Consumer law coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Consumer law coursework - Essay Example e time and make claims under the Sale of Goods Act based on various possible ways to resolve the issues based on the circumstances and on what they want to be done as provided for in the implied terms section 12 of Sales of Goods Act. According to the case, Bowes v Richardson & Son Ltd, the buyer was held by the Courts entitled to reject a new car seven months after delivery based on various car problems some occurring immediately after delivery and others months later. The Court held that the buyer had never had the opportunity to fully assess the repairs made on the car as so could never be held to have accepted the goods. Such case law authority is a precedent for Peter’s iTablet and Patrick’s TV cases. They both have their rights against the retailer and not the manufacturer and hence a claim is valid to make against Trusted Electricals and Aptab R Us. On the hand, Peter can make a claim on goods sold on hire purchase not through Sales of Goods Act but via the Suppl y of Goods Implied Terms Act 1973 that makes the Hire Purchase Company responsible for the quality of the goods supplied and offers him slightly different rights. Patrick is also protected under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 to decide on the best way possible to end his agreement in his cases against Barcpeds. On the first occasion, Patrick purchased a 42 inch television for his living room from Trusted Electricals. The Television was defective and also had a consequential loss as it overheated and damaged his expensive wallpaper. In order to advice Patrick, there is a need to investigate whether the sign his attention was drawn to was available at the point of purchase and that he was told about it before the acquisition. The researcher believes that Patrick was never told of this sign at the point of purchase and thus his demands are valid as required by section 13 subsection one (sale by description) where there is an implied term that the good correspond to the description. Patrick should be

I will get back to you on this. If you come up with an idea let me Essay

I will get back to you on this. If you come up with an idea let me know - Essay Example The emphasis would be on identifying the causal factors causing depression and evaluating the role of each of them. The thesis statement of the paper is that there are genetic predispositions to depression among children of specific age groups as well as catalyzing factors like absence of a father figure, societal pressures to conform and peer-pressure from other children to perform at school. Hence, the paper attempts to answer the thesis question: Is Depression among children caused by genetic factors or environmental factors or a combination of both with catalyzing factors playing a major role. The problem description is that of children in the age groups of 2 to 6 and teenagers showing symptoms of adjustment to the world around them and hence can be classified as troubled or depressed. The point here is that the paper tries to address the â€Å"nature vs. nurture† question as it relates to depression among children. While many experts have pointed to the genetic predisposition that causes mental health disorders, there are others who have insisted that this is nothing more than â€Å"blaming the brain† as an excuse to not look deeply at the environmental factors that cause depression. The line taken in this paper is that while there are enough grounds for genetic factors being at the root of the issue of depression among children, there is enough evidence to indicate that environmental factors act as â€Å"catalysts† in precipitating depression. Hence, what is being argued in this paper is that while nature might predispose certain children towards psychological disturbances, the other factors like home and family environment and social norms do indeed catalyze the inherent tendency towards depression making the children the victims of depression and other psychological disorders. We all have good genes and bad genes and most of us get through life without

A Modest Proposal Essay Example for Free

A Modest Proposal Essay Jonathan Swift, a satirical author from the 1600’s and 1700’s, wrote A Modest Proposal, in 1729 to bring to the attention of the Irish officials that the poor were in dire need of help. In this essay, Swift proposes that the poor sell their children to upperclassmen for ten shillings in graphic detail (Swift 3). Through this disturbing mental image that readers were not able to look away from, the author successfully conveyed his message to the Irish people and managed to ultimately get them to help their own citizens. In modern society, the poor are growing poorer and the rich are growing richer, just like in the 1700’s. The lower class is not much different than the Irish lower class conditions was three hundred years in the past. The similarities of the lower classes are that the rich are of a much smaller percent, the poor are not receiving the help that they should, and that jobs are not readily available to anyone despite popular belief. The movement against Wall Street’s 1% was not effective due to these reasonings. The percentage ratio between the rich and the poor, in both eras, respectively run from extremely low to very high. In an article written for The Los Angeles Times on December 4th, 2011, the author clearly states how â€Å"we are fighting the 1% because they possess most of the nations wealth†¦ They are the enemy of us the 99% who toil at low-wage jobs†¦ and yet pay our fair share of taxes. † (Schiller 1) In this quote, the percent of people without jobs is comparable to that in Swift’s time. As Darell Figgis explains, â€Å"Throughout the eighteenth century the state of that nation was inconceivably wretched. It was rack-rented mercilessly, without let or hindrance or prospect of remedy (1)†. Eighteenth century Ireland was in a worse state of living than the poor in the United States. In eighteenth century Ireland, anyone who was not part of royalty was part of poverty. In this case, jobs were unavailable to most people who were of poor descent. The job most of the poor were able to acquire was a begging job, and even then life was difficult. Even local farmers were more fortunate than the beggars, since they were able to spare a little of their own harvest for heir families. Officials turned a blind eye to the problem, and ignored the pleas of the beggars and lower class. If the United States continues to go down this path, soon the country will face the same fate as that of 18th century Ireland. Occupy Wall Street was a major event that happened in New York City to fight how the upper-class is not helping the less fortunate. Many people flocked to Wall Street to protest, bearing signs saying â€Å"We Are The 99%†, declaring how the so-called â€Å"1%† of the United States holds most of the money in the country. As Fox News writes, â€Å"The protesters have varied causes, but have spoken largely about unemployment and economic inequality, reserving most of their criticism for Wall Street. ‘We are the 99 percent,’ they chanted, contrasting themselves with the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans† (â€Å"Occupy Wall Street† 1). These people wanted to make their opinions known, clearly portraying their disapproval of the system today. The upper-class in society receives up to seventeen percent of the national income in total (McCormally 1). Even through this, there is no evidence that any help will come to the lower class any time soon. A Modest Proposal, written by the satirist Jonathan Swift, condemns the same fate to the Irish of the time. As Swift writes, â€Å"I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known that [the Irish people] are every day dying and rotting by cold and famine, and filth and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected (Swift 4)†. This quote shows how horrid the living conditions of Ireland were during this time period. Upperclassmen did nothing to help this condition from progressing, and continued about their own ways, pretending that there was no real problem occurring. Likewise, in today’s society, many of the upperclassmen do not help the lower class. Though some actually do lend a helping hand to those people who need help the most, many lower class citizens have to work their way around a meager salary. In the time of Jonathan Swift, though the crisis was much more profound, there were still some similarities to the issues of today’s society. In his work of art, A Modest Proposal, he declares the problem, â€Å"And as to the young laborers, they are now in as hopeful a condition; they cannot get work, and consequently pine away for want of nourishment, to a degree that if at any time they are accidentally hired to common labor, they have not strength to perform it† (Swift 4). This statement is not too far away from the economic problems the United States is having today. Many college-bound students are unable to secure a job, thus making them rely on their parents for longer than ever before in history. The monetary issue has been growing ever larger since the most recent stock market crash, in which the Dow Jones dropped a total of 22. 11% within a week (Stock Market Crash of 2008. 2). However, the issue is currently under review, and hopefully a bailout is in the near future for people of the United States of America. In conclusion, there are many similarities between today’s poverty-driven streets and Ireland’s poor population. The upperclassmen, or, in today’s words, government, were not and are not paying attention to the dire needs that the countries needed to get through the hardship that should not have been. Jobs are scarcely available to anyone who does not know someone already with a job working for the same company. Even though this is the case, the government is not working to help out the situation, and is not focusing on what is needed; more jobs, less government spending on luxuries that are unrequired for the survival of the country itself. The rich are growing richer as the poor’s funds are growing thinner and, much like the issues addressed in A Modest Proposal, help from officials is not in sight.

Criminal Law Evidence Example

Criminal Law Evidence Example Please read carefully the scenario below and then complete the work for this assessment. A burglary has occurred around 21:00 hours yesterday at an office complex on an industrial estate. It has open entry round to the rear of the building. A metal top opening window was forced open and the intruder(s) gained entry, once inside, the building alarm system was activated. The offender made a tidy search of the office desks and drawers and it is suspected that 2 laptops and one PDA were stolen. The exit from the property was as entry. An eye witness states they saw a red coloured car leave the industrial estate at high speed, the make and model is unknown. Approximately 4 miles away from the scene on a park that borders the edge of a large housing estate was a stolen abandoned vehicle, its engine still running. The vehicle is a red ford focus reported stolen 1 hour previously from a private drive outside the home of Mr Andrews. The vehicle has been taken to a recovery garage pending a scenes of crime visit. CCTV on the park installed for anti-social behaviour has been viewed by Police Community Support Officers and they believe the individual running from the car is Michael Steven Kelter born 23/02/1987. Michael has previous convictions for burglary and anti-social behaviour related offences. He is also a known drug user. Uniformed Police Officers have arrested Michael Kelter on suspicion of burglary at the industrial estate and also for the taking of a vehicle without the owners consent. He is now detained at a dedicated custody suite pending interview with detectives. Attending police officers have found a screwdriver in shrubs outside the office complex, the screwdriver has been recovered and booked into the property store at the local police station. Officers also arranged for boarding up to secure the premises. It has also been reported that a male in his early 20s 3 days previously stated that he represented the alarm company and needed to have a look at the system. He presented no identification at the receptionist and was subsequently turned aw ay. CCTV footage has since been overwritten as it is on a 24hr loop. It is not known whether this is connected to the burglary. Assessment: Please devise an illustrative presentation of the potential evidence types available at each scene and identify the links between each scene. You will need to cite references to support your answer. Literature Supporting the Potential of Forensic Evidence. NAPIER, T.J., 2002. Scene linking using footwear mark databases. Science and Justice Journal of the Forensic Science Society, 42(1), pp. 39-43. Brief description of reference. BIERMANN, T.W., 2007. Blocks of colour IV: The evidential value of blue and red cotton fibres. Science Justice, 47(2), pp. 68-87. Brief description of reference. LOWRIE, C.N. and JACKSON, G., 1994. Secondary transfer of fibres. Forensic Science International, 64(2-3), pp. 73-82. Brief description of reference. Locard’s Principle According to Locard 1910 ‘Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibers from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects. All of these and more, bear mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value.’ (Joe Nickell and John E. Fischer, Crime Science: Methods of Forensic Detection. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1999. 10). Fingerprints often feature significantly at the scene of the burglary, within the stolen vehicle and on any property recovered from the burglary including the screwdriver that was discovered at the point where the stolen vehicle was recovered from. (FSS 2000, Supporting ‘Pathfinder’, Information on FSS and Police Fingerprint Process, Forensic Science Service). One of the leading figures in the development of fingerprint analysis was Sir Francis Galton who developed the tripartite classification scheme which sorts fingerprints into three groups and was used primarily to establish the heredity and character of the individual (Simon A. Cole Suspect Identities: A History of Fingerprinting and Criminal Identification (Harvard University Press, 2001), pp. 60-96.) Garton himself published a book entitled Fingerprints in 1892 in which he studied the frequency in which the patterns appeared in relation to the race of the supplier of the print. Unfortunately his results did not me et his expectations that there would be a significant pattern for a significant race. The use of the fingerprint database for the storing of fingerprints taken from convicted offenders is invaluable in identifying perpetrators of future crimes (Anthonioz, A., A. Aguzzi, A. Girod, N. Egli, and O. Ribaux, Potential Use of Fingerprint in Forensic Intelligence: Crime Scene Linking. Z Zagadnien Nauk Sadowych – Problems of Forensic Sciences, 2003. 51: 166-170.) Footwear marks are often a useful source of identification. It is possible to identify the wearer of the shoe from the footmarks by the way in which the patterning has worn. Although retailers sell many of the same item of footwear the wear marks on the shoes differs between users and therefore it can be very easy to get an exact match from the recovery of the suspects footwear to the recovered print. Some experts have stated that shoemarks and geographical information can assist in linking a suspect to a particular crime (Napier, T.J., 2002. Scene linking using footwear mark databases. Science and Justice Journal of the Forensic Science Society, 42(1), pp. 39-43). According to Jim Fraser who is the director of the centre for forensic science as the University of Strathclyde footwear marks were found at about 40% of crime scenes. He commented that most are not clean boot marks and usually need enhancing with UV light and that such prints can even be recovered from a carpet or a dead body (James Randerson, Footprint database to help fight crime, The Guardian, Tuesday January 30 2007). Items such a glass can be transferred to a suspect either through primary transfer or secondary transfer. Primary transfer usually occurs when the suspect is breaking a window which causes backward fragmentation (J. Locke and J.A. Unikowski, Breaking of flat glass—part 1: Size and distribution of particles from plain glass windows. Forensic Sci. Int. 51 (1991), pp. 251–262). Secondary transfer is where the glass transfers form one person to another or form one object to another person (Lowrie, C.N. and Jackson, G., 1994. Secondary transfer of fibres. Forensic Science International, 64(2-3), pp. 73-82. ) Research has shown that approximately 10% of glass fragments can be transferred from the person who broke the glass to another person (G.A. Holcroft, B. Shearer, Personnel communication). Others discovered that the transfer of glass between two people in a car only resulted in one such transfer in the 15 experiments that were conducted (.J. Allen, K. Hoefler and S.J. Rose, The transfer of glass—part 3: The transfer of glass from a contaminated person to another uncontaminated person during a ride in a car. Forensic Sci. Int. 93 (1998), pp. 195–200.) Certain types of clothing are more likely to allow such a transfer than others. clothes made from 100% nylon such as shell suits have a low retention level whereas jumper made of acrylic would have a medium retention level (T.J. Allen, K. Hoefler and S.J. Rose, The transfer of glass—part 2: A study of the transfer of glass to a person during various activities. Forensic Sci. Int. 93 (1998), pp. 175–193). Raman developed the notion of spectroscopy which focussed on the transfer of fibres that had been chemically dyed. The most common colours used in the manufacture of clothing are black, blue and red and therefore it can be difficult for the forensic scientist to differentiate the evidential sample from the suspect source (R. Palmer and S. Oliver, Sci. Justice, 2004, 44(2), 83–88.) In recent times the use of CCTV footage has been increased significantly with local authorities making use of the technology in the city centres to monitor the behaviour of people. This has proven particularly useful with regard to the monitoring of the behaviour of people when they have been drinking. CCTV footage can be of limited usage in that the images are not always sufficiently clear. There has also been much criticism of the fact that cameras are often pointing the wrong way or do not cover the locality of the offence. Images from CCTV can be enhanced to aid identification and often a suspect will enter a guilty plea having been shown the footage, especially if they are clearly identified by the cameras. As can be seen from the above there are many items that can be gleaned from the actual scene of the offence as well as from other areas that the suspect might have been present at. The notion of secondary transfer could weaken a case against a suspect, however the prevalence of secondary transfer is very low and therefore offers little in the way of protection for the suspect.

Wittgensteins Dilemma :: Philosophy Science Language Papers

Wittgenstein's Dilemma Either language can be defined or it can be investigated empirically. If language is defined then this will be mere tautology. If language is investigated empirically then this will lead to a substantial yet contingent truth. The cure for this dilemma for Wittgenstein in his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus was to submit the doctrine that the structure of language cannot be said but only shown. This doctrine is vague and misconceived. In this essay, I will show that it is vague and misconceived and, consequently, why it does not cure his dilemma. Wittgenstein stated in the preface of his book that he had solved the problems of philosophy. That these problems had been formulated by the misuse of the logic of our language by philosophers. What philosophers had been saying could simply not be said. Their philosophy was beyond the scope of what could be said and was therefore nonsense. By plotting the limits of language, Wittgenstein expected to be able to deal with the problems of philosophy finally. Outside the limits of what can be said lies nonsense, so any theory of language must occur within these limits. Wittgenstein thought that the nature of language could tell us what can and cannot be done with it. He believed this because he deduced that language had its own limits fixed within its structure. So, in his theory of language, he revealed the structure of language to entail these limits of language which were also necessary truths. However, this meant that they would also be empty tautologies! Wittgenstein believed that language disguises thought and therefore the nature of propositions would reveal the nature of the language that represents it. So, Wittgenstein based his theory of language on the nature of propositions. Within the nature of propositions, Wittgenstein found a satisfactory account of logical necessity. This lead to the fact that the limits of language were logically necessary. In this essay, I shall give an account of Wittgenstein's theory of propositions and show that his elementary propositions are in fact divisible. I will outline his 'picture theory' and show that the consequential 'doctrine of showing' is vague and misconceived. I shall submit my own theory of the tautology as a possible cure for the above dilemma. Numbers appearing after quotes refer to the numbered passages in the Tractatus. To begin, then, some detail of Wittgenstein's theory of propositions is needed in order to see how the important 'atomic' propositions idea came about.

A Comparison of Death Of A Salesman and Hamlet :: comparison compare contrast essays

A Comparison of Death Of A Salesman and Hamlet Willy Loman and Hamlet, two characters so alike, though different. Both are perfect examples of tragedy in literature, though for separate reasons and by distinct methods. The definition of a tragedy, in a nutshell, states that for a character to be considered tragic, he/she must be of high moral estate, fall to a level of catastrophe, induce sympathy and horror in the audience, and usually die, and in doing so, re-establish order in the society. Hamlet follows this to a "T". Death of a Salesman does not fall within these set guidelines but is still considered tragic for reasons, though different, somewhat parallel those of Hamlet's. Hamlet, a rich young price of high moral estate suddenly has his joyous life ripped away from him when his father, Hamlet Sr., suddenly passes away. Though originally thought to be of natural causes, it is later revealed to him through his father's ghost, that dear old dad was murdered by his Step-Father, and also his Uncle, Claudius. Vowing revenge upon his Uncle/Dad, Hamlet begins to mentally falter and eventually, is in such a wild rage that he accidentally kills Polonious believing him to be his father. Hilarity ensues. Ophelia, Hamlet's love interest, commits suicide/dies (that's up for debate elsewhere) after going slightly mad from the impact of her father's death, then Laertes, Polonius' son, arrives on the scene enraged and ready to kill Hamlet for what he's done, and just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, unbeknownst to Hamlet, Claudius has been plotting to kill him. Talk about your bad days. A duel takes place between Hamlet and Laertes where Laertes, using a poison-tipped sword, cuts Hamlet, thus giving way for his impending death. Hamlet eventually gets hold of the sword and kills Laertes, then kills King Claudius. Just as the play ends, Hamlet takes his last breath of air, appoints Fortinbras Jr. as the new King of Denmark, and dies. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, a salesman who believed himself to be a powerful man, has his life unravel before him as he loses his job, his sanity and the respect of those around him.

Jessica Yassen’s Philosophy of Meaning and Value Plan

Abstract As a leader in today's society individuals need to have an understanding and an approach outlined to describe their meanings and values in life. An application plan describes personal experiences and outlooks, philosophies on life, ethical standards, values, along with personal career plans and growth. This paper demonstrates the author Jessica Yassen's approach to meaning and value along with her application plan. This plan will describe how Jessica Yassen will apply her philosophies guided by theories from philosophers in the traditional era such as Aristotle, modern era such as Descartes to Wittgenstein, and postmodern era such as Derrida, Foucault, and Rorty. This plan will be revised as postmodernism continues to be redefined through the creation of new paradigms in society. Jessica Yassen's Philosophy of Meaning and Value Plan Meaning, significance, importance, value, worth is a debatable issue. Meaning is a quality inherent in something independent of an individual who considers something meaningful. The sections that follow are from the author's own set of values and meanings. While she attempts to argue her case convincingly she knows that this is all just one point of view and can be discounted as such. Approach to Meaning and Value The author's perspective and value system believes that there is no meaning in unity that has any relevance to the personality. The personality cannot know unity and therefore cannot know the meaning of unity. There is no fixed, inherent meaning in our lives, in creation, in duality. Everything is subject to change, so all meanings will change. The meanings given to things are a complex product of culture, beliefs, personal values, philosophy, realizations, life experiences, habits, and more. Society often uses meaning to construct a coherent narrative of our lives and uses this narrative to give a context for the decisions made according to the values held. The narrative changes as society changes. When more people seem to share the same narrative or meanings there is a less threat to that narrative or those meanings. In the extreme this can lead to non-engagement with those that do not share the same narrative and exclusion of people who did share the same view but now do not. This develops the accepted shared reality of societies. That concept of meaning and purpose occupy the mind and drive many of our emotional responses such as euphoria to the other extreme of depression. The more negative the emotion, such as anxiety, one tends to originate from a perceived threat to or conflict in what society considers meaningful or purposeful. Moore and Bunder (2002) stated that Aristotle valued the power of human reason, with the influence of culture, to envision and classify nature and human understanding and to make ethical judgments concerning the good man. The author agrees with Aristotle in the fact that humans are naturally emotional and have an understanding of what is good and what is not. Even if someone does not act ethically, he or she has the ability to listen to reason of what he or she did wrong and why the action is perceived wrong in society. Leary (1980) described Rene Descartes as having an understanding that philosophy is the study of wisdom where wisdom governs everything in life. Another view from the modern era was that of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Moore and Bruder (2002) stated that Ludwig used analysis philosophy to derive value. The author leans towards Ludwig's views in the fact that she analyzes everything and believes there is a reason in seeing the true reality. In the post-modern era, views from Jacque Derrida, Michael Foucault, and Richard Rorty were formed. These postmodernist believe that reason is subjective and that truth is non-existent. They tend to believe what they are told in their social group and are always looking to answer the reason; however, when the answer is found, they challenge the answer. The author believes that those that embrace the postmodern paradigm will be effective based on the fact that they will always be trying to improve themselves, those around them, and the systems they work with always believing that there will be always be room for growth because perfection can not be obtained. They will challenge those that work for or with them to think critically and creatively to do their best. As a leader, the author realizes that the world is constantly changing and before she can challenge my team to think critically and creatively, they must have an up-to-date knowledge of the business area and world improvements. She would need to assess and address learning needs and evaluate the impact on the team and the company. Learning would need to be work-based such as mentoring, shadowing, and training where appropriate. After the learning opportunities have been addressed, then as a leader, round table discussions with the team will help spark the creative and critical thinking. Personal Experiences The author has experience on how to spark creativity and helping others think critically. Her last manager had team meetings where everyone participated in fun exercises such as using craft items such as buttons, balloons, aluminum foil, ties, marbles, and markers to build the perfect team member. The designs were very creative. Using this type of creative thinking with round table, the author can see system designs taking place through creative interactive thoughts. Challenging users by offering incentives is also a win-win. An example is where the author's company implemented a new program where an incentive was to be given for figuring out the best way to implement a new feature needed. A user came up with the best way to effectively program the feature and design to implement. This saved the company about $25,000. The reward was a week of paid time off. Now everyone thinks and knows that there are incentives to do better through creative process such as designing a system to thinking critically such as processes and system impacts. Personal Philosophy on Life The author's personal philosophy on life is to be kind, honest, helpful, truthful, and generous. Her personality is best suited for a profession in information systems. She loves to work with computers and the technologies surrounding computers. Fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are influences that affect new computer users in today's society. Ethical Standards and Values If someone's personality is able to function in society and permits him or her to reasonably efficiently live and prosper according to his or her own value system then he or she is doing well. When individuals become aware of aspects of the personality that interfere with their ability to realize what they value then they should use personality tools as part of the approach to doing something. If someone operates from a value system that seeks no fixed meanings or purpose he or she will often find such personality tools to be highly effective as there is a greater facility for letting go of the attitudes and habits that are the source of most personality conflicts. The belief system of the mediator is crucial in their ability to meditate. Some belief systems are not useful and too much identification with self-analysis unconsciously creates its own problems as demonstrated by those who struggle in meditation. Surrender, acceptance, self-love are the context in which the application of personality tools and a moderate amount of self-analysis can facilitate more effective meditation. Meditation can be used to avoid facing the issues that interfere with melting and can help society notice, accept, and work through the same issues. If someone is content and relaxed in life then he or she is probably melting in life and so will melt more completely in meditation. Future Plans and Ambitions The author's career plans and ambitions are determined by several factors. These factors are based on her family, education, resources, and potential growth opportunities in her career path. Her first step is to familiarize herself with various options available. Once she has determined which career option entices her the most, she will find a course to help take her to her goal and determine preparations needed to achieve her goal. To be effective in her career plan, the author must lay out both long-term and short-term goals. The short-term goals are building blocks towards the larger long-term goal. Some of the short-term goals will include course work, training, and preparation required to achieve the ultimate goal. As the author grows, she realizes that her goals may change. This will be factored in her decision-making process. Every decision is limited only by what she is capable of now or in the future and her ability to identify alternatives. She will explore alternatives available keeping in mind her core values, commitments, resources, and constraints. Working hard and never underestimating what can be achieved is the author's motto. Evolution Growth and Changes There is no evolution towards some future perfection if there is no universal sole purpose for life. In fact biological evolution, when understood in the way biologists intend, offers a good analogy for the many ways humans can develop and unfold. Biological evolution is not striving to produce the perfect organism. The process of evolution favors the reproduction of organism that is well suited to a particular environment. As the environment changes so will the form best suited to that environment. There is no grand purpose to the changes in the environment and so there are no purposive changes in the organisms induced by that environmental change. The tendency to find meanings in the phenomena that manifest around us can be seen as a product of evolution. There is a biological advantage in responding to an observed pattern that results in more food, less danger, or other factors. Responding to apparently random or coincidental events as if they were connected is advantageous. Enlightenment in Life While there may be no ultimate meaning, purpose, or truth in life, life comes with the wonderful and mysterious gift that enlightenment can be realized. And while realization of this serves no ultimate, the knowledge has profound consequences for the way someone can live in his or her life and how to encounter the process of his or her death. And so there is value and meaning and purpose and truth to be found in helping others realize enlightenment. As someone who has realized enlightenment, the author choose to spend time helping others to realize the same state in their way because her value system considered this to be profoundly liberating and, within this narrative, gave her pleasure to see others finding that liberation too. This offers a radical and empowering insight and the possibility of resolution of personal and social conflict enabled by the shift of perspective inherent in the state. Challenging situations or concepts in order to question habitual value systems, let alone engage in the process of changing the situation takes conscious determination and interaction. Indeed, their value system may be very hostile to any process that involves questioning one's value system. The concept of a hostile enlightened person does not rest easily with value systems that equate enlightenment with perfection of the personality but makes perfect sense if remembered that the personality does not realize the state of enlightenment. Perfection of the personality is not necessary to realizing enlightenment. Society can still be reasonable at letting go even with value systems that are judgmental or have a personality that struggles to cope with people or life. Enlightenment essentially involves letting go of absolutely everything just for an instant, and does not require that everything is sorted out before let go. If there is nothing that is more important than anything else, no way of living more meaningful than any other way, then society cannot hide from acting to help our fellow human beings behind statements such as ‘life is meaningless, only transcendence from this world of pain is meaningful'. The notion that this imperfect world is something to escape from may result in toleration of human suffering and dismissal of people who have given their lives to help others as being misguided. This has been used with effect by oppressive religious or political regimes. Applicable Aspects of Philosophy Care has to be taken in the expression of values not based on ultimate meanings to individuals who value the concept of there being ultimate meaning. Unless someone has had a strong experience of being in stillness and has had the opportunity to develop a sense of individuality there can be a devastating effect to have his or her sense of personal meaning and purpose deeply questioned. Values of kindness and compassion would restrain the philosophical aggression that would attack another's beliefs. If society considers that values are personal and not universal then there is no imperative to inflict someone's own value system on others. From this perspective there is a balance to be found between meeting someone's own needs and the needs of those around. At times society must also decide that, according to their values, to tolerate or not the behavior of someone's acts of violence, abuse, and intolerance for others. Traditional notions of morality and spirituality are also challenged by value systems. Concepts such as sin and karma have no place if there is nothing inherently wrong or right in any action. This does not mean that the abuse humans inflict on each other should be tolerated or condoned. Society finds that human values consider an action or attitude as being unacceptable and the social consensus of a group of a community that institutes laws to control behaviors that that community decides to not tolerate. Many societies are currently in turmoil because the traditional socially controlling religious values are breaking down with the rise of individualism and liberal tolerance. The author believes that no action is inherently bad or good. Every action has consequences across the whole of our lives to one extent or another. To act from self-interest and hatred will polarize interactions with life and cause those interactions to be based on self-interest and hatred and a life led in this context is less likely to find contentment. In order to respond positively to difficult events in life many people use the concept that such difficulties are meant to be and that they offer learning opportunities. There is a sense that their life is heading in a particular direction or to a particular goal and challenging situations are stepping-stones on the way perhaps guided by some universal intelligence. These attitudes help integrate survivable challenges but struggle to withstand lethal situations and seem trite in the face of the worst of human tragedy or abuse. Conclusion Many discussions of enlightenment will give the impression that through its realization the truth is known and that there is no mystery left. While the realization of the eternal state of unity that is enlightenment means that in that state there is no mystery, the truth of that state is known absolutely; the utter simplicity of this state can only answer questions that pertain to duality and life with a deep contented wisdom that things are as they are. Society can not reach closure in life nor finish the narrative of everyone's lives because there is and always will be another perspective, always something unconsidered, or unknown. Only in unity is there such closure since unity has the simplest of narratives that never changes. The joy of enlightenment for the author is to be utterly content that all the meanings she finds in life and the purposes she gives are like ripples in the sand that will be reformed with every wave, allowing a new creative and refreshing response to life.