"Welcome to Anathoth" and Thoreau's vision into contemporary times

Thoreau opined that all these developments in Science and Technology are due to the desires of man for luxuries of life. If man opts for simple living and gets rid of his desire for luxurious life, there won’t be any need for these factories, industries, science and technological developments and the so called progress. Such a situation could also enable man to protect the environment in its original stage. Man with such simple outlook will not easily opt for wars as a result of which Governments can reduce their heavy expenditures on wars and divert the monies for the welfare of the people. If the World can thus be devoid of wars, the simplicity of life can further be enhanced (Thoreau 1985).

The practicability of living a simple life as preached by Thoreau in the modern times is almost impossible. However simple one wants to be, he cannot live without the help of minimum requirements like water, electricity and fuel. Moreover to opt for such a life is a question of attitude also. Even eminent scholars like Thoreau cannot persuade people to opt for such simple lives in the interest of grand ideals like protection of environment (Thoreau 1985).

‘Anathoth’ may be an example of a village incorporating the ideals of simple living preached by Thoreau for a very limited population but it cannot be a practical idea to build such village all over the country throwing into corner all these scientific and technological developments and the comforts they have brought to mankind with them. It may also be note that man always tries to live in the comforts of the contemporary atmosphere. Science and technology and its benefits are the norm of the present day society. Just because Thoreau was able to live a very simple life in his days it is not proper to ask the people of the present day to live such simple life as Thoreau in the middle of the alluring comforts of Science and Technology. Thoreau and other transcendentalists themselves were the proponents of the importance of the original and creative ideas. They preached that man should not be bogged down by the happenings and philosophies of the past and should formulate ideas and systems for their own times. Keeping this in mind they even said that such tings as literature should not be imitated or mimicked by people and people should have their own creative ideas. They also wanted education to tone up the intuition of man rather than make him a slave of his past. In the background of this it will be antithetical to the views of Thoreau himself if we ask people to live the life of Thoreau in the present day times. It is not only not proper to do so, but also impossible. So the people should be allowed to lead their own lives in tune with their times.

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Thoreau's advocacy for simple living

Thoreau was a great advocate of very simple living. His simplicity of living even descends to the level of labelling food as the only essential requirement in a man’s life. The other three essential elements shelter, clothing and fuel carry an element of luxury in them. According to him as one simplifies one’s life, the laws of the universe will be simpler and poverty will not be poverty.

Thoreau bought several acres of land at a very cheap rate from a poor family. He built his own home without any permit and did not provide it with any electricity. He teaches others also to lead a simple life that he lead near Walden pond, but there are certain realities in the modern society that would make his proposition more complicated. Modern man is attuned to living with certain comforts which are now considered essential for a hassle-free living. A secure home with certain facilities- a car, a refrigerator, a television and such other equipment are not luxuries but the essential requirements of modern life. There is a change not only in the outlook of the man but also in the adaptability of his body to the surroundings. Man has reached a stage where he cannot live without these facilities. So Thoreau’s advice to lead a very simple life devoid of all the modern amenities looks far from practical (Thoreau 1985).

No doubt there are people in the dark areas of African continent who lead very simple lives far away from the comforts of modern science and technology. But it must be noted that such a life is not of their choice and option but it was one of struggle for survival like that of any animal. Even those people if introduced to the taste of the modern comforts and then asked to go back to their earlier primitive lives, they will not be willing to oblige (Thoreau 1985).

The main difference between society of Thoreau’s times and modern society is the multiplication of income through multiplicity of methods. Thoreau earned his income through farming and selling crops. In such circumstances, one can lead a very simple life. But in the present day circumstances when the population has multiplied a number of times, it is not practical to expect people to live on agriculture only and lead very simple lives. People had to opt for diverse occupations to earn their livelihoods. In the process, they had to come across different facets of cultures and lifestyles which prompted them to adapt themselves to the requirements of those cultures and lifestyles. Apart from this, there is lot of diversity in the climates of various countries which require people to adapt different equipments to live in synchronization with vagaries of nature. So unless permitted by nature, it is not possible for man to live the simple life preached by Thoreau all over the World(Thoreau 1985).

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Thoreau's position on charity and caring for poor as in 'Walden'

Thoreau has some peculiar impressions on charity, caring for the poor and philanthropy. He feels that philanthropy is the only virtue more than any other virtue which is sufficiently appreciated by mankind. He goes to the extent of saying that it is overrated due to our selfishness. He quotes the example of a robust poor man in his town concord who praised a fellow townsman because that man was kind to him (the poor man). By this Thoreau meant that the selfishness of the poor man made him praise the townsman for his kindness. He expresses surprise that kind people are treated with more regard than the spiritual people, who have done more for the mankind. For this he quotes the example of a lecturer on England who spoke about the great people of England like Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, Oliver Cromwell, John Milton and Isaac Newton. But she also spoke of her Christian heroes like William Penn, Howard and Mrs. Elizabeth Fry and placed them on higher place regarding their greatness than the former ones. Thoreau says that such a comparison is wrong because the latter are best philanthropists and not great in the same vein as the former ones(Thoreau 1985).

While insisting that he would not like to detract in anyway the appreciation for philanthropy, Thoreau says that justice should be done to all those, whose lives and works are a blessing to humanity. Thoreau compares uprightness and philanthropy of people to leaves and stem of plants. He says that it is not the stem and leaves of a plant that mankind want but its flowers and fruits. Thoreau says that philanthropy is bud from one angle in the sense that it is being doled by the philanthropist out of sympathy for the recipients of his philanthropic donation. The entire process gives an impression that the recipients are grief-stricken for want of something which the philanthropist doles out(Thoreau 1985).

On closer analysis, Thoreau’s impression about philanthropy and charity are absolutely right. Philanthropists all over the world receive immediate recognition and appreciation, whereas the great inventors, scientists and discoverers, whose works facilitated the wonderful evolution of mankind, appear to pale into insignificance compared to these people. One reason maybe that people feel that philanthropist is earning something by hard work and then by act of philanthropy is depriving himself of his hard-earned possessions, whereas a scientist or an explorer is considered to have achieved something to prove his greatness. The utility of his invention, discovery or exploration to the society does not mean anything to majority of the people, while an act of philanthropy attracts the attention of even the lowest placed man in the society. It is this difference in recognition that should be set right according to Thoreau (Thoreau 1985).

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Thoreau's views on Economy in 'Walden'

Thoreau advises simplification of all needs of life to have a better economy. He points out that modern man has converted all luxuries of life into necessities. According to him, food is the mot essential requirement of humans’ and other necessities like shelter, clothing and fuel have an element of luxury about them. His purpose of going to Walden Pond was to show that life can be led the best way when done in simplest manner (Thoreau 1985).

According to Thoreau, economy refers to a very careful spending of money for the natural activities. For the society, both during Thoreau’s time and later also till date, economy means exchange of money by consumerism. Thoreau says that people bog them selves down with too many details and materialistic aspirations. Success in one’s life is measured by acquisitions and disposable incomes. According to him, the best way to lead life is not by such economic considerations but by abandoning such clutches of material possessions in life (Thoreau 1985).

The approach of Thoreau to economy is totally different from those of others. He wonders why people own so many clothes when they wear only few of them repeatedly. He also wonders why people eat thrice a day when one meal per day is sufficient. He also wonders at everybody enquiring as to what the news is, showing the inquisitiveness in the lives of others while they can use that time for enriching their lives (Thoreau 1985).

Thoreau criticizes colleges for not preparing youth for real life. He criticizes the yearning for material possession for creating luxuries saying that these many production facilities are not required if people opt for a simple life(Thoreau 1985).

Thoreau’s philosophy preaching simplicity in life, no doubt is appealing and also practical as shown by eminent people, who despite all their achievements led simple lives. But this opting  for a simple way of life does not appeal to majority of the common people who are tempted by the pleasure of possessing things in abundance even if they don’t use them. So his views appear impracticable, not because they are really utopian, but because people normally don’t like to opt for such life(Thoreau 1985).

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Thoreau's views on Society in 'Walden'

Thoreau advises that men should lead a simple life and be self-reliant. Conforming to rules and norms, in his view, is equivalent to losing autonomy. He believed that people around him lacked in individualism and to avoid them he went for a secluded life in woods and produced a masterpiece of collection of essays, “Walden”(Thoreau 1985).

Thoreau is of the view that, men are busy doing jobs like a machine thereby, losing humanity. This mechanical life, according to him is mediocre(Thoreau 1985).

Thoreau views 'inheritance of property' as a means to loss of individuality and freedom. He says that these inheritances are easy to acquire but difficult to get rid of (Thoreau 1985).

Thoreau criticizes public opinion because it deprives the people of their choice of how to be viewed. He labels public opinion as a weak tyrant. He is of the view that men should direct their lives in the way they feel about them rather than how public expects them to live and behave (Thoreau 1985).

Thoreau was also critical of the advice from the elderly. He says that their experience in life may be enriching, but inapplicable to the lives of the young. Life is unique to everyone and everyone should live it his own way. Heeding to other’s advices, in his view is loss of individuality (Thoreau 1985).

Thoreau does not spare even the younger generation. He says that while the younger generation tries to float and follows new ideas, different from those of the old, they again commit the same mistake of imposing their advices on others. Such attitude, he feels, should be changed. There is no time limit for such a change. One can change at any stage of his life(Thoreau 1985).

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Emerson's views on American Education and Transcendentalism

Views on Education        

Emerson was very clear in his views on education. He says that the pupil should be allowed to choose what he wants to study and the choice should not be imposed on him. According to him, the important points in training are genius and drill. Genius refers to leaving the pupil to develop own perception and inspiration while drill refers to giving practice to the student so that he can gain accuracy and precision(Cheever 2006).

Emerson wanted education to teach the practical and the moral. It should make people brave and free. It should teach the boys to become what they want to be. Education should train them as if there is belief in their noble qualities. It should educate their bodies. Its aim should not be to equip them with some skill in numbers and words so as to make them attorneys, engineers and accountants. It should mould them into capable, sincere and empathetic people. The aim of education should be in sync with the objective in life. The education should stress on morality, self trust, inspiration to invoke self- interest and increasing his acquaintance with his mental resources. Only such education is in consonance with divine provision (Cheever 2006).

American Education

American Education or for that matter, education in most parts of the world did not develop and perform the way visionaries like Emerson expected it to do. The educational institutions are bent on promoting literacy among people rather than educating them. That is the reason as to why we witness very few creative thinkers emerging from modern educational institutions(Cheever 2006).

Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism was a new movement in literature and philosophy in the 1830s and 1840, which rose in protest against state of culture and society at that time. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were two of the important transcendentalists. The transcendentalists believed in the ideal state of mind. Such state of mind is realized only through one’s intuition and not through the regimented doctrines of established religions (Cheever 2006).

                                                                             

Emerson’s views on various matters focus on creativity and originality which are the outputs of ideal state of mind. His revolutionary ideas on education, literature and reading transcend the physical aspects of these concepts (Cheever 2006).

Reference:

Cheever, S. 2006. American Bloomsbury: Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau; Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work, Thorndike Press, Detroit.

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Emerson's views in the "American Scholar" on literature

According to Emerson, books are full of learning of the past. These books change mere facts into virtual truths and thus pose a great danger. He feels that every book is only a partial truth since it was written based on the happenings during the times it was written. It cannot be applied to other times since each age has its own books and can establish its own truth. Another danger from books is that they wean the scholar away from original thinking. Scholars get overawed by the brilliance of the past writers and discouraged from exploring new ideas and seeking individualized truths (Cheever 2006).

Emerson says that a bookworm of a scholar is the worst of all the scholars because he focusses on trivial matters of scholarship and relegates larger ideas to the background. Such people are antithetical to the expectation of Emerson. He feels that the streak of creativity in man is the representative of divinity. If man stops being creative, it means that he is distancing himself from God and therefore from nature(Cheever 2006).

Literature has its adverse influence on genius too according to Emerson. He cites the idolization of Shakespeare by English dramatists who tried to copy Shakespeare for nearly two hundred years, burying their own imaginative creations. Emerson feels that true scholars should resort to literature only when he is devoid of his own creative thinking (Cheever 2006).

Emerson has some appreciation too for literature. Whether during ancient times or later, reading had the capacity of completely defeating time in the sense that one forgets the passage of time while reading. Reading had made its contribution to the nourishing of thinking of some original thinkers also. But reading should be critical in such a way that it nourishes and complements the original and creative thinking (Cheever 2006).

Reference:

Cheever, S. 2006. American Bloomsbury: Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau; Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work, Thorndike Press, Detroit.

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UNEP's evolution, activities and role in environmental protection

                                              

                                     1. Evolution and Initial Years

            One cannot but shower accolades on United Nations organization for its foresight on Environment. Way back in 1972,where the very word ‘Environment ‘relating to climate was rare in occurrence, UNO convened a meeting in June 1972.As a result  of the conference called as ‘United Nations Conference on the Human Environment ‘the United Nations Environment program (UNEP)came into existence with its Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya .The mandate and objectives of UNEP are as enshrined in the UN General Assembly resolution 2997(XXVII) of 15th December, 1972.These objectives were amended and became more refined and focused by amendments adopted at UNCED in 1992 ,the Nairobi declaration and Mandate of UNEP adopted at the Nineteenth session of the UNEP Governing council, and the Malmo Ministerial Declaration of 31^st May 2000.The main activity of UNEP  is to coordinate United Nations environmental activities, assisting countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices.

                The UNEP was dominant during the first three decades of its existence. There was not much to mention about its achievements except the historic 1987 agreement to protect the ozone layer-the Montreal project.

                                              2. Structure and website

                 UNEP geared up it work in the new millennium with an impressive mission, “to provide leadership and encourage partnership for the environment by inspiring ,informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of Future generations. It spread its wings far and wide throughout the globe. It has now got an impressive structural network with seven divisions, six regional offices, eight liason offices, five out-posted offices, six collaborating centres, eight convention secretariats and six scientific advisory groups to coordinate its activities. Its present website is http://www.unep.org

                                               3. Important activities

                The scope of UNEP ’s important activities at present are quite comprehensive and can be enumerated as below.

1. Climatic change 2.Disasters and conflicts 3.Ecosystem Management 4.Environmental Governance 5. Management of Harmful substances  6. Resource Efficiency

                                                     

                                                   4. Latest Project

               Celebrating 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) is the latest important activity of UNEP . This year is meant to help create and raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity through activities and programs in many countries as as to influence decision makers and to elevate biological diversity nearer to the top of the political agenda.
                                                 5. Remarks

              UNEP is passionate about spreading the message of environmental protection throughout the globe. The concept of ‘Green Earth’ Conspicuous by its omnipresence clearly indicates that UNO is successful in awakening the governments and people to the need for environmental protection. However as in many of its activities UNEP has become the target of allegations that it has become a tool in the hands of the rich countries targeting at prescribing systemic changes in political and economic spheres, in countries which are facing devastation either due to Natural calamities or war ravages. This if true is really unethical. The UNEP should moderate its functioning in such a way that it is perceived like an independent global body. Mankind would be thankful to it for such impartial functioning.

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Need for United Nations protection for environment

          Glaciers started melting. Tsunamis began attacking .Earthquakes became more frequent. Global warming is staring in our face. Earth’s temperature began rising up. El Nino became a regular phenomenon. All these portents rang alarm bells for mankind to take notice that Nature cannot be a mute spectator when it is carelessly and very casually degraded. In the last half century, which marked man’s giant strides in industrial and technological advancements, man’s disregard for nature was conspicuous by its brazenness. Environment, which has now become the buzzword everywhere was almost am unknown word, a decade back. Man was forced to realize that, however technologically advanced he may be, he has to live in sync with nature and nature cannot be taken for granted. Environment not only needs to be protected, but also is to be improved. It is this realization that makes Environmental protection a very important concept now-a-days. It  is surely going to remain so forever in near future.

           Environment is a Global concept .To be effective and result-oriented coordinated efforts by an international organization with proven abilities and participation by all countries  are highly desirable .It is in this background, the role of United Nations in Environment protection becomes crucial in spreading the message for Environmental protection throughout the globe.

                                    

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Disadvantages or risks in HRM outsourcing

When there is a decision to be made on outsourcing by managers, there is necessity to retain the required skills for fulfilling the role of intelligent customer and also of vendor-manager. This is required to ensure an exit with fewer costs involved in case the arrangement with outsourcing does not work. But this necessity is often overlooked.

The following points can be drawn with outsourcing of Information systems.

Ø      Degradation or loss of services available internally.

Ø      Control loss.

Ø      Issues with corporate security.

Ø      Qualifications of personnel brought from outside.

Ø      Negative effect on the morale of the employee.

There are serious doubts expressed on outsourcing regarding the quality of services it provides to users as it is driven by a motto of cost reduction. Also differences in HR requirements as required by various strategies can imply changing needs for outsourcing of HR. The questions which arise for these points are how outsourced HR functions can be linked to organisational strategy and what criteria is to be used for measuring the skill of service supplier of HR.

In outsourcing of HR, quality control is difficult as the process involved is external. When a process is internal, tools to improve quality can be applied by the company. By receiving a solution or product that is off-the-shelf, there can be problems relating to its quality. Also the flexibility of a company decreases when it depends on its suppliers through outsourcing.

With HR outsourcing, there can be loss of commitment and trust on the part of the staff. Staff can be affected by survival syndrome which is an outcome of delayering. This can lead to increase in staff turnover and significant decrease in productivity. Some researchers believe that outsourcing of HR is a fad and will go to a greater extent as is predicted. They feel that it is not wise to let a vendor take decisions on important tasks like payroll and feel that a person with the company can do such tasks well compared to an external source

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