Pro Social Behaviour And Islamic Spirituality Religion Essay

Pro Social Behaviour And Islamic Spirituality Religion Essay Spirituality has been defined as that which gives people meaning and purpose in life. Spirituality can be achieved through participation in a religion, but can be much broader than that, such as belief in God, family, naturalism, rationalism, humanism, and the arts. Islam is a religion based on a total submission to the will of the Almighty. The real place for the growth of the spirit is in the midst of life through carrying out all deeds and actions, both spiritual and worldly, as per the will of Allah. As the Quran mentions Those who spend in prosperity and in adversity, for those who curb their anger and those who forgive people. And Allah loves the charitable. In Islam there is significant emphasis on pro-social behaviour as a means to carry out the will of God. It is however seen that this aspect has not been emphasised either in formal training or informal socialisation in the practice of Islam. Accordingly a number of commentators have remarked that some of the ills presently afflicting Muslims in the sub-continent have been due to the neglect of the pro-social behavioural aspect. The present paper is an attempt to throw light on the importance given to pro social behaviour in Islam. Religion Spirituality, definition by psychologists, Islamic phil Pro social behavior, definition, altruism, giving etc Prosocial links with spirituality, other religions, and Islamic spirituality Conclusion: judeo-christian, why not in norms and moral imperative, not there, so conflicts, unhappiness in society, therefore promote spirituality, true meaning of life From an evolutionary perspective, early humans survival relied strongly on the processes of giving and helping. Religious practice has also been associated with prosocial and helping behaviors, as helping is often considered a religious obligation. Weight on giving and helping in the Judeo-Christian culture can be considered a primary reason that prosocial behavior is a social norm and moral imperative in Western Culture today  [2]  . Similar is the case with other religions where prosocial behavior is encouraged although to what extent it has percolated down to becoming a social norm is a debatable issue. The universal presence of prosocial behavior amongst humans has long been a significant puzzle in the social sciences  [3]  . Prosocial behavior can be defined as voluntary actions intended to help or benefit another individual or group of individuals. Prosocial behavior occurs when someone acts to help another person, particularly when they have no goal other than to help a fellow human. Actions that benefit other people or society as a whole are classified as prosocial behaviours. One of the characteristics of prosocial behaviour is that helping does not benefit the helper. It is opined that prosocial behaviour is often accompanied by a cost. Thus the decision to help others is often at a cost to the doer. Prosocial behavior has come to be seen as key in harmonious interpersonal and group interactions. A few terms and concepts frequently overlap in any discussion on prosocial behaviour. Terms like philanthropy, altruism, spirituality, volunteerism, charity, giving, and forgiveness etc are used while discussing prosocial behaviour. It would be useful to throw light on these concepts for a fuller understanding. Philanthropy is voluntary action for the common good, including voluntary giving, serving, and association. The key mechanisms that have been identified as determinants of philanthropy are: (1) awareness of need; (2) solicitation; (3) costs and benefits; (4) altruism; (5) reputation; (6) psychological benefits; (7) values; (8) efficacy. One of the explanations of prosocial behaviour is that people are motivated to behave in ways that help them attain some goal. Often ones own image becomes the prime mover in prosocial behaviour. Thus considerable prosocial behaviour is motivated by reputational incentives. Altruism on the other hand is performed without any reputational incent ives. However personal gratification as a reward cannot be ruled out even in altruistic behaviour. It is also seen that societal pressures and norms impact peoples choice of behaviour. Often people evaluate their lives and find that there is a need to make it more fullfilling by engaging in prosocial behaviour. Giving is viewed as a positive thing to do, especially when giving reduces inequality and when giving is less costly, recipients are not to blame, and is more effective. Giving may contribute to ones self-image as an altruistic, empathic, socially responsible, agreeable, or influential person. In addition, giving is in many cases an almost automatic emotional response, producing a positive mood, alleviating feelings of guilt, reducing aversive arousal, satisfying a desire to show gratitude, or to be a morally just person. There is ample evidence from studies on helping behaviour that helping others produces positive psychological consequences for the helper. There are several reasons why humans may have pleasurable psychological experiences upon giving: people may alleviate feelings of guilt (avoid punishment), feel good for acting in line with a social norm, or feel good for acting in line with a specific (prosocial, altruistic) self-image. Clary and Sneider  [4]  proposed a mod el identifying the factors that initiate volunteerism. They found that it is a combination of the desire to be altruistic, wish to be part of a group, wish to reduce guilt, and the desire to acquire knowledge and skills. Religious texts of all major religions encourage prosociality amongst their believers. The hypothesis that religions facilitate costly behaviours that benefit other people has been variously tested and commented upon. It has also been pointed out that the acute human sensitivity to prosocial reputation is a psychological mechanism, originating unrelated to religion that evolved to facilitate strong reciprocal cooperative bonds within groups  [5]  . It is seen that the threat of being found out therefore became a strong motivator for good behaviour. Norenzayan Shariff  [6]  point out that religious devotion is expected to be context-sensitive, with clear boundary conditions and religious situations habitually facilitate prosocial behaviour. It has also been seen that if religiosity is related to prosocial behaviour in some contexts, it is possible that having a prosocial disposition causes one to be religious. Spirituality is a universally accessible state of mind. It is inexplorable tied to the concept of religion. Pergament  [7]  discussed the question of what makes religion special and concluded that it is the unique substance and function of religion that makes it special. Thus the defining essence of religion is the sacred that refers to things set apart from ordinary life because of their connection to God, the holy, the divine; to transendent forces, Ulitmate truths and Utlimate reality. As Baumgardner and Crothers  [8]  put it, religion is not just a set of beliefs and practices; it also involves how these beliefs are used to answer lifes most profound questions and cope with lifes most difficult challenges. Pargament defines religion as a search for significance in ways related to the sacred and spirituality as a search for the sacred. Religion and religious behaviours represent the many ways in which the search for the sacred becomes organised and sanctioned in society. T hus spirituality becomes a means to address lifes most important questions. It would be interesting to examine the definition of spirituality as proposed by Hill et al  [9]  who define it as the feelings, thoughts, and behaviours that arise from a search for the sacredà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ people can take a virtually limitless number of pathways in their attempts to discover and conserve the sacred. These pathways to the sacred may also be described as spiritual strivings, which include personal goals associated with the ultimate concerns of purpose, ethics and recognition of the transecndent. Prosocial behaviour as it is understood can be classified in two broad groups on the basis of motivation, one a purely secular prosocial behaviour where actions to benefit others originate purely out of secular and personal concerns with no obvious and material benefit to the giver / helper. On the other hand a religiosity driven prosocial behaviour is where there is definite benefit to the individual in the form of promised salvation or pay offs as a result of following strict religious injunctions and duties. Let us take the example of Islam to examine how religious injunctions and prescriptions enjoin upon its followers to engage in behaviours that could be termed as prosocial behaviour. Islam is a religion based on a total submission to the will of the Almighty. According to Islam, Allah has appointed the human soul as His Khalifah (vicegerent) in this world. He has invested it with a certain authority, and given it certain responsibilities and obligations for the fulfillment of which He has endowed it with the best and most suitable physical frame. (Maududi). In his capacity as the vicegerent (Khalifah) of God, man is answerable to Him for all his activities. It is his duty to use all the powers that he has been given in accordance with the Divine will. He should utilize to the fullest extent all the faculties and potentialities bestowed upon him for seeking Allahs approval. In his dealings with other people he should behave in such a way as to try to please Allah. In brief, all his energies should be directed towards regulating the affairs of this world in the way in which Allah wants them to be regulated. The better a man does this, with a sense of responsibility, obedience and humility, and with the object of seeking the pleasure of the Lord, the nearer will he be to Allah. Islam rejects and condemns the ascetic view of life, and proposes that the spiritual development of man would take place not outside this world but inside it. The real place for the growth of the spirit is in the midst of life and not in solitary hibernation. In Islam, spiritual development is synonymous with nearness to Allah. Distance from Allah signifies, in Islam, the spiritual fall and decay of man. Maududi  [10]  points out that what will distinguish the actions of the secular and religious will be the nature of their relationship with Allah and the aims behind their actions. Whatever a religious man does, will be done with the feeling that he is answerable to Allah, that he must try to secure Divine pleasure, that his actions must be in accordance with Allahs laws. A secular person will be indifferent towards Allah and will be guided in his actions only by his personal motives. This difference makes the whole of the material life of a man of religion a totally spiritual venture, and the whole of the life of a secular person an existence devoid of the spark of spirituality. Thus spirituality is linking of actions to the purpose of life. Actions on their own, without using this framework are just actions or material constructs. The Islamic road to achieve spirituality passes through several stages, starting from Iman (faith) and progressing towards It~at (obedience, subservience), Taqwa (piety, Allah consciousness), to Ihis~an (Godliness). Faith (Iman) in Islam is a state of happiness acquired by virtue of positive action and constructive conceptions as well as dynamic and effective measures (Hammudah AA  [11]  ). According to Islam, true faith has a decisive effect on the spiritual and material lot of man, and also on his personal and social behaviour as well as his political conduct and economic life. There are numerous references in the Holy Quran and traditions of the Prophet on this aspect. The laws of practical ethics in the holy Quran rest largely upon the principles of justice, but charity, philanthropy, generosity, gratitude and sincerity are also recommended. Strict honesty is demanded in business dealings, with just balances, and upright intentions. Lies of all kinds are condemned, the taking of bribes is strictly forbidden. This is especially the case in regard to trusts concerning orphans. Wrong to the orphan is held to be a grievous sin, and in many Suras of the holy Quran there are one or two verses which say in effect Do not touch the property of orphans. Charity and philanthropy occupy a very important place. There are several commands like Pray, give alms, and the good which you do will find with God, who sees all your actions (Patrick, 1901). Thus we see that one the one hand, Allah commands man to follow all is commands and injunctions, yet at the same time prescribes a prosocial behavioural path for him to follow. In essence, the spirituality of Islam is in fact the righteous and prosocial behavior with the knowledge that it is being done with the pure intention of pleasing Allah.

Essay examples --

Since the mid-1990s, the United Nations (UN) and other multilateral bodies have asserted authority for the administration of war-torn territories and shouldered the responsibility of placing them on the trajectory of political change (Knoll 2008: 2). In 1995, right after Dayton Peace Agreement, the UN assumed responsibility in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Chesterman 2004: 2). In 1999, following NATO’s armed intervention in Kosovo, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1244 establishing the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (Brabandere 2009: 37). Just a few months later, a transitional administration was created with effective sovereignty over East Timor until independence (UNTAET). These expanding mandates continued a trend that began with the operations in Namibia in 1989 and Cambodia in 1993, where the United Nations exercised varying degrees of civilian authority in addition to supervising elections (Chesterman 2004: 2). However, although the UN had assumed responsibility in 68 countries since 1948, the missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, and East Timor are commonly seen as unique in the history of the United Nations (Chesterman 2004; Doyle 2001; Chopra 1998; Wolfrum 2005; Stahn 2008). First, international administrations of these countries represent the most comprehensive missions ever deployed by the United Nations. Second, these cases also represent clear examples of democratic regime-building efforts on the part of international administrators. In the three cases, democratic regime-building has been an explicit goal, and international administrators have sought to oversee and involve themselves in a full process of regime change (Tansey 2009). Lastly, the three cases also display variation on both independent a... ...lack of interviews or surveys represents a limitation in this respect. These gathering-data techniques could enormously supplement the present paper in addition to primary documents, academic literature and non-academic materials published by think-tanks and NGOs. Second, following Przeworski et. al. (2000) and Mainwaring et. al. (2001), the present paper it leaves out substantive results such as social equality and economic development. Nevertheless, although these caveats are significant and may serve as the impetus for further research they do not overshadow the modest endeavor of the present paper. As Mainwaring et. al. (2000) suggests, by applying a trichotomous scale with a modest information demand, the number of coding errors significantly would be reduced and thus achieve greater reliability than would be possible under a more demanding measurement scale.

Week 2 Cmgt 554

Patton-Fuller Community Hospital is a prominent hospital that is known for specializing in radiology, physical therapy, pharmacy, and surgery. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital was founded in 1975. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital has been providing quality care to all its patients both children and adults alike. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital patients are accustomed to the quality service that the hospital provides with a focus on the different programs and services to help maintain a high degree of care for its patients.Patton-Fuller Community Hospital has an abundance of technology and can be segmented into many different areas providing an in-depth review of the advancements and shortfalls of organization. The networking department has the challenge of dissecting and breaking down the current infrastructure to ensure a comprehensive analysis is done to provide a solution that will last for the three to five years. Identifying the right solutions and architecture is key to ensuri ng the growth of the network infrastructure to support the demands of the current health care industry.The methods of how Information transmits within the hospital and externally are: Based on the Network Diagrams the Network has two segments; Administrative and Clinical. The backbone network structure for the entire hospital is 1000 Base T. The nodes of the administrative function network utilize CAT 6 cabling. The nodes of the administrative functions network are connected to an Ethernet backbone. A single mode fiber cable, transmitting 1000 Base F, physically connects nodes attached to the clinical segment. All nodes attached to the clinical function segment is physically connected by single mode fiber cable and transmitting 1000 Base F.Both segments connect via a network bridge. A DHCP server provides all workstations on the administrative function segment with IP addresses. A good security practice for the network black/white and color laser printers are to utilize a static IP, so the MAC address is registered with the DHCP server to prevent malicious activity. To prevent any unwanted malicious activity the Nodes on the clinical function segment IP addresses are static IP’s. The DHCP service is run on the Exchange Server housed in the IT data center. The domain naming solution is also hosted on this server.Active Directory centrally manages user account management in the domain. All web traffic is relay through a proxy that masked the identity of the IP address. To ensure the hospital has adequate Disaster Recovery (DR) capability the entire hospital has a complete power backup system that automatically cuts over to a large diesel motor generator set. The Patton-Fuller Community hospital network bridge connects to the logical network. The bridge connects multiple internal segments at the data link layer, which is Layer 2 of the OSI model.The Data Link Layer enables data to be transferred between network entities and might provide the means to detec t and possibly correct errors that may occur in the Physical Layer. The hospital’s network is an Ethernet network. Within the Patton-Fuller Community Hospital architecture the physical layer can be found within the appliance in the operating room and intensive care unit along with the patients rooms. The data link layer is where the physical transmission of data is managed. This creates and distributes messages boundaries. At the network layer the management of the data is routed where the routing takes place.This is the Internet level of the protocol stack. Routers are designed to forward packets of data to other routers and active switches. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital data center uses a Cisco router model 7609 to perform these tasks. At the transport layer it is responsible for breaking large strings of data into manageable smaller packets. Error checking and elimination of duplicate packets is done at this layer as well. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital utilizes a net work gateway device to interface both their clinical and administrative networks with the Internet. At the session layer it manages the session for all users on the network.The session layer also manages the amount of time spent to transferring the data. A network gateway is considered a session layer device. At the presentation layer this layer is concerned with formatting, and resolving differences of data format between two different machines. It also takes the data from applications format to the network format. One example of this method is the Advanced Encryption Standard utilized by the Patton-Fuller Community Hospital. At the application layer it defines the interfaces for communication and data transfer. This is also the end user’s access to the Internet.One good example of the application layer would web pages. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital has the backbone infrastructure that provides adequate bandwidth to support video and other high quality of service services . However it does not have the necessary requirements for future needs. With the sale and deployment of networked equipment within the medical industry it is becoming more apparent that Patton-Fuller Community Hospital invest their future. References Patton-Fuller Community Hospital Virtual Organization, (Apollo group, 2011) https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Healthcare/PFCH/index. asp

The importance of life Essay Example

The importance of life Essay Example The importance of life Essay The importance of life Essay Essay Topic: Life Is Beautiful How many of us value the importance of living? Do we really appreciate the fact that we wake up every morning breathing? We should. Every one of us should pray every morning thanking God for the opportunity of another day of living In this wonderful world of ours. Every morning we should look up and say Thank You my Lord for another day because as we hear It many times tomorrow Is not promised to any one. We human attend to Ignore the lord and what he has done for us. For over a millions and a millions of years we been living under the sky, on this absolute beautiful world without paying anything. Do we ever think Oh God thank you? No, but we should, and shouldve every day such a confusing, ambiguous society sometimes you never really know what Its all about. Often times people will feel Like no one needs them In this world. As much as It can sometimes seem as though the sun is always setting, somewhere on the globe it is also always rising. The beauty of your life is that you can change it all, it all starts with what you want to see. Adequate, then you must make a change to live differently. Maybe you should just try something new, call up some old acquaintances, make some friends, or even start a garage band. Branch out and try something that isnt Just based on your own efforts. Friends can always have an impact on each other. O Dont Have to Change the World. We dont live in a fly or die society. There is plenty of room to sight see and blaze a different trail. The most important person to be important to is yourself.

Paul Henderson Essays - Politics And Sports, Free Essays

Paul Henderson Essays - Politics And Sports, Free Essays Paul Henderson For this project I chose as the quintessential Canadian, Paul Henderson. He is representative of the entire 1972 Team Canada. Before this famous series, it was assumed that Team Canada was unbeatable, but it soon became clear that Canada would be the underdogs and have to fight back. In the end, it was the little known player, Paul Henderson, who became the star and restored pride in the hearts of all Canadians. He is truly a "quintessential" Canadian. The 1972 Summit Series represented what was going to be a test of the best, to see who was the best "Hockey Country," Canada or the Soviet Union. Canada put their superstars up against the Soviet Union in an eight game Series where four games would be played in Canada and four in the Soviet Union. The games in Canada were played in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver while in the Soviet Union, they were all played in Moscow. The superstars for Canada included Bobby Orr, Ken Dryden, Tony and Phil Esposito, the Mahovolich brothers, Jean Ratelle, Yvon Cournoyer, Rod Gilbert, Dennis Hull, Brad Park and Pat Stapleton. Canada seemed to have a stacked team, but the Soviet Union was not about to quit. In fact, they dominated Team Canada in Canada taking two of four, losing one and tying one. Canada was embarrassed! Losing game one in Montreal 7-3 Canada had given the mental edge to the Soviet Union, but took it right back in game two in Toronto with a 4-1 win. Game three in Winnipeg was anyone's game, but neither team could get a definite lead and the final was 4-4. The series was now 1-1-1 for both teams. Convinced that they could not go to the Soviet Union trailing in the series, Canada needed a big game, but to no avail as they lost in Vancouver 5-3. Team Canada left the ice to the sound of boos. When the game was over, Phil Esposito said that they (Team Canada) were going out every night and playing their butt's off and all the selfish Canadian fans can do is boo them off the ice. He thought it was a disgrace. They were giving it 150 percent every night for one reason, because they loved their country. After that interview, 3,000 fanatic fans bought tickets to see Canada in Moscow. Down two games to one, Team Canada needed three out of four to win the Summit Series and prove that Canada was the best. Unfortunately, Canada lost the first game in the Soviet Union, and were down 3-1-1. Canada was in a state of desperation and that is when Paul Henderson stepped up. Game six in Moscow was the first of the three crucial games in Canadian history. Henderson, with one minute left in Game six, slipped the puck past a sprawling Vladislav Tretiak to get the 3-2 win. In game seven, Henderson was again the hero scoring the winning goal in a dramatic 4-3 finish. Game eight was THE biggest game in Team Canada history. This Summit Series started with Team Canada as the favorites, and that changed to the Soviet Union being the favorites and the Canadians being the underdogs. Now Game eight was here and Canadians all over the world were watching. With the series tied 3-3-1 Canada needed the win to prove they were the best. With the score deadlocked at 5 and one minute to go, Henderson made Pete Mahovlich get off the ice to let him on. With 40 seconds left, Cournoyer sent the puck ahead to a speeding Henderson. Henderson slipped and fell into the near boards. Esposito intercepted the clearing attempt by the Soviet Union and banged it towards Tretiak who made the save but left the rebound loose. Henderson, alone in front, took two whacks and on the second whack it went in to the right of Tretiak with only 34 seconds left on the clock. Canada had won the game. Paul Henderson, is the true Canadian hero and the perfect definition of the "Quintessential Canadian". Canadians all over the world were filled with a sense of pride at that moment in time. At that time, Hockey was the one thing that helped identify us as Canadians. It

Sales Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Sales Management - Essay Example It is difficult for the sales persons to agree that their product is inferior to another competing product. Under such circumstances, sales person will try to convince the customers at any cost. On the other hand many others are of the view that being truthful in an imperative for sales success. Relationship building is accepted as the core of every business activities at present and sales is also not an exception. Telling lies or cheating customers will never help the sales persons in establishing strong relationships with the customers. Customers who once cheated by the sales people will never come back to the same organization. This paper analyses the question; is sales ethics an oxymoron. Is sales ethics an oxymoron? Selling ethically, like all High Probability Selling principles, has been proven to statistically boost the probability of closing sales. Many salespeople report that truthfulness also reduces the stress and anxiety associated with the selling process. Radically Hone st Selling is a Win-Win situation for both Buyers and Sellers. Buyers conduct business feeling treated fairly and respectfully. Salespeople enjoy their work more - and enjoy greater financial rewards (The Truth About Truth in Selling: Sales Ethics is NOT an Oxymoron, 2004).1 Shortcuts will help people to achieve temporary gains whereas in the long run shortcuts may create problems. In sales operations also the above fact is true. A sales person may succeed in selling his product or services using shortcuts or exaggerated claims; however the customer will realize the trap later and he may take legal actions against the company or the sales person which may destroy the reputation of both the company and the selling people. On the other hand, if the sales person adopts only the straight ways to sell his product, the customer may give more mouth publicity to that product which may raise the reputation of the company and the selling people. Both the buyers and the sellers should have met their objectives in a deal so that the relationships with the seller and the buyer may be strengthened. â€Å"A study in Business Horizons magazine from In ­diana University, found that customers increasingly base their buying decisions on whether they be ­lieve a company is ethical. Cynicism promotes fick ­le buying habits† (Bucaro , 2006, p.1)2. Corporate social responsibility is a much debated term in business arena at present. Ethical selling habits are one of the major elements of corporate selling habits. A socially committed company should never try to cheat the customers with the help of exaggerated or misleading claims about their product. Ultimately, every social setups and systems are meant for the wellbeing of the society and no company or salespersons can survive for longer periods by neglecting the needs of the society. Putting blame on others for one’s own faults is not a good business or selling strategy. In the eyes of the customer, the reputati on of the company and that of the selling person will grow only when the sales person was able to keep honesty in his approaches. Exceeding the needs or expectations of the customer will always help the sales person in building the reputation of the company. Instead of blaming the products or services of the competitor, the sales person should try to convince the customers with the help of the features and qualities of the product or service he is selling. The sales person sh

Managing hospitality and tourism projects Essay

Managing hospitality and tourism projects - Essay Example Relying on the superiority of software, it could manage planning and estimation, scheduling, budget management and cost control, resource allocation, communication, collaboration software, quality management, decision making and administration or documentation system. Total quality management is referred to the structured and comprehensive approach towards organizational management which seeks to enhance the quality of services and products through ongoing improvements in response to the continuous feedback. Total quality management can be put into practice by any kind of organization; it was initiated in manufacturing sector and then it has been adapted in almost each type of companies including churches, schools, hotel management, and highway maintenance. The purpose of the report is to critically evaluate several concepts, theories, and tools related to the project management and decision making. Various concept of project management will be applied in the Radisson Blu Hotel at Di sneyland Paris and focus will be paid on how change management will help the company to attain success. Cost benefit analysis involves first totalling the benefits and then evaluating these with costs related with the course of action. The outcomes of the investigation are frequently expressed in terms of payback period which is the time taken for the benefits in order to repay the costs. The cost benefit analysis technique can be used in various situations such as in making decision whether to employ new member of team, during making evaluation of a novel project, and in determining the viability of assets or capital purchase (Layard and Glaister, 1994). Determine scope and objectives: The initial step involves outlining the characteristics of problem which is to be addressed. The information provided at this phase should also present an initial sign of how suitable the objectives are relative to the needs of