...A Summary on Narcissism, Pragmatism, Unbridled Restlessness and the Non-Contemplative Personality In this chapter, Rolheiser presents to us three main factors that militates against contemplation, and fosters a non-contemplative personality by pointing out how our own self-interests blocks us from having a purity of heart needed to see God. These factors are namely Narcissism, Pragmatism and Unbridled Restlessness. Narcissism is defined in Freudian psychology as “excessive self-preoccupation. This entails a propensity for individualism and our corresponding inability to be healthily aware of and concerned about the reality beyond our private lives. In other words, Narcissism is the state of being obsessed with one’s self to the point that everything beyond one’s self is deemed irrelevant. Narcissistic people lack a sense of the communal and lack a sense of reality beyond themselves because for them, the only real thing is themselves, they desire to excel above others, can’t act beyond self-interests and are becoming excessively private. Pragmatism comes from the word pragma, which means “business”, efficiency, sensibleness and practicality. In its philosophy, what it means is what is true is what works, wherein the truth should correspond to concrete utilities, practical consequences and can benefit the world. Basically, the worth of everything lies in achievements. This, in some aspects is good, as it benefits everyone. However, there are some aspects of pragmatism that should...
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...Introduction: Flash of Facts Only those living under a rock will be wondering what ‘selfie’ means. It is essentially a photograph of oneself taken by them self. It’s a simple trend that has infiltrated almost every corner of the social media world: people are holding their smart phone out at arm’s length, making a variety of faces—from the classic smile or serious face, to the more comedic duck face or sticking out one’s tongue– snapping a photo and then uploading it to social media profiles like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. In November 2013, the word "selfie" was announced as being the "word of the year" by the Oxford English Dictionary. The appeal of selfies comes from how simple they are to create and share, and the control they give self-photographers over how they present themselves. So what is the hue and cry about this apparently harmless activity of clicking one’s own pictures? This is where an ancient Greek mythology helps us in understanding the etymology of the word ‘narcissist’ and the psychological state of a narcissist. It centres on a very handsome young man called Narcissus. So attractive was this man that all the girls fell in love with him. He was aware of his charms and this made him arrogant and proud. Despite the efforts of the ladies to win his affections he ignored their overtures. One day as Narcissus was walking through the forest he stumbled upon a clear pool of water. As he knelt to drink - for he was very thirsty- the loveliest sight that...
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...>> Anne Rudden: Good afternoon. My name is Anne Rudden, and I am here to introduce Adam Lashinsky, who is joining us as part of the Microsoft Research Visiting Speaker Series. Adam is here today to discuss his book, Inside Apple, How America's Most Admired and Secretive Company Really Works. Apple has created some deeply loved products, but even sophisticated business people don't understand how Apple does what it does. Adam will tell us more about some of their unique approaches to business. Adam Lashinsky is a senior editor at large for Fortune Magazine, where he covers technology and finance. He is also a frequent speaker and Fox News contributor. Prior to joining Fortune Lashinsky was columnist for the street.com and the San Jose Mercury News. Please join me in welcoming Adam Lashinsky. [applause]. >> Adam Lashinsky: Thank you very much. It's really wonderful to be here. I want to tell you straight off the bat that I'm doing this presentation on Power Point and running off of PC. A dirty little secret that I've been waiting to reveal until I got here is that I wrote the book on a PC in Word. So thank you. Thank you very much. I have to get some things off my screen. There we go. And one other sort of opening comment is that I know that a lot of people when they begin a talk ask people to turn off their telephones or to close their laptops. I would like you to do just the opposite. I'm assuming that if you are looking at...
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