Southern White Slaveholder Guilt :: American America History

Southern White Slaveholder Guilt Guilt is an inevitable effect of slavery. For no matter how much rhetoric and racism is poured into such a system, the simple fact remains that men and women are enslaving men and women. Regardless of how much inferior a slaveholder may perceive his salves, it is obvious that his "property" looks similar, has similar needs, and has similar feelings. There is thus the necessary comparison of situations; the slaveholder is free, the slave is in bondage-certainly a position that the slaveholder would find most disagreeable. So there is no doubt that any slaveholder with any measure of humanity within himself would feel guilt. And in fact, as the evidence is considered-including the pro-slavery propaganda-the reality of southern guilt is overwhelmingly obvious. The guilt is seen in their words, both private and public, uncovered in the pro-slavery diatribes, and understandable in their humanity. Before this discussion of guilt in slaveholders begins, it is necessary to first define how we will define guilt. Certainly if a man says he is guilt-stricken with conviction we can take this as adequate evidence of his guilt. However, certainly not everyone takes this direct an approach. James Oakes makes a good point in recognizing that guilt is not always starkly obvious. "Guilt is the product of a deeply rooted psychological ambivalence that impels the individual to behave in ways that violate fundamental norms even as they fulfill basic desires (Oakes 120)." In other words, guilt creates such inner turmoil that a guilty man will deviate from normal behavior. In this case, we will have to show two things: first, a slaveholder is committing detrimental actions (to himself or his family) that show he is in mental distress, and second, that these actions are a result of his status as a slaveholder. It is obvious that we cannot prove the latter point, but we can show it is the most p robable situation for his guilt. Finally, if a slaveholder is making pains above and beyond law and custom, it is most likely that these actions are to alleviate feelings of guilt. This is because we may assume any deliberate actions taken by any man are usually taken because he assumes they will benefit him in some manner. And if such an action is costly (money-wise), then it must have some allure in terms of personal happiness. So to show guilt, we will set forth examples of open confessions of guilt, deviant behavior, and uncommonly good treatment of slaves.

Bhagavad Gita Critique

Well I would first like to start off by saying that after I let go of my personal beliefs for a moment, and actually let myself be open to the ideas of the Bhagavad-Gita I rather enjoyed it and I feel like I actually can see how the â€Å"ways of life† (for loss of a better term) that are expressed in this make a lot of sense. I can actually sit and think about what kind of people today would possibly be categorized as Tamasic, Rajasic and Sattvic. I also can see some very similar concepts in the book that follow modern Christian beliefs and values which made it a lot more interesting. For example from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed I thank God and Jesus for the blessings and positive moments in my life. I pray throughout the day when things are good or bad. I also try to live a â€Å"good Christian† life as well as just trying to be a good person. I guess my ideas of a good person stem from my influences and morals, as well as my new found belief in God and Jesus. I try to worship, pray and give thanks everyday. I try to read my bible as often as I can, seeing I’m so busy all the time it has been hard to even find the time to pick it up, but I do try to think before I act, speak and think. I think â€Å"what would Jesus and God and all my loved ones think of the thing I am about to do† or â€Å"what would Jesus say if I completed that not nice thought about that person†. Seeing how I believe every one of us is a child of Gods and that God knows everything we do, say, think and so on; I try to keep my life to a pure as I can standard. I think about all that I have been given and the least I can do is try my best to be my best for Jesus, God and all that I am connected to in this lifetime. This brings me to my topic, spiritual beliefs. There are so many different types of religion. Catholicism, Hinduism, Christianity, etc. They all have various ways of â€Å"being† when it comes to being a member of the church or religion. No two parties are alike that is why no two peoples beliefs are the same completely. Yet when you read the Bhagavad-Gita it puts it so simple. Do your life this way you are worthy of finally passing on into the next life for eternity. Do your life that way you come back and suffer a circle of never ending lives. Try but not quit there you come back to life but in a higher level of caste so you can start off close to where you left off. It is all pretty simple. In the book it is basically Arjuna asking guidance from Krishna. At first it is whether he should fight or not fight, then it turns into a â€Å"how do I live my life for you in your way† topic. Krishna basically starts out very slow in explaining that all life is connected and is stemmed from his existence. That life is here in the body form but continues into the spirit world with him, and that life is a never ending circle until you reach the highest point of understanding and are worthy of being with him in the spirit world forever. That when you realize that life never truly ends, that it is just the body that dies you cannot feel sad for such things as fighting wars and killing men. Then he explains such things as the importance of ceremony and living a pure life, then about the Brahmas and literally tells him the secrets of life. Krishna reveals his true great form to Arjuna and covers all the possible topics you could think of when it comes to being Hindu. The story is so filling that you literally wonder how it could possibly have an end to it. The main point I got from the book was that it is important to live your life according to first what you think is right and then second to what you believe Krishna and the other Gods (which are Krishna and they are him) say is the way to live. In the book it speaks of how to perform ceremonies and the importance of not just performing them but to perform them with heart. You are to serve good foods and give great offerings to your God. You yourself are to eat good foods and take care of your body for the Gods as well. You are to drink and perform the ceremonies the way the scriptures say and to keep your heart and mind on God (Krishna). Then it sort of ends weird; It says that you are to live your life well and good and pure but that you have to follow the path you think is the right one. And that when you think you have reached that level of true knowledge you are to try to share that with others. So I guess what I got out of it is just that; live your life to the best you think you can. Don’t be a selfish, greedy, rude, etc. person. Don’t have false beliefs even if that means you have none. And to try to give your heart over to the beliefs you do have. If they were the right ones then you win the ultimate prize, eternity with Krishna. If it was the wrong one you just have to keep trying until you get it right. I read this book and I pretty much decided that it is great to help guide you no matter what religion you believe in. Just the base principles and sort of guide it lays out for the individual, so you can clearly see the different ways and the different options is so clear and simple it cant not make sense. And I love the fact that the idea is that everything comes from one God initially even if there are other gods now everything is God and he is everything, even if you are not in god, he is in you. I am so happy I had the opportunity to be exposed to such a great experience. It will stay with me forever.

Themes And Theories Of The Elderly Essay - 2676 Words

Floating Away to Paradise Elderly people account for much of our population in hospitals and assisted living facilities. For the purpose of this paper, I viewed the movie â€Å"Up† and concluded many things based on the stereotypical aspects and theories of the elderly. Throughout this paper, I will relate to the movie â€Å"Up† to reflect on how the movie influenced my outlook on young and elderly behavior, my view on aging, and describe an activity that I carried out as an empathy exercise to simulate a normal physiological aging process. Up, Up, and Away For this assignment, I chose to watch the movie â€Å"Up.† As a young boy, Carl Fredriskon idolized an explorer by the name of Charles Muntz. Carl has a dream of traveling to South America and exploring the forbidden Paradise Falls, just as Charles did. One day, as Carl is making his way down the street, he hears a young female voice screaming his favorite line â€Å"adventure is out there!† Out of curiosity, Carl makes his way into what seems to be a clubhouse belonging to a young girl, Ellie, and he befriends her. She shares with Carl that she also has a desire to travel to Paradise falls and relocate her clubhouse there. Carl and Ellie get married and fix up the old abandoned house, which was Ellie’s â€Å"clubhouse.† As their lives carry on, Carl becomes a balloon salesman and sells balloons out of a cart at a zoo with Ellie. As their marriage continues and they try to have children, Carl and Ellie realize that having children is notShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Robert Stam s Time And The City 886 Words   |  4 Pagesto emotionally engage its audience not just through the language and visuals but through the poetics created from it. 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