...idle fancies, are, in truth, stray pages torn out from the life and experiences of the inner man, and the dim recollection of which at the moment of awakening becomes more or less distorted by our physical memory. The latter catches mechanically a few impressions of the thoughts, facts witnessed, and deeds performed by the inner man during its hours of complete freedom. For our Ego lives its own separate life within its prison of clay whenever it becomes free from the trammels of matter, i.e., during the sleep of the physical man. This Ego it is which is the actor, the real man, the true human self. But the physical man cannot feel or be conscious during dreams; for the personality, the outer man, with its brain and thinking apparatus, are paralyzed more or less completely. -- Transactions of the Blavatsky Lodge, p. 50 Thus,Sleep and death are brothers, according to the old Greek proverb. However, comments G. de Purucker that” they are not merely brothers, born of the same fabric of human consciousness, but are in all verity one, identical. Death is a perfect sleep, with its interim awakenings of a kind, such as in the devachan, and a full human awakening in the succeeding reincarnation. Sleep is an imperfect fulfilment of death, nature's prophecy of the future death. Nightly we sleep, and therefore nightly we partially die. Indeed, one may go still farther and say that sleep and death and all the various processes and realizations of initiation are but different phases or operations...
Words: 2011 - Pages: 9
...When people are put in a life or death situation, they share uniformity in the steps they take in order to survive as mentioned in “Deep Survival,” by Laurence Gonzales. Yet when put in a life threating situation the protagonist in the short story, “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, failed to follow some of these steps which lead to his eventual death. These steps include staying calm, taking decisive action, and surrendering the fear of death. One reason the main character died is because he did not follow the trait of “staying calm, and letting fear motivate him.” In his crisis, he did not understand the importance of taking meticulous decisive action. For example, the man decided to turn aside from the main Yukon trail, instead of staying...
Words: 868 - Pages: 4
...Even though over half of the states have legalized the death penalty, it is still a highly controversial and debated topic throughout America. The death penalty is such an immensely arguable topic because the states have the control over the life and death of a human. Advocates of the death penalty believe that it is a deterrent, but evidence has proven otherwise; they also do not recognize the many faults tied up in the system. The death penalty should be abolished because the prisoners are treated inhumanely not only from living on death row, but from receiving a bad batch of lethal injection drugs. Many people do not realize the immense cost required for the execution of a single inmate and the discrimination {against African Americans} that lives in the courtroom. After being sentenced to execution, prisoners are sent to death row; a section located in in a prison that deprives them of their sanity. Death row is like solitary confinement; the inmates are isolated and confined to a cell the size of a bathroom for at least 22 hours a day. The prisoners are constantly subjected to atrocious conditions to the point that they are getting their human rights taken from them. The prisoners...
Words: 1348 - Pages: 6
...George Hammond Intro to Philosophy May 4, 2014 Death, Nonexistence, and the Existence Requirements The existence requirement is the first premise of an argument based on the writings of Epicurus designed to oppose the idea that death is bad. The premise states that something can be bad for you only if you exist. In an attempt to revise the existence requirement so that it is acceptable, but does not conclude with death being bad for you, Kagan introduces a modest and bold version. The modest version states that something can be bad for you only if you exist at some time or the other, while the bold version states that something can be bad for you only if you exist at the same time as that thing. Kagan accepts the modest version, since it allows death to be bad for you even though you don’t exist at the same time as it occurs. Kagan then introduces a problem with accepting this version. If we also accept the deprivation account, which states that death is bad because it deprives us of life, we assume that the more years taken off a potentially long life, the worse death becomes for that person. When we simply eliminate this life altogether, however, it is not bad at all, since the person never existed. In this paper, I’ll address the badness of death (or lack thereof) and the situation of nonexistence, and how these relate to the existence requirement. I will also argue that death is not actually bad on the basis of the invalidity of the deprivation account. I will then...
Words: 2108 - Pages: 9
...Kill the Injection Not a Life Did you know that Capital Punishment is in fact, legal in 32 of 50 states in the United States (CNN)? Capital punishment should be illegal in all 50 states because it is not only wrong, but it also violates the basic human rights. Research proves that lethal injection does not reduce crime rate, therefore it is not effective (DPIC). The death penalty is immoral and portrays discriminatory acts based on color, sex, race, social status, etc. It’s time to stop turning the blind eye and do what is right. Researchers agree that sentencing someone to death does not stop individuals from killing, raping, or selling drugs again. Some people would say that lethal injection, electrocution, a firing squad, a gas chamber, and hanging are not the answer to correct the inappropriate behaviors of criminals. Capital Punishment violates the human basic rights law which was intended to protect individuals, not harm them. According to the Center for Constitutional Rights the basic human rights law first became effective in 1948 (CCR 1).The Universal Declaration of Human Right (UDHR) states that everyone has the right to life which can be found under article 3, therefore it is violated one of the most underlining articles in this declaration by implementing the death sentence. It should not be okay for citizens to vote for a law that is responsible for taking a life for a crime that was committed, when it is not okay for the crime being committed in the first place...
Words: 2546 - Pages: 11
...Hell on Earth Nothing impure can enter into the Kingdom of God (Revelations 21:27). Every person will have to pay for their sins to "the very last penny" (Luke 12:59). I'll use somewhat of a parable to explain purgatory. God is just per Scripture (John 5:30), correct? Now, let's say you have one man who leads a saintly life and another who leads a sinful life, but sincerely repents of his sins on his death bed. According to Protestants, both these men go straight to heaven after death. Is this just? I would have to answer in the negative. According to Catholic belief, the saintly man would go straight to heaven whereas the repentant man would have to be cleansed through temporal (not eternal) punishment for his sins before entering heaven. Where is this done? He can't be sent to hell because hell is eternal per Scripture (Matthew 25:46; Mark 3:29). There has to be a middle ground so to speak. This "middle" ground is purgatory. We must suffer for our sins just as Christ suffered for them (Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 1:5-7). If this suffering is not in this life, it has to be in the next. Protestants say that since purgatory is not mentioned in the Holy Bible, it doesn't exist. But the Holy Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible either yet almost all mainstream Protestant denominations believe in it. Unfortunately, the King James Version of the Bible mistakenly omits the Books of Maccabees. These books were decided by the Church Fathers to be inspired of God. The Twelve Apostles...
Words: 1538 - Pages: 7
...century philosophers with contrasting theories about human nature. Rousseau published first part of his Discourse on Inequality arguing that men in a state of nature are free and equal. In their theories, both Hobbes and Rousseau’s appeal to the state of nature are quite different. This paper will discuss how Rousseau’s understanding of fear of death of human nature differs from Hobbes’s understanding. Hobbes believes that man is always in the fear of being killed in a painful way because everyone is an enemy of each other. Hobbes says life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Hobbes, 76). The fear of a short life that ends badly should be the glue that holds society together....
Words: 1009 - Pages: 5
...John Ford’s The Man who Shot Liberty Valance is one of the greatest American films ever made, and certainly John Ford’s best, the only challenger to this title potentially being the quintessential western inversion, The Searchers. Many would classify The Man who Shot Liberty Valance as a western, and they, at first glance, would be correct to assume so: John Wayne, a gun fight, and a setting of the western territories. At further watchings, however, one can clearly see that The Man who Shot Liberty Valance is lacks the devices defining a film as a western, and shows the death of the “John Ford Western”: this is shown through the setting, the shots, and the overall plot and theme of the film. The Man who Shot Liberty Valance is about Ransom...
Words: 1867 - Pages: 8
...For decades the death penalty has been an emotional and almost unmentionable issue that has affected people in many different ways. Whenever the word "death penalty" comes up, extremists from both sides start yelling out their arguments. One side says deterrence, the other side says there's a potential of executing an innocent person; one says justice, retribution, and punishment; the other side says execution is murder. Regardless of people’s philosophic points of view, it is important to be aware of the facts. This is exactly what I would like to talk about in this essay: the facts regarding this controversial issue. I do not have the answer to this question; I believe both viewpoints have good arguments. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion in this or any other matter, but no one is entitled to his own facts. What is the death penalty? Congress or any state legislature may prescribe the death penalty, also known as capital punishment, for murder and other capital crimes. (Death Penalty: An Overview, 2010) As far back as the Ancient Laws of China, the death penalty has been established as a punishment for crimes. In the 18th Century BC, the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon established the death penalty for twenty five different crimes, although murder was not one of them. The first death sentence historically recorded occurred in 16th Century BC Egypt where the wrongdoer, a member of nobility, was accused of magic, and ordered to take his own life. During this...
Words: 2381 - Pages: 10
...Essay topic: Compare and contrast the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama as the founder of Buddhism with either the teachings of Jesus as the founder of Christianity or Muhammad as the founder of Islam. Guidelines: In topic 8 we deal with New Religious Movements and the fact that each of the major world religions was once a New Religious Movement. In topic 9 we dealt with the role of the founder in New Religious Movements. Use the material of topics 8, 9, 10 and 11 to present an overview of the teachings of the founder in the two traditions. What are the similarities and differences in the teachings of these two founders? Word Count: 2746 Virtually every major Christian doctrine is denied in Buddhism and vice versa, yet many consider that there are similarities between the two religions. From looking at the founding figure of each, it is clear that these two religions emerged from two vastly different times and each taught opposing values for their followers to abide by. Although there are some values and ideas that the founders both taught as important, the major aspects of the religions differ greatly and suggest that following the other religion will only result in suffering or eternal punishment. By examining the founding figure of each of the religions and how each began, it illustrates the opposing ideas of each religion. The initial similarity of the two religions is that both of the founding figures existed in the flesh and lived among their followers and disciples...
Words: 3128 - Pages: 13
...Corc. 1110: Classical cultures Socrates’ death Socrates is brought to trial because he is being accused from three different charges. According to his accusers, he made the worst arguments the stronger, he was wrong to believe in others gods than the ones from Athens, he corrupted the youth of Athens. Even though he proved that none of these accusations were true and that should not be convicted from any charges, he was tried and sentenced to death. However, Socrates resigned his sentence because he believed in the laws of Athens ,the will of the gods, spirits and in the immorality of his soul. Socrates during his conversation with Crito, who is trying to convince Socrates to escape into exile instead of staying at prison waiting for his day of death, explains the obligations that citizen have to the state. He says that one must respect the state into one is born and do what it demands to do as if it is their own parents because the state acts as a parent when it gives a place to grow up, live, protection and education . So, one “must either persuade it or obey its orders, and endure in silence whatever It instructs you to endure, whether blows or bonds, and if it leads you into war to be wounded or killed you must obey”( Plato, 51-b). One cannot break a law because it will hurt the state then it will show that the law has some weakness and that the government has no type of power over it. The city of Athens also...
Words: 956 - Pages: 4
...An issue that has continually created tension in today's society is whether the death penalty serves as a justified and valid form of punishment. Whenever the word "death penalty" comes up, extremists from both sides start yelling out their arguments. One side says deterrence, the other side says there's a potential of executing an innocent man; one says justice, retribution, and punishment; the other side says execution is murder. Crime is an evident part of society, and everyone is aware that something must be done about it. Most people know the threat of crime to their lives, but the question lies in the methods and action in which it should be dealt with. In several parts of the world, the death penalty has been apportioned to those who have committed a variety of offenses from the time of ancient Babylon to present-day America. The Roman Empire made use of the death penalty liberally, as did the Church of the Middle Ages. As history tells us, capital punishment, whose definition is "the use of death as a legally sanctioned punishment," is an acceptable and efficient means of deterring crime. Today, the death penalty remains an effective method of punishment for murder and other heinous crimes. There is debate over the morals and effectiveness of such a harsh sentence. Most commonly, the death penalty is challenged as a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which says that the U.S. cannot use "cruel and unusual" punishment. Due to the fact that "punishment" is a legal...
Words: 1630 - Pages: 7
...of being afraid. Edgar Allan Poe, the author of many short stories, who based his stories from fear and death. The name Poe brings about mind images of murderer and madmen. The two stories that will be mention in this piece are “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Pit and The Pendulum”. Edgar Allan Poe loved to write and because of his life, he writes various stories about fear. Poe uses life experiences and gothic language to set the mood of fear in each short story. The Pit and The Pendulum is a short story about the narrator who is being sentenced death during the time of the Inquisition. The narrator was losing consciousness and when he wakes, he faces complete darkness. He was confused because execution is usually in the form of hanging. The narrator is belted down on a table with a blade swinging back and forth at the level of his waist or stomach. “ Then the mere consciousness of existence, without thought - a condition which lasted long. Then very suddenly, thought and shuddering terror, and earnest endeavor to comprehend my true state.” “a fearful idea now suddenly drove the blood in torrents upon my heart, and for a brief period I at once more relapsed into insensibility upon recovering, I at once started to my feet, trembling convulsively in every fibre.” The first quote, there seems to be no fear without any thought but what is a more desirable state. The second quotes means the narrator can only handle so much in one day but he is handling way to much...
Words: 896 - Pages: 4
...were caught (“The Assassination of the President”). To many, this was a tragedy and even President Lincoln’s enemies after death. John Wiles Booth was a famous actor, but today his is more well-known as the kill of President Abraham Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth was a native of Maryland. He was born on May 10, 1838 and was the ninth of the children. As a teen, he went to St. Timothy’s Hall,...
Words: 1199 - Pages: 5
...I’m here to talk to about capital punishment or as you know it the death penalty. The death penalty dates back to the 10th century when the British would hang people. We still do it in the 21 century. So I ask you why? I when no better than people from 900s. If you believe so then we must stop death penalties. In the Constitution in the 8th amendment we have written that we shall not preform cruel and unusual punishment. Well the death penalty is cruel but not unusual. In April 2005, in the British medical journal The Lancet, a team of medical researchers found serious flaws in how lethal injections were being administered, causing extreme suffering to the prisoners being executed. The report found “that in 43 of the 49 executed prisoners studied the anesthetic administered during lethal injection was lower than required for surgery. On December 13, 2006, Angel Nieves Diaz was the victim of a botched execution so terrible that it led Florida’s Republican Governor and death penalty enthusiast Jeb Bush to issue an executive order halting executions in the state. On December 13, 2006, Angel Nieves Diaz was the victim of a botched execution so terrible that it led Florida’s Republican Governor and death penalty enthusiast Jeb Bush to issue an executive order halting executions in the state. Technicians wrongly inserted the needles carrying the poisons that were to kill Diaz. The caustic chemicals poured into his soft tissues instead of his veins, as intended. This left Diaz struggling...
Words: 608 - Pages: 3
