Tao Te Ching 13-28: How is the Tao?

Tao is a state of the mind and the body. When you do not need any material stuff to survive then you have reached the Tao. The Tao also teaches us that when you most need something it will come. “When the country is confused and in chaos, loyal ministers appear.”ch18 This can really be associated with the theme of destiny. If things come when you need them then it means the same as destiny. Things will come to happen is what the Tao says us. One example of this is when Obama came into power. Obama came into power in a time where the economy is in a very big crisis. It is said that all good presidents of the US have taken power in harsh times, so it might be destiny for presidents to be good if they are elected during bad times. A concept that I see in the Tao as well as in The Bible is the enduring of hard tests to become a better person. We saw this in The Bible when God sends his disease on Job or when he sends Abraham to kill his son. Now in the Tao we can also see that teaching “Accept disgrace willingly, accept misfortune as the human condition”ch13 these tests can be taken in two ways one way is a way to get better and stronger by passing that test. If you are very greedy and you want to become more generous maybe there is a time when you have to ask for money to someone and you discover generosity. Then you become more generous so you passed the test and now you are a better person. The second way that you can take these tests is in a bad way. You can take them in a form of punishment and a way how the Tao and God want to make you suffer. The way you chose depends on your way of thinking if you look for the bright side of everything or prefer to look for the negative side of everything.

Tao Te Ching 1-12: The Way Of The Tao

The way of the Tao is a combination of rules and conducts that lead you to the true way of the Tao. The Tao teaches us to use but not to use all. “The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used but never filled.”ch4 What I think that the Tao way is trying to tell us is to be able to use something without getting obsessed or depend on it. For example if you eat a hot dog and like it a lot and start eating it everyday you will eventually get bored of it. Another concept that the Tao expressed is the fact that all living things will eventually die. “Heaven and earth last forever. Why do they last forever? They are unborn.” Ch7 What I got from this maxim was that everything that lives will eventually die so all living things on earth have a beginning and an end. The chapter that I most liked was chapter eight. Chapter eight told us how to follow the way of the Tao. “In ruling, be just” ch8 this is one of the basic rules of all civilizations and religions to be just and fair. I think that today some people are treated unequally, but before there were many more injustices like slavery or sexism. The way of the Tao has simple rules like the ones mentioned in all religions and civilizations, but I think the Tao way emphasizes in the point that do not over use. The Tao says only to use what you need “Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow. Retire when the work is done. This is the way of heaven.”Ch9 I really agree with the concept of retire when the work is done. One movie that reminds me of this is Hannibal. In this movie the main character kills all the people that killed her sister, but after this he goes on killing people. First I do not agree with him killing the persons, but it can be seen as eye for eye, tooth for tooth. But when he starts killing people that have nothing to do with what they did to her sister is now going off the job.

Count And Non Count Exercises

Count and Noncount Nouns Part 1
Exercise 1

world c textbook c acid c smoking n poetry n applause c thought d
banana c conduct n progress n biology n essay c crystal c shopping n
Exercise 2
Defense x beauty x garbage experience x baggage
rain rug nature x bage motion x

Exercise 3
Diabetes: Beyond the Basics
Because diabetes can cause devastating damage to virtually all body systems. people with diabetes should not underrate the seriousness of their disease. Learning to live with a chronic illness such as diabetes must be an ongoing process.
The Hospital's Center for Family Life Education is sponsoring a five-part educational series on diabetes. The series will begin on April 30 and continue through May 29. The programs will be held in the second floor classroom of the Education Center from 7-9 p.m.
The diabetes series is free and open to the public and will be of specific interest to people who have diabetes and their families and friends.
Exercise 4
a table these person x this furniturethat assignment a boy
the poetrya difficulty xa research this eggs x those argument x

Exercise 5
The Computer Jungle
Though you can make __a__ decision on purely economic grounds, buying __a__ computer is often more like joining __a__ religious cult. Buy __an__ Apple, for example, and almost by default you join Apple chairman Steve Jobs in his crusade against IBM. Every machine has its "users' groups" and ____ band of loyal enthusiasts who tout its merits. That makes it all ____ more difficult for __an__ uninitiated to decide what machine to buy. Students have __a__ huge advantage, however. The computer companies are so eager for students' business (it builds "brand loyalty") that many offer huge discounts.
In the past six months, IBM, Apple, and others have brought out new computers, and __a__ fierce competition has forced prices down. Also, time is on your side: next year at __a__ time you'll have even more choice and more computing power and features for __the__ same price. On __the__ other hand, this will probably be true for many years. So for those who need or want __a__ computer now, it's a great time to buy one.



Part 2

1. quite a bit of
2. quite a bit of
3. quite a few
4. few
5. quite a bit of
6. few
7. little
8. quite a little of
9. few
10. little

The Confucian Way

The Goodness is more a way than being just a good person. Goodness is more a combination of virtues that make a true gentleman. These ideas I forgot to mention in my first blog. The first time I read this I talked about this story in a more literal way that explains how the Master talks with his disciples and how he teaches them to be good. Now this time that I reread this I found new meanings and things in this analect. I understand that the Master explains that persons need to really want things and not to be interested because they will be considered better. “Those who are good feel in home in Goodness, whereas those who are clever follow Goodness because they feel that they will profit from it.” 4, 2 The Master also shows that the way of the Good is the way that people also need to be conservative. “In serving your parents you may gently remonstrate with them.” 4, 18 The Master also says that the rituals are to be respected and always done. This sounds a very conservative society where you have to do the rituals and serve your parents. What I could understand by the Confucian Way is that it is very conservative and it teaches you how to be a good person.

Spelling Exercises

1. Where is my jacket? I wanted to wear it today, and if I can't find it, we’re going to be late
2. Jane wanted to go on the school trip, but her mother said two hundred dollars was too much for the family budget.
3. As she waited for Rodney to become conscious, Selma was seized with an attack of conscience—was there anything she could have done to prevent it.
4. The map led the intrepid treasure hunters to a lead box of precious stones.
5. Have you seen their coats? They’re going to need them it is cold outside. I last saw the coats over there.
6. After conducting careful research, Shufang had a brilliant idea she'd write a paper on Thomas More's concept of the ideal society in Utopia.
7. Even though Bob would rather play video games than study, he decided to hit the books and then play some Halo.
8. It’s easy to admire a corporation that puts so much effort in creating its signs and window displays.
9. You’re fortunate to have survived the car crash without a scratch; it must have been because you were wearing your seat belt.
10. I would advice you to seek qualified legal advise on how to handle the situation.

Confucius Essential 15,17,18: The Master Is A Person Willing Always To Learn

The Master is a teacher that constantly teaches his pupils and disciples to be each day better. This reminds me of a Mother or a Father that are constantly trying to teach their children to be good. In one part the Master tells his pupils “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire,” 15, 24 I think that this is one of the basic rules of humanity and you are always taught this by your parents when you are little. In that way the Master is similar to the parents that one might have. He can also be different in one way because the Master does not accept a person that is not willing to learn, but parents always have to accept their children even if they have some problems.
Another aspect of the Master is that he is always willing to learn. He is like a person that can’t get enough of something. Normally if you have too much of something and too frequently you will eventually get bored, but the Master is always willing to learn more and more. He even states “Loving Goodness, without balancing it with love for learning will result in the vice of foolishness.” 17, 8 what I could interpret from this is that one must never completely give up on something because if not you will be filled with the other thing. Maybe what The Master is trying to say is that to have a balanced life is good, but to go in extremes like wanting just goodness or just learning could lead to a bad effect.

Confucius Essential 7,8,11: A Person That Finds Good In Every Place And Time

The Master is a person that always looks for good in bad situations. It is hard to get good and knowledge out of bad things but the Master has the ability to find these. A person that can do this has to be a very optimistic person. The Master said “When walking with two other people, I will always find a teacher among them. I focus on those who are good and seek to emulate them, and focus on those who are bad in order to be reminded of what needs to be changed in myself,” 7,23 I really liked this quotation because I did find it commonly in my life. When I am at a big dinner with my parents and their friends I try to copy persons that eat well to look more educated and avoid doing things that people do wrong at the table. A big teaching that I got from the Master is that money is not everything. Through out the analects he constantly repeats that money is not all “Without a thought given to official salary.” 8, 12 I know that money is not all very well, but money is necessary to live because with money is the only way you will be able to buy food. I really do not think that a person can go for a month without thinking about money unless he is a very spiritual person. The master in one moment of analect eleven says that the “heaven has bereft me.” 11, 9 I really see a similarity with what happened with Job when he lost faith or with Elie when he stopped believing in God’s good justice.

Confucius Essential: A Person Full Of Goodness

According to what the master thinks and says a true gentleman is one that is guided by goodness. I really agree with what the master tells its pupils to act as and how. The master sets like some kind of rules, but they don’t seem like rules. He just tries to tell them how should a good person be like and that are his pupil’s standards. This really seems like a way to establish rules without setting limits. Normally you are accustomed that rules are given to you like in boundaries and with commands, but here the master shows us a way that is not that way but a more kind and better way. I personally believe that if you tell a person to behave themselves with bad words and roughly it is harder to convince him than if you are more kind and helpful with them.
People are always been taught this one phrase “What I do not wish other to do unto me, I also wish not to do unto others.” 5.12. What this means is that you should not do to others what you do not want them to do to you. I think this rule goes beyond the literal. This phrase or rule must be one of the first rules of humanity because without it world would be chaos everyone doing what they want. This phrase I think it was done for people to be able to make good in all their decisions but also was some ay to rule the people. The master says to never have found a person full of goodness. I think this is a state that can’t be determined by someone else. Only one knows if he or she has been good in every aspect. It can’t be measured by anyone or by anything because it depends on your effort out of the whole you can do.

Obama's Victory Speech

Obama acceptance speech

“He states that the states will not be blue and red, but they will always be the United States of America.” I think this is demonstrative because Obama states that they are not separated, he states that they are united and are the United States of America.

“Senator McCain has endured longer for America.” Obama uses Logos when he starts talking about McCain because he talks of the good things he has done.

“Our campaign didn’t start with many endorsements, or money. It was built from hard working people by giving us 10 to 20 dollars.” He uses pathos to think that their campaign was hard and that people were in hard times but still helped.

The body language that Obama shows is an enthusiastic language that gets the people gathered around him motivated and exited. I think in this speech He talks more about the problems the nation is suffering and saying thanks to all the people that supported him. Obama also managed to make the people get chanting and motivated but not in an informal way. He managed by just saying the things he will do and he doesn’t change voice or anything he is just so good at persuasive speeches that he gets the people to support him easily.

Job And Night: If Hope Is Lost Why Live?

Job is a man that was once privileged and had a lot of power and had God on his side, but in one moment where he receives that disease from God he gives up on God and starts to think that the life of the wicked and the ones that don’t believe in God is a good life. In Night Eliezer is also faced with a challenge that tests his hope and faith. He once was a normal Jewish person who had a family and a good life, but when the Nazi’s invaded them he had to go to concentration camps. He also as Job starts to stop being so loyal to God and to think that he had abandoned them. If we compare the situations where Job and Eliezer are put and lose faith in God we can find some similarities and differences. Job was in his house, he had food and water and was tortured by his disease. Job had support from his friends and that was very important. In the other hand Eliezer was in concentration camp where everything was bad and wrong. He only had his father and was being tortured by his keepers and sometimes by his companions. Eliezer gives up God in the beginning of his life in the concentration camps. We see that he no longer felt the divine presence of God and his help. He said “But I had ceased to pray. How I sympathized with Job! I did not deny God’s existence, but I doubted his absolute justice.” pg 42 so we see that he no longer feels God in his side. Job starts to feel the same and each day he starts to look at the life of wicked people like a good life. I think these two books are really similar because they show how sometimes you can give up on hope and on faith on harsh times, but with people that still have something to live for managed to survive the harsh times. Eliezer’s motivation was his father and Job was his friends and the hope to live one day more. They might be different in the setting of time and events, but the main theme of hope and faith are present in both books.

Presidential Debate Fallacies

Presidential debate Fallacies

McCAin- “Is it expensive? Yes. But we all know, my friends, until we stabilize home values in America, we're never going to start turning around and creating jobs and fixing our economy. And we've got to give some trust and confidence back to America.”
This can be a circular reasoning fallacy because the main problem is that the economical status is getting worse. If they use the money on houses there will be no money for jobs nor to fix the economy, the same would happen if they use the money for jobs or for fixing the economy.

McCain- “But you know, they're the ones that, with the encouragement of Sen. Obama and his cronies and his friends in Washington, that went out and made all these risky loans, gave them to people that could never afford to pay back.”
I find this like begging the question because Mcain is not really asked who is guilty but how are they going to help them so he doesn’t really answer the question and starts accusing that could be the next safe spot.

Obama- “And Sen. McCain during that period said that we should keep on deregulating because that's how the free enterprise system works. Now, with respect to Fannie Mae, what Sen. McCain didn't mention is the fact that this bill that he talked about wasn't his own bill. He jumped on it a year after it had been introduced and it never got passed. And I never promoted Fannie Mae. In fact, Sen. McCain's campaign chairman's firm was a lobbyist on behalf of Fannie Mae, not me.” This is sort of Non Causa Pro Causa, because Obama’s cause for the problem is not really the cause of the problem In other words him not supporting Fannie Mae is not the cause of the problem.

Obama- “Well, look, I understand your frustration and your cynicism, because while you've been carrying out your responsibilities -- most of the people here, you've got a family budget. If less money is coming in, you end up making cuts. Maybe you don't go out to dinner as much. Maybe you put off buying a new car. That's not what happens in Washington. And you're right. There is a lot of blame to go around.”
This is hasty generalization because not all people put off buying a car and stop going to dinners because some people are corrupt and steal the money from taxes. Also I think that there are some people in Washington that are also suffering of this economical problem so he is generalizing

Job 10-38: Is There A Superior Being Than God?

From the story of Job I could receive various teachings. First I saw that perseverance has to be a value that you have to have very strong in your life because if not things might be harder to bear. In the case of Job he had a lot of perseverance at the beginning, but then started to give up on his hope. He starts to also give up on God and to talk good about the life of the wicked. I think that three things will be very hard to lose in your whole life that is family support, hope, and belief in your superior being. Your family will almost always be there for you except if you lose them or if you fight with them. God and hope will never be lost because God is always there with you and hope is something you control so you can always have it. Job’s friends really try to bring him up and that brought to my mind what real good friends are. Real friends are not friends that are just with you for your friends, your house or your money, they are there for you to help you, to be with you in the good and bad times, and those are real friends that are worth your friendship. But then Job defies God by thinking that he is superior. “Thinkest thou this this to be right, that thou sadist, my righteousness is more than God’s,”Job 35, 2 so we can see that Job is thinking himself superior than God. Job was one of God’s favorites but then thinks he is greater than God? This sounds like the story of Lucifer when he though he was better than God. Could there be a superior being or species than God?