Enlightenment Of 18th Century (1513 words) Essay Example For Students

Enlightenment Of 18th Century (1513 words) Essay Enlightenment Of 18th CenturyTheenlightenment was a great time of change in both Europe and America. Some of thebiggest changes, however, happened in the minds of many and in the writings ofmany philosophers. These included some of the beliefs of David Hume, JeanJacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, and Francois Voltaire. Writers during this timefocused on optimism, which is the opinion to do everything for the best (Chaney119), and the best for these philosophers was to stretch the minds of theordinary. David Hume was Scottish and was born on April 26, 1711 and died in1776. He states that he was not born into a rich family and was born into theCalvinist Presbyterian Church. However, after being influenced by the works ofIsaac Newton and John Locke he began to draw back from the Church. He writes inEnquiry, The idea of God, as meaning an infinitely intelligent, wise andgood Being, arises from reflecting on the operations of our own mind, andaugmenting, without limit, those qualities of go odness and wisdom. (Pomerleau214) The questions he brought up against religion were that concrete experiencesmust lead us and that we must think about the quality of the stories that werehanded down to us. He wanted everyone to only believe the actions that oneexperienced, there has to be proof. He also believed that there were four basicproblems to the stories that we hear. First of all, the facts to the stories arenever the same to everyone. Second, we stretch the truth to make everythinginteresting. Third, people who do not understand these stories tend to makethings up. Finally, not all of the religions agree. Therefore, the storiesconflicted each other leaving a person to not know what to believe. He believesthat Our most holy religion is founded on Faith, not on reason; and it isa sure method of exposing it to put it to such a trial as it is, by no means,fitted to endure. (215) Hume also believed in the social contract. This isthat kings are in power because of luck and citize ns should have control overtheir own power. During Humes lifetime a representative government was notsomething that countries thrived on. He also thought that the duties of men wereto love children and to pity those that are less fortunate. He also thought thatone should respect others properties and keep our promises. Hume argued that weare born into our family with the knowledge passed on to us, from this pointHume says that government is only an interference in the lives of people. Heuses the example of American Tribes where no one needs a government to keeppeace within the group (Pomerleau 222). These are the two main points that Humetried to make. They are the basis of what got people to think about their livesand decide that what they have now might not be the best thing that their lifecan accomplish. From his points of view, we can move on to another influentialphilosopher, Jean Jacques Rousseau. Jean Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva in1712. His first years in his life wer e very hard because his mother died shortlyafter birth and he was sent to live with his aunt. However, his life turnedaround and he married and began his life as a philosopher. Rousseau was involvedwith the social contract like Hume. His book, however, did not become popularuntil after the French Revolution because these were the conditions that therevolution was based on (Chambers 669). His ideal government would contain asmall state, prevention of overpowering businesses, and equality in rank andfortune (Castell 419). He distrusted the aristocrats because he believed theywere drawing away from traditions that were once held very high (TheEnlightenment, http). To him kings are just concerned with themselves andwhen one dies, another one is needed. None of these people ever take in toconsideration the less fortunate. Everyone has to move to the beliefs of oneman. Rousseau felt that the government should be in the hands of many, not justone. Ideally, everyone in a society needs to be in agreement with one another. .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a , .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a .postImageUrl , .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a , .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a:hover , .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a:visited , .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a:active { border:0!important; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a:active , .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u420bac549f40b98eb7359a5efcccd57a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Performing Arts Paper Essay Another belief that Rousseau represented was deism, which is that god createdthe universe and then allowed it to run according to natural law and notinterfering with it anymore. Again, these questions began to be disputed and thepeople began to realize that their lives could mean more than just what thehigher officials might say. They began to think about what life and the world isreally about. This brings us to the next philosopher, Immanuel Kant. ImmanuelKant was born on April 22, 1724. Kant studied both Hume and Rousseau andrethought his aspects of science and shifted a little towards philosophy. Inaddition to his thinking, he also spent a lot of time lecturing at Konigsberg,Martin Knutzen. His two main scientific questions dealt with how far can thescientific method be applied to everything and how to explain scientificknowledge. He realizes that both of these cause the mind to start with somegiven information and an answer is then given for humans to understand (Stumpf302). Kant was firm in his belief on a priori knowledge, which is the knowledgethat is prior to experiences, but he also states that not everything can bebased on experiences since we cannot experience everything. From these beliefs,he also believed in two realities, phenomenal and noumena. Phenomena, derivedfrom a Greek word meaning that which appears, (Castell 599) is theworld as we experience it and noumena is intelligible or nonsensual reality. Inthe world we only experience phenomena because noumena is present but it isexternal from us and only appears as it is organized by us (Stumpf 312). From asocial standpoint, Kant believed that as long as a man could support himself andowned property he should be qualified as a citizen. He states that if everyoneis required to pay for public welfare then everyone should have his or herfreedom guaranteed. If this if present then there is no need for a rebellion,which will lead to a stronger government. Kant feels that this is hard to obtainbecause p eople need a political balance but at the same time they need to beable to keep their freedom. A type of freedom that he feels should be held byall is the freedom that everyone is punished the same and the death penaltyshould only be carried out only when an individual is proven guilty (Stumpf316). Kant believed in God because he felt that if one would deny all existencethat did not support any logic, then nothing at all would exist to anyone. Healso states that it is morally necessary to assume the existence ofGod. (Stumpf 319) From this he also realizes that one does not necessarilyneed to believe in God, but one needs to respect the beliefs for dutyssake. When thinking about God, according to Kant, it is an experience thatwe can not experience. Kant takes us to the last of the four major philosopherson the enlightenment period, Francois Voltaire. He based a lot of his thoughtson the three previous philosophers but did not speak to them directly. Hiswritings are fewer but more rad ical that the others. Francois Voltaire livedfrom 1694-1778. To most he was known as the most vigorous antireligious debater. He was the philosopher that was favoring deism the most. He wished that everyonewould stop Christianity and follow his beliefs. One reason that he felt this wasbecause from his experiences, bad things came from religion (Chambers 660). .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 , .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 .postImageUrl , .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 , .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2:hover , .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2:visited , .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2:active { border:0!important; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2:active , .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2 .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf903925aec0dfe168290974cc2e6a9a2:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Managerial Decision Making Exam EssayVoltaire, unlike Rousseau, favored the aristocracy and was often invited totheir parties to talk about some of his ideas. From this Voltaire, unlike manyof the philosophers of his day, was often left to think about things on his own(The Enlightenment, http) and another reason for this is because fortwenty eight years he was held in succession from Paris for some of his extremewritings. One of the most disturbing things in Voltaires life was from theearthquake in Lisbon on Nobember1, 1755. This was one thing that Voltaire couldnot understand and thought about forever. He did not want to turn to God aseveryone else did, nor did he want to be on the side of the atheist. He wasstuck in the middle and only left with the thought of the innocent people thatwere killed (Gay 52). For most of the philosophers during the time of theEnlightenment, things were bad. Most of them had to publish their books insecrecy and still had to deal with them getting burned as officials found out. This would be a very big disappointment, but they later prove that some of theirbeliefs are right when people begin to rebel because of the dramatic messagesthat they sent to people. Whether philosophy, religion, or politics were thebasis of ones reading they were generally flipped around. It is said thateducated people have the power to do anything, and during the Enlightenment thissource of power is obvious and is carried out. Whether the readers believed thephilosophers or not, it got the reader thinking and he talked to his friends andthe revolts began. The Enlightenment was a time of change but it was also a timethat dealt with the unreality that some thought could be but neverwere because some were so extreme or contradicted each other from philosopher tophilosopher.

Child-Context Interaction and the Environment free essay sample

This paper discusses the long-term influence parents have on the development of their child, the effect the environment has on this relationship and the consequence this child-context interaction has on the childs further adjustment to the environment The paper demonstrates that child-context interaction that begins as bonding at birth and continues through the first four years of a childs life is a strong factor in the childs ability to adjust to the environment and will effect the child for the majority of his life. The author presents research showing that if children have close and healthy relationships with their parents, these children will do better in adjusting to different environments including difficult neighborhoods and schools. He shows how the familys culture and the neighborhood in which they live also can shape child-context interaction. As the mother and child work together to find the missing puzzle piece, their ability to think and problem solve will be developing. We will write a custom essay sample on Child-Context Interaction and the Environment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Most of the time the way a child interacts with one parent will be different than when both parents are available. The relationship with mothers are usually nurturing while the relationship with the father is more realistic. They want to be strong and not cry when they get hurt when they are with their father. However, if they are with their mother and they fall and hurt their knee, they want to cry and get a band-aid. The child learns ways to interact with others through the interactions between child-father, between child-mother, and between child-both parents.

Midsummer Nights Dream And Love Essays - Fiction, Literature

Midsummer Nights Dream And Love What is True Love? The overriding theme of the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare deals with the nature of love. Though true love seems to be held up as an ideal, false love is mostly what we are shown. Underneath his frantic comedy, Shakespeare seems to be asking the questions all lovers ask in the midst of their confusion: How do we know when love is real? How can we trust ourselves that love is real when we are so easily swayed by passion and romantic conventions? Some readers may sense bitterness behind the comedy, but will probably also recognize the truth behind Shakespeare's satire. Often, love leads us down blind alleys and makes us do things we regret later. The lovers within the scene, especially the men, are made to seem rather shallow. They change the objects of their affections, all the time swearing eternal love to one or the other. In this scene Shakespeare presents the idea that both false love and true love can prevail.. Throughout Act III Scene II, many conflicts arise. However, the main conflict within the scene is the confusion the lovers face when their perceptions are altered. This confusion enhances the central theme of true love versus false love. There are many aspects of the play that deal with this central theme, but it is most prevalent within this scene. The chaos reaches a climax causing great disruption among the lovers. However, the turmoil is eventually resolved by the character who is originally responsible for the confusion, Puck. Puck causes the disruption initially, when he intervenes in the lovers' business. Jester and jokester, Puck, otherwise known as Robin Goodfellow, is like a wild, untamed member of the fairy clan. Though fairy king Oberon tells him they are "spirits of another sort," Puck, with his connection to English legend and folklore, seems related to a slightly more dangerous kind of sprite. Not that he is truly malevolent, but his tricks make people uncomfortable. However, they don't seem to do any permanent damage. He casts an ironic eye on humanity. Thinking of people as fools, he loves to make fools of them. He expresses this idea when he states "What fools these mortals be..." But laughter, not tears, is his aim. With his quickness, ventriloquism, and shape-changing ability, he clearly has magic fairy powers of his own. Meddling in the affairs of lovers and administering Cupid's love juice, clearly presents Shakespeare's views on the nature of love. Puck's mischievous ways may allow him to meddle within the affairs of the lovers, however, does this interference do more harm than good? This scene begins with Oberon encountering Puck in the middle of the woods. Puck, very excited, explains his actions. He tells Oberon how he caused Titania to fall in love with Bottom, who now has a donkey head. Puck also tells him that the Athenians had been placed under the spell causing them to fall magically in love. Oberon is very pleased with Puck's efforts, and agrees that the situation turned out better than expected. However, Oberon soon realizes Puck had made a mistake by causing the Athenian to fall in love with the wrong person. Oberon admonishes Puck for his mistake. Because of Puck, true love has been turned, "and not a false turned true." Puck replies that those are the rules of fate. For every man holding true love, a million fail, breaking their oaths again and again. This was not exactly what Oberon had in mind, he was hoping to remedy a situation, not make it worse. Puck always tries to throw something extra into the situation; he enjoys complications. "Then fate o'er-rules, that, one man holding troth, A million fail, confounding oath on oath." By saying this, Puck makes it clear that the odds on finding true love are a million to one. It becomes clear that humans are going to need very accurate eyes to be able to see love clearly. Puck's mischief turns a supposedly true love inside out. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. This mistake is used for the benefit of both Helena and Demetrius. Puck uses his magic to unite the lovers under a cloud of false love. This aspect of false love is what holds the lovers together, proving that false love can be just as strong as true love. The other aspect of the nature of love is that true love triumphs. This is proven through the characters Lysander and Hermia. Puck

Do you give yourself a break

Do you give yourself a break Pressure! When you are job seeking, or running a business, or possibly both, you might put a lot of pressure on yourself to keep working; take the next action step; schedule your life better; stop procrastinating; or some combination of all these things. Achieving results does require action, and there are 24 hours in a day last I checked, so it is valuable to get things done reliably and frequently. But continuously? No matter how much we might like to think we can keep going and keep doing, sometimes we just need a break. The Release Valve Where I often go for down time is Viroqua, Wisconsin, a town in the country about 100 miles from my home in the city of Madison. A little artistic oasis surrounded by farm country, Viroqua boasts a food coop and holistic healing center. I go there because, for just a couple of days, I achieve a sense of timelessness. One activity guaranteed to produce that timeless space is picking berries. I get up early and walk to the raspberry patch and there is nothing but me and the colors of ripe and ripening fruit. One berry at a time, one prickle at a time, I zone out until my collection container is full. While picking, I don’t know whether minutes or hours go by. I am present. I am happy. Achieving Timelessness It’s not always berries that get me to that state. This trip I reached a similar state by spending time with a three-year-old. But picking fruits and veggies reliably transports me into timelessness. Sometimes I engage with the aliveness of apples, snap peas, or clover flowers. I am fortunate to know several families in the area, all of whom grow edibles and have wild berries on their land. I also have a small garden myself, complete with one lone blueberry bush, several fully grown broccoli heads and a burgeoning zucchini plant- but it’s not quite the same as a garden in the country. This latest trip to Viroqua was the start of my â€Å"birthday week† and it was as perfect as it gets. Topping it off, as mentioned above, was the opportunity to read stories to my friends’ 3-year-old girl (she will be reading to me pretty soon!). I also relaxed and unwound with a few sessions of bodywork from some amazing healers, David and Susan Breitbach (see www.wiseworldseminars.com to learn more). And the work gets done The miraculous thing about these trips is that although I spend what seems like hours picking berries and snap peas, and hours driving, and more hours with body workers David and Susan, I always get my work done. It just doesn’t feel stressful to do it. Then I return home, fortified to take more action steps and get results that bring in more monetary income than a bowl full of berries. Do you take care of yourself? Do you give yourself a break (at least once/year on your birthday)? What gives you that prized sense of timelessness that fuels you for your action items to come? And if you don’t give yourself this gift, what are you waiting for?

Change management, leadership and motivation of Nokia Assignment

Change management, leadership and motivation of Nokia - Assignment Example Nokia has an extended history of flourishing change and innovation which helped the company to adapt the shifts in markets and technologies. From its modest beginning with one paper mill, the company has taken part in many sectors over time; paper products, tires, plastics, rubber boots, consumer and industrial electronics, chemicals, cables, telecommunications infrastructure and more. (Nokia, 2015a). The journey of Nokia began in 1865 when Fredrik Idestam started a paper mill in Southwestern Finland which was followed by another mill on the banks of river Nokianvirta which inspired him to name his company ‘Nokia AB’. Nokia’s first step into telecom industry took place in the year 1967 when it was merged with a Finnish telecom company named Finnish Cable Works Ltd. The first telecom joint venture of Nokia with Finnish TV maker Salora was the establishment of Mobira Oy, a radio telecom firm (Nokia, 2015a). Nokia created a revolution in the telecom industry with sev eral achievements such as, evolution of the first cellular telecom network named Nordic mobile telephone service; introduction of Mobira Cityman and Mobira Senator; development of the Global System for Mobile (GSM) which is used in maximum number of commercial forms of communication. After tasting success in the telecom industry, Nokia solely concentrated on manufacturing superior phones. The entire nation was thankful to Nokia and the value of the company increased 500% with a global turnover from $8.9 billion to $42.8 billion (Nokia, 2015a).

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Art - Essay Example It is here that the actual relevance of intention of one’s understanding of art lies. Spectators ignore the intentional contribution of the photographer, devalues the art representation and its creator, as a medium of artistic creation (Jonathan Friday, p.67, 2002). One of the most well-known and controversial artists of contemporary world goes by the name of Yoko Ono. Born in Japan, Yoko Ono is known more because of her marriage to John Lennon. However, one cannot take away the brilliance of this artist, who through her art embraced a wide range of media; defying traditional boundaries and creating new forms of artistic expression. Her works include, objects and installations; film and video; music and performance art. YES YOKO ONO was one exhibition where Yoko’s talent was on display. It offered for the first time, a comprehensive reevaluation of Ono’s works, exploring her position in postwar international avant-garde, and her critical and influential role in originating forms of cutting-edge art, music, film, and performance. The exhibition portrayed Yoko’s role in Fluxus, an avant-garde movement in New York in the early 1960s, her contributions to Conceptual art in New York, London, and Tokyo, her concerts, films, vocal recordings, public art, which included her works made with John Lennon, and finally, her interactive installations and site-specific art. The exhibition, YES YOKO ONO, is on an interactive installation known as Ceiling Painting, a work where, the viewer is invited to climb a white ladder, on the top of which is a magnifying glass dangling by a chain from a frame on the ceiling. The viewer has to use the reading glass to read the ‘instruction’ beneath the framed sheet of glass, which says, ‘Y E S.’ It was through this work that Ono met her future husband and longtime collaborator, John Lennon. The Installation for the Ceiling

The Young Man Has Changed Essay Example for Free

The Young Man Has Changed Essay As I was stabbing out the cigarette with my foot I was standing leaning against the dusty black wall, which was blocking the view of the railways. Next to me was my best friend Salim who was carefully watching me and then imitating every minute movement and action. To some extent without boasting I was the leader and Salim was the follower. Just then a young girl wearing a tight body top and a short silky black mini skirt was walking past us and Salim was beginning to whistle at her. As she was disappearing into the main road we were both sniggering loudly. By the reflection on the glass door that had a varnished wooden border I was seeing myself holding a mobile phone, wearing a brand new pair of Reebok trainers, Georgio Armani jeans, and the latest v-neck GAP jumper. In my pocket I was carrying at least fifty pounds that I had made on the streets by doing a few dodgy deals. But even though having all this, deep inside I was feeling no peace, no buzz as if something was missing. Living the life of Islam was the answer to all my difficulties. At the time I knew this but I still could not do it as it was asking me to leave all the things I loved and this was including girls and music. However the weakness which was making me follow my desires and not the way of Allah did at last leave my life. It was one cold summers evening when I was sitting in an alley with a gang of friends planning which club to go to that night. All of a sudden everyone flickered their eyes at the muddy and dirty entrance. There two youngsters with glowing faces walked in. They wore pure white robes and Arabian caps. They greeted us in just the right way Safe boyz. The shorter brother told us that they came from Manchester and that they were here to remind the Muslims about their faith. Everyone including Asim who everyone called The Big Boss was silent and showed both of them lots of respect. The taller brother came in the centre of us and started to talk about Islam. As he said every word and every sentence, the idea that this world is only a test and the life after death is the real place for excitement became a strong feeling inside me. His voice was like a power flowing inside me making me feel peaceful. The things he said and the way he said them made me realize for sure that he had been through what I was going through. When he had finished talking and when both of them had left, all my friends had their eyes towards the floor and all of them were absolutely silent. But then one idiot had to lift his head and crack a joke. And guess what? All of them began to laugh! It was as if the devil snatched away the important advice from their hearts. I was really angry at their behaviour and straight away left them. As I was walking home that evening I was deciding it was time to change. Inside me was born a new feeling that I would be a failure in life unless I began to follow Islam fully. The following day was a big test for me as it was the day I was going to show my changed life to the world. I rolled my trousers up just above the ankle, as this was the teaching of the prophet Muhammad and wore a topi on my head. Like this I walked into school and in the playground everyone was so shocked to see me dressed in this way and their wide opened eyes were glued to me. Some girls when walking past me would look at me with a weird face as if I was some sort of alien. However those of my friends and other people who knew why I had changed were happy for me and were pushing me to carry on. At first when I would be around a lot of strangers and especially girls I would feel really shy but I was not allowing this to stop me from practising my religion because I had faith in Allah that He gives ease after every difficulty. Within a month, every thug on the street knew that I had changed and I was beginning to get respect from everybody in my area, youngsters and grown-ups. Even the people I did not know were greeting me. Now I was feeling a deep satisfaction and as if that something which was missing was found. At present I go to college which I find really different to school mainly because there are more girls around me and I have more freedom to do what I want to do. I feel that Allah is testing my faith in Him by testing me with these young girls. I need to crush my feelings towards them so that I do not get attracted to them and this is hard. But I am coping and when I see girls I try to look down and when I do this I feel as if a wave of ecstasy is swirling inside me and I believe this to be a reward from Allah for listening to Him. The thoughts that make me do this are the images of heaven and hell. They alarm me every time I am about to do something bad and so far these are my strongest motivators in life. Now death has become something I think about a lot. The other evening when I was coming back home from college I was waiting for a train on the Blackhorse Roads filthy platform and this was making me think that I am like a traveller in this world and soon I will leave it. When the train was coming and as it got nearer it stared at me with its beaming eyes and roared even louder and this was making me feel scared, as it was reminding me of the Angel of Death who takes away everyones life. On the same evening after reaching Woodgrange Park station, I was walking home using a different route and by chance I was passing the old, dusty, black wall and it was bringing back my shameful past. I whispered to myself, What an idiot you were. Topi is a hat worn by Muslims.