good will as acting in accordance with a moral command, the "Categorical Imperative": "Act according to those maxims that you could will to be universal law." which resembles the Ethic of Reciprocity or Golden Rule, e.g. Mt. 7:12. From this, and a few other axioms, Kant developed a moral system that would apply to any "praiseworthy person." (See Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, third section, 446-[447].) Kantian philosophers believe that any general definition of goodness must define goods that are categorical in the sense that Kant intended. Values, morals and ethics What are the differences between values, morals and ethics? They all provide behavioral rules, after all. It may seem like splitting hairs, but the differences can be important when persuading others. Values Values are the rules by which we make decisions about right and wrong, should and shouldn't, good and bad. They also tell us which are more or less important, which is useful when we have to trade off meeting one value over another. Dictionary.com defines values as:

n : beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something); "he has very conservatives values" Morals Morals have a greater social element to values and tend to have a very broad acceptance. Morals are far more about good and bad than other values. We thus judge others more strongly on morals than values. A person can be described as immoral, yet there is no word for them not following values. Dictionary.com defines morals as:

n : motivation based on ideas of right and wrong Ethics You can have professional ethics, but you seldom hear about professional morals. Ethics tend to be codified into a formal system or set of rules which are explicitly adopted by a group of people. Thus you have medical ethics. Ethics are thus internally defined and adopted, whilst morals tend to be externally imposed on other people. If you accuse someone of being unethical, it is equivalent of calling them unprofessional and may well be taken as a significant insult and perceived more personally than if you called them immoral (which of course they may also not like). Dictionary.com defines ethics as: A theory or a system of moral values: An ethic of service is at war with a craving for gain" The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession. Ethics of principled conviction asserts that intent is the most important factor. If you have good principles, then you will act ethically. Ethics of responsibility challenges this, saying that you must understand the consequences of your decisions and actions and answer to these, not just your high-minded principles. The medical maxim 'do no harm', for example, is based in the outcome-oriented ethics of responsibility. So what? Understand the differences between the values, morals and ethics of the other person. If there is conflict between these, then they probably have it hidden from themselves and you may carefully use these as a lever. Beware of transgressing the other person's morals, as this is particularly how they will judge you. Talking about professional ethics puts you on a high moral platform and encourages the other person to either join you or look up to you. Why Are Values Important? Lets kick things off by explaining why values are so important. I could say trust me Im a life coach and they just are, but Im sure youre looking for a bit more than that, so lets take a closer look. You may have noticed that in November of 2008 we had an election here in the United States. Not only was it the first time an African American was bidding for the White House, but just as

importantly in a great many respects was the fact it was the first general election in the age of Facebook and Twitter. This isnt the time or the place to explain how Obama, or more accurately Obamas campaign managers, kicked McCains ass from here to somewhere a very, very long way awayand then all the way back again by clinically utilizing social networking, but needless to say they did, and it probably won them the election. What was even more fascinating, at least from a life coaching and people watching perspective, was how thousands of people that had gotten to know (and often like) each other through social networking over the previous months suddenly interacted with one another. Now it has to be said that Im an open book. I admit to being a bit of a liberal, I like the idea of free medical care, abhor war and I even want to see homeless people housed. And shock horror, I dont really care if that means I pay an extra cent on the dollar in tax. If youre a regular here theres a fair chance, even if you dont necessarily agree with me youre not particularly horrified, and you certainly wont be surprised. If you are surprised you may want to take a class in reading between, behind and even on the lines. I dont want to get lambasted for my inappropriate use of language, but Ill risk it on this one occasion by saying that what took place in the lead up to the election, was nothing short of social networking carnage. People that had previously been getting on famously were all of a sudden declaring each other idiots, nazis, commies, morons and in my case, I was told in one rather amusing e-mail, I was a Queen-loving Limey bastard that should fuck off back from whence I came. I dont even care for the Queen, so that one really cut me to the quick! The reality is nothing had changed in the online relationships. Except that is, one crucial thing. Peoples most important core values had risen to the surface for all the world to see. When you see the core values of an individual you are effectively viewing their identity. Core values are the things that people will and sometimes do, die for. So bearing that in mind, even though the events were somewhat sad they were still highly predictable. I have posted on topics as diffuse as God, the Law of Attraction and Patriotism and they always generate more comments than if I talk about life coaching in general, beliefs or some vague selfdevelopment topic. The reason being is few people have values that are heavily invested in those topics. You may well have an opinion on Life Coaching (or you may not), but I doubt it will be higher up your list of priorities than education, religion, health care or war. And if I were to disagree with you its unlikely youd be wishing I were dead.

So What Exactly Is A Value? The lazy bloggers friend, Wikipedia defines a value system thus: A value system is a set of consistent ethic values (more specifically the personal and cultural values) and measures used for the purpose of ethical or ideological integrity. I cant say I disagree with any of that, but then again Im not sure what it really tells us because we are the ones left to define what is ethical and what demonstrates integrity. Theyre subjective terms and mean different things to different people based on the values and beliefs they hold. Confusing stuff, eh? Have you ever been watching a traditional TV when an advert came on extolling the virtues of either a Blue Ray movie or a swanky new super cool ultra flat TV that costs more than your first house? Its a frustrating experience because it doesnt matter what they do or tell you, youre still looking at a low-def picture and cant see what theyre trying to demonstrate. The same goes for values. When we look at a situation and decide whether it is right or wrong, good or bad, we do so through the filter of the beliefs and values we already hold. A couple of years ago I was questioned by Ali Hale after I declared there are no right or wrong values, just values that are right or wrong for the individual Surely, she argued (and not all unreasonably), things like murder are always wrong. To begin with, murder isnt really a value because the value would be what the person was looking to achieve through committing the act of murder. For example, if I axed up my mother-in-law it could be for any number of reasons.

I might think it fun (value). I might want her money (not a value because then I need to drill down to know what I want the money for to understand what the real value is). Or I might want her to shut up talking so I can be in peace (value).

Of course for those of you in doubt, I love my mother-in-law to bits and would never take an axe or any other heavy sharp object to her as she slept. You have opinions on what you believe to be right or wrong and thats fine, but understand they are based on your beliefs and values and not any Law of Physics, Law of Nature or even Law of Attraction for that matter. Theyre purely subjective.

I dont think murder is right and I also dont think lots of others things are right such as stealing, harming others, homophobia, racism or not retweeting my blog posts, but thats only my opinion based on my values, it doesnt necessarily make it so. Caveat: I realize Im stripping this down to the bare bones and being very literal. There have to be some societal values agreed upon even if its only tacitly, otherwise law and order would break down. So cut me some slack here. Your values are determined by outside forces over many years whether you like it or not. In fact its not unreasonable to say theyre not even really your values, youve simply acquired them through exposure. Value sets are influenced by countless things including your family (or even lack of family), your friends, television, politicians, Church leaders, cultural influences, books you have read, incidents (both positive and negative) youve seen or been involved in, the country you were born in, conversations you had and much more. You can see the infinite amount of permutations and its easy to understand why in over 5 years Ive never had two clients with the same top 3 values. Your values tend not to shift too much when you get past your early twenties. We all have a tendency, as with beliefs, to look for information to cement the values we already posses and filter out information to the contrary. That is the reason why so few Republicans would ever listen to Michael Moore with a completely open mind and why so few Democrats would read Ann Coulter without smirking. Having said that, things can change radically under certain (and often traumatic) circumstances. Suppose youve never had trust as a main value and then imagine the following scenario: One day you come home early from work expecting the house to be empty with your partner at work. On entering the house you see an empty Ambien bottle on the kitchen table and you think, thats weird, we dont stuggle to sleep You shrug it of, but as you walk toward the bathroom you spot a 5 iron leaning against your bedroom door, yet neither you nor your partner play golf. As you are trying to work out what is going on you hear some very strange noises coming from the bedroom and your partner yelling, You da man, get in the hole, get in the hole! Do you think trust would suddenly find its way into your most important values?

I would say there is a better than even chance. Fortunately though, extremes like the one above are not the norm and your values will remain fairly stable. Another caveat: You will have dozens of values, but there will be a strict hierarchy that I will come to. That doesnt mean values that are lower down your list arent important, just not quite as important as those nearer the top. If you want to get a clearer idea, here is a far from exhaustive list of values that I send to clients prior to starting this process. When Values Collide Have you ever argued with friends or family members about politics, religion, whether its right to give money to homeless people, the conflict in Iraq or the morality of life coaches that sometimes drop the F Bomb on their blogs? That will be because you have conflicting values on those subjects. Thats the reason you simply cannot ever agree on certain topics no matter how much somebody tries to persuade you. Of course many of us still carry on banging our head against the wall and trying to ram home our point, but all we do is polarize people. That doesnt in any way mean you cant be in a really strong and stable relationship and/or friendship with somebody that has conflicting values. In fact it can often be just the opposite because different values encourage compromise and deeper understanding, if that is, youre prepared to listen with an open-mind. And yes, open-mindedness is indeed a value. On the other hand, sometimes its wise to know when agreement will never happen. I stopped talking politics with my dad years before he died because we were poles apart and every discussion ended up in us thinking the other was a complete imbecile. Its the ultimate in arrogance to believe we have a handle on what values are right and wrong and others need to understand that. Yet that is how every argument, fight, and war starts out. These are my values, theyre better than your values and if you cannot see that, then I am going to force them upon you for being such a dumbass. How many wars could be summed up with the above phrase? Probably all of them. Are All Values Equal? This is such a tricky question that I almost didnt include it because I honestly dont know if I know the answer. I think I do, but its really only an answer as opposed to the answer.

That may be the worlds biggest cop out or it may a fair and reasonable way of saying everything Im about to say could be wrong. I believe there are what can be loosely termed as meta-values and may contain values such as Peace Love and Oneness A year or so ago I wrote a post on enlightenment, that wasnt really about enlightenment at all because I have no idea what that even is, but it was about peace as a meta value. Here is an extract to explain what I mean: When I think about enlightenment it always brings to mind one word, and that word is Peace. It seems to me no matter what interpretation I put on it, I cannot see how enlightenment can be achieved without total peace of mind. If I gave you peace of mind from my special life coaches box of values youd be able to deal with anything that happens to you in your stride. If you became ill ,but you were at peace, youd be ok. If you lost your job, but retained peace of mind, youd be ok. If your puppy bit your ass, but you retained total equanimity, youd be ok. I must stress that being peaceful doesnt mean youll always be happy. Happiness comes and goes and sometimes its right and proper to be unhappy. Thats part of life. You have to experience the lows to appreciate the highs. In any case, its not unhappiness that cripples people, its the internal conflict that rages. The guilt, the comparison, the jealousy, the anxiety, the regret and so forth that so often precipitates or at least accompanies unhappiness thats the real problem. If we can face adversity with an acceptance and a belief that this too shall pass (I know thats a bit cheesy and Oprahish, but I cant think of any other way to describe it) then we can remain peaceful and accepting of whatever is happening in our lives. And by the way, being in a state of peace does not mean you get nothing done because youre too busy wondering around with a beatific smile on our face. I think thats as far as Im going to go for today because for those of you still awake its a lot to digest. Over the next couple of posts Im going to: Show you how to work out your own value hierarchy and how you can use that to help beat procrastination and increase motivation. Explain the difference between internal and external value conflicts and why Enron taught us a valuable lesson.

Give you the shirt off my back, because Im that kinda guy. What Are My Values? The cool thing with writing in depth on Life Coaching is that I know I have the really hardcore people with me. People that actually intend to make changes rather than talking about doing so, or hoping they will happen by reading a post and doing nothing else. Trust me, I spent 40 years trying the latter! So if you read my previous post, What Are Values?and have come back for more, then you my fine friend are up for it and a very rare breed indeed. So give yourself a hearty pat on the back and lets get going. You now know what a value is and what impact they are having on your life on a daily basis, so how can you use that knowledge to make life hunky dory? When I do a full value elicitation with a life coaching client there are 3 distinct phases. Phase 1 I explain what values are and have the client thinking about them. Values are so core, so part of our identity that many people go through the entire lives without considering them. The previous post was in effect, Phase 1 Phase 2 - Work out the clients hierarchy so we both know exactly what were dealing with and which are the most important and need to be met first. Its important at this stage for me to ensure the client realizes their values are fantastic for them (a bit like yours are for you) and were not looking to change them. In fact, even though there is an NLP process that (supposedly) does this, I personally thinks its complete and utter bollocks, and you can quote me on that. Your values are what they are and theyre just lovely. Phase 3 Take a look at what were left with paying close attention to conflicts (more later) and utilizing what we have for motivational purposes. In a moment I want you to take a look at two sheets I have uploaded for you. The first one is a list of core values and the other one a list of anti-values. Before you do that though, let me explain what I want you to do to help you get the most out of this. Its crucial to understand the lists are guidelines only. They are in no way exhaustive and there are dozens of values not listed. I just want to get you thinking about values rather than telling you what they are for you.

If you see a word that almost resonates, but not quite, that may because theres a better description for you. For example, you may prefer heroism to bravery or oneness to connection. It really doesnt matter, as long that is, it really feels right for you. I want you to come up with 8 core values and 8 anti-values that feel right (or in the latter case wrong!) for you. I do NOT want you to analyze this stuff. This is absolutely crucial because if you slip into an analytical mindset youll end up with a list of values you think you should have, rather than what you do have. In How To Be Rich and Happy I go into a lot more detail about the importance letting your unconscious mind take over. Most people get the concept of their core values, but are less sure about anti-values, so let me tell you what I tell them. Im only interested in knowing how the word equates to you. In other words, you may see them as traits you have but dont want, traits you really dislike in other people, or you may see them more as concepts. It really doesnt matter as long as, and yes Im going to say it again, they FEEL right. As you make a note of each core value ask yourself this question: What does that give me? If the answer comes back with another value, then that maybe the real one, or indeed you may have two there. Simply keep asking the question over and over until you cant go any further and you have 8 on the list. NOTE: The above is why money can never be a value, so if you have it down, cross it off now and stop being silly. Thats all Im going to say at this stage because Im going to use video for the next post to explain what you do with your two lists. Before then do the following:

Print of or copy and paste the core values list Print off or copy and paste the anti-values list Print off 2 copies of the value elicitation form (or ranking tool as we call it in How To Be Rich and Happy)

Pour yourself a stiff beverage of your choice, find a quite room where you wont be disturbed and then work out your top 8 from each side, but do NOT place them in any specific order at this stage. When you have your 8 enter them on the elicitation form and get really excited because this is your starting point for a life even more brillianter than the one you currently have and all it takes is an hour or so of your commitment. Note: You may need to do a screenshot and then print off the forms because Im clueless with uploading PDFs and I dont really feel like paying my web guy to do it. I know, Im such a miserable tight bastard. Finally, I did a fun interview this week with Johnny B Truant talking about the background for How To Be Rich and Happy. If youd like a listen and to understand how tech untech-savvy I am, click here. What Are My Values? The cool thing with writing in depth on Life Coaching is that I know I have the really hardcore people with me. People that actually intend to make changes rather than talking about doing so, or hoping they will happen by reading a post and doing nothing else. Newsflash: Positive change will not happen from staring at a list of bullet points or sitting on your arse watching TV. Trust me, I spent 40 years trying the latter! So if you read my previous post, What Are Values?and have come back for more, then you my fine friend are up for it and a very rare breed indeed. So give yourself a hearty pat on the back and lets get going. You now know what a value is and what impact they are having on your life on a daily basis, so how can you use that knowledge to make life hunky dory? When I do a full value elicitation with a life coaching client there are 3 distinct phases. Phase 1 I explain what values are and have the client thinking about them. Values are so core, so part of our identity that many people go through the entire lives without considering them. The previous post was in effect, Phase 1 Phase 2 - Work out the clients hierarchy so we both know exactly what were dealing with and which are the most important and need to be met first. Its important at this stage for me to ensure the client realizes their values are fantastic for them (a bit like yours are for you) and were not looking to change them. In fact, even though there is

an NLP process that (supposedly) does this, I personally thinks its complete and utter bollocks, and you can quote me on that. Your values are what they are and theyre just lovely. Phase 3 Take a look at what were left with paying close attention to conflicts (more later) and utilizing what we have for motivational purposes. In a moment I want you to take a look at two sheets I have uploaded for you. The first one is a list of core values and the other one a list of anti-values. Before you do that though, let me explain what I want you to do to help you get the most out of this. Its crucial to understand the lists are guidelines only. They are in no way exhaustive and there are dozens of values not listed. I just want to get you thinking about values rather than telling you what they are for you. If you see a word that almost resonates, but not quite, that may because theres a better description for you. For example, you may prefer heroism to bravery or oneness to connection. It really doesnt matter, as long that is, it really feels right for you. I want you to come up with 8 core values and 8 anti-values that feel right (or in the latter case wrong!) for you. I do NOT want you to analyze this stuff. This is absolutely crucial because if you slip into an analytical mindset youll end up with a list of values you think you should have, rather than what you do have. In How To Be Rich and Happy I go into a lot more detail about the importance letting your unconscious mind take over. As you can now get the book for the crazy low $17 AND help a brilliant cause into the bargain, I insistsuggest hope you check it out. Most people get the concept of their core values, but are less sure about anti-values, so let me tell you what I tell them. Im only interested in knowing how the word equates to you. In other words, you may see them as traits you have but dont want, traits you really dislike in other people, or you may see them more as concepts. It really doesnt matter as long as, and yes Im going to say it again, they FEEL right.

As you make a note of each core value ask yourself this question: What does that give me? If the answer comes back with another value, then that maybe the real one, or indeed you may have two there. Simply keep asking the question over and over until you cant go any further and you have 8 on the list. NOTE: The above is why money can never be a value, so if you have it down, cross it off now and stop being silly. Thats all Im going to say at this stage because Im going to use video for the next post to explain what you do with your two lists. Before then do the following:

Print of or copy and paste the core values list Print off or copy and paste the anti-values list Print off 2 copies of the value elicitation form (or ranking tool as we call it in How To Be Rich and Happy)

Pour yourself a stiff beverage of your choice, find a quite room where you wont be disturbed and then work out your top 8 from each side, but do NOT place them in any specific order at this stage. When you have your 8 enter them on the elicitation form and get really excited because this is your starting point for a life even more brillianter than the one you currently have and all it takes is an hour or so of your commitment. Note: You may need to do a screenshot and then print off the forms because Im clueless with uploading PDFs and I dont really feel like paying my web guy to do it. I know, Im such a miserable tight bastard. Finally, I did a fun interview this week with Johnny B Truant talking about the background for How To Be Rich and Happy. If youd like a listen and to understand how tech untech-savvy I am, click here. What Are Values, Personal Values, Family Values, Core Values? By Thomas Drummond Values are what motivate us. But when we use words over and over they become buzzwords which is...a word that has only vague meaning... because we can't define it. But we continue to use buzzwords and think we are communicating something to ourselves and to other people.

Politicians talk of family values...and everyone lets it pass because "everybody knows" what those are. But schizophrenic families don't have the same values as investment banking families. So let's follow the rule Aristotle gave us for defining any term...a rule that scientists have followed ever since. You define a thing...or idea to show how it differs from other things and ideas. So how do personal values differ from core values and from other values? Here's the rule. What you're defining must belong 1.) to a general class (a genus)...and that general class must have 2.) examples in it that are specifically different from each other (species). Great.Values is the general class and personal values...family values...and core values are separate species...that have to be different from each other. Here goes. Values are in the general class of ...strong desires that lead to action...either 1.) to keep something...or 2.) to get something. A politician desires to keep her senate seat as a base...to gain the presidency. So each sub species of values will have strong desire that leads to action in common. But then...they must be be different in other ways. So here goes. Let's define them to see what their differences are. Personal values ...would be strong desires that make you take action to keep or to get something...that enhances you as an individual. Family values are group oriented. For example... Sue...who's an actress...goes after and gets a new type of role...to keep her popularity at the box office high. She takes action on these values to make them reality. Bob is a physicist who wants to...get...a publisher for his new book so he can...keep...his scholarly reputation as a man on the cutting edge of science. Petey...a generic kid...wants to get a mountain bike...so he sweeps company parking lots after school to keep the money coming in. You get the idea...a value is a strong desire...plus relevant action...to get or keep something.

Family Values ...are strong desires to be identified publicly as a group called the Joneses or the Smiths...or the clan MacDonald. And to keep the rules and image of that family intact...a parent will tell an adolescent... "As long as you live in my house...you will abide by my rules." A MacDonald only wears the clan tartan...no one else's. The Hatfields don't marry McCoys. Family values reflect common commitment among the members to get or keep...

house rules Christmas traditions birthday traditions occupation selection family secrets clan loyalty...etc.

Core Values ...are the strongest desires of a person on which their other values rest. The probably untrue legend of George Washington makes the point well...when he supposedly said... "Father...I cannot tell a lie...I chopped down the cherry tree." He kept to the truth...regardless of what he would get as the consequences. Unlike personal values where what you keep...a senate seat...is tightly connected to what you want to get...the presidency...core values are things you feel strongly enough about to keep regardless of what you get. The early Christian martyrs kept their faith...despite getting the run around from the lions in the arena. Your core values are those strong desires which you will not yield on. They are the bedrock of your life...your morality...your other goals and your actions. Patrick Henry made it clear that he would prefer death...if he could not keep his liberty. Liberty was the core value on which all else in his life depended. What about people who have strong desires but nothing seems to work in their lives? They lose their jobs...they don't get the jobs they want...they never get ahead. A couple of things could be awry...one possibly...the other definitely. Possibly people may not have a strong enough desire for what they say they want. Many people want a better job...but...they say...the benefits here are too good to pass up. It's good benefits they want...not a better job. They find something to use to explain their desire away.

And so what's missing is...they take no action. They only...wish...for a better job. But values result in action. Wishes have to be granted by somebody else taking action on your behalf...like Santa Claus...or the munchkins of the lottery who...you hope and pray...are frantically looking for your ticket before the drawing deadline. The other problem people definitely have when their lives do not go according to their stated values or desires is...they do not want enough. They don't think big enough and so...they are not motivated to take action. Someone once said he wanted to make "a pile of money" by the time he was thirty. But when he was offered a job at $15 an hour...he turned it down...said it wasn't worth his while going out all day for $15 an hour. You couldn't make real money at that rate. To motivate yourself to act on your desires...desire on a big scale. If you want to make a hundred thousand dollars this year...go ahead. But you'll get up earlier and work longer...smarter...and use every resource you have...find every resource you don't have...if you make that goal one million dollars. It takes the same amount of smarts and energy to make a million as to make a hundred thousand dollars. To get the action you need to make your values real...think big...and then up the ante on yourself and think even bigger. Ask a lot of life...then get active and do the homework...so you won't have to wish for your life to pay off. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/641051

What are values? Posted onMarch 30, 2011bylogogroup How do you think each of the following perspectives on values would impact the therapeutic relationship? Carl Rogers [Values are] the tendency of any living beings to show preference, in their actions, for one kind of object or objective rather than another [The infant] prefers some things and experiences, and rejects others. We can infer from studying his behavior that he prefers those experiences which maintain, enhance or actualize his organism, and rejects those which do not serve this end(Freedom to Learn, Carl Rogers) Viktor Frankl

Values which are realized in creative action we should like to call creative values. In addition to these, there are values which are realized in experience: Experiential values. These latter are realized in receptivity toward the world for example, in surrender to the beauty of nature or art.The third group of values lies precisely in mans attitude toward the limiting factors upon his life. His very response to the restraints upon his potentialities provides him with a new realm of values which surely belong among the highest valuesThese values we will call attitudinal values. What is significant is the persons attitude toward an unalterable fateThe way he acceptswhat courage he manifestswhat dignity he displays (The Doctor and the Soul, pp. 43-44) Objective values become concrete duties, cast in the form of the demands of each day and in personal tasks. The values lying back of these tasks can apparently be reached for only through the tasks. It is quite possible that the whole, of which all concrete obligations are a part, never becomes visible to the individual person, who is limited by the perspective of his day-to-day responsibilities. (The Doctor and the Soul, Frankl, p. 42) The conviction that one has a task before him has enormous psychotherapeutic and psychogenic value. We venture to say that nothing is more likely to help a person overcome or endure objective difficulties or subjective troubles than the consciousness of having a task in life. That is all the more so when the task seems to be personally cut to suit, as it were; when it constitutes what may be called a mission. Having such a task makes the person irreplaceable and gives his life the value of uniquenessThe more he grasps the task quality of life, the more meaningful will his life appear to him. While the man who is not conscious of his responsibility simply takes life as a given fact, existential analysis teaches people to see life as an assignment. (The Doctor and the Soul, pp. 56-58) It is my conviction that man should not, indeed cannot, struggle for identity in a direct way; he rather finds identity to the extent to which he commits himself to something beyond himself, to a cause greater than himselfIt makes no sense to confront man with values which are seen merely as a form of self-expressionThe meaning which a being has to fulfill is something beyond himself, it is never just himself. (Psychotherapy and Existentialism, Frankl, p. 9-11) Charlotte Buhler conceives of man as living with intentionality, which means living with purpose. The purpose is to give meaning to lifeThe individualwants to create values. Even more, the human being has a primary, or native orientation, in the direction of creating and of values. (Will to Meaning, Viktor Frankl) The logotherapeutic concept of human nature takes our longing for meaning into account. The logotherapist does not disregard our physical and psychological conditions, our drives, the importance of childhood, environment, and upbringing. But these influences are supplemented by the assumption of a dimension in which we can take on a task for its own sake, not just to release inner tension, gratify a need, or respond to social pressure. Logotherapy replaces the nihilistic concept that we are nothing but an evolved animal, a product of chance, with the positive idea that we are essentially more than. (Meaningful Living, Elisabeth Lukas, p. 21) AleiShur

Reason has two primary functions: perception and evaluation. When reason accurately perceives reality, there is no mistaking it; any who have the ability to reason will be in agreement. When there is disagreement it is for one of two reasons: a) The thought processes are not working properly, in which case reason is not clear and straightforward or b) reason has been corrupted by something. Thus, in order to arrive at a true, objective perception reason must be both straightforward and pure. Reason also evaluates. Think for a moment. More than we are busy perceiving, we are busy evaluating. Our first reaction when meeting someone is I like this or I dont like this. This is what we mean by evaluation. We taste a food and immediately express satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Again, this is the meaning of evaluation. In the store we want to buy something and we look for what suits us best and when we find it we weigh whether or not its worth the price. These are two functions of evaluating. Evaluation is not measured by the yardstick of truth and falsehoodA person only values what suits him personally. It is the subjective function of our capacity to reason Perception and evaluation are not interdependent. Developmentally, the capacity to evaluate precedes the capacity to perceive. An infant evaluates and chooses what is comfortable for him and rejects what is not comfortable for him. The capacity to perceive develops slowly. An adult is liable to perceive the truth but not value it. The conflict between objective perception of reality and subjective evaluation is apt to cause severe inner conflict. A spiritually developed person will value what he perceives as true. (AleiShur, Vol II) All three of these thinkers are saying that values are subjective. Yet each is saying something different. What is the essential difference between them? How are they defining values? What are their assumptions?

Values and beliefs If you were to ask yourself what are my values? Can you easily list them? If you have some difficulties listing your values then it may be interesting to read on. Self aware people are consciously (or unconsciously) aware of their values, the things that are important to them, the essence of what they believe in. Values can come in all shapes and sizes love, calmness, personal growth, making a difference, courage, honesty, confidence, friendship, win-win, determination, resourcefulness, adventure, caring the list goes on (see my A-Z of values below) Once your values are understood, they become the code that guides your decisions your decisions become aligned with YOUR values (not what someone else thinks).

The importance of values By discovering your core values you will gain a valuable understanding of just who you are and what makes you tick - I feel this is a very important aspect of personal growth. This can be further enhanced by asking yourself what new values would be useful to me at this time in my life to enable me to get where I want to go? By discovering your values you can begin to resolve the hidden conflicts in your life, remove stress and give yourself more direction. And we all have beliefs too, things we believe we can do and things we believe we cant. The fact is what you believe, tends to happen so it is far more productive to believe you can and then just do it! I believe that we all have core values; whether we know it or not. When these values are compromised we tend to feel bad and when we are living our lives in-line with those values we tend to feel more comfortable and more in control. We all have secondary values too, values that can be appropriate for a certain amount of time, ones that we can bring to the fore as required as the events in our lives unfold. For example; you may want to increase your courage as you start a new job or you may want to promote your value of availability when you have a young family. Eliciting your values is not easy, but it is beneficial; remember values are ways of being that mean something important to you. When you know what your values are (and they are in order of importance) decision making becomes far easier as you just follow your values. In my experience it is very useful to become the type of person who moves towards solutions rather than away from problems, because often the quickest way to find a solution is just to charge right at it, rather than pussy-footing around getting all anxious and fretful. Once your unconscious mind can see your clear list of values and can recognise that achieving these will be good for you, somehow, it just takes you forward. Of course, there will be ups and downs, but at least you will have a map reminding you of what is important to you. Take your time with this it may take a week or it might take a month, either way it is worth the effort. Self Awareness, this goes hand-in-hand with developing your beliefs and values read more about Self awareness here. You can read my personal values here. A story about beliefs Socrates had gone for a walk outside the city walls of Athens. He was taking a rest, sitting on a mile post on the road about 5 miles from the city. As he rested he watched a traveller come along the road. Greetings, friend! Can you tell me, is this the road to Athens? Socrates assured him it was. Carry straight on ahead. Its quite a big city. You cant miss it.

Tell me, said the traveller, what are the people of Athens like? Well, said Socrates, tell me where youre from, and what the people there are like, and Ill tell you about the people of Athens. Im from Argos . And I am proud and happy to tell you that the people of Argos are the friendliest, happiest, most generous people you could ever wish to meet. And Im very happy to tell you, my friend, said Socrates, that the people of Athens are exactly the same. A few moments passed and another traveller approached. Greetings, friend! Can you tell me, is this the road to Athens? Socrates assured him it was. Carry straight on ahead. Its quite a big city. You cant miss it. Tell me, said the traveller, what are the people of Athens like? Well, said Socrates, tell me where youre from, and what the people there are like, and Ill tell you about the people of Athens. Im from Argos. And I am sad and disappointed to tell you that the people of Argos are the meanest, most miserable and least friendly people you could ever wish to meet. And Im very disappointed to tell you, my friend, said Socrates, that the people of Athens are exactly the same.

Hindu beliefs and practices:

Categorizing the religion of Hinduism is somewhat confusing: Hinduism has commonly been viewed in the west as a polytheistic religion - one which worships multiple deities: gods and goddesses. Although a widespread belief, this is not particularly accurate.

Some have viewed it as a monotheistic religion, because it recognizes only one supreme God: the panentheistic principle of Brahman, that all reality is a unity. The entire universe is seen as one divine entity who is simultaneously at one with the universe and who transcends it as well.

Some view Hinduism as Trinitarian because Brahman is simultaneously visualized as a triad -one God with three persons: Brahma the Creator who is continuing to create new realities Vishnu, (Krishna) the Preserver, who preserves these new creations. Whenever dharma (eternal order, righteousness, religion, law and duty) is threatened, Vishnu travels from heaven to earth in one of ten incarnations. Shiva, the Destroyer, is at times compassionate, erotic and destructive.

The earliest Hindu scriptures are henotheistic; they recognize a multiple male and female deities, but recognize one as supreme.

Most urban Hindus follow one of two major divisions within Hinduism: Vaishnavaism: which generally regards Vishnu as the ultimate deity Shivaism: which generally regards Shiva as the ultimate deity.

However, many rural Hindus worship their own village goddess or an earth goddess. She is believed to rule over fertility and disease -- and thus over life and death. The priesthood is less important in rural Hinduism: non-Brahmins and non-priests often carry out ritual and prayer there.

Hindus believe in the repetitious Transmigration of the Soul. This is the transfer of one's soul after death into another body. This produces a continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth through their many lifetimes. It is called samsara. Karma is the accumulated sum of ones good and bad deeds. Karma determines how you will live your next life. Through pure acts, thoughts and devotion, one can be reborn at a higher level. Eventually, one can escape samsara and achieve enlightenment. Bad deeds can cause a person to be reborn as a lower level, or even as an animal. The unequal distribution of wealth, prestige, suffering are thus seen as natural consequences for one's previous acts, both in this life and in previous lives. Hindus organize their lives around certain activities or "purusharthas." These are called the "four aims of Hinduism," or "the doctrine of the fourfold end of life." They are: The three goals of the "pravritti," those who are in the world, are: dharma: righteousness in their religious life. This is the most important of the three. artha: success in their economic life; material prosperity. kama: gratification of the senses; pleasure; sensual, sexual, and mental enjoyment.

The main goal for the "nivritti," those who renounce the world.is: moksa: Liberation from "samsara." This is considered the supreme goal of mankind.

Meditation is often practiced, with Yoga being the most common. Other activities include daily devotions, public rituals, and puja, a ceremonial dinner for a God.

Hinduism has a deserved reputation of being highly tolerant of other religions. Hindus have a saying: "EkamSatahaViprahaBahudhaVadanti," which may be translated: "The truth is One, but different Sages call it by Different Names" Yama: basic human values in Hinduism. Yama: ChintamaniRath

As a Hindu, I have to believe in and accept certain basic human values. If I can adopt and practice them, so much the better. These values are sometimes referred to as "Yama": some scholars say there are five Yama, otheres say there are ten, yet others say there are eight. On a comparison of various views, the following emerge in consensus:

Satyam: As a Hindu, I believe that I should speak the truth. Here, truth must be tempered with kindness and compassion when needed. If the truth causes harm, when it may sometimes do, it is better not to say it. For example, it is sometimes better not to reveal to a terminally ill patient the terminal nature of his illness. This depends upon a variety of circumstances including the personality of the patient. Individual circumstances, and no general rule, must decide which truth must be tempered in which manner. Our great Texts are full of many discussions, illustrations, stories, etc., on this very point. It is said, "Satyam Brooyat, PriamBrooyat", i.e. the truth and the pleasant truth should be spoken.

Ahimsa: A Hindu believes in non-violence. This does not mean vegetarianism, for there does not appear to be any reason for destroying plant life if animal life is not to be sacrificed, too. One reason a vegetarian gives for not eating meat is that meat comes from violence -- "Himsa"; then, if taking life is cruel, why does he eat at all? After all, even plants have life and also feel pain as well as pleasure. In India, cows are milked by first using their calves to begin the flow of milk from the udder. As soon as the first few drops of milk begin to emerge, the milkman forcibly drags the calf away and collects the milk to sell it to the "pure" vegetarian (for some reason, the vegetarian likes to refer to himself as "pure"!): Is such snatching away of from the mouth of an innocent and helpless creature, all for the pure vegetarian person's selfish consumption, not Himsa?

No, the meaning of Ahimsa is not vegetarianism. Rather, Ahimsa means not doing violence beyond that bare minimum without which we ourselves cannot survive. As a Hindu, at least I do not cause untold suffering to an animal by slowly bleeding it to death in the name of religion. Muslims have been known to make very small incisions in the windpipes of large animals like camels and leave them to die a slow, hours-long and agonizing death.

Non-violence towards human beings is too well-known a concept to merit discussion in a small article such as this one.

Asteyam: This means not taking that which does not belong to one. "Stena" means "stealing" (notice the phonetic similarity between the two words -- an example among many hundreds of similar sounding words across Sanskrit and many languages, indicating the widespread dissemination of Sanskrit culture all over rather than Sanskrit borrowing from other cultures. (And, for the benefit of the vocational critics who journey through life with the sole self-assigned goal of picking perceived holes in others' arguments -- and being vocal and vituperative about it rather than counter/educate with cogent debate -- yes, I know about the common root of Sanskrit and Latin, the ancient Indo-European Language et al. I submit my statement does not contradict

this theory of a common linguistic root). As a Hindu, I will not steal or appropriate for myself that which is not rightly mine. Greed and selfishness have no place in the scheme of things of a practicing Hindu.

Daya: A Hindu has compassion and sympathy for all living creatures. Hinduism is a "religion" of love, kindness, mercy, selflessness and rendering assistance to the needy even at great cost to oneself.

Kshanti: This is an amalgam of related virtues -- the combined virtues of patience, forgiveness and tolerance and withstanding suffering. As a Hindu, I am catholic of outlook, believing in a live and let live policy. I am not a fundamentalist or a bigot. Religious persecution is rarely found in the history of Hinduism. When Charvak propounded his anti-Vedic and materialist theories, no order (or the equivalent of the Muslim Fatwa) was passed by any religious head baying for his life. On the contrary, the merit of his scholarly approach to his theory was recognized (though the theory itself was not accepted) by the very people against whose ideology he wrote and they called him MaharshiCharvak. Such is the catholicity and tolerance of Hinduism. Similarly in the case of Gautama the Buddha - although Buddhism is anti-Hindu, antiSanskrit and anti-Brahmin, Buddha has been recognized as accorded the place of the ninth Incarnation of the Supreme Godhead (Vishnu).

Arjavam: This refers to simplicity, straightforwardness and absence of deceit. A Hindu is one who believes in such openness and who is free from hypocrisy. KayenaManasaVacha (by body, mind and speech -- this last includes deed), he is one and only one person. The Shantipaatha of the RgVeda begins thus: "May my speech (this includes deed) be established in (meaning be in conformity with) my mind and may my mind be established in my speech...":--

"AumVaang Me ManasiPratishthitaa Mano Me VaachiPratishthitam ..."

This was a prayer written about eight millennia ago, showing the refinement of the Hindu mind even at an age so ancient. Which other culture had such heights of thought as early in human history as then?

Madhuryam: A Hindu believes in possessing sweetness of disposition and a pleasing and pleasant personality. He is not rude or impolite and comes across as a balanced and likeable person.

Dama: This is self-control, i.e., the control of passions. A Hindu does not allow his baser impulses to the get the better of him. He does not surrender to the demands of his sense organs to perverse limits.

Dana: This means to give, to teach, to distribute, to share, to purify and to protect. A Hindu is ever ready with these attributes. He gives till it hurts.

Akalkata: This means being free of sin. In Hinduism, the word "sin" is not used in the same way as it is used in a religion like Christianity. In Hinduism, sin is not an action. It is the reaction to an action. The abovementioned nine values prevent a person from committing a bad deed (a "sin" in the Christian sense of the word). This value of Akalkata prevents one from reacting negatively to perceived evil. It does not mean being proactive in remedying the wrong. It merely means not being judgmental and condemning somebody without a full appreciation of the facts and circumstances. It means not adopting a superior, virtuous "holier-than-thou" mental attitude.

In one of our Texts, a story is told of a righteous vegetarian Brahmin who would leave home every morning on his daily work. His rounds would take him along a certain narrow lane in which there was a butcher's shop. As the Brahmin would pass the shop, he would say to himself, "My God, my God, what a sinner this butcher is. He kills many innocent animals every day". When both died, the butcher went to heaven and the Brahmin went to hell. The butcher had not sinned (because he did not think about his actions) but the Brahmin had, by his reaction to the butcher's act Jain Dharma

Jainism traces its roots to a succession of 24 Jinas ("those who overcome", or conqueror) in ancient East India. The first Jina is traditionally believed to have been a giant who lived 8.4 million years ago. The most recent and last Jina was Vardhamana (a.k.a. Mahavira, "The Great Hero") He was born circa 550 BCE) and was the founder of the Jain community. He attained enlightenment after 13 years of deprivation. In 467 BCE, he committed the act of salekhana

which is fasting to death. Each Jina has "conquered love and hate, pleasure and pain, attachment and aversion, and has thereby freed `his' soul from the karmas obscuring knowledge, perception, truth, and ability..."

Jainism contains many elements that are somewhat similar to parts of Hinduism and Buddhism. The world's almost 4 million Jains are almost entirely located in India. There are about 1,410 in Canada (1991 census). Everyone is bound within the universe by one's karma -- the accumulated evil deeds that one has done. (The Jainist definition of karma differs from the Hindu and Buddhist meaning. To a follower of Jainism, all karma is bad. To Hindus and Buddhists, karma can result from a good or a bad deed.)

Moksha (liberation from an endless succession of lives through reincarnation) is achieved by enlightenment, which can be attained only through asceticism.

Jainism is based on three general principles called the three Ratnas (jewels). They are: Right faith. Right knowledge. Right action.

They are expected to follow five principles of living: Ahimsa: "non violence in all parts of a person -- mental, verbal and physical." 3 Committing an act of violence against a human, animal, or even a vegetable generates negative karma which in turn adversely affects one's next life.

Satya: speaking truth; avoiding falsehood

Asteya: to not steal from others

Brahma-charya: (soul conduct); remaining sexually monogamous to one's spouse only

Aparigraha: detach from people, places and material things. Avoiding the collection of excessive material possessions, abstaining from over-indulgence, restricting one's needs, etc. Jains follow a vegetarian diet. (At least one information source incorrectly states that they follow a frutarian diet -- the practice of only eating that which will not kill the plant or animal from which it is taken. e.g. milk, fruit, nuts.) They are not permitted to eat root vegetables because of the many living creatures that they contain. Also, to uproot a root vegetable kills it.

They often read their sacred texts daily. Sikhism Sikhism was founded by Shri Guru Nanak DevJi, (1469-1538). At Sultanpur, he received a vision to preach the way to enlightenment and God. He taught a strict monotheism, the brotherhood of humanity. He rejected idol worship, and the oppressive Hindu concept of caste. The name of the religion means learner. The Five K's: These are clothing practices followed by stricter Sikhs, called Khalsa saints: Kesa (long hair, which is never cut). This term is sometimes used to refer to the turban that is used to cover the hair. Kangah (comb) Kacha (short pants) Kara (metal bracelet) Kirpan (a ceremonial dagger)

The Sikh Code of Conduct states, "A Sikh must not take hemp, opium, liquor, tobacco, or any intoxicant." Drinking of alcoholic beverages or smoking is thus forbidden. Islam The name Islam is an Arabic word which means submission or surrendering one's will.This word comes out of the Arabic word salam, which means peace.Therefore, Muslims believe that when one is in submission with Allah, they are also in peace. Muhammad was the prophet founder of the Islamic Faith in the year 604 AD.They believe that Muhammad was a universal prophet, fulfilling the prophecies of those other prophets sent before him, such as Zoraster, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.Muhammad carries the title of Seal of the Prophets.The name of their God is Allah.

The Five Pillars of Islam

These are the framework of Muslim life.They are:

1. Faith

2. Prayer

3. Concern for the needy

4. Self-purification

5. Pilgrimage to Makkah Seven conditions of Testimony of Faith

1. Knowledge -If one has knowledge they can not be ignorant

2. Certainty - If one is certain, they will not have doubt.

3. Sincerity and purity

4. Truthfulness - If one is truthful they are not a hypocrite.

5. Love and devotion - This makes a believer know of Allah's true religion.

6. Submission - If one is submissive, they will not disobey.

7. Acceptance - If one accepts, they will not reject or deny.

If these seven conditions do not exist, then a believer is Kufr or a disbeliever.Denial, arrogance, doubt, disregard, and hypocrisy are the five types of Kufr. Christianity Christianity (from the Ancient Greek word , Khristos, "Christ", literally "anointed one") is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings. Adherents of the Christian faith are known as Christians. Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, referred to as the "Old Testament" in Christianity. Christians believe that Jesus suffered, died, was buried, and was resurrected from the dead to open heaven to those who believe in him and trust him for the remission of their sins (salvation). They further maintain that Jesus bodily ascended into heaven where he rules and reigns with God the Father. Most denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge all humans, living and dead, and grant eternal life to his followers. He is considered the model of a virtuous life, and both the revealer and physical incarnation of God. Christians call the message of Jesus Christ the Gospel ("good news") and hence refer to the earliest written accounts of his ministry as gospels. As of the early 21st century, Christianity has approximately 2.2 billion adherents.]Christianity represents about a quarter to a third of the world's population and is the world's largest religion. Christianity is the state religion of several countries.] Among all Christians, 37.5% live in the Americas (11.4% in the United States), 25.7% live in Europe, 22.5% live in Africa, 13.1% live in Asia, 1.2% live in Oceania and 0.9% live in the Middle East.

The term Christian values historically refers to the values found in the teachings of Jesus. The biblical teachings of Jesus include: love of God: "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" , fidelity in marriage: "Whom God has joined together let no man put asunder"

renunciation of worldly goods: "Gather not your riches up upon this earth, for there your heart will be also",

 us",

renunciation of violence: "If a man strikes you on one cheek, turn the other cheek", forgiveness of sins: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against unconditional love: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you". Parsis

Introduction Zoroastrianism is one the oldest religions in the world. It is definitely one of the first monotheist religions. It was founded by Zoroaster and it believes in one God, Ahura Mazda. There are very few Zoroastrians in the world today but it still holds an important place. A large part of their population is divided between Iran and India. The Zoroastrians living in India are called Parsis. History It is uncertain when the religion was first founded but sources say that it could be dated as far back as 1200 BCE. A priest named Zarathustra or Zoroaster, as the Greeks called him, founded the religion. He was born in Iran at a time when the Stone Age was gradually moving into the Bronze Age. The Iranians then, believed in a polytheistic religion. Zoroaster convinced and converted them into monotheists. Early Iranians practiced many rituals, which necessitated sacrifices of animals and the use of the hallucinogenic plant, Haoma. Zoroaster condemned such practices and persuaded the Iranians to shift allegiance to the new faith that he propounded. Zoroaster had a vision in which Ahura Mazda taught him the new faith.. Zoroaster struggled to get people to accept his religion but finally found acceptance in Bactria (northern part of Afghanistan). The king of the land was impressed by his teachings and soon made it into the state religion. Zoroastrianism endured persecution with the conquest of the Arabs. The Arabs burnt libraries and tried to eradicate this religion. Zoroastrians were subjected to greater taxes and were slowly forced to convert to Islam. Eventually, Zoroastrianism became a minority religion in Iran. Several thousands of people fled to India and settled in various parts of the country. They formed their own community and called themselves Parsis. Zoroastrian beliefs are reflected in their actions. As "the good religion," as it is called, Zoroastrianism demands that followers practice a threefold path incorporating good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. Virtues include justice, self-reliance, compassion, charity, service, and civic virtue. Unlike many other religions, however, there is no ascetic aspect of Zoroastrianism. Fasting, celibacy, and monasticism are all absent. Marriage is considered a virtue, and physical cleanliness is valued highly. This system of values is due in part to the idea that a healthy body will aid a healthy soul -- in Zoroastrianism the body and soul are closely linked.

Understanding Depression -- Prevention It's not always possible to prevent depression. But preventing depression is not the only way to avoid the kind of impact a depressive episode can have on your life. You can minimize the effect of depression by learning to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression. Then you can alert your health care provider and get depression treatment when it's most helpful. What Is Depression? Depression is a condition that is defined by at least five of the following nine symptoms being present at the same time for at least two weeks in adults or one week in children or adolescents:

a depressed mood during most of the day, particularly in the morning fatigue or loss of energy almost every day feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every day impaired concentration, indecisiveness insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) almost every day markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every day -- a condition called anhedonia that can be indicated by a subjective account or by observations of significant others recurring thoughts of death or suicide (not just fearing death) a sense of restlessness -- known as psychomotor agitation -- or being slowed down -retardation significant weight loss or gain (a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month)

How Can I Prevent Depression? Although depression is a highly treatable condition, some forms of depression may not be preventable. That's because depression may be triggered by a chemical malfunctioning in the brain. However, the latest medical studies confirm that depression may often be alleviated or sometimes prevented with good health habits. Proper diet, exercise, taking time out for fun and relaxation, not overworking, and saving time to do things you enjoy may work together to prevent a depressed mood. Symptoms of Depression The National Institute of Mental Health identifies a number of common symptoms experienced by people with depression:

difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions fatigue and decreased energy feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism

insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping irritability, restlessness loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex overeating or appetite loss persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

While these are common symptoms of depression, they may also occur in patterns. For example, a person may experience depression with mania or hypomania -- a condition sometimes called manic depression or bipolar disorder. Or the symptoms may be seasonal as in the case of seasonal affective disorder. There are several types of manic depression or bipolar disorder. People with bipolar II disorder have at least one episode of major depression and at least one hypomanic -- mild elation or high -- episode. People with bipolar I disorder have a history of at least one manic -- extreme elation or high -- episode, with or without past major depressive episodes. A patient with unipolar depression has major depression only but does not have hypomania or mania. What Causes Depression? Many factors or a combination of factors can increase the chance of depression:

Abuse. Past physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can cause depression later in life. Certain medications. For example, some drugs used to treat high blood pressure, such as beta-blockers or reserpine, can increase your risk of depression. Conflict. Depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends. Death or a loss. Sadness or grief from the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, can also increase the risk of depression. Genetics. A family history of depression may increase the risk. It's thought that depression is passed genetically from one generation to the next. The exact way this happens, though, is not known. Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring. Other personal problems. Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast out of a family or social group can lead to depression. Serious illnesses. Sometimes depression coexists with a major illness or is a reaction to the illness. Substance abuse. Nearly 30% of people with substance abuse problems also have major or clinical depression.

Treating Depression As with any chronic illness, getting an early medical diagnosis and medical treatment may help reduce the intensity and duration of depression symptoms. It will also reduce the likelihood of a relapse. To treat depression effectively, your doctor may use psychotherapy (counseling), medications such as antidepressants, or a combination of these therapies. It may take weeks for an antidepressant to fully work to ease depression symptoms. So it's important to trust your doctor and stay on the medication. When to Call Your Doctor About Depression If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of depression, seek your health care provider's advice for treatment or referral to a mental health professional. Teen depression Do you ever wonder whether your irritable or unhappy adolescent might actually be experiencing teen depression? Of course, most teens feel unhappy at times. And when you add hormone havoc to the many other changes happening in a teen's life, it's easy to see why their moods swing like a pendulum. Yet findings show that one out of every eight adolescents has teen depression. But depression can be treated and the serious problems associated with it. So if your teen's unhappiness lasts for more than two weeks and he or she displays other symptoms of depression, it may be time to seek help from a health professional. Why do adolescents get depression? There are multiple reasons why a teenager might become depressed. For example, teens can develop feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy over their grades. School performance, social status with peers, sexual orientation, or family life can each have a major effect on how a teen feels. Sometimes, teen depression may result from environmental stress. But whatever the cause, when friends or family -- or things that the teen usually enjoys -- don't help to improve his or her sadness or sense of isolation, there's a good chance that he or she has teen depression. What are the symptoms of teen depression? Often, kids with teen depression will have a noticeable change in their thinking and behavior. They may have no motivation and even become withdrawn, closing their bedroom door after school and staying in their room for hours. Kids with teen depression may sleep excessively, have a change in eating habits, and may even exhibit criminal behaviors such as DUI or shoplifting. Here are more signs of depression in adolescents even though they may or may not show all signs:

apathy

complaints of pains, including headaches, stomachaches, low back pain, or fatigue difficulty concentrating difficulty making decisions excessive or inappropriate guilt irresponsible behavior -- for example, forgetting obligations, being late for classes, skipping school loss of interest in food or compulsive overeating that results in rapid weight loss or gain memory loss preoccupation with death and dying rebellious behavior sadness, anxiety, or a feeling of hopelessness staying awake at night and sleeping during the day sudden drop in grades use of alcohol or drugs and promiscuous sexual activity withdrawal from friends

For in depth information, see WebMD's Symptoms of Depression. Can teen depression run in families? Yes. Depression, which usually starts between the ages of 15 and 30, runs in families. In fact, teen depression may be more common among adolescents who have a family history of depression. How is teen depression diagnosed? There aren't any specific medical tests that can detect depression. Health care professionals determine if a teen has depression by conducting interviews and psychological tests with the teen and his or her family members, teachers, and peers. The severity of the teen depression and the risk of suicide are determined based on the assessment of these interviews. Treatment recommendations are also made based on the data collected from the interviews. The doctor will also look for signs of potentially co-existing psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, mania, or schizophrenia. The doctor will also assess the teen for risks of suicidal or homicidal behaviors. Incidences of attempted suicide and self-mutilation is higher in females than males while completed suicide is higher in males. One of most vulnerable groups for completed suicide is the 18-24 age group. How is teen depression treated? There are a variety of methods used to treat depression, including medications and psychotherapy. Family therapy may be helpful if family conflict is contributing to a teen's depression. The teen will also need support from family or teachers to help with any school or

peer problems. Occasionally, hospitalization in a psychiatric unit may be required for teenagers with severe depression. Your mental health care provider will determine the best course of treatment for your teen. The FDA warns that antidepressant medications may increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children and adolescents with depression and other psychiatric disorders. If you have questions or concerns, discuss them with your health care provider. Does depression medicine work for teen depression? Yes. A large number of research trials have shown the effectiveness of depression medications in relieving the symptoms of teen depression. One key recent study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, reviewed three different approaches to treating adolescents with moderate to severe depression:

One approach was using the antidepressant medication Prozac, which is approved by the FDA for use with pediatric patients ages 8-18. The second treatment was using cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, to help the teen recognize and change negative patterns of thinking that may increase symptoms of depression. The third approach was a combination of medication and CBT.

At the end of the 12-week study, researchers found that nearly three out of every four patients who received the combination treatment -- depression medication and psychotherapy -significantly improved. More than 60% of the kids who took Prozac alone improved. But the study confirmed that combination treatment was nearly twice as effective in relieving depression as psychotherapy alone. What are the warning signs for teen suicide? Teen suicide is a serious problem. Adolescent suicide is a leading cause of death among youth and young adults in the U.S. It is estimated that 500,000 teens attempt suicide every year with 5,000 succeeding. These are epidemic numbers. What are the warning signs for teen suicide? continued... Family difficulties, the loss of a loved one, or perceived failures at school or in relationships can all lead to negative feelings and depression. And teen depression often makes problems seem overwhelming and the associated pain unbearable. Suicide is an act of desperation and teen depression is often the root cause. Warning signs of suicide with teen depression include:

expressing hopelessness for the future giving up on one's self, talking as if no one else cares

preparing for death, giving away favorite possessions, writing goodbye letters, or making a will starting to use/abuse drugs or alcohol to aid sleep or for relief from their mental anguish threatening to kill one's self

If your teenager displays any of these behaviors, you should seek help from a mental healthcare professional immediately. Or you can call a suicide hotline for help. Depression carries a high risk of suicide. Anybody who expresses suicidal thoughts or intentions should be taken very, very seriously. Do not hesitate to call your local suicide hotline immediately. What can parents do to alleviate teen depression? Parenting teens can be very challenging. There are, though, some effective parenting and communication techniques you can use to help lower the stress level for your teenager:

When disciplining your teen, replace shame and punishment with positive reinforcement for good behavior. Shame and punishment can make an adolescent feel worthless and inadequate. Allow your teenager to make mistakes. Overprotecting or making decisions for teens can be perceived as a lack of faith in their abilities. This can make them feel less confident. Give your teen breathing room. Don't expect teens to do exactly as you say all of the time. Do not force your teen down a path you wanted to follow. Avoid trying to relive your youth through your teen's activities and experiences. If you suspect that your teen is depressed, take the time to listen to his or her concerns. Even if you don't think the problem is of real concern, remember that it may feel very real to someone who is growing up. Keep the lines of communication open, even if your teen seems to want to withdraw. Try to avoid telling your teen what to do. Instead, listen closely and you may discover more about the issues causing the problems.

If you feel overwhelmed or unable to reach your teen, or if you continue to be concerned, seek help from a qualified health care professional. Can't teen depression go away without medical treatment? Teen depression tends to come and go in episodes. Once a teenager has one bout of depression, he or she is likely to get depressed again at some point. The consequence of letting teen depression go untreated can be extremely serious, even deadly. Alternative Treatments for Depression If you prefer natural therapies, then you might be searching for home remedies for depression. There is no evidence that any alternative treatment or home remedy is effective in treating

moderate to severe depression. However, some people with mild depression may find benefit from home remedies through increased relaxation. Relaxation can provide relief from depressive symptoms. It can also help you cope with some of the causes of depression, such as grief, anxiety, changing roles, and even physical pain. If you have depression and are considering using an alternative form of therapy, it is important to seek the advice of your health care provider. What Is an Alternative Therapy? A health treatment that is not classified as standard Western medical practice is referred to as "alternative" or "complementary." Alternative therapy encompasses a variety of approaches. They include everything from diet and exercise to mental conditioning and lifestyle changes. Examples of alternative therapies include:

Acupuncture Aromatherapy Biofeedback Chiropractic treatments Guided imagery Herbal remedies Hypnosis Massage therapy Meditation Relaxation Yoga

Which Herbal Remedies Can Help Depression? There is a wide variety of herbal therapies that people believe can treat many illnesses. For depression, St. John's wort and ginkgo biloba are the most popular for altering mood. St. John's wort has been used for medical purposes in other parts of the world for thousands of years. But it hasn't been scientifically proven to treat moderate to severe depression. Ginkgo biloba is thought by some to improve memory and other intellectual functions. Again, the evidence is not conclusive. Any herbal supplement should be treated just like a medication. It requires caution and should be taken only after consulting your doctor. Your doctor can help you weigh the risks and potential benefits. That way, you can make an informed decision. Is Meditation Helpful for Depression? Meditation is sometimes described as an altered state of consciousness. It is a form of relaxation that, unlike sleep, is entered into purposely. Meditation is usually practiced regularly for at least

10 minutes each day. While the body is at rest, the mind is cleared by focusing on one thought -sometimes a word, a phrase, or a particular scene. Relaxation is marked by decreased muscle tension and respiration, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and improved circulation. The relaxation response summoned by meditation slows down the sympathetic nervous system. In addition to slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure, this response can also lead to:

Decreased sweat production Decreased oxygen consumption Decreased catecholamine production (chemicals associated with the stress response) Decreased cortisol production (stress hormone)

Once you've learned the physiological process of relaxing, you can summon this decrease in sympathetic arousal with many different interventions. In addition to meditation, you can use a number of other approaches such as progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, or music therapy. How Does Massage Therapy Boost Relaxation? Massage uses touch to provide relaxation. Most touch therapies are based on the premises that the mind and body are interconnected and that physical health and emotional well-being are closely linked. That is the general principle behind the various types of massage, including shiatsu, neuromuscular therapy, spinal release therapy, Swedish, and the sports variation. The belief is that, when the body is relaxed, the mind contributes to better health, less depression, and overall well-being. One thing touch therapies do is increase endorphins so that you experience a positive feeling about the moment. There are also reports that mind/body exercises used with various types of bodywork can boost feelings of calmness. The benefits derived from these techniques are said to last for hours. We all know that when we have peaceful thoughts, we tend to have both a calm emotional reaction as well as a similar physiological one. We feel in control of our life and our health. When we have angry or anxious thoughts, on the other hand, we tend to be emotionally aroused. Consequently our physiological reactions are more dramatic, and we are prone to making bad health choices. An increasing number of physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists are concluding that the way we think, feel, act, and react can be a powerful determinant of our physical and mental health. What Is Reflexology? With reflexology, a therapist applies pressure to specific points on the hands and feet. The idea is that the body has the capacity to heal itself and that nerves in the hands and feet are related to various parts of the body. Manipulating these nerves at specific points, it is thought, will stimulate the healing process.

How Does Exercise Help Ease Depression? Different forms of exercise can lower stress, relax you, and reduce depression. Exercise can also increase your energy, balance, and flexibility. In general, exercise is a safe, effective, and easy way to improve your well-being. Check with your doctor before starting a new program. Can Acupuncture Help Ease Depression? Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of healing. It is used to prevent and cure specific diseases and conditions by sticking very fine, solid needles into specific points on the body. Some believe it stimulates the body's ability to resist or overcome illnesses and conditions by correcting imbalances. Acupuncture also prompts the body to produce chemicals that decrease or eliminate painful sensations. Acupuncture is most effective at treating headaches, menstrual cramps, and low back, neck, or muscle pain. It can also be tried for arthritis, facial pain, pain from shingles, spastic colon, colitis, obesity, and addictions to nicotine or other drugs. Acupuncture can be effective for pain relief, but its other benefits are not yet proven. What Is Guided Imagery? Guided imagery is also called visualization. It is a method of communication between body and mind that utilizes perception -- vision, smell, taste, touch -- along with position and movement to produce a relaxation response. Guided imagery involves mentally seeing pictures of relaxing situations, such as a sunset on the beach, a flowing mountain waterfall, or a brilliant mountain sunrise. As you use all your senses during imagery, you will actually make an effort to

Smell the flowers and trees Feel the breeze or temperature Feel the texture of the surface under your feet Hear all the sounds in nature

While some people are better at imagining than others, anyone can master this simple relaxation technique. You can use guided imagery during massage or another touch therapy to boost your relaxation and your feelings of serenity and peacefulness. Much like learning to play the piano or tennis, becoming skilled at guided imagery involves time, patience, and practice. It is one relaxation skill that cannot be rushed or hurried. Can Music Therapy Lift Moods? Music therapy has been shown to be an effective non-drug approach for people of all ages that assists in reducing fear, anxiety, stress, or grief. Music can be thought of as a natural tranquilizer for the human spirit.

Pythagoras, the sixth century B.C. philosopher and mathematician, is thought to have been the founder of music therapy. During World War II, the Veterans' Hospitals had volunteers who played their music for the wounded soldiers. The results were so positive that the VA added music therapy programs. In its simplest form, all you need to incorporate music therapy is a CD player or mp3 player with headphones. Then choose music -- from New Age "mood" music to rock to classical -- that matches your personal needs, moods, and tastes. 3 Food Traps to Avoid When You're Depressed Learn how depression can affect your eating habits and what you can do to start making healthier choices. By Jen Uscher WebMD Feature Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD When youre struggling with depression, your eating habits often suffer. Some people overeat and gain weight, turning to food to lift their mood. Others find theyre too exhausted to prepare balanced meals or that theyve lost their appetite. "Whether you're overeating or not eating enough, you may be using food to feel better or to cope with difficult feelings," says Susan Albers, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Wooster, Ohio and author of 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food. Albers tells WebMD that people often get trapped in a cycle of feeling trapped and hopeless about life and their poor eating habits, which causes them to become even more depressed. Its important to connect with other people so you don't become too isolated. Talking with friends and a therapist can provide support to help you break out of that cycle, she says. Here are three common ways clinical depression can impact your eating patterns and tips on how to start making healthier choices with the help of your doctor or therapist: 1. Using Food for Comfort. People with depression often use food to self-medicate, says Jean Fain, LICSW, MSW, a licensed psychotherapist in Concord, Mass., and author of The Self-Compassion Diet: A Step-byStep Program to Lose Weight with Loving-Kindness. They may eat to improve or avoid negative or uncomfortable feelings, like sadness, shame, and self-loathing. Many people crave carbohydrates or soothing comfort foods, such as ice cream and cake, when theyre depressed. One reason for this is that foods high in carbs and sugar increase levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that elevates mood.

In the short term, eating foods high in sugar and fat may make you feel calmer and cared for, Fain says. But in the long term, a steady diet of comfort foods can lead to weight gain and increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other serious health problems. 2. Eating Too Little Many people find their appetite decreases when theyre feeling low. In some cases, they end up unintentionally losing weight. They have less desire for food and they start skipping meals often, theyre sleeping through meals, says Marjorie Nolan, MS, RD, a registered dietitian in New York and a national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Albers says that you may feel like you dont have the motivation or energy to eat when youre depressed. Also, stress can play a role in reducing your appetite. Food isnt as appealing when youre anxious, worried, or feel hopeless, she says. But not eating enough can make you more irritable and sensitive, which can worsen your depression. 3. Eating Whatever Is Easily Available Shopping for and preparing healthy meals can seem daunting when youre depressed and lacking energy. As a result, you may reach for foods that are convenient but that arent particularly nutritious and you may not get enough variety in your diet. Depressed people often wind up eating fast food or whatever they have on hand in their kitchen such as their last box of cookies, says SudeeptaVarma, MD, a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the NYU Langone Medical Center. Its also easy for people with depression to get into a rut of eating the same foods all the time. Its so hard for them to function that theyre looking for routine and structure. They may stop and get a bagel and cream cheese every morning and never try anything different, Nolan says. Another factor, Varma says, is that depressed people often have difficulties with concentration, memory, and making decisions. This can make simple tasks seem overwhelming, so they might eat a bowl of the same type of cereal for three meals a day, she says. Getting Help Experts say you should seek treatment for your depression before you try to change your eating habits. Attempting to go on a diet, for example, can be frustrating and counterproductive if the depression hasnt been addressed first, Albers says. If youve had depressive symptoms for more than two weeks and theyre interfering with your normal functioning, see your primary care doctor or a mental health professional. During the appointment, tell your doctor if there have been changes in your weight or appetite. The most

effective treatment plan for depression typically includes therapy, antidepressant medication, or a combination of both. Once you start to feel better and the treatment kicks in, then you can work on the food choices youre making and start changing your diet under the guidance of your doctor, Varma says. Avoiding Food Traps As your depression begins to improve, the following strategies can help you eat healthier and sidestep food traps:

Soothe your senses: Find other ways to comfort your body besides food, such as taking a warm bath, wrapping yourself in a soft blanket, or sipping hot tea, Albers suggests. Tune in to your hunger: When you think you feel hungry, Fain recommends pausing and asking yourself: am I really hungry or am I feeling something else? You may find that what youre really craving isn't a cookie or a bag of chips, but a heart-to-heart talk with a friend or a loved one, she says. Eat a varied diet: Nutritional deficiencies can make depression worse. So focus on eating a variety of foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and lowfat dairy products. Consider meeting with a nutritionist who can create simple, balanced meal plans for you. Boost your energy: Seek activities that give you energy, such as going for a walk, playing with your dog, or listening to music. When you do something that brightens your outlook and improves your mood, youll be less likely to overeat and make poor food choices, Fain says.

Benefits of Treatment Better Sleep Depression can rob you of rest by making it hard to fall asleep or by waking you up too soon. That leaves you dragging the next day. And more important, lack of sleep can make depression more severe. Treatment for depression can help improve sleep. Pain Relief Treatment for your depression can make you feel better emotionally and may reduce pain. Thats because depression can contribute to the discomfort of pain. Studies have found that people who have conditions like arthritis and migraines actually feel more pain -- and are more disabled by it -- if they're depressed. Seeking treatment may help provide relief. Improved Health

If you are depressed, getting treatment may help prevent some serious diseases down the road. Thats because depression can take a toll on your body. One study found that women who were depressed had double the risk of sudden cardiac death than women who werent. Getting treatment may help lessen health risks. Better Performance at Work Depression can make it hard to hold a job. If youre depressed, you might lose focus at work and make more mistakes. If you think depression might be affecting you at work, getting help now could head off serious problems. Sharper Thinking and Better Memory Feeling forgetful? Does your thinking seem fuzzy? Experts have found that depression might cause structural changes to the areas of the brain involved in memory and decision-making. The good news is that depression treatment may prevent or reverse these changes -- clearing away the cobwebs and strengthening your recall. Healthier Lifestyle Why does depression cause some people to gain weight? In part, its behavioral -- you may withdraw and become less active, or turn to food for comfort. Its also physiological -- low levels of certain brain chemicals can trigger a craving for carbs. Getting treatment may change that while giving you the energy to exercise and eat well. Less Chaos, More Control When depression zaps your energy, even the most basic tasks -- like vacuuming or paying the bills -- can become impossibly hard. The more chaotic things get, the less capable you feel. Depression treatment can restore the energy you need to take control of your life and get it organized. Lower Risk of Future Depression People who have been depressed have a higher risk of becoming depressed again. But ongoing therapy or medication may help prevent depression from coming back. Even if it does return, treatment now will prepare you. Youll know the early signs. Youll know some coping skills. And youll know where to get help. Stronger Ties With Friends & Family Treating depression may improve your social life. Depression isolates people. It can sap your self-esteem, making you feel unlikeable. While therapy and medication can help restore some of that lost confidence, you still need to decide to reach out. Reconnecting to old friends when

youre depressed -- not to mention making new ones -- is hard. But its a crucial part of getting better. Source: http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/ accessed on 23rd Oct. 2011 For recent graduates and seasoned professionals alike, choosing a career can be a confusing and difficult process. With so many options, outside pressures, and financial factors to consider, nailing down an occupation often seems like an insurmountable task. Many individuals are too quick to settle on the career path that seems convenient or expected. Unfortunately, hastily selecting an occupation often leads to personal and professional dissatisfaction several years down the line, if not sooner. Although the undertaking may seem daunting or discouraging, with a bit of time, energy, and self-examination, choosing a career path can actually be an empowering experience. Creating a well mapped-out plan sets a person up for success, providing not only a reasonable goal, but also progress markers and measures of achievement to work toward along the way. This article provides an overview of the tools and resources needed to make a well-informed career decision. Quick Facts on Choosing a Career Some individuals know early on what they want to do when they grow up, and pick a college major accordingly. However, a vast majority of the population is not so lucky. For some people, picking a career takes months, years, or even decades. Even professionals well into a career may reassess their situation and choose to change course midway. Here are some quick facts on career choice, change, and the process of finding employment:
1. 6% of workers over age 50 are in the process of changing careers. (AARP) 2. Resumes mailed to companies' staffing departments only account for 3% of hires

nationwide. (The Ultimate Job Search) 3. Jobs found through newspaper classifieds account for only 7% of hiring results. 4. Employment agencies produce 12% of job hires. 5. Employee referrals and networking account for 25% of new hires. 6. 33% of hiring takes place over the Internet. 7. 95% of human resource managers and 95% of job seekers depend on personal contacts and networking to fill and find openings. (JIST Publishing) Steps to Take Before Choosing a Career Before embarking on a career path it is crucial to thoroughly research the responsibilities, prospects, and requirements for a given occupation. Occupational indecision can be minimized or avoided altogether by following a series of helpful steps (Career Planning):

1. Assess yourself- Every person has different values, interests, and objectives. This means that certain people will be particularly suited to certain jobs, and especially inappropriate for others. Understanding your personal quirks through a combination of self-reflection, career assessment tests, and possibly even career counseling is the best way to hone in on appropriate occupations. 2. Make a list of potential occupations- Self-assessment should generate a long list of potential job paths. Of course, pursuing every career on the list is impossible; instead, use the list as a starting point to guide your search. Pick out the top five or ten options, and rewrite these on a separate list. Pick jobs that appeal to you, jobs that appear in the results of multiple tests, or jobs that you think you would be particularly suited for. 3. Explore the options- Now that your list is a more manageable size, take the time to read up on each profession. Look at educational requirements, the job description, the job outlook, earnings, and opportunities for advancement. The Internet provides a useful starting point, but the very best ways to obtain in-depth information about a career is from an individual with firsthand knowledge of the field. To this end, conduct informational interviews with professionals working in occupations that interest you. These people may be relatives, family friends, acquaintances, or classmates. The purpose of an informational interview is to gather inside knowledge about a career from someone who has experienced it firsthand. An informational interview is not an opportunity to ask for a job, although it may provide useful networking practice. 4. Narrow down your list- As you gain a deeper understanding of each occupation on your list, you should be able to start eliminating positions that do not seem like a good fit. Use what you learned in your research to pare down the list; perhaps the advanced degree required for a particular position requires too much time and preparation, or the low salary of another occupation may prove inadequate. Eventually, pare down the list to one or two occupations. 5. Set goals- Once you select a career to pursue, set realistic goals that will help you achieve it. Your research should have equipped you with the knowledge needed to set both short-term goals (achievable in 1-3 years), and long-term goals (reachable in 3-5 years). Accomplishing an objective will likely take energy and hard work, but each goal must be realistic. In order to be obtainable, a goal must be clearly defined, achievable within a certain time frame, believable, and flexible. 6. Create a career action plan- With a clear set of career goals, you can now constrict a career action plan. This plan lists your goals and the steps required to reach them. It also includes foreseen obstacles, and how you intend to address each one. Essentially, this plan serves as your road map for how to get from point A, choosing a career, to point B, gaining employment in that career, and ultimately growing within it. (Writing a Career Action Plan) 7. Obtain training- Training for your new career likely plays a big part in your action plan, and is truly the crucial ingredient for getting hired. Training can come in the form earning a degree, taking courses to acquire a particular skill set, and/or doing an internship. On top of trade-specific skills, like computer programming for a web designer, acquire good professional practices, like time management, proper attire, writing, and communication.

Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before Choosing a Career In addition to looking at outside resources for job information, it is important to examine your personal preferences as well. Reflect on the skills, interests, and values that make you unique, and then consider how these personality traits might translate into a job. Before settling on an occupation, ask yourself: 1. What am I good at? A job should utilize your existing aptitudes, and use these skills to build new ones. If a job involves doing something that you like to do, or that you know you are good at, you are more likely to find the work satisfying and engaging. (MadeMan) 2. What are my likes and dislikes? If you dislike interacting with people, a career that's heavy on teamwork or customer service may not be the best choice. Similarly, if the thought of sitting still for long periods of time sends shivers down your spine, try to think outside the cubicle. Identifying your criteria and dealbreakers is one sure way to quickly eliminate careers that don't seem like a good match. (MadeMan) 3. Why do I want to pursue this career? If the answer to this question has more to do with outside pressuresparents, money worries, or a sense of obligationthan with your personal interest in the job, you may want to reconsider your path. Only pursue a career that you feel passionate about, otherwise you may burn out quickly and find yourself back at square one of the job search process. (Find College Cards) 4. What is the job outlook? Before signing on to a job, ensure that both the company and the position are reliable, and not likely to lay you off or disappear. Make sure the career you choose is in demand, otherwise you may invest time and money in education only to find that your chosen field has become obsolete. (Find College Cards) 5. What kind of life can I have with this career? This question speaks to several levels. First, consider the logistics of the career. Will it require a great deal of travel, or frequent overtime? How long is the commute? Concerns that may seem trivial at first are often deal breakers when you consider your plans for the future, such as buying a house, or starting a family. Also consider the benefits package, and the salary. Make sure the career meshes with your lifestyle, and offers adequate compensation for the time, money, and effort you put towards schooling. The Highest Paying Careers Contrary to what tabloids and magazines might have you think, the highest paid people in America are not actors, musicians, or sports stars. On the contrary, the highest-paid professionals are regular people who possess a winning combination of education and experience, many of whom land in the medical or business fields. According to CNBC , the top twenty high-earning professions for 2010 are: 1. Surgeons ($219,770 mean annual salary) 2. Anesthesiologists ($211,750) 3. Oral Surgeons ($210,710)

4. Orthodontists ($206,190) 5. Obstetricians and Gynecologists ($204,470) 6. Internists, General ($183,990) 7. Physicians and Surgeons ($173,860) 8. Chief Executive Officers ($167,280) 9. Family and General Practitioners ($168,550) 10. Psychiatrists ($163,660) 11. General Pediatricians ($161,410) 12. Dentists ($153,570) 13. Dental Specialists ($153,570) 14. Podiatrists ($131,730) 15. Lawyers ($129,020) 16. Natural Sciences Managers ($127,000) 17. Prosthodontists ($125,400) 18. Engineering Managers ($122,810) 19. Computer and Information Systems Managers ($120,640) 20. Marketing Managers ($120,070) The Highest Job Satisfaction Careers Interestingly, those occupations that bring in the most money are not always those that produce the highest job satisfaction. When asked to rate their current occupations on a scale of 0 (Miserable) to 100 (Very Happy), workers' responses revealed the top twenty careers with the highest job satisfaction: 1. Singers (Satisfaction rating: 91.7) 2. Municipal Fire Fighters (90) 3. Aircraft Assemblers (83.3) 4. General Pediatricians (80) 5. College Professors - Communications (79.2) 6. Educational, Vocational, and School Counselors (78.8) 7. Animal Care Workers (78.6) 8. Criminal Investigators and Special Agents (77.5) 9. College Professors Other (77.3) 10. Therapists (77.1) 11. College Professors Psychology (76.9) 12. College Professors Vocational Studies (76.7) 13. High School Teachers (76.3) 14. Counselors (75) 15. Coaches and Scouts (75) 16. College Professors Business (75) 17. Religious Workers (75) 18. Veterinary Technologists and Technicians (72.9) 19. Chief Executive Officers (72.4) 20. Physician Assistants (72.2) (MyPlan)

Fastest Job Growth Careers The fastest growing fields in America seem to overwhelmingly involve computers and healthcare. As baby boomers age, the country faces a growing need for trained healthcare professionals. At the same time, technology continues to expand, creating new career paths every year. The top twenty fastest job growth careers for 2010ranked by percent changereflect these trends: 1. Computer software engineers, applications 2. Computer support specialists 3. Computer software engineers, systems software 4. Network systems and data communications analysis 5. Desktop publishers 6. Database administrators 7. Personal and home care aides 8. Computer systems analysis 9. Medical assistants 10. Social and human service assistants 11. Physician assistants 12. Medical records and health information technicians 13. Computer and information systems managers 14. Home health aides 15. Occupational health aides 16. Physical therapist assistants 17. Audiologists 18. Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors 19. Computer and information scientists, research 20. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers (Office of Vocational and Adult Education) General Resources on Choosing a Career 2010 JobsRated Report The JobsRated Report analyzes a range of different careers by factors such as competitiveness, hiring outlook, working conditions, and salary. Published every January, the Report organizes its findings into rankings, which can provide a useful tool for comparing different professions side by side. About.com Career Planning About.com's Career Planning guide provides a variety of useful self-assessment tools, including personality tests, and a guide to identifying your work values. Use these resources to hone in on occupations that are well suited to your needs. BrainTrack- BrainTrack offers in-depth career profiles as well as degree and wage statistics for over three-hundred occupations. Business Week Career Reports Every year, Business Week conducts a survey of career services directors at U.S. colleges to learn which employers are top on their lists. They then asked those employers to complete a survey on their hiring, pay, benefits, and training programs, which they compare to others in the same industry.

The Career Reports website presents the survey's findings, along with an analysis of the best places to launch a career. Career.org - Careers.org offers detailed information on over a thousand occupations, including wages, skills required, and links to colleges offering such training. The site also provides city-specific job and educational resources for most major metropolitans in the US, as well as some overseas. Career Guide to Industries Also from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "The Career Guide to Industries provides information on available careers by industry, including the nature of the industry, working conditions, employment, occupations in the industry, training and advancement, earnings and benefits, employment outlook, and lists of organizations that can provide additional information." CareerOneStop- CareerOneStop is, as its name suggests, a one-stop source for all things career-related. Part of America's Job Bank, this site provides information on hundreds of occupations, including wages, trends, transferable skills, job descriptions, and employment outlook. Career Overview CareerOverview provides up-to-date, reliable, and relevant job information, including educational requirements, earning potential, occupational outlook, and work activities and environment. Perform a detailed search, or browse through the hundreds of popular careers listed on the site. CareerPath.com Powered by CareerBuilder, CareerPath.com boasts a number of career and personality tests intended to pair individuals with jobs. The site offers tests for people who are just starting to think about employment, and for those who would like to consider changing careers. Career Planning Process The Career Planning/Competency model is a fourstep guide to choosing and pursuing a career path. The stages, each complete with a number of links and resources, include Self-Assessment, Academic/Career Options, Relevant/Practical Experience, and Job Search/Graduate School Preparation. CareerVideos.com CareerVideos.com features over six hundred short video profiles of real people doing real jobs. In these videos, workers reflect on their occupations, providing personal insight on employment in their chosen field. CareerSteer Started by a well-known guidance counselor, CareerSteer asks users to answer a range of questions about their strengths and preferences. It uses this information to hone in on a selection of careers that might provide a good match. Education Planner The Careers section of Education Planner is a valuable resource for high school and college graduates, and their parents. Along with detailed descriptions of various occupations, including military careers, the site provides a self-assessment quiz, a list of the fastest growing occupations, and a guide to educational resources. MyPlan MyPlan contains a career database of over nine hundred occupations, as well as a salary calculator and a series of informative top ten lists. Occupational Outlook Handbook Twice a year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a guide to what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects. From this site, you can search through the handbook, or download the full version as a PDF.

Riley Guide The Riley Guide's Career Research Center is home to information about more than 160 occupations, including job descriptions, employment data, salary statistics, and educational resources. TheCareerProject.org TheCareerProject.org is an interactive database with profiles of over a thousand careers. The information on the site comes from career mentorsworking professionals in a given fieldwho fill out a comprehensive questionnaire detailing occupational outlook, daily tasks, salary, and work environment. WetFeet.com - WetFeet breaks job information down into Undergrad, MBA, and Experienced Hire categories, each offering its own set of resources and guides. The site also allows users to research salary information, top employers, and industry information, and to search for jobs.

Career Test Resources Kansas State University Kansas State University's Academic and Career Information Center is all about connecting majors to careers. Select a major from the alphabetical list and you will gain access to related career paths. The Platinum Rule Use the Platinum Rule test to determines whether your personality type is a Director, Relater, Socializer, or Thinker. Once the test is completed the site provides a list of possible career matches. LiveCareer LiveCareer's test synthesizes a variety of common test types including aptitude tests, interest tests, and satisfaction testsinto one comprehensive quiz intended to provide a straightforward guide to career development. Monster.com One of the best-known names in the career search industry, Monster offers a variety of tests and quizzes to match you with suitable professions, and determine how prepared and qualified you are to enter a given field. The Princeton Review Online: Careers After College In addition to an extensive database of career information, The Princeton Review's Careers After College site offers a five-minute quiz that will provide career suggestions based on your college major.

You've Picked a Career, Now Find a Job Career Rookie -CareerRookie.com is a division of CareerBuilder-whose online career site, is the largest in the U.S. with 23 million unique visitors. CareerRookie.com connects students and recent graduates seeking internships, parttime jobs and entry-level positions with the nation's top employers. Users can also post resumes, get the latest news on companies and industries, sign up for automatic job alerts, view local career fairs and tap into advice on everything from writing resumes to on-the-job success - all from an entry-level point of view. CollegeGrad.com CollegeGrad lists the top three hundred entry-level employers for 2010, offering an excellent database of companies to look at during your job search. One Day, One Job One Day, One Job provides daily job reviews, an inside look at unique entry-level employment opportunities.

USAJobs- USAJobs is the official site for federal jobs and employment information. Yahoo HotJobs HotJobs harnesses the power of the Yahoo search engine to compile job listings from all over the world. In addition to browsing open opportunities, bob seekers can post resumes, research careers at featured companies, compare salaries and get career advice.

Source: http://www.choosingacareer.net/ Accessed on 23rd Oct. 2011

I'd rather not be Anna Arundhati Roy, The Hindu, 22.08.2011 While his means maybe Gandhian, his demands are certainly not. If what we're watching on TV is indeed a revolution, then it has to be one of the more embarrassing and unintelligible ones of recent times. For now, whatever questions you may have about the Jan Lokpal Bill, here are the answers you're likely to get: tick the box (a) Vande Mataram (b) Bharat Mata ki Jai (c) India is Anna, Anna is India (d) Jai Hind. For completely different reasons, and in completely different ways, you could say that the Maoists and the Jan Lokpal Bill have one thing in common they both seek the overthrow of the Indian State. One working from the bottom up, by means of an armed struggle, waged by a largely adivasi army, made up of the poorest of the poor. The other, from the top down, by means of a bloodless Gandhian coup, led by a freshly minted saint, and an army of largely urban, and certainly better off people. (In this one, the Government collaborates by doing everything it possibly can to overthrow itself.) In April 2011, a few days into Anna Hazare's first fast unto death, searching for some way of distracting attention from the massive corruption scams which had battered its credibility, the Government invited Team Anna, the brand name chosen by this civil society group, to be part of a joint drafting committee for a new anti-corruption law. A few months down the line it abandoned that effort and tabled its own bill in Parliament, a bill so flawed that it was impossible to take seriously. Then, on August 16th, the morning of his second fast unto death, before he had begun his fast or committed any legal offence, Anna Hazare was arrested and jailed. The struggle for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill now coalesced into a struggle for the right to protest, the struggle for democracy itself. Within hours of this Second Freedom Struggle,' Anna was released. Cannily, he refused to leave prison, but remained in Tihar jail as an honoured guest, where he began a fast, demanding the right to fast in a public place. For three days, while crowds and television vans gathered outside, members of Team Anna whizzed in and out of the high security prison, carrying out his video messages, to be broadcast on national TV on all channels. (Which other person would be granted this luxury?) Meanwhile 250 employees of the Municipal Commission of Delhi, 15 trucks, and six earth movers worked around the clock to ready the slushy Ramlila grounds for the grand weekend spectacle. Now, waited upon hand and foot, watched over by chanting crowds and crane-mounted cameras, attended to by India's most expensive doctors, the third phase of Anna's fast to the death has begun. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, India is One, the TV anchors tell us. While his means may be Gandhian, Anna Hazare's demands are certainly not. Contrary to Gandhiji's ideas about the decentralisation of power, the Jan Lokpal Bill is a draconian, anticorruption law, in which a panel of carefully chosen people will administer a giant bureaucracy, with thousands of employees, with the power to police everybody from the Prime Minister, the judiciary, members of Parliament, and all of the bureaucracy, down to the lowest government official. The Lokpal will have the powers of investigation, surveillance, and prosecution. Except for the fact that it won't have its own prisons, it will function as an independent administration,

meant to counter the bloated, unaccountable, corrupt one that we already have. Two oligarchies, instead of just one. Whether it works or not depends on how we view corruption. Is corruption just a matter of legality, of financial irregularity and bribery, or is it the currency of a social transaction in an egregiously unequal society, in which power continues to be concentrated in the hands of a smaller and smaller minority? Imagine, for example, a city of shopping malls, on whose streets hawking has been banned. A hawker pays the local beat cop and the man from the municipality a small bribe to break the law and sell her wares to those who cannot afford the prices in the malls. Is that such a terrible thing? In future will she have to pay the Lokpal representative too? Does the solution to the problems faced by ordinary people lie in addressing the structural inequality, or in creating yet another power structure that people will have to defer to? Meanwhile the props and the choreography, the aggressive nationalism and flag waving of Anna's Revolution are all borrowed, from the anti-reservation protests, the world-cup victory parade, and the celebration of the nuclear tests. They signal to us that if we do not support The Fast, we are not true Indians.' The 24-hour channels have decided that there is no other news in the country worth reporting. The Fast' of course doesn't mean Irom Sharmila's fast that has lasted for more than ten years (she's being force fed now) against the AFSPA, which allows soldiers in Manipur to kill merely on suspicion. It does not mean the relay hunger fast that is going on right now by ten thousand villagers in Koodankulam protesting against the nuclear power plant. The People' does not mean the Manipuris who support Irom Sharmila's fast. Nor does it mean the thousands who are facing down armed policemen and mining mafias in Jagatsinghpur, or Kalinganagar, or Niyamgiri, or Bastar, or Jaitapur. Nor do we mean the victims of the Bhopal gas leak, or the people displaced by dams in the Narmada Valley. Nor do we mean the farmers in NOIDA, or Pune or Haryana or elsewhere in the country, resisting the takeover of the land. The People' only means the audience that has gathered to watch the spectacle of a 74-year-old man threatening to starve himself to death if his Jan Lokpal Bill is not tabled and passed by Parliament. The People' are the tens of thousands who have been miraculously multiplied into millions by our TV channels, like Christ multiplied the fishes and loaves to feed the hungry. A billion voices have spoken, we're told. India is Anna. Who is he really, this new saint, this Voice of the People? Oddly enough we've heard him say nothing about things of urgent concern. Nothing about the farmer's suicides in his neighbourhood, or about Operation Green Hunt further away. Nothing about Singur, Nandigram, Lalgarh, nothing about Posco, about farmer's agitations or the blight of SEZs. He doesn't seem to have a view about the Government's plans to deploy the Indian Army in the forests of Central India. He does however support Raj Thackeray's Marathi Manoos xenophobia and has praised the development model' of Gujarat's Chief Minister who oversaw the 2002 pogrom against Muslims. (Anna withdrew that statement after a public outcry, but presumably not his admiration.)

Despite the din, sober journalists have gone about doing what journalists do. We now have the back-story about Anna's old relationship with the RSS. We have heard from Mukul Sharma who has studied Anna's village community in Ralegan Siddhi, where there have been no Gram Panchayat or Co-operative society elections in the last 25 years. We know about Anna's attitude to harijans': It was Mahatma Gandhi's vision that every village should have one chamar, one sunar, one kumhar and so on. They should all do their work according to their role and occupation, and in this way, a village will be self-dependant. This is what we are practicing in Ralegan Siddhi. Is it surprising that members of Team Anna have also been associated with Youth for Equality, the anti-reservation (pro-merit) movement? The campaign is being handled by people who run a clutch of generously funded NGOs whose donors include CocaCola and the Lehman Brothers. Kabir, run by Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, key figures in Team Anna, has received $400,000 from the Ford Foundation in the last three years. Among contributors to the India Against Corruption campaign there are Indian companies and foundations that own aluminum plants, build ports and SEZs, and run Real Estate businesses and are closely connected to politicians who run financial empires that run into thousands of crores of rupees. Some of them are currently being investigated for corruption and other crimes. Why are they all so enthusiastic? Remember the campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill gathered steam around the same time as embarrassing revelations by Wikileaks and a series of scams, including the 2G spectrum scam, broke, in which major corporations, senior journalists, and government ministers and politicians from the Congress as well as the BJP seem to have colluded in various ways as hundreds of thousands of crores of rupees were being siphoned off from the public exchequer. For the first time in years, journalist-lobbyists were disgraced and it seemed as if some major Captains of Corporate India could actually end up in prison. Perfect timing for a people's anti-corruption agitation. Or was it? At a time when the State is withdrawing from its traditional duties and Corporations and NGOs are taking over government functions (water supply, electricity, transport, telecommunication, mining, health, education); at a time when the terrifying power and reach of the corporate owned media is trying to control the public imagination, one would think that these institutions the corporations, the media, and NGOs would be included in the jurisdiction of a Lokpal bill. Instead, the proposed bill leaves them out completely. Now, by shouting louder than everyone else, by pushing a campaign that is hammering away at the theme of evil politicians and government corruption, they have very cleverly let themselves off the hook. Worse, by demonising only the Government they have built themselves a pulpit from which to call for the further withdrawal of the State from the public sphere and for a second round of reforms more privatisation, more access to public infrastructure and India's natural resources. It may not be long before Corporate Corruption is made legal and renamed a Lobbying Fee. Will the 830 million people living on Rs.20 a day really benefit from the strengthening of a set of policies that is impoverishing them and driving this country to civil war?

This awful crisis has been forged out of the utter failure of India's representative democracy, in which the legislatures are made up of criminals and millionaire politicians who have ceased to represent its people. In which not a single democratic institution is accessible to ordinary people. Do not be fooled by the flag waving. We're watching India being carved up in war for suzerainty that is as deadly as any battle being waged by the warlords of Afghanistan, only with much, much more at stake.

Can The Hungry Go On A Hunger Strike? By Arundhati Roy, August 21, 2011

Our country is poised at a dangerous place right now for many reasons. There are all kinds of battles for supremacy. There are real resistances, there are theatrical and false resistances, revolutions from the top, revolutions from the bottom. And sometimes all of this is interpreted by an increasingly hysterical media which doesn't allow space for reflection, for thought, that will only bombard, control the public imagination.

At times like this, activists and writers have the job to try and understand what is going on, not just what appears to be going on. That is what I think about a lot and try to play my part.

Right now, while we are watching 24 hours, seven-day week coverage of one particular kind of movement, what is not being told to us is that the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force are preparing to be deployed to be used against the poorest of the poor in the forests of central India.

I am not on the streets and I am not wearing the cap that says `I am Anna'. I am rather uncomfortable with what is going on. I find it difficult to understand how you can even have a conversation when the only answers you can receive are `Vande Mataram' and `Bharat Mata Ki Jai'.

I think when people are fighting corruption, the fundamental thing is to understand what we mean by corruption. Is it just an accounting problem, is it just financial irregularity or bribery? Or is corruption the currency of social transaction in a very unequal society, in which power is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands and so we address that.

Let us say, we are living in a city of shopping malls, where hawkers are illegal. If there is a woman on the road who sells samosas in a cart and pays the municipal officer and the police, is that a crime? Will she have to pay the Lokpal too? Are we creating two

oligarchies that she has to deal with? If the Lokpal is meant to oversee from Prime Minister to the lowest government functionary, may be at the top you will have 11 morally upright people, carefully chosen, but you are creating an entire bureaucracy that is a second oligarchy.

The other big problem, I have with this is that this agitation began when the country was dealing with a series of scams that implicated the government, opposition, media, corporations, NGOs, judiciary. Those 2G conversations laid bare the entire nexus of corruption in which all these people were involved. Obviously, the people who were making all the money were the corporations but in this agitation which is now being sponsored by some corporates, the NGOs, the corporates, the media have been left out. This at a time when the corporates and NGOs are taking over the traditional functions of the government. They are taking over electricity supply, water supply, phones, roads, education, health. Then I would have imagined the Lokpal Bill would bring these people also in its jurisdiction. But instead they have been left out and by continuously hammering away only at the corruption of the government, it is creating a platform where they are asking for less government, more reforms, more privatisation, more liberalisation. All these things have led to huge amounts of corruption.

So you have a situation where there is a collapse of representative democracy. There is not a single institution in the country where the poor can go for justice. We have a legislature full of millionaires and what is sought to be created is another side of oligarchy. Power is concentrated once again in fewer hands. In some ways, oddly enough, in totally different ways, what the Maoists are fighting for and what this Jan Lokpal Bill is about, both in some ways seek to overthrow the Indian state in different ways. One through armed struggle and the other in a bloodless, Gandhian coup. But both seek to do that. One from the bottom, one from the top.

I would say we need to look at what is going on quite closely to understand it more deeply than the clamour with slogans. There is no doubt we are in a crisis but is this the solution to that crisis is something to think about. When the Jan Lokpal movement started, the government, the Opposition, the corporation, the media needed cover because they were disgraced and in an unprecedented move, a joint drafting committee was agreed to. But the government then forgot all about it and tabled its own Bill. A Bill that is so flawed and ridiculous that you can't take it seriously. It is a Bill that protects the accused and punishes the person complaining.

On August 16, by arresting Anna Hazare, they allowed the movement to spin in a new direction. It was outrageous to arrest him when he had not even begun to break the law. By doing that, they allowed it to coalesce into the right to protest and what people started to call the second Independence struggle. Within 12 hours, he was released but was allowed to stay on in a highsecurity prison, was allowed to send out video messages that were broadcast nationally again and again. The movement was built over those three days of fasting for the right to fast.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi's 250 employees, six bulldozers and 15 trucks were working day and night to prepare Ram Lila ground for the fast. Now the fast is happening, with the most expensive doctors, with 24-hour TV coverage and there is no other news except that. The irony is the government is collaborating in the effort to overthrow itself in this movement and we have to wonder why.

During the reforms in the 90s, the government spoke about how it was corrupt and there was systemic corruption and so privatisation was needed. Corruption was used as a reason for systemic change. When privatisation happened and corruption increased hugely, it suddenly became a moral problem and the solution is more privatisation. So the Prime Minister says more privatisation, the newspapers and TV channels campaigning say we must do second round of reforms, take away government's discretionary powers. It is a situation that is not easy to decode, when so much noise is around.

And then they talk of the right to protest. The right to protest of the people in Posco, Kalinganagar, Dandakaranya were taken away a long time ago. Even in Delhi, at the Jantar Mantar, people from Bhopal or the Narmada Valley cannot stay overnight. The Right to Protest is only for the middleclass.

People running this campaign, many of them have generously funded NGOs. But the NGOs. corporates, media have been left out of Lokpal whereas they are forming public opinion in this country.

People are shutting their brain and shouting slogans. Many people who feel genuinely humiliated by corruption, may be the gun is being fired from their shoulder. It is not true that people have suddenly woken up. All over, there are people who know exactly what is happening and will explain to you what salinisation is, what waterlogging is, because they experience it, in places like Dandakaranya, Posco, Kalinga Nagar.

When you talk of the `Fast', you only mean Anna Hazare's fast. Right now, 10,000 villagers in Koodankulam are on a relay hunger-fast against a nuclear plant. Sharmila Irom has been on a fast for 10 years against an Act that allows soldiers to kill on mere suspicion. But we are not talking about these fasts.

It is wrong to assume that people are all asleep and suddenly someone has woken them up. People have been awake. They know about their issues. They are not voiceless, they are deliberately silenced.

Deep inside the forest in a tribal village, when 500 policemen surround and burn your village and there is no TV camera, you can't go on a hunger-strike. You can only fight back. In any case, can the hungry go on a hunger-strike? What does a hunger strike mean in a country where 49 per cent children are malnourished and perennially hungry?

Our county is poised at a dangerous place right now. http://www.tsr.net.co/profiles/blogs/can-the-hungry-go-on-a-hunger-strike

The Problem of Evil

The Problem of Evil is not a single problem, but rather a family of arguments for the nonexistence of God. In its least ambitious form, the argument cites the evil and suffering we find in the world as compelling evidence that the world is not under the control of an omnipotent Deity, while allowing that the evidence is not decisive. In its most ambitious form, it presents the fact of evil as conclusive proof that God does not exist. Here I present a version of this ambitious argument. I leave it up to you to construct and assess some more moderate version of the case.

Some preliminary definitions

WHAT IS OMNIPOTENCE?

The argument operates with the traditional philosophical conception of God, according to which God is supposed to be an omnipotent, omniscient and omni-benevolent being; and before we begin, we need to say a word about omnipotence.

The claim that God is omnipotent can be understood in three ways. Our casual formulation has been to say that an omnipotent God is a god who can do absolutely anything. We might take this literally:

(A) God's omnipotence consists in the power to bring about absolutely any state of affairs.

On this view, not only is it in God's power to create the physical universe ex nihilo; it is in God's power to bring it about that 2+2=5, or that some triangles have four sides, or that a single thing is simultaneously red and and colorless through and through.

Alternatively, we might take the claim as follows:

(B) God's omnipotence consists in the power to bring about absolutely any logically possible state of affairs.

On this view, it is in God's power to create unicorns and centaurs, along with horses and goats, since there is no contradiction or incoherence in the supposition that these things exist. But it need not be in his power to bring it about that 2+2=5 or that something is both red and colorless through and through.

Finally (and least plausibly) we might take the claim as a claim about physical possibility:

(C) God's omnipotence consists in the power to bring about any physically possible state of affairs, i.e., any state of affairs that is consistent with the laws of nature.

On this view, God could easily have brought it about that the solar system contains an extra planet, since (so far as we know) this would involve no violation of any natural law. But it would not be in his power to cause the sun to earth to reverse direction in its orbit around the sun, since that would involve a violation of the basic laws of motion.

For our purposes, either (A) or (B) would do as an interpretation of the doctrine of divine omniscience. (B) is more orthodox, I believe, and I will proceed with this interpretation in mind. The important point is to appreciate the difference between logical possibility and physical possibility or compatibility with the laws of nature.

WHAT IS EVIL?

The argument as it is traditionally presented operates with a notion of "evil" that may strike some of you as obscure or misguided. For our purposes, however, it will suffice to consider only a very narrow class of evils.

When I speak of an "evil" I shall mean a state of affairs that involves the suffering of an innocent human being. I am not at this point asserting that there are any innocent human beings, or that there is such a thing as human suffering. Nor am I asserting that the suffering of animals and trees (not mention the suffering of guilty human beings) is not morally relevant. I am simply offering a stipulative definition of a somewhat technical term. It is not unrelated to our ordinary understanding of the word; but it is more precise, and we shall see that precision is important in this area.

NATURAL vs. HUMAN EVIL

We distinguish between two kinds of evil: By a natural evil I mean a state of affairs involving the suffering of an innocent human being that is not the direct consequence of any human action. A human evil, by contrast, is an episode of suffering caused by human activity. Intuitively, the human evils are the evils we inflict upon one another; the natural evils are the evils we suffer at the hands of nature, independently of our own collective agency. The problem of evil as it is standardly presented concerns both sorts of evil. But the strongest version of the argument focuses on natural evil alone; and that is the version we shall discuss.

NECESSARY vs. UNNECESSARY EVIL

Let us say that an evil is necessary if it is a logically necessary condition for the realization of some great and important good. I cannot give a convincing example here, but I can give you a sense of what I have in mind by considering some imperfect approximations to the idea. When a doctor gives you a shot in order to vaccinate you against a disease, the momentary pain you suffer is an evil in our technical sense of the term (assuming you are innocent, of course). But it is clearly justified by the future good it makes possible. Given our technological limitations, the pain is in a sense a necessary evil: it is a bit of suffering without which a greater good -- namely freedom from disease -- would not be possible. Now the pain of vaccination is not a necessary evil in any absolute sense. A painful shot may be the only way for us to prevent the disease at this point in our history: but it is certainly logically possible that there should be a painless "magic bullet" that confers complete immunity at no cost whatsoever. So the painful shot would not be an example of an absolutely necessary evil. On the other hand, if it could be shown that some great good could not possibly be achieved without some human suffering, then we should say that such suffering is to that extent necessary. Much more could be said by way of explanation here. But I hope the notion will be clear enough for our purposes in what follows.

THE ARGUMENT

Our version of the argument proceeds as follows:

(1) If God exists, God is a perfectly benevolent omnipotent being. (By definition)

(2) A perfectly benevolent being would prevent any unnecessary natural evil if he could. (Premise)

(3) An omnipotent being could prevent all unnecessary natural evil. (Premise)

(4) Therefore, if there were a God, there would be no unnecessary natural evil. (From 1, 2, and 3)

(5) But there is unnecessary natural evil. (Premise derived from experience)

(6) Therefore, there is no God. (From 4 and 5)

The argument is valid. The only real question is whether we have reason to accept the premises.

The first premise is a simple consequence of the definition of "God" that we have agreed to accept; so there is no room to quibble at this step.

Premise (3) seems rather hard to deny. Omnipotence is (at least) the power to bring about anything that is logically possible. But it's hard to think of a case of unnecessary human suffering the prevention of which would imply a contradiction or some other sort of logical impossibility.

The paradigm cases will be episodes of human suffering in the wake of floods, earthquakes, plagues and other natural disasters. And it would seem to be a straightforward consequence of our understanding of divine omnipotence that an omnipotent deity could easily prevent this sort of suffering if he chose to do so.

This leaves the theist with two plausible lines of response: He can deny premise (2) and maintain that divine benevolence is compatible with the existence of unnecessary natural evil, or he can deny the existence of such evil altogether. Let's consider these options in reverse order:

The Case for Premise 5

The claim that there exists unnecessary natural evil is really four claims in one:

(5.1) There is genuine human suffering

(5.2) Some of this suffering is undeserved because the victims are innocent.

(5.3) Some of this undeserved suffering is "natural" in the sense that it is not the direct result of voluntary free action, but rather takes place at the hands of "nature".

(5.4) Some of this undeserved natural suffering is unnecessary, i.e., it is not redeemed by the fact that it brings about some very great and important good that could not possibly have been realized in a more benign way.

It is perverse to deny (5.1). It has sometimes been maintained (e.g., by Mary Baker Eddy) that bodily pain is entirely unreal because the body itself is an illusion. Now there are interesting philosophical questions about whether there could be an illusion of pain. (If my arm has been amputated, I main have the illusory sense that I have a pain in my arm; but the illusion is a mistake about the location of my pain. The pain itself is perfectly real.) But even if we grant that there is nothing self-contradictory in the suggestion that some apparent pains is illusory, still it

seems absurd to assert this. Unless someone can give us a reason to take the suggestion seriously, I think we can dismiss this response to the Problem of Evil out of hand.

(5.2) is in my view equally hard to deny. Recall that some of the victims of suffering are very small children -- children much too young to have done anything wrong, and hence much too young to have earned any punishment. It is sometimes said that the doctrine of original sin, according to which every human being inherits the moral taint that Adam and Eve incurred by their willful disobedience in Eden, implies that even the smallest children are morally guilty of a serious crime. But I confess that I don't understand how this could be. The suggestion that I might be morally responsible for someone else's transgression simply because he is my father seems to me no more intelligible than the suggestion that I might be morally responsible for the transgressions of someone who happens to look like me or to share my name. If someone were concerned to develop this response without simply appealing to the tradition and authority of the Church, that might be a very interesting project.

(5.3) It is impossible to deny that a great deal of human suffering cannot be traced directly to the voluntary actions of other human beings. It is just barely possible that what we regard as natural evil is really the direct result of free actions of invisible malign spirits or demons. Someone who is willing to believe this can consistently deny the existence of natural evil in our technical sense. Apart from this, I don't see how (5.3) can be rejected.

(5.4) Most responses to the problem evil regard 5.4. as most vulnerable premise. To take this route is to take on the project of showing that each episode of natural evil is strictly necessary for the realization of some very great good -- a good that could not possibly have been realized by any less painful means. This is obviously a very ambitious project: it will not do to show that much or even most of the observed natural evil can be "explained away" in his fashion. The argument only requires a single instance of unnecessary natural evil for its cogency.

Anyone who pursues this route will probably pursue a mixture of strategies. On the one hand, she will try to give detailed accounts of the various goods that come from the most visible and salient natural evils we confront. On the other, she will insist that even we cannot give such an account, this is most naturally explained by our own intellectual limitations. The universe is vast and God's plans are inscrutable. It is not surprising that we cannot easily see that good that comes of the evil we confront in every case.

I will not suggest that this line cannot be made convincing. I will simply point out some pitfalls along the way.

It is sometimes said that the existence of evil is necessary so that we may no the contrast between good and evil. But this is unconvincing for the following reasons:

(a) Even if we it is true that we could not have moral concepts if there were no evil in the world, it does not follow that natural evil is required for this purpose. There is surely enough human evil to provide the incipient moralist with examples of badness. So the argument provides no "justification" for the existence of natural evil.

(b) Perhaps more importantly: It seems wrong to say we could not possibly acquire moral concepts unless there were real instances of evil in the world. It may be that most of us do acquire moral concepts by being presented with instances of good and bad action. But it is surely conceivable that we should have acquired these concepts wholly through encounters with vivid moral fictions -- fairy tells in which the bad guys perform evil acts. Indeed it is conceivable that the concepts of good and evil should have been innate. We do not have to learn how to breathe. Distinguishing between right and wrong might have been similarly instinctive or natural. So there is little to be said for the view that real natural evil is a strictly necessary condition for the acquisition of moral concepts.

It is sometimes said that the reality of natural evil is a necessary condition for the exercise of certain virtues, such as courage, compassion, concern for the well being of others, and so on. A world in which we were permanently protected from harm would be a world in which these good things would have no place. So perhaps the evils we experience are a necessary condition for the realization of these great goods.

But this response, like the previous one, ignores the fact that human evil seems fully sufficient for this purpose. If there were no floods or earthquakes, there might still be war and theft, greed and poverty: and these evils provide ample space for the exercise of the cardinal virtues. So it cannot be said that natural evil is strictly necessary for these great goods.

The point of these examples is to show just how hard it is to establish that natural evil is strictly necessary for some purpose. To show this is to show that some good could not possibly have been achieved by any other less awful means. And that is not easy to do, to say the least.

THE CASE FOR PREMISE 2

It remains for us to consider the possibility of rejecting premise 2. Is it possible that a perfectly good God would permit unnecessary natural suffering when he could easily prevent it? It would seem not. After all, if you could easily and at no cost to yourself prevent your neighbor from suffering unnecessarily, then a failure to do so would surely be counted a moral defect in you. Moreover this would be so even if you were under no strict obligation to help your neighbor. It is sometimes said that our strict obligations to act can arise only through voluntary agreements or contracts. On this view, the only way I can come to be under an obligation to perform a certain action is by voluntary placing myself under such an obligation, by making a promise, for example. If this is right, then unless I have made a contract with my neighbor to help him out when he's in trouble, I am entirely within my rights to sit by and watch him suffer. Now let us suppose -- against scriptural authority -- that God has made no promises to us of any sort. It would follow, then, on the view we are presently considering, that God has no obligations to us, and hence that his failure to prevent various natural evils is fully within his rights. With this sort of view in mind, an apologist might try to suggest that when we speak of God's goodness, we mean simply his unwillingness to violate an obligation. Clearly, it is compatible with God's goodness understood in this way that God might permit natural evil in any degree.

This response is formally unobjectionable; but it is very hard to take seriously. If we accept the account of obligation that it involves, then it only goes to show that there is much more to goodness than respecting one's obligations. Even if I have no strict obligation to help my neighbor in the absence of an explicit contract, I would have to be a moral monster to let him suffer when I can easily help him out. A God who was unwilling ever to intervene in cases like this would not be a God worth worshiping, since his "goodness" would be too far removed from the goodness we value in ourselves and our fellows.

I can think of no other way to resist premise 2. Again, it would be very interesting if one of you could do better.

Prayer

http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=2925

Are humans hard-wired for faith?

By A. Chris Gajilan CNN

NEW YORK (CNN) -- "I just know God is with me. I can feel Him always," a young Haitian woman once told me.

"I've meditated and gone to another place I can't describe. Hours felt like mere minutes. It was an indescribable feeling of peace," recalled a CNN colleague.

"I've spoken in languages I've never learned. It was God speaking through me," confided a relative.

The accounts of intense religious and spiritual experiences are topics of fascination for people around the world. It's a mere glimpse into someone's faith and belief system. It's a hint at a person's intense connection with God, an omniscient being or higher plane. Most people would agree the experience of faith is immeasurable.

Dr. Andrew Newberg, neuroscientist and author of "Why We Believe What We Believe," wants to change all that. He's working on ways to track how the human brain processes religion and spirituality. It's all part of new field called neurotheology.

After spending his early medical career studying how the brain works in neurological and psychiatric conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, depression and anxiety, Newberg took that brain-scanning technology and turned it toward the spiritual: Franciscan nuns, Tibetan Buddhists, and Pentecostal Christians speaking in tongues. His team members at the University of Pennsylvania were surprised by what they found.

"When we think of religious and spiritual beliefs and practices, we see a tremendous similarity across practices and across traditions."

The frontal lobe, the area right behind our foreheads, helps us focus our attention in prayer and meditation.

The parietal lobe, located near the backs of our skulls, is the seat of our sensory information. Newberg says it's involved in that feeling of becoming part of something greater than oneself.

The limbic system, nestled deep in the center, regulates our emotions and is responsible for feelings of awe and joy.

Newberg calls religion the great equalizer and points out that similar areas of the brain are affected during prayer and meditation. Newberg suggests that these brain scans may provide proof that our brains are built to believe in God. He says there may be universal features of the human mind that actually make it easier for us to believe in a higher power.

Interestingly enough, devout believers and atheists alike point to the brain scans as proof of their own ideas.

Some nuns and other believers champion the brain scans as proof of an innate, physical conduit between human beings and God. According to them, it would only make sense that God would give humans a way to communicate with the Almighty through their brain functions.

Some atheists saw these brain scans as proof that the emotions attached to religion and God are nothing more than manifestations of brain circuitry.

Scott Atran doesn't consider himself an atheist, but he says the brain scans offer little in terms of understanding why humans believe in God. He is an anthropologist and author of "In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion."

Instead of viewing religion and spirituality as an innate quality hardwired by God in the human brain, he sees religion as a mere byproduct of evolution and Darwinian adaptation.

"Just like we're not hardwired for boats, but humans in all cultures make boats in pretty much the same way, Atran explains. "Now, that's a result both of the way the brain works and of the needs of the world, and of trying to traverse a liquid medium and so I think religion is very much like that."

Atran points to the palms of his hands as another example of evolutionary coincidence. He says the creases formed there are a mere byproduct of human beings working with our hands -stretching back to the ages of striking the first fires, hunting the first prey to building early shelter. Although, the patterns in our palms were coincidentally formed by eons of evolution and survival, he points out that cultures around the world try to find meaning in them through different forms of palm reading.

Anthropologists like Atran say, "Religion is a byproduct of many different evolutionary functions that organized our brains for day-to-day activity."

To be sure, religion has the unparalleled power to bring people into groups. Religion has helped humans survive, adapt and evolve in groups over the ages. It's also helped us learn to cope with death, identify danger and finding mating partners.

Today, scientific images can track our thoughts on God, but it would take a long leap of faith to identify why we think of God in the first place.

A. Chris Gajilan is a senior producer with CNN Medical News.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-10/dumc-pns102901.php

Prayer, noetic studies feasible; results indicate benefit to heart patients Tracey Koepke

DURHAM, N.C. - - Cardiac patients who received intercessory prayer in addition to coronary stenting appeared to have better clinical outcomes than those treated with standard stenting therapy alone, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

Their results further suggest that using rigorous scientific methods to study the therapeutic value of prayer and other noetic interventions appears feasible and warrants larger-scale, more definitive investigations. Noetic interventions are defined as "a healing influence performed without the use of a drug, device or surgical procedure," said the researchers.

Results of the phase I feasibility-pilot, known as the MANTRA (Monitoring and Actualization of Noetic TRAinings) Project, appear in the Nov. 1 issue of the American Heart Journal.

"We now know that clinically meaningful, high-quality research can be done in this area," said Duke cardiologist Dr. Mitch Krucoff, who co-directs the study with Suzanne Crater, a Duke nurse practitioner. "The data are suggestive that there may be a measurable therapeutic benefit related to noetic therapies in patients undergoing angioplasty."

Patients who received noetic therapies showed a 25 to 30 percent reduction in adverse outcomes (such as death, heart failure, post-procedural ischemia, repeat angioplasty or heart attack) than

those without such therapies, according to the researchers. While increasingly popular outside of mainstream medicine, noetic therapies have not been widely studied with rigorous, scientific research methods. This study represents one of the first such efforts.

"We know patients are very interested in these types of treatments, particularly in the role spirituality and prayer play in their health and health care," added Krucoff. "To best understand how to respond to such widespread interest, we examined whether good, mainstream, fundamental research science could be applied to these areas."

One hundred and fifty patients with acute coronary insufficiency at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center were enrolled in the prospective, randomized study from April 1997 to April 1998. All were scheduled for invasive cardiac procedures based on their clinical needs. In a fiveway randomization, all patients were assigned (in equal distribution) to coronary stenting with standard care or to coronary stenting plus one of the following therapies: guided imagery, stress relaxation, healing touch or intercessory prayer. Of the 120 patients assigned noetic interventions, 118 (98 percent) completed the therapeutic assignment.

Differences in clinical outcomes between treatment groups were not statistically significant. However, those receiving noetic treatments "had lower absolute complication rates and a lower absolute incidence of post-procedural ischemia during hospitalization," said Crater.

"These noetic interventions help a patient achieve a state of calm equilibrium, or homeostasis, which puts them in a better state to help in their own recovery process," said Jon Seskevich, a Duke nurse clinician, who along with Crater, designed the non-prayer interventional therapies. He further noted that those assigned to receive prayer appeared to fare even better than those receiving the other types of noetic treatments and the control group.

To be eligible for enrollment, patients had to be experiencing chest pain at rest (with or without acute electrocardiographic changes) and be scheduled for invasive diagnostic angiography. All patients were managed in the coronary care unit of the hospital before and after angioplasty.

Off-site, intercessory prayer was provided by seven prayer groups of varying denominations around the world. The groups included Buddhists, Catholics, Moravians, Jews, Fundamentalist Christians, Baptists and the Unity School of Christianity.

"The name, age and illness of each patient assigned to prayer therapy was sent to each prayer group," Crater said. "These patients had prayers from all over the world said on their behalf for healing and recovery."

Denomination did not play a factor in the design of the study. Prayer and standard therapy assignments remained double-blinded to patients, family and staff. A trained volunteer performed the other noetic therapies at bedside within one hour of the cardiac procedure. Although small, the researchers believe the study is an important advance in this area of medical research.

"This is an important study because it provides preliminary information suggestive of a positive effect that needs further study in a larger study sample," said Dr. Harold G. Koenig, associate professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center, and one of the study authors. "Some of the greatest scientific achievements have come from those who step outside of the box, and I believe that is what this study does. The results tend to lean toward prayer helping people, but more study is needed."

Research is continuing. Phase II of the MANTRA project has already enrolled nearly 500 patients out of an enrollment target of 1,500 patients.

The larger study is underway at nine sites throughout the U.S., including Duke University Medical Center, Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, Washington Heart Center in Washington, Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Scripps Clinic/Scripps Mercy Hospitals in San Diego, Geisinger Clinic in Danville, Pa., Florida Cardiovascular Center in Atlantis, Fla., and the Durham VAMC.

Preliminary data from this pilot study were previously reported at the 71st meeting of the American Heart Association in 1998. The American Heart Journal article represents the complete, tabulated, peer-reviewed results of the phase I study.

Funding was provided in part by grants from G.E.-Marquette Electronics, Milwaukee; the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Sausalito, Calif.; the Bakken Family Foundation (Hawaii); the Heart Center, Duke University Medical Center; and the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Other authors of the study include: Cindy L. Green, Ph.D., Arthur C. Maas, MD, James D. Lane, Ph.D., Karen A. Loeffler, Kenneth Morris, MD, and Thomas M. Bashore, MD.