Happiness and Morality

Table of Contents Happiness Morality Morality and Happiness Conclusion Works Cited Happiness is acquired after the successful achievement of individual values. It is a conscious state that stems out of morality. It can also be defined as a state of satisfaction with life.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Happiness and Morality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is a joy that is not earned through guilt or which does not clash with ones values. On the other hand, morality can be defined as the state of being upright. It is acquired from living according to the moral standards and values of a society. To be moral is to shun away immoral behaviors such as drug abuse, burglary, theft, among others. There exist a positive relationship between morality and happiness. Many philosophers hold that happiness results from morality. It is a virtue that is achieved after living uprightly. Most immoral people find it diffi cult to be happy because they live with fear of what might happen to them or to their families. This paper will look at the meaning of happiness and morality, the relationship between morality and happiness and why many philosophers hold that in order to be happy, one has to be moral. Happiness Happiness is the satisfaction of rational wishes; it is a state of joy which is achieved after being successful with ones mission in life. It is achieved at the clutch of emotional whims. Happiness is a state of being contented with life and the progress one is making in life. One can never be happy if he lives in denial of who he/she is or if he/she is not ready to accept the kind of life he is living. It is not something that is given but it is earned. No one can give us the satisfaction we want unless we are ready to do something so as to achieve our values and purpose in life. When one is happy, one feels good and at peace with himself, and with other members of the society. If a person d oes not recognize his purpose in life, he can never be happy with what he does (Annas 75). Everyone has a vision or a dream that he want to accomplish in life, if he finds himself on the path of achieving this dream, he feels contented and happy with his efforts.Advertising Looking for essay on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A robber can never be happy with the injuries sustained or the fear he lives with. This is because he tries to live in an unjust manner by taking other people’s property. One can never be happy at the expense of another person. In happiness there should be no victims or conflict of interest. According to Annas (117), an individual’s life is surrounded with suffering and happiness. While happiness is a state of being successful, suffering is a signal of failure. Suffering comes about when one feels disappointed with life or when one fails to achieves his values. Happiness is measured by the success of productive work whereas suffering results from destruction of values. If one tries to live beyond what he can afford, he can never be happy because he will always be aiming at high goals which may not be achievable. It is good to understand that, for one to be happy, he must set realistic and achievable goals which he will be able to achieve within a given time limit. Happiness is the highest purpose that one can ever live up to. It is the ultimate value of life which is pursued as one tries to maintain his life. It is a reward earned after achieving rational goals that makes life worth living. Morality Morality is a good judgment of behavior that distinguishes between good and bad decisions, actions, and general way of life. A moral is a good teaching within a moral code that defines how people should live. On the other hand, immorality is an opposition of what is moral or of the morality. It is a violation of the expected behavior in a society or community. Moral ity refers to cultural value or code of conduct that differentiates between what is good or bad. It also refers to what is right or wrong irrespective of what other people think. People are expected to follow the moral code regardless of what they think should be right or wrong. Not all people are able to live to the expectations and more often than not most of them divert from the morals (Hare 56).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Happiness and Morality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More If all people lived according to the moral codes, there would be no immorality in the society. The term morality is derived from societal norms; it cannot be defined in definite terms because it depends on the circumstances surrounding a particular situation. Morality is defined in three concepts, that is, in terms of behavior, responsibility, and identity. Today, morality has become a complex issue that has become difficult to un derstand or comprehend. It defines how we should behave in the society without causing harm to ourselves or others. There are certain behaviors that are not only detrimental to ourselves but also to the people who live around us. All of us are expected to be responsible and accountable for our actions so that they do not harm anyone. We should follow our conscience in all our actions and decisions. It is in morality that we get the principles that help the society to survive. Many people believe that, morality is a religious act although that is not true because everyone is supposed to observe a certain moral doctrine. Morality ensures that, people live in harmony with one another and treat each other with respect. It is also through morality that we are able to maintain a good relationship with our creator. Morality plays a huge role in our everyday decisions, it makes us good not only to ourselves but to the people around us (Hare 60). These decisions originate from our conscience which directs us to do good. We should therefore let our conscience decide for us and we should never go against it. Morality creates a happy society, one that respects the rights of people. If we all follow our conscience, then there would be no trace of immorality because people would always be living to their expectations. Morality and Happiness As we have seen above, morality results from doing the right things, things that matter to us and those that give us satisfaction. We should all aim at pleasing ourselves and the people related to us.Advertising Looking for essay on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More By doing this, we become happy and contented with our lives. Happiness is as a result of success that is earned after working tirelessly. One can never be happy if he does not want to work. Through moral codes and societal values, we learn how we should behave and this gives us satisfaction. One cannot be moral and expects to be happy. Some behaviors such as drug abuse interfere with our conscience making us do some actions that we would not do if we were sober. These actions haunts us when we become sober depriving us off the opportunity to be happy. A person may think that, by taking another person’s property, he will acquire the satisfaction he needs, but this is not the case, because one is left with guilt that haunts him for the rest of his life making him unhappy (Adams 27). Many philosophers hold that, in order to be happy we must live our life. Life existed before we came into being, and it will be there long after we are gone. We should therefore live as we are and t ransmit the consecrated live to others. We all have a desire to live and the fear of death. We feel as if we will live a void after we die and that’s why we find ourselves working hard to ensure that such a void will not be left. Every one of us has a very short period to live; we should therefore ensure that we live happily. This cannot be achieved if our actions and decisions are not thoughtful of others. Happy living is associated with morality; this has resulted into human civilization. Human beings have created an ideal idea of what it means to be happy. It is not living according to our ancestors that will make us happy but according to human civilization. Many things have changed which requires an upright mind to recognize them and to act positively to them (Annas 45). With technology, some moral codes have eroded and others have come up, for instance, we do not have to give a seat for an elderly man in a bus because there are so many buses carrying people. Happiness i s the food to our life and it gives us direction. When we are happy, we get motivated to work more productively in order to be even happier. It is through happiness that we get the desire to help other members of the society to achieve their goals. It also directs us on the path to follow for more satisfaction hence we become successful in life. It is the significance which we affix to happiness that causes our life to be splendid. The moral pretense we live in creates in us a concealing outfit that directs the contemplation of our acts. â€Å"With rare hypocrisy, we find moralities upon principles of duty, of justice, of love, of the fear of heaven, and of hell† (Anon 8). By stripping them, we find the factual purpose of life; that is the look out for happiness. There is a certain group of people in our communities who have not been able to find happiness because of immorality. They indulge themselves in immoral behaviors such as robbery and prostitution to earn a living. Ev en though they are able to meet their basic needs, they can never be happy because they are not fulfilling their purpose in life. Conclusion In authenticity, man feels affection for and lives in this world only through and in support of happiness. By changing his responsiveness, he develops his feelings and does well instead of being immoral which turns out to be one of the indispensable states of his happiness. If the standard of happiness gushes out from personal awareness, it will protect us from dissatisfactions. The belief of happiness from time to time occasions decent frustrations but at least happiness has a positive discrimination towards honesty and the vigor of a universal and unavoidable law. Happiness depends primarily on the honest thoughts, for that reason, let us grant happiness candidly the foremost place, since, triumphantly, it has refused to accept and is defying all the endeavors to suppress it. I am happy because I believe I am moral. However, this does not mea n that I have fully succeeded in life. I am in the process of fulfilling my purpose in life and this gives me satisfaction. The desire of my life is to achieve the highest level of education which will enable me acquire a decent job with a decent salary. With this, I will be able to look after my family and the less privileged members of the society. Works Cited Adams Merrihew Robert. Finite and infinite goods: A framework for Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Anon. The morality of Happiness, 1914. 14th Sept. 2010. http://www.oldandsold.com/articles06/happiness-14.shtml Annas, Julia. The Morality of happiness, Oxford Scholarship online. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Hare, John. The Moral Gap: Kantian Ethics, Human Limits, and God’s Assistance. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. This essay on Happiness and Morality was written and submitted by user Ahmed Sullivan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Ancient nubia

Ancient nubia Definition of a civilization According to my definition of a civilization the ancient Nubian qualify in all fields. They have achieved a division of labor, which sparked advanced government, a written language, advanced technology, and a calendar.Division of labor During the Neolithic age, the Nubian people abandoned their hunter-gatherer society and adopted a new way of life, one with farming and raising animals. It created a division of labor. In the early stages there were a few basic occupations one could pursue. Farming, ranching, and medicine making were the most common of the early careers.As the Nubian civilization evolved many other occupations became available to the people. There were need for hotels, markets, bathhouses, artist, priest, and blacksmiths. One could also take a career as a politician, military officer, record keeper or other careers related to the government. Trading was another way to go. Many people made a living by managing the trade with other countries or working on the trade ships.A shell bracelet found in the grave of a Nubian me...The division of labor required Nubian's to stay in one area rather than travel the land by seasons, and in turn that spawned all other aspects of their civilization.Advanced government Before the Nubians had kings or chiefs the people that usually controlled the population controlled the trade. Trade managers were the people who took farmer's cattle or crops and traded them up the river for whatever the farmer wanted. Nubia depended heavily on trade. Without it they would surely perish. Because of this, trade managers eventually became the official rulers of Nubia. Nubia had established an early form of monarchy supported by three different rulers. The royal crown prince, the general of the river, and the prince of akin were the three main areas of power. All of these positions were hereditary. Though the rulers...

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Choose the tittle depending on the option you pick - Essay Example Locke has insisted greatly on human beings having equaled rights towards land available based on type and amount of labor that they can invest in such property. Provided this notion, retail developers of today’s economy have better probability of having property rights to land development in South Florida (Section 28). However, before reaching to the conclusion, it is important to analyze the repercussions of excessive land development in this region. Also, it is significant to identify if Locke is a supporter of capitalism or not. Furthermore, whether private ownership principles defined by Locke give rise to morally just or contentious behavior in private owners over private ownership of land is another question that needs to be answered in the light of Locke’s principles. Real estate industry in South Florida has shown robust development in the times of economic booms in late 1920s and in 2000s. Thousands of acres were acquired by real estate developers to build cond os, apartments and artificial office parks etc which were greatly overpriced due to high demand. Due to such transformation in real estate market, other peripheral industries i.e. rented property, railway services etc, suffered. The same land had different utilities for different segments of consumers i.e. necessity for a working force and leisure for occasional hotel visitors. After the economic collapse in 2008, there were thousands of acres available with no buyer for over-priced property (Lunsford n.p). Furthermore, similar development also caused damage to local fauna and flora by causing harm to local wetlands, water reservoirs and natural life diversity (McPherson and Halley 41). This outlook of South Florida’s local industry in the light of Locke’s principles cannot justify if the development always provide rational results. It can be seen that excessive demand of property has increased the price of real estate property whereas its utility cannot be justified a ccordingly. Since land is given to the mankind freely having equal rights of property, money in any form cannot equate with the value of such property since money i.e. currency, gold and silver have relatively less utility than the land. Therefore, users of money in free economy do not really add much value to the land gifted by nature. Furthermore, after the economic boom in 2000s, much of the land is owned by builders and realtors whereas this land is sitting idle due to low buying power of consumer and not providing any benefit to the common man. Such state also contradicts with Locke’s rule of no wastage. Locke proposes ‘no spoil or destroy’ policy which supports the idea of better property appropriation. Hence, those who can make better use of the property should have access to it which gives full property rights to today’s realtors. However, Locke also insisted that one must not take part in an activity that causes harm to other’s interest. Ex cessive land development deprives local residents of their right to own land due to superficially high prices and damage to local environment hence, also affecting natural ecological environment. Furthermore, Locke’s condition of equal opportunity to appropriate land also negates excessive land development. Since present real estate development encourages development of expensive property which gives preference to more affluent segment, it serves rich more than a middle class or lower segment. Locke

MULTINATIONAL CORP-EVOL & CUR ISSUE Movie Review - 1

MULTINATIONAL CORP-EVOL & CUR ISSUE - Movie Review Example The country’s policy maker on financial and economic matters, the Fed has adopted lax standards as pertains to trade and lending standards. The Fed had adopted a policy that would stir activity in the economy by increasing the leverage ratios for commercial banks and other financial institutions. The Banks took advantage of this policy by borrowing capital in bulk and use the capital to create massive amounts in subprime loans (Barnett). This made mortgages very affordable and many citizens opted to build or buy their house on a mortgage(s). The amount of household debt in the United States quadrupled by the time the housing bubble burst. In a bid to clamp down on the rogue nature of banks and avoid the housing debt from growing any further, the Fed tightened its policy on the banks’ leverage ratios. This adjustment would cause the commercial banks to increase the cost of financing mortgages. This proved to be a challenge for many Americans as the new repayment stipulations increased the cost of the mortgage by over 100%. Huge defaulters in payments had their property repossessed causing the burst of the housing bubble. This bubble was mainly triggered by the increase in disposable income for savings. During the 2000 to 2007 period, there was a great increase and growth in the global fixed income securities. This increase in disposable income encouraged the development of economic bubbles all over the world. As these factors came into play, each bubble burst one after the other as such a business model is not sustainable over time. This led to the overall decrease in the value of assets. When the fall in value occurred, most banks opted to cut back on lending leading to the credit crunch. This caused a general inability of consumers and governments to borrow stifling investment and consumption. This led to the general decrease in business for companies and corporates as demand considerably decreased (United States Financial Inquiry

Corporate Social Responsibility In Multinational Corporations Commerce Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility In Multinational Corporations Commerce Essay The inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) has the ability to play an important role in the contributions to the development of local economy of a developing country. Such role includes capacity building, employment opportunities and the transfer of technology (Ite, 2004). Corporate Social Responsibility is a concept that has created global awareness. Its popularity arouse as a result of globalization and information technology. According to the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD): CSR is the continuing commitment by business to behaving ethically and contributing to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their family as well as of the community and society at large while (Frederick, 1994) sees it as an obligation of business to contribute to social welfare beyond their role of producing goods and providing services. Multinational Corporations (MNCs) therefore has a major role to play through CSR initiatives, focusing on the development of a developing economy such as Nigeria. However, for many MNCs, CSR is an outcome of public pressure arising from their operations in developing countries in relation to human right, environmental pollution and labour issues. In other words, it has generally being a pragmatic response to consumer and civil society pressures (Raynard Forstater, 2002). This proposal seeks to focus on CSR practices and understanding how CSR theories relates to its practices by MNCs in Nigeria using Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) as an example. Various researches that have been carried out focused on the activities of the MNCs and they have revealed that there was a mounting evidence of gap between the stated intention of business leaders and their actual behaviour and impact in the real world'(Frynas, 2005). Little has been researched on how CSR theories relates to its practices by MNCs such as Shell in Nigeria. Nigeria was chosen because it is the most populous black nation in the continent and the largest producer of oil in sub Saharan Africa. The question this project seeks to ask is, how far is Shell Petroleum Development Company improving on the social welfare in Nigeria? In other words were they able to practice CSR. LITERATURE REVIEW. The literature on CSR has produced much definition over the decade since its emergence on the business scene (Carroll, 2004). The concept CSR has evoked lots of debate among scholars. It is sometimes referred to as business virtue or social responsibilities. It means different things to different people. To some, it means the idea of legal responsibility or obligation and to others it means social responsible behaviour which is sometimes seen as a charitable contribution to the society. According to the foremost scholar of CSR Carroll (1983) CSR involves the conduct of a business so that it is economically profitable, law abiding, ethical and socially supportive. The commission of European communities defined CSR as a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in the business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholder in a voluntary basis. As good as the notion of CSR may seem there are different views by different scholars as to what constitute CSR. According to parsons (1961) CSR theory is rooted in four aspects of hypothesis It can be observed in any social system. It adapts to its environment i.e. its relation to resources Goal attainment i.e. its relation to politics Social integration and pattern maintenance i.e. its relation to culture and values. From these hypotheses aforementioned, CSR theory was then classified into four groups Instrumental theory- here it is assumed that corporation is an instrument for wealth creation. According to friedman (1970), the only responsibility of business towards society is the maximisation of profits to the shareholders within the legal framework and the ethical custom of the country. Any organisation that adopt CSR initiative will always have to answer the question to whom are we responsible? the answer to this question is usually to the stakeholder. Stakeholders here include the employees, customers, shareholders, staff in the supply chain and the community living in vicinity where the company is located. Political theory here the social power of corporation is specifically emphasized in its relationship with the society and its duty in the political environment. Davis (1960) introduced business power in the CSR debate. He proposed that business is a social institution that must use its power responsibly. In his own words whoever does not use his social power responsibly will lose its position in the society. Integrative theories it is considered that business ought to integrate social demand. Social demand implies the way in which society relates with business through certain legitimacy and prestige. This goes further to explain that business depends on society for its continuity and existence. Ethical theory firm ought to accept social responsibility as an ethical obligation above any other consideration. Donaldson and Dunfee (1999) proposed the integrated social contract theory. This theory was meant to guide managers to make decision in an ethical way in other words, to get involved with the society. To cynics, CSR is antithetical to sound business practice and serves to weaken its focus on wealth creation ( Clement-Jones,2005; Murray, 2005). Advocates however characterises CSR as necessary for successful business operations and as a gateway for business to look beyond wealth creation and also take into consideration the social welfare of the society in which they operate (Jackson Nelson, 2004; Rudolph 2005). In other words, businesses that are socially responsible can help to solve crucial environmental and social problems. Some studies consider CSR to involve ethical responsibility while philanthropic responsibility is seen as an add on ( Longo et al 2005). Other studies have made discrepancy between CSR as simple legal compliance and CSR as carrying out business operations with high regards to morality (Juholin, 2004). Henderson (2001), attempt to show that CSR distorts the market by distracting business from its primary role of wealth creation. These different views by schol ars have led to confusion as to what CSR practices really entail. Based on the fact that little has been discussed on how CSR practice fit or does not fit with CSR theories, my main project will involve critical analysis of CSR theory and how it relates to its practices by Shell in Nigeria. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE AND RESEARCH QUESTION The central objective of this research is To develop a better understanding of CSR theories and practices. To investigate on the CSR policies of Shell Petroleum Development company and how it relates to the CSR theories. To investigate the effect of their CSR activities in Nigeria. These objectives will be looked into in order to ascertain if Shell really practiced their CSR policies and to what extent does the policy create effect in the community which they operate. Therefore my research question will be to what extent is Shell improving on the social welfare in Nigeria? RESEARCH DESIGN The research strategy that will be adopted for this research will be a case study approach. A case study approach is a single unit of analysis such as a company, an event or group of events. In this case a company i.e. Shell Petroleum Development Company will be used. The case study type is exploratory as well as explanatory in nature. It involves gathering detailed information about the company over a period of time with a view to obtain an in-depth knowledge (Collis et al 2003). A qualitative approach will be adopted for this research because it is designed to study social and cultural phenomena. It will be aimed at conducting an in depth analysis of how Shell practiced Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria. Questionnaires will be used as an instrument for this research. These questionnaires will be administered to the host community where Shell is operating because it is assumed that the community understands the subject matter that is been analysed. The sample size of this research will be classified according to age, gender, academic qualification and the number of years of residency within the community. Simple Random Sampling Techniques will be used to administer the questionnaires to the member of the host community because it gives each member of the population an equal chance of being chosen and it also guarantee that the sample was a representative of the entire population (Saunders et al 2007) DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data would be collected using questionnaires. Through face to face interaction, the respondents would be gathered at a particular place and instruction would be given to them as to how to fill out the questionnaires. I intend to give out 150 questionnaires. The data that would be collected will include the age, gender, education qualification and the number of years of residency within the community. Secondary data would also be collected from sources like industry journal and other relevant published and unpublished articles. Descriptive method of data analysis would be used to analyse the responses from the questionnaires collected. This method includes the use of charts and tables to describe the data generated. LIMITATIONS Constraint to finance will be one of my major limitations for this research because it will entail me to travel to the Niger Delta region in Nigeria which is the region where Shell operates. Due to the fact that the questionnaires would be handed out by myself, some members of the community would want to be paid before they fill out the questionnaires.

Patriotism and Its Meaning Essay -- Definition Patriot National Essays

Patriotism and Its Meaning In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States we are seeing many forms of Patriotism. I was suprised to find when I researched this word that it had a negative feeling associated with it. I believe that patriotism is actively showing your support for your country, standing up for what you believe in, and fighting for our individual free will and independence. I am proud of my country and I am not ashamed to fly the American Flag. Many men and women have died to give me the freedoms that I take for granted. I applaud their patriotism, and I thank them for giving me my way of life. I will support them in protecting my country. I will try to elect officials who believe in the issues I do, and who work for the better good o...