“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts“(Lincoln). The people can achieve anything, but the real problem is for them to know the real cause. If the cause is false, there is nothing they can do. It becomes much worse when the cause is true but whoever is trying to get it to people is not convincing enough. That is why incredible number of problems are not solved, although they existed for centuries. In his speech, Al Gore made a few convincing points, however he lost his audience for the rest of the speech. Rachel Carson, on the other hand, made herself clear and got her point across to thousands of readers across the globe because of the writing techniques she used to convince her readers to take care of the environment.

First of all, her title was “The Obligation to Endure”(Carson). If looked upon, the title carries important information. In some kind of way it confuses reader, however, it does carry the point across. The word “obligation” makes reader think about actions he or she should take in order to help the cause. This means that Carson’s readers are ready to help the cause without even knowing the cause yet. Of course, if she would start talking about everyone starting a war with his or her neighbor, she would probably loose attention of most of people due to the cause. In this case, however, just the title gives her a huge advantage in bringing her point across.

The title of Al Gore’s speech was simply “The Climate Emergency”(Gore). Although, the word “emergency”, uses in this case, helps the person understand the importance of the cause, it does not imply that the person should take an action in order to prevent something from happening. It simply states that the problem exists and someone has to fix it. Not the person hearing the speech, not his or her neighbor, not his or her son or daughter. This means that, although Al Gore was trying to convince people to take an action to prevent global warming, he lost attention of the half of his audience after the first three words of his speech. The people understood the point made, but they did not feel the relation to that point.

Another technique that helped Carson get her point across is the way she presented the point. Instead of showing her audience copious number of pretty pictures charts and graphs, she used the words that would help her readers imagine the impact rather than seeing it. “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind”(Kipling). Anyone can stand in front of the audience and wave couple shiny pieces of paper in front of their eyes. It doesn’t mean that the audience will understand the point made. However, when a few real life examples are made, the people can relate to them. The people can also paint a picture in their heads which would be hard to erase. If someone shows a person a beautiful picture, that person might be impressed. He or she might show it to everyone around him or her. However, after a few months, the person will forget about the picture. It would not be the same if the person would draw the picture. He or she would than care about the picture, and go back to it day after day.

Same thing happens when someone is trying to convince you about something. The person can show you different graphs, charts, and other media. However, it is much more important that the person would be using the right words. The picture might help, but a wrong word would only hurt the argument. That is why Rachel Carson’s argument is easier to understand and relate to.

Al Gore was trying his best to get the point across, however, he made a huge number of mistakes while doing though. Carson, on the other hand, made herself clear and easy to understand. She gave her readers a chance to relate to the information she was presenting. She made her readers feel the impact instead just telling them about it. She gave some real life examples and facts to make sure that the readers understood the point as well as take action to help the cause.

Works Cited

Carson, Rachel. “The Obligation to Endure.” Reading the World: Ideas That Matter. Ed. Michael Austin. New York: W.W.Norton&, 2010. 425. Print.

Gore, Albert A. “The Climate Emergency.” Reading the World: Ideas That Matter. Ed. Michael Austin. New York: W.W.Norton&, 2010. 454. Print.

Kipling, Rudyard, Miller Fred “Public Speaking and Presentation Quotes.” No Sweat Public Speaking. FeedBurner, 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. <http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/public-speaking-presentation-quotes/>.

Lincoln, Abraham. “Point Quotes – BrainyQuote.” BrainyQuote. BrainyQuote, 2001. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/point.html>.

Is this an accident?

You are travelling with a friend.  You need to be at a particular point at a particular time.  Your ‘friend’ is deep in conversation with someone else about nothing particularly urgent.  You are standing and watching the clock tick.
You are visible to your friend, you are obviously somewhat agitated, but your friend continues.

Is this inadvertent?

It is clear in the first case that the pizzas were ordered either a) deliberately so you couldn’t eat them, or b) accidentally because the person ordering ‘forgot about you.’   Either way, you’re being here is not in your best interest, so leaving as soon as possible and not putting yourself back into this situation is advised.

In the second, your friend is trying to tell you, without having to say anything, that you should not rely, depend or otherwise insert yourself into his/her life.  S/he doe not want to be travelling with you.  There is no nice way to say it, hence making it inadvisable for you to request assistance from this person is the intention.  Do not ask this person for a favour again.

People who are always late or seem not to hear you or appear oblivious to you are sending you the kind of message you are supposed to ‘read’ without words. 

Social interactions today are quite complicated and often the need to be ‘nice’ or ‘kind’ or ‘helpful’ creates the impression that one ’should’ do something.   Subconsciously, not wishing to do it, they find a method which is supposed to send the ‘message.’

Many people are uncomfortable among those with divergent beliefs or practices.  They know they are to be ‘politically correct’ but they don’t want to sacrifice their ‘liberty’.   Hence, they may know you are an Orthodox Jew or Muslim or any other sect which doesn’t eat pork.  Yet, with Three Pizzas ALL must have pork.  This is saying; “Go Away!”

Many people feel put upon, but can’t say No.  Maybe there is a economic/social/familiar relationship so that they are ‘obligated’.   They rebel against this obligation.

You are not paranoid or thin skinned when you notice it, you are simply Aware.

Although he is close to forty chronologically, he is really nineteen.  He should be dating, enjoying life, doing whatever he pleases instead of having a wife and two kids to look after. 

He had problems with Shirley and broke off with her more than once.  The last time it looked permanent but somehow she knew which buttons to push.

Soon she was pregnant and he married her.   There was the belief that when she went to visit her mother he would take that tranfer to New Guinea and let time and space do what he hadn’t the courage. 

He has two children with her now.  They are noisy wild children, and when he’s available they are all over him and he’s the affectionate Daddy.  But you can see the guilt within him.  

He wishes they were never born.

He wishes he never married Shirley.

There are many people trapped as Phil is trapped in a life which is ‘too old’ for them.  Looking at birthdays is never useful.  People are not merely as old as they feel they are as old as they want to be.  Phil would have been perfectly happy being a teenager until he was forty.  

All his friends were like him, whether they were married or not, they had this sense of childhood about them and could spend hours comparing Star Trek the Movie to TOS or arguing over the significance of the Archetect in the Matrix. 

No one was interested in first words or teeth or the best diapers, and neither was he.

He had never imagined being the breadwinner for a wife and two kids who did nothing. Wasn’t used to being broke all the time, never able to go out.  The only time he could partially escape was at work.  And he began to live at work. He could be himself.

Other men, men who didn’t have as good a job or nice home would go away and never come back. But Phil had obligtions and knew he had obligations so being happy was no longer important.

Depending on your culture and age, the above sentence is as shocking as levitation or as mundane as selecting your shoes to match your outfit.

Many of us grew up with a superannuated relative in our homes.  This was ‘family’ and one always put family first.  Today, for many, family is not as important as friends of the moment, and the possibility of having to put up with anyone one doesn’t have to is an anathema.

That Beth feels no shame or embarrassment, considering she does have a spare room and can afford an extra plate at her table is the tragic reality of the 21st century where social security is not the ‘top up’ for the aged relative, but the only means of survival.

It is the very real fact that there are many people like Beth whose world view is me and what I can get and what I can avoid. 

It is not a situation where Bet’s mother did not raise her, that there is a very credible reason why she would so easily toss her mother into a homeless shelter, it is simply that in Beth’s balance sheet her mother is of no use to her hence she has no obligation.

The tragic fact is that many people in homeless shelters have families, families they looked after until bankruptcy, families which have no sense of obligation to them.

This is the product of the ‘me’ generation.

By

S J Tubrazy

A company has its independent legal and separate entity from the shareholders. The company and the members are bound to observe all the provisions of memorandum and articles which confer right and duties upon them. A shareholder by virtue of the articles is bound by the resolution of the majority and legally obliged to accept it provided it has been passed in accordance with the law and the articles. These rights are known as corporate membership rights. In contract distinction to these corporate rights there are individual rights as well which are enjoyed by every member.

These rights are the rights conferred upon member by virtue of the contract with the company as contained in company law and the same cannot be withdrawn or taken away except by law or with the consent of the shareholders. If such individual member’s right is infringed the shareholder has a right to agitate for its protection in the Court of law. A member can sue to enforce his individual eight to which he is entitled under the Articles or the statute. To name a few, he may sue the company to enter his name in the register of members, restrain the company from excluding his name from membership, to restore his name if wrongfully removed, to allow him right of vote, to pay the dividend duly declared and return his capital on winding-up.

The directors owe duty to the company. They do not owe any con­tractual or fiduciary duty to the shareholders, in the management of the company. The shareholders by virtue of the statutory contract have certain rights as provided under Law or by articles. This individual right does not travel to the extent of claiming accounts from the directors which they are even otherwise bound to present in terms of the articles.

Are we obligated to be moral? Let’s try to tackle this convoluted conundrum in a simplistic manner by dividing it into a 3 stage discussion.

1)      1) Obligation

When we refer to obligation, is it the same as feeling obliged to do something? John Austin, who popularized Positivism, used an example of a situation where a gunman asks a victim for money while a gun was pointed at the latter. The victim was obliged to give him money, but does he have an obligation to do so? This must be contrasted with a situation where a police is asking for your driver’s license or National ID in legitimate circumstances. Hence, for our discussion sake, the word “obligated” must include some elements of normativity, and not one which is influenced by relative emotional values. Otherwise, it would be ludicrous to base our conclusion on subjective emotions.

2)      2) The denominator for morality

The peripheral definition of morality is amorphous. However, as H.L.A. Hart pointed out, humans have certain limitations. Hence, an objective system will always be set up and agreed upon a society to act as a bulwark against these limitations, namely: Human vulnerability, Approximate equality, Limited altruism, Limited resources and Limited understanding. Let’s take human vulnerability for example. Our lives are extremely fragile. We can easily kill one another with infinitely creative ways. Consequently, it is normal that we will reach a settlement not to do so and place our vulnerability under the aegis of man-made laws.

3)      3) Culture and norms

Once an issue of morality is codified into laws, there will be no question of whether we are bound by it as a matter of obligation or not. However, colloquially, we seem to place culture and norms under the peripheral of morality as well. For example, in certain countries it is illicit to make seditious remarks on the government, as oppose to making offensive remarks on your friends. Nonetheless, the latter will still be considered by many to be “immoral”.

With that in mind, why aren’t such actions be made illegal? That is because for something to be illegal, it must be an objective view of the society. If there are conflicting views on the values of something, we will then have the option to choose what we want to believe. This is common with what we colloquially call “human rights”. Using back the above example, the right to not being offended must be balanced out with the freedom of speech. There will never be an objective view when it comes to balancing between rights which are immeasurable and seemingly of equal importance. In short, there is no such thing as an “absolute right”. In conclusion, we can only be obligated to be moral if it is made into law, as that represents the objectiveness of the society in regards to a particular issue. It is anomalous to make it an obligation to be moral for issues which have conflicting views base on relative emotional values, as that would indirectly mean that someone is obligated to follow a cultural imposition of another.

I am tired of people who do things for me out of guilt or sense of obligation. I’m even more tired of those who do things for me so they can brag about it or because they want something in return. What takes the cake though is people who make (or fake) grand gestures in public that they would have never dreamed of making in private.  What happened to doing for others out of love? When you truly care about someone, you do for them and give to them because you WANT to; not because you HAVE to. You give without expectation of receiving.  And if the person really cares about you, they will do the same.

It’s a well-kept secret (perhaps) that some people in your life and mine are just faking it to make it. They have no desire to do the things they are doing, but rather feel a need to do them to gain approval or favor.  Those who know the faker well are not fooled by their acts of “kindness”, though the general public may be. How can you tell if your friend, spouse, family member or co-worker is faking it?

The first tip-off is that they do things half-heartedly and generally half-assed (excuse my French) as well. They don’t appear happy to perform the act; they are downright reluctant, in fact. The faker will also do only as much as is absolutely required.  There will be no extra effort go above and beyond what is normally called for. People who genuinely WANT to do something will be excited and passionate about doing it. They will throw themselves into it and try to do an extraordinary job while they’re at it.  They are happy to do one thing for you and will look for additional things they can do.

Ladies, does your husband call you “sweetheart “ and “baby” when you are out with friends but only calls you by your name at home? When he gives you a piece of jewelry for your anniversary, do you find that people are coming up to you to admire it because he has told everyone that he bought it for you? That’s a huge hint that he is a faker.  The same goes for the girlfriend that lets you raid her closet and then makes a point of telling the rest of your friends that the dress you’re wearing used to be hers.

Men, does your wife seem to only be going through the motions during sex? Chances are she tired, ill or maybe even uninterested, but she goes along out of a sense of obligation. She doesn’t want to take the chance that you will cheat on her in order to get your needs met. So rather than tell you that she’s not in the mood, she will play along to insure you remain faithful.  On the other hand, there are husbands who will help out around the house only to insure that they can play on that obligation. They don’t do it because they see their wife is overwhelmed and they want to help. They do it because they want to make sure she is not too tired for sex at the end of the day.

There are lots of fakers out there. If you pay close attention, you’ll be able to spot them.  I’ve come to a point in my life where I only want to deal with people who are genuine; those who do things for me out of love and concern for my well-being. I have to admit I, too, have done some faking from time to time; doing things for others because they expected me to do them.  Let’s all make this pledge from this day forward:

I will no longer be prodded into doing things out of guilt, obligation or others’ ideas of what I should be doing.  I will not make a show of giving so that others will be impressed.  I will treat loved ones in private the same way I do in public.  I will do those things that I can do freely and enthusiatically, out of the abundance of my heart. I will give out of love, with no expectation of receiving. I will no longer fake it to make it.

©2010 – Andrea J. Shannon

Usually what I talk about is what is happening in my hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. A lot has happened with the recent tornadoes and crimes and random events, etc this summer. Summer of 2010 will definitely be remembered as the summer of tornadoes in Erie, Pennsylvania. We had a few 0’s and a 1 touch down on the shore of Lake Erie so far this summer, with the record breaking temperatures, and the unbearable humidity that goes with them. It has been the talk of the town for months now. Its on the news, word of mouth, on line, etc. I don’t think there is one person in this town who doesn’t know about it.

Gossip, true or false, is a way of people informing one another of something, or things that may pertain to them, that they may want to watch out for, prepare for, or in general to know about just in case. The general purpose is to inform as much of the public as humanly possible. Whether its urgent or not. People feel the need to know things, even if it is not their business, which makes it gossip.

Gossip such as a person’s private life being exposed to the world is unnecessary, however, it happens on a daily basis. There is not a single day that someone isn’t telling another person something ‘juicy’ about someone else’s private life. Even if that person doesn’t want other people to know that certain information, by the end of the day, it is guaranteed that at least one other person will know about whatever that information is.

We feel inside that it is our obigation as human beings to know anything and everything we can or feel we should know. There is nothing we aren’t willing to learn or talk about, and it is what makes us unique from other species of animals. Our gossip keeps it interesting. Living has a purpose not only because we need to survive off of resources, but also information, and intelligence. That is where gossip completes our lives and educates us or just provides us that extra information that we don’t necessarily need to know, but know it ‘just in case.’

Your Partner comes first in your relationship.

In a functional, dedicated, and happy relationship your partner should be your life and you should be theirs. That means that of all of the people in your life, the opinions, needs, desires, and emotions of your partner come supreme to everyone else’s!  To further emphasize this, the needs of your partner exceed by far the importance of the need of your parents, siblings, family, and friends. If you take the needs of anybody else over your woman’s/ mans you instantly disrespect their position at your life – at the very forefront.  Never ignore the wishes of your partner to follow somebody else’s instructions and desires. Once you do that you lose respect by your partner, and the very cohesion that’s meant to be the very cement to the relationship!  Even if your partner seems irrational, controlling (to a degree), and dead set on something (this may be anything in particular), you must go against the whole world if need be, upset everyone you know if need be, to be supportive and co-operating with your partners needs, and wishes. If you don’t follow this one vital point, chances are and I guarantee it, your relationship will never work out!

Ensure your partner feels appreciated.

If your partner is your life, then you should make sure they feel like it each and every day you’re together. Life is just too short for people to fail to ensure their partner feels wanted, needed, loved and appreciated! It’s not brain science; we all want to feel wanted and appreciated, your partner isn’t exempt to this. No matter how long you’ve been together, and no matter how lazy you’ve become in your relationship, don’t think for a moment that your partner doesn’t want to hear how appreciated they are. Just a simple ‘Darling dinner was great’, compliment could make your partners day! Before you go to sleep, and as you wake, it doesn’t hurt to tell your partner you love them and how much they mean to you each and every day of your life!  Women and men equally want to feel appreciated the same. Is it so hard to let the one person you share your emotion, body, and soul with that they are the reason you look forward to each waking day. After all if this wasn’t the case you shouldn’t be together to begin with, and may just need to call it quits! Fail to make sure your partner feels loved and appreciated may not end your relationship today or tomorrow, but it all adds up, and like cancer will destroy everything between you!

You must put your partner before yourself.

When you’re single you’re an individual and key component of society, and in this circumstance your interests come first above all. In a relationship between two people in love, this is not so! Your partner comes first in your life. No matter how frustrated, angry, or just upset you get made to feel by your partner, you must cooperate together and take them for who they are, and love and care for them no less! It doesn’t matter how much harder or inconvenient, your partner may make your life, they should always remain the focus and the meaning of your life.  Just remember that you were once before them, and you needed them, and upon needing them you obligated to them. Upon any obligation, the consequence may be a lack of freedom, and you gain a thing called responsibility! You chose to be responsible for your partner and them vice versa. This responsibility may come at the cost of a little pain, time, and care on your behalf, but isn’t this just a marginal cost in enjoying the beauty of having another human being in your life, to share your life with? Your partner is your life, and your life is theirs, never forget that. So instead of complaining, take pride in the bonds you share with your loved one, otherwise your relationship is doomed for failure!

I hope the aforementioned three pointers lead you all on the right track in achieving, and maintaining happiness and prosperity in your relationships.

life is not run you.
Do not look at your partner or another person,
happiness is in you,
that’s what you want from life? you expect?
not strain yourself!
what has to be will be.

Do what you want,
whatever you want to you,
not to please others.
Acknowledge your limitations,
Accept yourself as you are,
not as others expect and be happy!

Express yourself well, your feeling,
and believe me, meet you,
with your wishes, your dreams,
and be happy regardless of anything else.