Zhong Kui, the Keeper of Hearth and Home Japanese Myth with Buddhist Philosophy

Introduction: The Mystery of Zhong Kui Mystery is what the entire Japanese culture is veiled with for a European or American gaze. Intertwining with the peculiar philosophy, the local mythology can make one’s head spin – this is true even for connoisseurs of Japanese mythology and culture.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Zhong Kui, the Keeper of Hearth and Home: Japanese Myth with Buddhist Philosophy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Due to the religion reigning in the Land of the Rising Sun, namely, Buddhism, the local beliefs and superstitions take the most curious shapes, giving birth to the most mysterious and unusual creatures. Zhong Kui, the Demon Queller, or Shoki, as foreigners call this creature, is the keeper of the hearth and home in Japan and one of the most picturesque characters of Japanese legends. Casting a glance at the work by Gong Kai, Zhong Kui Traveling, one can see the pecu liar way the ancient legend is intertwined with just as old philosophy and religion of Japan, Buddhism. Due to the specific Buddhist settings in the background, the picture looks ever more expressive and filled with the spirit of mystery and magic. However, these two elements are not as incompatible as it might seem. The character taken from the ancient Japanese legends, Zhong Kui can be labeled as a mythological creature, yet he is an element of the Japanese beliefs as well. What is the most incredible is that the fairy-tale character does not come into conflict with the Buddhist ideas – it turns out that the two elements of the Japanese culture can peacefully coexist. Gong Kai’s Demon Queller: Getting Acquainted with Zhong Kui One of the most intriguing and mysterious in its Japanese way artwork depicting the Demon Queller, Zhong Kui Traveling by Gong Kai creates one of the most peculiar visions of the mythological character, intertwining Zhong Kui with Buddhist reli gion. Though these two elements might seem somewhat incompatible, it turns out that the philosophy underlying the both creates completely incredible mixture, all shot through with the Japanese folklore vision of the world: ShÃ… ki typically appears as a portly bewhiskered man. He wears scholar’s robes, a hat, and heavy knee-high boots and carries a large sword. His large eyes, bulbous nose, and fierce expression are also characteristic features. In this print ShÃ… ki rounds a corner in hot pursuit of a demon. His eyes bulge out as he spies his prey.[1] Advertising Looking for term paper on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fig. 1. Kochoro Kunisada, n.d. Shoki, the Demon Queller, available from: http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shoki.shtml Zhong Kui seems to be quite popular among other scholars – there have been a number of studies devoted to this specimen of Japanese mythology. Treated rather l ike a spirit with a character of its own, Shoki, or Zhong Kui, has gained great popularity with those admiring Chinese culture. As Richard Von Glahn explained, â€Å"Zhong Kui was a popular motif in literati painting during the Song and subsequent dynasties†[2]. However, Von Glahn also mentions that the common idea of Zhong Kui’s image is quite different from the one depicted in the numerous paintings. Thus, h warns, it would be a mistake to consider Zhong Kui as â€Å"an alter ego of the neglected and despised scholar†[3]. On the contrary, Con Glahn claims that the image of Zhong Kui must have been more imposing, and even threatening, since he was the hunter for evil spirits. However, the spirit was not considered to be a boo for the Japanese, since the latter used to honor this creature as the protector of their home. Defending the place from all kinds of evil spirits and guarding the peace in Japanese houses, this was rather a talisman for the local people: T he use of images of Zhong Kui as protective talismans to guard the home against demonic invasion recalls the legend that Huangdi had portraits made of his fearsome lieutenant Chiyou in order to intimidate criminals and instill a proper fear of the law.[4] It is also worth noticing that the image of Shoki is closely connected to the ideas of Buddhism, which a number of scholars have already proved. Zhong Kui Framed by Buddhist Setting: Mystique and Care Because of the interconnection between the Japanese mythology and belief system, their art is filled with spirituality and all kinds of religious allusions. Gong Kai’s piece of art is no exception – Zhong Kui’s image and the ideas of Buddhism merge in the picture; in fact, Zhong Kui becomes Buddhism itself, embodying the spiritual values of the Japanese people and filling the picture with the sacred sense.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Zhong Kui, the Keeper of Hearth and Home: Japanes e Myth with Buddhist Philosophy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Buddhism as a belief takes its roots so deep that even the wisest cannot trace its origins. However, the core idea of Buddhist religion is as mystic as its origins. Embodying the very essence of Buddhist, Zhong Kui can be the path to cognizing the complicated yet filled with wisdom Japanese religion. It is peculiar that even the way he sits is close to Buddha’s pose taken to reach the state of nirvana: Fig. 2. Gong Kai, Zhong Kui Traveling. https://www.wikipedia.org/ Taking a closer look at what the philosophy of Buddhism is for the Japanese people, one realizes that the picture of Gong Kai is breathing with the ideas of Buddhism and that Zhong Kui impersonates the essence of Buddhism – in fact, in the given picture he can be even compared to Buddha himself. Thus, Eliot claims that the shapes that the religion took in Japan could be called rather patriarc hal. With help of religion, the Japanese managed to maintain the existing structure of society for an endless number of decades! According to Eliot, this was rather natural process in Japan: In Japan, there has survived the old pagan spirit (pagan for want of a better word and in no sense a reproach) which identifies religion with Government, with law, with family duties and festivities. They are identified in the strictest sense: religion does not regulate them: they are religion.[5] Taking a closer look at the picture, one can see the typically patriarchal features in it, with the caste system which has obviously come from India into the Japanese culture. Thus, it can be concluded that the picture also provides another missing link between the Indian and Japanese cultures. Indeed, the crowd that surrounds Zhong Kui and carries him towards the light of cognition reminds of the Indian processions led by the rajah.Advertising Looking for term paper on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another trait that connects the image of Zhong Kui to Buddhism and the Buddhist theories is the calm and peaceful atmosphere that surrounds the procession. Despite the agitation caused by the presence of the Demon Queller, there is certain air of Buddhist meditations. According to Alldritt, â€Å"he performs a Taoist dance to chase off ghosts who are hesitant to go back to the world of darkness†[6]. What also must be noted is the specific way in which Shoki and the demons around him are depicted. In spite if the fact that one might be surprised with the lack of palette tints, the cast of colors which the painter used can be explained rather easily. Because of the fact that the Japanese art was subject to the influence from the other countries, the Japanese artists were trying to preserve their national identity as far as they could, which resulted in the typical Japanese palette, the tints of yellowish with the strokes of black on the sandy surface. Famous for their minimalis m in art, namely in painting, the Japanese artists could maintain the balance between the valuable ideas which the West brought to them and the national identity which they were so eager to preserve. This predetermined the use of such palette which could reprint the Buddhist idea of the world, with the careful observation of the world and thoughtful and fruitful meditations. With help of the peculiar philosophy of theirs, the Japanese people managed to keep the most peculiar features of their philosophy intact and safe from the influence of Europe. Shoki as a Part of Philosophy: The Lucky Charm of Japan All shot through with the idea of caste differentiation, the picture of Shoki speaks of the Japanese society with its huge number of social ranks and layers. Explaining the core idea of the Japanese caste differentiation, Gillman helps to clarify the details of the picture by Gong Kai: â€Å"Nonetheless, as in China, Japan wasn’t immune from attacks by the native on the forei gnâ€Å"[7]. It is worth noticing that the paintings depicting the Demon Queller and his miraculous work gained most popularity during the reign of the Yuan Dynasty, as Little claims: The Yuan dynasty (I279-I368) has been described as â€Å"the greatest epoch of Zhong Kui representation†,147 and while this might be disputed were there more surviving examples of Zhong Kui paintings from the Tang, Five Dynasties, and Song periods, it is true that some of the finest known depictions of the Demon Queller are from the Yuan period.[8] It is quite peculiar to see the way culture changes under the influence of the adopted religious beliefs. Being Chinese religion, Buddhism, intertwining with the Japanese vision of the world, gained the traditional Japanese minimalism shade. As Jordan emphasizes, it was namely the Chinese influence that affected the Japanese manner of depicting religious issues: Throughout Japan’s medieval era, many family-centered schools, such as the Takuma, altered their styles under the influence of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism and Began to paint in the fashionable monochrome ink style.[9] Another aspect which is worth paying attention to is the opposition â€Å"man vs. nature† which the Japanese philosophy has always been engaged with. Considered as â€Å"a magical control of and defense against evil†[10], this spirit is the child of the Japanese Buddhism. It is worth noticing that Zhong Kui is positioned neither by the painter, nor by the mythology as the creature attacking the evil spirits – on the contrary, the Devil Queller remains calm until demons start playing their tricks. What Zhong Kui does is protecting, not attack, which is truly Buddhist concept. In the picture, the Demon Queller bends the demons to his will, yet he does not harm them. Conclusion Filled with the air of Japanese refinement and the ancient myths, the picture makes one plunge into the depth of the mythology and philosophy of Japan, the country of mystery and legends. With help of the peculiar Buddhism setting the picture becomes even more expressive and at the same time mysterious. Creating the cultural and mythological background for the character, the Buddhist ideas add specific flair of safety, grandeur and solemnity to the picture. There is no doubt that Gong Kai created a piece which reprints the peculiarities of Japanese culture like no picture ever did. Bibliography Aldritt, Leslie D. 2005. Buddhism. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing Eliot, Sir Charles. 1935. Japanese Buddhism. New York, NY: Routledge. Guilliman, Derek. 2010. The Idea of Cultural Heritage. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Jordan, Brenda and Victoria Louise Weston. 2003. Copying the Master and Stealing  His Secrets: Talent and Training in Japanese Painting. Honolulu, HI: The University of Hawaii Press. Lee, Sherman. 1993. â€Å"Yan Hui, Zhong Kui, Demons and the New Year.† Artibus  Asiae 53, No  ½: 211-227 Little, Step hen. 1985. The Demon Queller and the Art of Qui Ying (Ch’iu Ying).  Artibus Asuiae 46, No  ½: 5-128  Shoki é  ¾Ã© ¦â€"  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the Demon Queller. 2010 A to Z Photo Dictionary,  http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shoki.shtml . Von Glahn, Richard, 2004. The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Footnotes . Shoki é  ¾Ã© ¦â€"   – the Demon Queller. A to Z Photo Dictionary, 2010 . . Richard Von Glahn. The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2004), 125 . Richard Von Glahn. The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2004), 125 . Richard Von Glahn. The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2004), 125 . Sir Charles Eliot. 1935. Japanese Buddh ism (New York, NY: Routledge), 189 . Leslie D. Aldritt. 2005. Buddhism. (New York, NY: Infobase Publishing), 136 . Derek Guilliman. The Idea of Cultural Heritage (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 137 . Stephen Little. The Demon Queller and the Art of Qui Ying (Ch’iu Ying) (Artibus Asuiae 46, No  ½: 5-128, 1985), 33 . Brenda Jordan and Victoria Louise Weston. Copying the Master and Stealing His Secrets: Talent and Training in Japanese Painting (Honolulu, HI: The University of Hawaii Press, 2003), 10 . Sherman Lee. 1993. Yan Hui, Zhong Kui, Demons and the New Year. (Artibus Asiae 53, No  ½), 213 This term paper on Zhong Kui, the Keeper of Hearth and Home: Japanese Myth with Buddhist Philosophy was written and submitted by user Tristin Mcintyre 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.

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Declaration of Independence The King of Britain has committed many injuries and usurpation’s on the 13 Colonies, for he is a prince-whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant. The Declaration of Independence, was written to establish the basis of the revolution that the colonists were planning, and enacting, it expressed the reasons for which the colonists claimed as factors for their wants to be independent. The document was divided into three major parts: the first section contained a statement of principle that discussed the rights of man and the legitimacy of revolution; the second presented a long list of grievances that provided the rationale for rebellion; and the third/last portion of the declaration included the formal announcement of independence. The 1st Section of the Declaration discussed the rights of man and the legitimacy of revolution. The Declaration most significantly declared that â€Å"All men are created equal† and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain rights to enjoy â€Å"life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.† Moreover, the Declaration argues that government must be representative of the people and is limited in power by a recognition of basic political rights. If when a government violates these people’s natural rights, the people have the additional right to hereby â€Å"alter or to abolish that government.† Thereof, the wanting of a â€Å"Democracy† among the 13 colonies. In contrast, the present King of Great Britain has forever elongated a series of usurpation’s that evinces a design to increase absolute despotism by neglecting to attend to the needs of his colonies and to their o so unalienable rights. Evenmore, controversial to the accusations made against the present King were a long list of specific grievances that provided the rationale for rebellion. These grievances were evidence to evince that the colonists rights... Free Essays on Declaration Free Essays on Declaration Declaration of Independence The King of Britain has committed many injuries and usurpation’s on the 13 Colonies, for he is a prince-whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant. The Declaration of Independence, was written to establish the basis of the revolution that the colonists were planning, and enacting, it expressed the reasons for which the colonists claimed as factors for their wants to be independent. The document was divided into three major parts: the first section contained a statement of principle that discussed the rights of man and the legitimacy of revolution; the second presented a long list of grievances that provided the rationale for rebellion; and the third/last portion of the declaration included the formal announcement of independence. The 1st Section of the Declaration discussed the rights of man and the legitimacy of revolution. The Declaration most significantly declared that â€Å"All men are created equal† and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain rights to enjoy â€Å"life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.† Moreover, the Declaration argues that government must be representative of the people and is limited in power by a recognition of basic political rights. If when a government violates these people’s natural rights, the people have the additional right to hereby â€Å"alter or to abolish that government.† Thereof, the wanting of a â€Å"Democracy† among the 13 colonies. In contrast, the present King of Great Britain has forever elongated a series of usurpation’s that evinces a design to increase absolute despotism by neglecting to attend to the needs of his colonies and to their o so unalienable rights. Evenmore, controversial to the accusations made against the present King were a long list of specific grievances that provided the rationale for rebellion. These grievances were evidence to evince that the colonists rights...

Yuchanyan and Xianrendong - Oldest Pottery in the World

Yuchanyan and Xianrendong - Oldest Pottery in the World Xianrendong and Yuchanyan caves in northern China are the oldest of a growing number of sites which support the origins of pottery as having occurred not just in the Japanese island Jomon culture of 11,000 to 12,000 years ago, but earlier in the Russian Far East and South China some 18,000-20,000 years ago. Scholars believe these are independent inventions, as were the later inventions of ceramic vessels in Europe and the Americas. Xianrendong Cave Xianrendong Cave is located at the foot of Xiaohe mountain, in Wannian county, northeast Jiangxi province of China, 15 kilometers (~10 miles) west of the provincial capital and 100 km (62 mi) south of the Yangtze river. Xianrendong contained the oldest pottery in the world yet identified: ceramic vessel remains, bag-shaped jars made some ~20,000 calendar years ago (cal BP). The cave has a large inner hall, measuring some 5 meters (16 feet) wide by 5-7 m (16-23 ft) high with a small entrance, only 2.5 m (8 ft) wide and 2 m (6 ft) high. Located some 800 m (about 1/2 mile) from Xianrendong, and with an entrance some 60 m (200 ft) higher in elevation, is the Diaotonguan rock shelter: it contains the same cultural strata as Xianrendong and some archaeologists believe it was used as a campsite by Xianrendongs residents. Many of the published reports include information from both sites. Cultural Stratigraphy at Xianrendong Four cultural strata have been identified at Xianrendong, including an occupation spanning the transition from Upper Paleolithic to Neolithic times in China, and three early Neolithic occupations. All seem to represent primarily fishing, hunting and gathering lifestyles, although some evidence for early rice domestication has been noted within the Early Neolithic occupations. In 2009, an international team (Wu 2012) focused on the intact pottery bearing levels layers at the base of the excavations, and a suite of dates between 12,400 and 29,300 cal BP were taken. The lowest sherd-bearing levels, 2B-2B1, were subjected to 10 AMS radiocarbon dates, ranging from 19,200-20,900 cal BP, making Xianrendongs sherds the earliest identified pottery in the world today. Neolithic 3 (9600-8825 RCYBP)Neolithic 2 (11900-9700 RCYBP)Neolithic 1 (14,000-11,900 RCYBP) appearance of O. sativaPaleolithic-Neolithic Transition (19,780-10,870 RCYBP)Epipaleolithic (25,000-15,200 RCYBP) only wild oryza Xianrendong Artifacts and Features Archaeological evidence suggests the earliest occupation at Xianrendong was a permanent, long-term occupation or reuse, with evidence for substantial hearths and ash lenses. In general, a hunter-fisher-gatherer lifestyle was followed, with emphasis on deer and wild rice (Oryza nivara phytoliths). Pottery: A total of 282 pottery sherds were recovered from the oldest levels. They have uneven thick walls between .7 and 1.2 centimeters (~1.4-1.5 inches), with round bases and inorganic (sand, mainly quartz or feldspar) temper. The paste has a brittle and loose texture and a heterogeneous reddish and brown color which resulted from uneven, open-air firing. Forms are mainly round-bottomed bag-shaped jars, with rough surfaces, the inner and outer surfaces sometimes decorated with cord marks, smoothing striations and/or basket-like impressions. They appear to have been made with two different techniques: by sheet laminating or coil and paddle techniques.Stone Tools: The stone tools are by and large chipped stone tools based on flakes, with scrapers, burins, small projectile points, drills, notches, and denticulates. Hard-hammer and soft-hammer stone tool making techniques are both in evidence. The oldest levels have a small percentage of polished stone tools compared to chipped, parti cularly in comparison with the Neolithic levels. Bone tools: harpoons and fishing spear points, needles, arrowheads, and shell knives.Plants and animals: Predominant emphasis on deer, bird, shellfish, turtle; wild rice phytoliths. The Early Neolithic levels at Xianrendong are also substantial occupations. The pottery has a wider variety of clay composition and many sherds are decorated with geometric designs. Clear evidence for rice cultivation, with both O. nivara and O. sativa phytoliths present. There is also an increase in polished stone tools, with a primarily pebble tool industry including a few perforated pebble disks and flat pebble adzes. Yuchanyan Cave Yuchanyan Cave is a karst rock shelter south of the Yangtze River basin in Daoxian county, Hunan province, China. Yuchanyans deposits contained the remains of at least two nearly complete ceramic pots, securely dated by associated radiocarbon dates at having been placed in the cave between 18,300-15,430 cal BP. Yuchanyans cave floor includes an area of 100 square meters, some 12-15 m (~40-50 ft) wide on its east-west axis and 6-8 m (~20-26 ft) wide on the north-south. The upper deposits were removed during the historical period, and the remaining site occupation debris ranges between 1.2-1.8 m (4-6 ft) in depth. All of the occupations within the site represent brief occupations by Late Upper Paleolithic people, between 21,000 and 13,800 BP. At the time of the earliest occupation, the climate in the region was warm, watery and fertile, with plenty of bamboo and deciduous trees. Over time, gradual warming throughout the occupation occurred, with a trend towards replacing the trees with grasses. Towards the end of the occupation, the Younger Dryas (ca. 13,000-11,500 cal BP) brought increased seasonality to the region. Yuchanyan  Artifacts and Features Yuchanyan cave exhibited generally good preservation, resulting in the recovery of a rich archaeological assemblage of stone, bone, and shell tools as well as a wide variety of organic remains, including both animal bone and plant remains. The floor of the cave was purposefully covered with alternating layers of red clay and massive ash layers, which likely represent deconstructed  hearths, rather than  the production  of clay vessels. Pottery: The sherds from Yuchanyan are some of the earliest examples of pottery yet found. They are all dark brown, coarsely-made pottery with a loose and sandy texture. The pots were hand-built and low-fired (ca. 400-500 degrees C); kaolinite is a major component of the fabric. The paste is thick and uneven, with walls up to 2 centimeters thick. The clay was decorated with cord impressions, on both the interior and exterior walls. Enough sherds were recovered for the scholars to reconstruct a large, wide-mouthed vessel (round opening 31 cm in diameter, vessel height 29 cm) with a pointed bottom; this style of pottery is known from much later Chinese sources as a fu cauldron.Stone Tools: Stone tools recovered from Yuchanyan include cutters, points, and scrapers.Bone Tools: Polished bone awls and shovels, perforated shell ornaments with notched-tooth decorations also were found within the assemblages.Plants and animals: Plant species recovered from the caves deposits include wild grap es and plums. Several rice opal phytoliths and husks have been identified, and some scholars have suggested that some of the grains illustrate incipient domestication. Mammals include bears, boar, deer, tortoises, and fish. The assemblage includes 27 different types of birds, including cranes, ducks, geese, and swans; five kinds of carp; 33 kinds of shellfish. Archaeology at Yuchanyan and Xianrendong Xianrendong was excavated in 1961 and 1964 by the Jiangxi Provincial Committee for Cultural Heritage, led by Li Yanxian; in 1995-1996 by the Sino-American Jiangxi Origin of Rice Project, led by R.S. MacNeish, Wenhua Chen and  Shifan  Peng; and in 1999-2000 by Peking University and the Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics. Excavations at Yuchanyan were conducted beginning in the 1980s, with extensive investigations between 1993-1995 led by Jiarong Yuan of the Hunan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology; and again between 2004 and 2005, under the direction of Yan Wenming. Sources Boaretto E, Wu X, Yuan J, Bar-Yosef O, Chu V, Pan Y, Liu K, Cohen D, Jiao T, Li S et al. 2009. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal and bone collagen associated with early pottery at Yuchanyan Cave, Hunan Province, China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(24):9595-9600.Kuzmin YV. 2013. Origin of Old World pottery as viewed from the early 2010s: when, where and why? World Archaeology 45(4):539-556.Kuzmin YV. 2013. Two Trajectories in the Neolithization of Eurasia: Pottery Versus Agriculture (Spatiotemporal Patterns). Radiocarbon 55(3):1304-1313.Prendergast ME, Yuan J, and Bar-Yosef O. 2009. Resource intensification in the Late Upper Paleolithic: a view from southern China. Journal of Archaeological Science 36(4):1027-1037.Wang W-M, Ding J-L, Shu J-W, and Chen W. 2010. Exploration of early rice farming in China. Quaternary International 227(1):22-28.Wu X, Zhang C, Goldberg P, Cohen D, Pan Y, Arpin T, and Bar-Yosef O. 2012. Early pottery at 20,000 years ago in Xianrendong Ca ve, China. Science 336:1696-1700. Yang X. 2004. Xianrendong and Diaotonghuan Sites at Wannian, Jiangxi Province.In: Yang X, editor. Chinese Archaeology in the Twentieth Century: New Perspectives on Chinas Past. New Haven: Yale University Press. vol 2, p 36-37.Zhang C, and Hung H-c. 2012. Later hunter-gatherers in southern China, 18,000–3000 BC. Antiquity 86(331):11-29.Zhang W, and Jiarong Y. 1998. A preliminary study of ancient excavated rice from Yuchanyan site, Dao County, Hunan province, PR China. Acta Agronomica Sinica 24(4):416-420.Zhang PQ. 1997. Discussion of Chinese domesticated rice - 10,000 year-old rice at Xianrendong, Jiangxi Province. Second Session of International Symposium on Agricultural Archaeology.Zhao C, Wu X, Wang T, and Yuan X. 2004. Early polished stone tools in South China evidence of the transition from Palaeolithic to Neolithic Documenta Praehistorica 31:131-137.

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Octogram.net - Essay Example I also scored a good point for achiever. I got 6 in this personality trait which means that I am very ambitious and like to set high goals for me. It is true because I am a kind of person who is always focused on achieving something in my professional life. In case of helper, I scored 7. It means that I am a very helpful person for others at work which is quite true about me. I love to work in teams and assist others through my knowledge. I also want my colleagues to achieve their professional goals. The areas in which I scored less were strategist, anchor, analyst, and team player. To my surprise, I scored just 2 points for strategist. It means that I am not interested in finding solutions for problems which does not seem true about me. I have the potential to set strategies to meet those goals. For anchor, I scored 4 points. The scored truly reflected my multitasking approach at the workplace. I like to get exposure to multiple areas of professional life rather than sticking to any particular role. For analyst, I scored 4 points which means that I am not able to dig into the problems. It does not seem correct because I am a problem-solver rather than problem-avoider. The last personality trait was team player for which I scored 4 points. It means that I am only concerned with my role in the team. It is again not correct about me because I like to help others when working as a team and like to maintain team harmony to achieve results. Summing it up, although some results went in favor of me and some appeared as if they were wrong, but they did expose my workplace personality traits. I think that this understanding would influence my managerial behaviors because managers need to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. This octogram test would work as a good starting point for me and would definitely help me work on my weak areas. This response seems to be summing up all workplace

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Religion/Faith Over the last several decades America has been evolving towards many significant changes. One of these changes has posed a question, whether or not America has become secular. Although we may be uncertain of many of these changes and how they will affect our future, the answer to our secularity is quite obvious. America has indeed become secular. I think that in a society where being successful is everything, our religious beliefs tend to get lost in the "survival of the fittest" lifestyle that we lead everyday. Of course we all have certain standards in which we believe and live by. A good example of the standard behavior that makes us so secular is in Wil Herbergs essay This American Way Of Life. Herbergs says so well , "the American way of life is a symbol by which Americans define themselves and establish their unity." The author means to imply that unity is something we all strive for. To be American is to be part a huge family, no matter what gender, color, or background. We stick together. We fight together, we laugh together, we grieve together as Americans. Terms like democracy, individuality, self-reliance are all words we relate to as Americans. We teach our kids that we should be grateful everyday to be Americans. In this country we can choose our own destination. We can be whatever we want. I think that being a s...

Respect for Tradition

Respect for tradition Cultural differences In order to respect the tradition of India, Union Carbide should have done an investigation of Indian cultural values (Robertson and Fadil, 1998). It is possible that firms even within the same industry develop different values and traditions and the analysis of cultural differences permit to decrease the number of misunderstanding (Donaldson, 1989). One of the most important traits of Indian culture is the fatalism. The Indian population is very spiritual with the notions of karma, fate or destiny. According to them, everything happen for a reason and this way of thinking is significant in decision making in their personal life or within an organisation (Elder, 1966). Fatalism has an impact on two Hofstede’s dimensions. Power distance is defined as a degree of inequality among people of the community (Thomas, 2008). Hofstede (2009) found that India is a country with a high power distance which means that they accept unequal power and wealth. Indians think that people on the top were destined to be on the top so they accepted their decisions due to the fatalism philosophy. However, the power distance in United States is relatively low (Hofstede, 2009). Uncertainty avoidance represents the extent to which people are frustrated by unstructured and unpredictable situations (Thomas, 2008). India has low uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede, 2009). In fact, they prefer few rules as possible and less structures activities. In addition, they are not scared of the unknown and want to take risks. Fatalism emphasises the belief that people do not have the control of every situations (Elder, 1966). United States is also low in uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede, 2009). According to Hofstede research, both India and the U. S are masculine which means that the society accepts values like assertiveness, performance, success and competition (Thomas, 2008). Individualism/ collectivism is defined as the degree to which people in a country prefer to act as individuals rather than members of groups (Thomas, 2008). India tends to be collectivist while United States are highly individualistic (Hofstede, 2009). After analysing Hofstede cultural dimensions between India and U. S, it is worth noting that there exist differences between the two countries. Union Carbide would have examined the Indian cultural values before doing business in the country. This could have avoided the Bhopal’s disastrous. According to Donaldson, it is important for communities to self-define the aspect of their business morality and in this case, Union Carbide would have been aware and accepted it in order to respect the Indian tradition. This is called the moral free space. Usually, business communities develop ethical norms which represent a collective viewpoint concerning deals and the right behaviour to adopt when making them (Donaldson, 1999). The respect of tradition could be in contrast with core human values Donaldson considers that companies have to respect traditions of country where they work; nevertheless, sometimes these traditions could be in contrast with the core human values. As already mentioned, India is a country with high power distance. For example, in Bhopal, the municipal authorities were against the continued use of the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant at its original location (Shrivastava, 1987). The plant site was for commercial or light industrial use but not for hazardous industries. However, as UCIL was a powerful company in India, the central and state government authorities rejected the city’s objection and authorised the company to stay at its location (Bennett et al. 2005). Everybody accepted it and this decision was final. Even if the hierarchical system is accepted in India, Union Carbide could not have respected this tradition because it is in contradiction with the respect of individual’s basic rights. The government did not protect the individual’s rights because the plant was about two miles from the Bhopal railway station, local commercial activities and two slum colonies were located across the street from the Union Carbide plant (Shrivastava, 1987). So, in order to support and protect the Indian’s right, Union Carbide could not have respected this tradition. Uncertainty avoidance is relatively low in India and it is worth explaining its consequences on the Bhopal plant. The working environment of the plant tolerated negligence and a lack of safety consciousness among workers and managers (Shrivastava, 1987). This behaviour is not only in contrast with the respect of human dignity concept but also with the individual basic rights. In fact, the employees’ low morale jeopardised the population’s health and safety.