Silver Lining in the Sky A Story

Silver Lining in the Sky A Story Silver Lining in the Sky We often come to here the proverb that life is not bed of roses. It may seem the old and overused statement, but, it really is true. We often judge happiness pleasure in lives by economic prosperity, which does not holds true for all the cases. People may have a lot of money, but, are still unhappy and have forlorn because they feel that money cannot buy everything for them. and in case of lack of prosperity, the life itself became difficult because a person fails to fulfill his dreams and cannot buy or get according to his wishes. People may have experiences that may change affect their whole life and transform them to a completely different one. Such experiences can either make a person a sad loser or transform him to a successful and wise person, these results are dependent on the personality of the person and how he sees his situation o r world. I have listened about and observed a person who with the power of optimism and hopefulness changed his miserable and depressed life into the a shining example for everyone. This narrative is about one of the sons of our maid Zainab, who used to work in our since our childhood. I have not seen anyone so honest and dedicated in her life, as Zainab. When I was toddler, she was a middle aged woman and had two sons and one daughter. With the time she spent I our home and the long time for which she worked, she was considered the most entrusted servant of our house and we use to leave our house in her supervision alone and go for hours, but, never found anything misplaced or stolen. The long detail about Zainab is actually related to her son also. My mom told me that Zainab was not always the same poor and unfortunate women. She herself belonged to an uneducated and mediocre family, but, her husband was a really rich man and against the Arabic traditions, he married Zainab without consultation from his family, that’s why his family stayed away from him forever. Her husband used to work as the successful broker in stock exchange, but, unluckily, he invested in a unsuccessful company hoping that later it will bring more money to him, but his plan failed and he lost all money. This happened after eight years of his marriage with Zainab. A few weeks after that the family was travelling and they got into accident, her husband died on spot her elder son Khalid apparently bruised his legs only. The death of Khalid’s mother came as real loss for the family, with no sources of income and lack of education, unfortunately Zainab had to go to peoples home and work as maid. She used to work her in several homes to feed them. Khalid was seven, when his mother started working as maid. Initially he got really depressed, when he had to see his mother sweeping the floors of others because he himself led the life, where people used to do work for them. Khalid became really quiet after the death of his father and also really sensitive. Being the eldest he realized that he has to take care of his siblings, but, still the difference in lifestyle and daily routine put a lot of pressure on the nerves of the child. He was always a happy and confident child, but, he started having nightmares and never wanted to leave his mother’s side. He used to wonder why all this happened to him and his family. It was the time he started getting lazy and also started complaining about pain in his legs. Initially everyone felt that he could not adjust in accordance with the present circumstances. His complaining did not stop and with the passage of time deformation in his legs were observed. Later his mother took him to doctor. After looking at his condition, the dr. inquired, whether Khalid was vaccinated for polio, the mother denied any such knowledge. After tests, it was revealed that Khalid had polio and had become paralyzed for his life. It was another shock for the family, but, his strong hearted mother always consoled him and taught his to see silver lining in the sky. With the passage of time Khalid learned that life without hope s useless. But, he was still young boy at that time. Lives without father and also as a paralyzed person seem to be really difficult for him. The real shock came after world. When his father lost his fortune, most of their acquaintances left them on their ow n, like they had contact ad acquaintances with them only because of their fortune. Even their family friends left them. He used to wonder, why people stopped meeting them and coming to their house. He didn’t realize anything until his father died and they were left alone in the world and without any financial aid. Soon after his mother started working as the maid for people, the remaining people stopped their contact and even forbade their children to play with them. They also have to shift in a smaller place, which was in a slum. Their new friends and acquaintances were the people of that slum. When he got polio, even his new friends started teasing him for his present condition and used to call him by the names of handicap, disfigured and game legged. Hearing such words and being called by his fellows was a real pain for him. He was also fond of soccer before his disability; the pain that he cannot play soccer for ever brought his more pain in the heart. The main issue was that due to lack of finances, he did not have clutches or wheelchair. It means that he was totally dependent on the other for his movements and the daily routine. Most pain came from the fact that, in the slums people were illiterate and had no knowledge of disease polio. Most of the people thought that it was an infectiou s disease and told their children not to visit Khalid again. How much pain the little boy might have suffered after losing fortune, father and later his friends, who were the only hope at that difficult time? In that time of despair, his mother used to tell him that how they were facing difficulties because she was not educated and did not have awareness about the necessity and essentiality of vaccination. He learned from his mother that a person can bring positive change in his life by studying because it is only education that can bring prosperity and happiness in their lives. He started taking interest in studies, with the help of one of his employers, Zainab sent her son to a public school. Initially the little boy also got rejected from most of his fellow students, but, his hope and vision of future did not let him go astray. Whenever he felt dejected, his mother was always there to console him. In spite of behavior of his fellow students, he continued to work hard and gave proper attention to his studies. He never felt ashamed that he as to ask a question again and again because he did not get that first time. His attitude helped him to clear his concepts, which later helped him in increase in his knowledge. At the end of that academic year, Khalid got second position in his class. It was after that, he felt that behavior of his fellow students started changing with him. He was listened to and was respected by his fellow students. This made him realize that how education can help him to earn respect. But, still that was not the end of his misfortunes, the time in which he was supposed to take admission in high school, his youngest sister got really ill and the money that had been set aside for his admission in high school was spent on his sister’s treatment. His sister was playing when she tripped while running and a piece of metal entered her arm near wrist. That was a really deep cut and she lost a lot of blood. He used to love his youngest sister a lot and could not see her in such pain. He started thinking that due to lack of money he could not get admission in high school and his beloved sister could not get better treatment. They had to take their sister out of hospital early because they did not have enough money. In her home her stitches got infected, but, they could not take her to hospital. Later the infection spread in her whole arm and they had to cut it, in order to save rest of her body. This was another shock for Khalid, as he felt really helpless because he could not help his sister. He even thought of leaving further education, but, again the hope that his education can help them to survive in this world helped him to continue struggling. Khalid was really bright student and watching this, my father gave money for his admission in highs school. In high school, he worked even harder and passed with distinction. This gave him opportunity to take admission in college with scholarship. He got admission in the college with scholar ship and chose accounting as the major. In spite of being the difficult subject, his hard work helped him to make it easier for him. This path was also not easy for him. Here also, he had to bear the typical attitude of the people towards handicapped. Some totally rejected him and some gave more than necessary attention to him. He always wanted to be treated as normal people, but, his wish was never fulfilled. He showed even better result here and later on scholarship got admission in Chartered Accountancy course. The path was although difficult for him, but was not possible to achieve. He believed that his hard work could help him to achieve whatever he wanted. But, in meantime, his mother got ill and they lost their source of finances temporarily. In order to feed his family and get money for her treatment, he had to take tuitions. But, the expensive were more and the tuitions that he used to give students could not get him enough money. Because of this pressure, he had to leave studies temporarily. He requested for his semester to be frozen and took a minor job at an office. This job along with the tuitions enabled him to give proper treatment to his mother. After the period of six months his mother got recovered and went on her previous job. He continued his studies, but, still gave tuitions because it helped his sibling to get a slightly better living. His efforts and hard work gave his fruits when he passed Chartered Accountancy exam with distinction. His excellent educational record and personal traits like perseverance and hard work helped him to get job in on of the top accountancy firms of the country. He got two promotions in the time of five years and now he is working as a successful professional and his  family is leading really good life with better lifestyle. Their family still visits us occasionally and the company and the life of Khalid taught me that nothing is difficult in life. We may face difficulties and misfortunes, but, instead of giving importance to them, we should keep our focus on the silver lining in the sky. Khalid once said that his disability proved to be an actual opportunity in disguise. Because before this disability, he was not serious and determined about doing anything good with his life, later, with the encouragement of his mother he learned the importance of education and hope. He believes that life without hope is nothing. After watching him and listening about his journey, I came to realize that the difficulties in life cannot stop a person from doing anything good because when there is hope and will there is always a promise of better future.

Newspaper article Essay

In this essay I talked about literary elements such as symbolism, imagery, and metaphors being used very well in the book â€Å"The Things They Carried: by Tim O’Brien. I wrote about Tim O’Brien who is the author of The Things They Carried; O’Brien was born in Austin, Minnesota. When he was twelve, his family, including a younger sister and brother, moved to Worthington, Minnesota. His writing career was launched in 1973 with the release of If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home, about his war experiences and how in on attribute of O’Brien’s work is the blur between fiction and reality; labeled â€Å"Verisimilitude,† his work contains actual details of the situations he experienced. Although this is a common literary technique, his conscious, explicit, and metafictional approach to the distinction between fact and fiction is a unique component of his writing style. In the chapter â€Å"Good Form† in The Things They Carried, O’Brien casts a distinction between â€Å"story-truth† (the truth of fiction) and â€Å"happening-truth† (the truth of fact or occurrence), writing that â€Å"story-truth is sometimes truer than happening-truth.† Story truth is emotional truth; thus the feeling created by a fictional story is sometimes truer than what results from reading the facts. I wrote about some symbolism such as the dead young Vietnamese soldier being killed by O’Brien with a grenade. I wrote about imagery such as â€Å"The Man I Killed†, because it goes into details with things like â€Å"thinking repeatedly of the star-shaped hole that is in the place of his eye and the peeled-back cheek† and also like â€Å"a Vietnamese girl of fourteen dances through the wreckage though most of her village has burned to the ground and her family has been burned to death by the American soldiers†. I also wrote about metaphors such as the sewage field and how in â€Å"In the Field,† (the field here being both the sewage field that drowned Kiowa and the combat zone) O’Brien discusses the blame for Kiowa’s death in the sewage field – or, the drowning of American goodness in poop. Outline I. Introduction Thesis Author II. Symbolism Kiowa â€Å"The Dead Young Vietnamese Soldier† III. Imagery â€Å"The Man I Killed† â€Å"Style† IV. Metaphors The Lake/ Field â€Å"The Things They Carried† VI. Conclusion Thesis In the book â€Å"The Things They Carried† many literary elements such as symbolism, imagery, and metaphors are used very well. Tim O’Brien is the author of The Things They Carried; O’Brien was born in Austin, Minnesota. When he was twelve, his family, including a younger sister and brother, moved to Worthington, Minnesota, a city that once billed itself as â€Å"the turkey capital of the world.† Worthington had a large influence on O’Brien’s imagination and early development as an author. The town is located on Lake Okabena in the western portion of the state and serves as the setting for some of his stories, especially those in the novel The Things They Carried. He earned his BA in Political Science from Macalester College, where he was Student Body President, in 1968. That same year he was drafted into the United States Army and was sent to Vietnam, where he served from 1968 to 1970 in the 3rd Platoon, Company A, 5th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Division. He served in the division that contained a unit involved in the infamous My Lai Massacre. O’Brien has said that when his unit got to the area around My Lai (referred to as â€Å"Pinkville† by the U.S. forces), â€Å"we all wondered why the place was so hostile. We did not know there had been a massacre there a year earlier. The news about that only came out later, while we were there, and then we knew. Upon completing his tour of duty, O’Brien went on to graduate school at Harvard University and received an internship at the Washington Post. His writing career was launched in 1973 with the release of If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home, about his war experiences. One attribute in O’Brien’s work is the blur between fiction and reality; labeled â€Å"Verisimilitude,† his work contains actual details of the situations he experienced. Although this is a common literary technique, his conscious, explicit, and metafictional approach to the distinction between fact and fiction is a unique component of his writing style. In the chapter â€Å"Good Form† in The Things They Carried, O’Brien casts a distinction between â€Å"story-truth† (the truth of fiction) and â€Å"happening-truth† (the truth of fact or occurrence), writing that â€Å"story-truth is sometimes truer than happening-truth.† Story truth is emotional truth; thus the feeling created by a fictional story is sometimes truer than what results from reading the facts. Certain sets of stories in The Things They Carried seem to contradict each other, and certain stories are designed to â€Å"undo† the suspension of disbelief created in previous stories; for example, â€Å"Speaking of Courage† is followed by â€Å"Notes†, which explains in what ways â€Å"Speaking of Courage† is fictional. O’Brien won the 1979 National Book Award for, Going After Cacciato. Also his novel, In the Lake of the Woods, won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction in 1995. His most recent novel is July, July. In these paragraphs I will talk about examples of symbolism and what they mean. Kiowa is a good example of symbolism, a compassionate and talkative soldier; he demonstrates the importance of talking about one’s problems and traumatic experiences. He is also a devout Baptist and a Native American that occasionally feels contempt and distrust towards white people. However, he appears to be Tim O’Brien’s best friend in the company. Kiowa often helps other soldiers deal with their own actions, such as taking the lives of other human beings. Kiowa’s death is symbolic of the senseless tragedy of war. He dies in a gruesome way, drowning under the muck of a sewage field about which his lieutenant, Jimmy Cross, has a bad feeling. Kiowa’s entirely submerged body represents the transitory nature of life and the horrifying suddenness with which it can be snatched away. There is no dignity to Kiowa’s death; he becomes another casualty in a war that strips men of their identity and turns them into statistics. The dead young Vietnamese soldier is another example of symbolism. O’Brien is unclear about whether or not he actually threw a grenade and killed a man outside My Khe, his memory of the man’s corpse is strong and recurring, symbolizing humanity’s guilt over war’s horrible acts. In â€Å"The Man I Killed,† O’Brien distances himself from the memory by speaking in the third person and  constructing fantasies as to what the man must have been like before he was killed. O’Brien marvels at the wreckage of his body, thinking repeatedly of the star-shaped hole that is in the place of his eye and the peeled-back cheek. The description serves to distance O’Brien from the reality of his actions because nowhere in its comprehensive detail are O’Brien’s feelings about the situation mentioned. His guilt is evident, however, in his imagining of a life for the man he killed that includes several aspects that are similar to his own life. In these next paragraphs I will be talking about some examples of imagery. The chapter â€Å"The Man I Killed† is an example, because it goes into details with things like â€Å"thinking repeatedly of the star-shaped hole that is in the place of his eye and the peeled-back cheek† (chapter 12). The chapter â€Å"Style† has great imagery with quotes like â€Å"a Vietnamese girl of fourteen dances through the wreckage though most of her village has burned to the ground and her family has been burned to death by the American soldiers.† (Chapter 14). In The book The Things They Carried, Metaphors are also used. Tim O’Brien uses examples such as The Lake/ Field as an example, in â€Å"In the Field,† (the field here being both the sewage field that drowned Kiowa and the combat zone) O’Brien discusses the blame for Kiowa’s death in the sewage field – or, in keeping with our metaphor, the drowning of American goodness in poop. The soldiers all feel guilty in one way or another – for following orders instead of trusting the Vietnamese, for a moment of stupidity in the field, or for their own brutal and disrespectful natures. Jimmy Cross and Norman Bowker both reflect that the blame is universal. The ignoble death of American decency in war is everybody’s fault, in one way or another. O’Brien also uses chapters like â€Å"The Things They Carried† as metaphors such as, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey† (667). This begins Tim O’Brien’s short story â€Å"The Things They Carried.† The author will go on to list all the items carried by these soldiers, including helmets, canteens and ammunition. O’Brien uses the list of physical objects that the members of the Alpha Company carry in Vietnam as a window to the emotional burdens that these soldiers bear. One such burden is the necessity for the young soldiers to confront the tension between fantasy and reality. The realization of this tension disrupts Cross’s stint as the resident dreamer of the Alpha Company. Cross thinks  that because he was so obsessed with his fantasy of Martha and the life they might lead after the war, he was negligent. He sees Ted Lavender’s death as the result of his negligence. If â€Å"The Things They Carried† is the illustration of the conflict between love and war, then the death of Ted Lavender and the subsequent disillusionment of Lieutenant Cross signify a triumph for war in this conflict. The emotional burdens that the soldiers bear are intensified by their young age and inexperience. Most of the men who fought in Vietnam were in their late teens and early twenties—they were children, students, and boyfriends who had no perspective on how to rationalize killing or come to terms with their friends’ untimely deaths. From the beginning, O’Brien the author uses explicit details to illustrate what the experience was like for the scared men. Among the things the men carry are guilt and cowardice that they are neither able to admit to nor negotiate. Although they are sad for the loss of their friend Lavender, their predominant feeling is of relief, since they are still alive. So as you can see, in the book â€Å"The Things They Carried† many literary elements such as symbolism, imagery, and metaphors are used very well.

Pros And Cons Of Site C - 1362 Words

Site C ââ€"  In December 2014, the BC government made the decision to proceed with Site C, which would provide 1,100 MWs of capacity and about 5,100 GW/h of energy each year. ââ€"  Prior to that decision, CEBC argued that a portfolio of renewables purchased over the same period would have significant benefits for the province and save taxpayers money. ââ€"  The 2014 London Economics Study concluded that: o Private clean energy could save British Columbians $750 million to $1 billion during the 70-year economic life of Site C. o LEI cautioned that large planned industrial projects (i.e. LNG) can get delayed, impacting the ability for the market to absorb excess capacity from Site C. Instead of getting a large amount of energy at once, the†¦show more content†¦o There have been multiple lawsuits from First Nations attempting to stop Site C. Concerns include the flooding of approximately 5,550 hectares of traditional Indigenous land and heritage sites. †¢ The Federal Joint Review Panel found that Site C would result in significant adverse and cumulative environmental effects. These include: o Significant unmitigated losses to wildlife and rare plants, including losses to species under the Species at Risk Act and to game and plant resources preferred by Aboriginal peoples. o Significant unmitigated losses to fish and fish habitat, including three distinct sub-groups of fish preferred by Aboriginal peoples, one of which is federally listed as a species of special concern. o Losses of certain archaeological, historical and paleontological resources. o Social costs to farmers, ranchers, hunters, and other users of the Peace River valley. o Forced changes to the current use of lands and waters by signatories to Treaty 8, other First Nations and Mà ©tis. †¢ The current capital estimate for Site C sits at $8.775 billion. o This does not include $743 million in transmission line costs and costs for First Nation accommodation. o BC Hydro’s use of a 70 year debt amortization period extends beyond the expected life of the WAC Bennett dam and is double that provided for in the FederalShow MoreRelatedNyt Paywall Case603 Words   |  3 Pagesmarket. 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Hinduism A Universal Religion - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2796 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/08/12 Category Religion Essay Level High school Tags: Hinduism Essay Did you like this example? The dictionary defines Hinduism as, a major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, developed from the Vedic region. However, Hinduism as a whole cannot be boiled down to a simple sentence. While it is a religion that over millions of people follow, it also can be considered a lifestyle. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Hinduism: A Universal Religion" essay for you Create order Even the roots of Hinduism are different than other well-known religions, as it has no original leader, no single scripture, or even a regularly fixed set of teachings. So what is Hinduism? It is often addressed as the eternal faith or the Santana Dharma because it is based on collective wisdom of several various teachers (Singh, 1990). Like most ancient faiths, there are religious texts and scriptures for believers to follow. For Hinduism, it is the Vedas and the Upanishads. These Scriptures teach its followers the best way to live their life, offering guidance and spiritual confirmation. Another major difference between Hinduism and other renowned religions is the fact that it can be considered a universal religion or belief system. A universal religion is a religion that transcends normal human pettiness, fake theology, and a one-way system. Its a religion that does not belong to one specific race or gender or country and does not maintain a sense of superiority. It is a religion of freedom of thought and rationality and goodness. It is a religion that recognizes the value of all lives and all of humanity. These are all the different aspects that Hinduism encompasses and what makes it a renowned universal religion. A common misconception regarding the religion of Hinduism is that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. By definition, polytheism refers to worshipping many gods of equal stature. This is not the case in Hinduism as they recognize one unitary, supreme God, who is the absolute. While the Hindu religion does have a plethora of gods, they are more or less considered great beings rather than the one true Divine (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). Because reality is based on inner experience rather than outer experience, so the gods are seen as an inner experience. As such, they are just as susceptible to change as the human mind (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). The concept of time to Hindus is different than how most Western cultures view it. While Westerners see time as linearly, Hinduism embraces an approach that interprets the notion of time as cyclical (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). Not only is it because each soul lives on through reincarnation, but the world is created and destroyed only for the creation process to begin again. Ultimately, the world and time is eternal. The Vedas offer guidance on how to achieve the necessary liberation from the world. It manages this by stating the four goals of life: dharma, artha, kama, and moksa. Dharma is not as basic as its definition of religion would state. Dharma is what shapes a persons worldview and their sense of justice. It is doing what they believe to be right, regardless of the circumstances. Artha and kama are the second and third goals of life. Artha is wealth while kama is sensual enjoyment and pleasure. Both of these relate to the physical and worldly desires that people face. The Hindu religion encourages seeking after both of these all in moderation, as it is unrealistic to believe that these wont be found appealing to normal people. Moksa is the release from suffering, old age, and ultimately death wherein one attain peace in spiritual poise (Singh, 1990). The word Dharma constitutes the core of the message of India to humanity (Suda, 1970). It is shown to be of importance time and time again in both of the two great epics such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana and in the various religious Scriptures. In fact, the Bhagavad-Gita actually centers on the concept of dharma, as Lord Krishna encourages Arjuna to fight in the war because it is his duty as a warrior and prince. Dharma is derived from the root of the Sanskrit word, dhr, which means, to hold, have or maintain (Suda, 1970). Dharma is the philosophy of thought that keeps the whole universe in order and everything in its proper place (Suda, 1970). The idea is that an individual only realizes his or her dharma when they get rid of all their impurities (Suda, 1970). Dharma is accordingly paired with the concept of Truth, known as Rita, which signifies divine or cosmic order (Suda, 1970). Ones dharma, however, is not fixed or static. It is susceptible to change and subject to growth just as people are (Suda, 1970). The Bhagavad-Gita is one of many Scriptures of the Hindu religion. It follows the story of Arjuna, a warrior prince, with his mentor, Lord Krishna, and his dilemma of whether or not to participate in the war while on a battlefield. It is thought to influence a whole galaxy of leaders from the [Indian] freedom movement (Singh, 1990). There are four main reasons, why the Gita is both significant and relevant, even in todays modern society. The first reason being that the Gita is written amidst a situation of conflict. The epic pans out in the middle of the great Kuruksetra War and is about a warrior for the divine call (Singh, 1990). This appeals to readers, both in the old and modern day, as every individual wants to feel that their life has a higher meaning. Furthermore, the Bhagavad-Gita shows a divine personality of the teacher (Singh, 1990). Lord Krishna is disguised in human form and it essentially personifies the Para-Brahman. The relationship between Krishna and Arjuna is one t hat resonates with readers as well. In the Hindu tradition, the connection between a guru and a sisya (protegee) is a very intimate one. These relationships are related to father and son, best friends, and even lovers. It is a bond based off of faith, devotion, and trust (Singh, 1990). Even though Krishna is the mentor and a god, he is never seen threating Arjuna, but rather urging him to follow his dharma. The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are the two great Indian epics. Not only are they interesting stories to read, but they also offer guidance on how Hindus, or people in general, should live their lives. Like the Bhagavad-Gita, the Mahabharatas inner message, also maintains one must always do their duty (Krishnananda, 1990). Additionally, the Mahabharata preaches on trusting in the Lord. When one clings to God, He will see that all abundance is poured upon [you] (Krishnananda, 1990). Like the Mahabharata, the Ramayana has numerous lessons to follow as well. In both of these epics, they start off with an initial depiction of the glory of human life, only to be contaminated by the vision of a poisonous sting that also is a part of human existence (Krishnananda, 1990). Life is not always going to be smooth sailing. It has ups and downs and its about adapting to the curve balls it throws. Furthermore, the Ramayana teaches about abandoning ones worldly desires, such as lust and greed and p ride and to choose the path of righteousness. Hinduism also follows a timeline in which the people split the stages of their life. These stages are known as Brahmacarya, Garhasthya, Vanaprastha, and Sannyasa (Singh, 1990). The stages are split into twenty-five year periods and are separated into student life, householder, semi-retirement, and the final stage of complete withdrawal. During ones student life, the primary focus is receiving an education. The next stage is the householder stage, which is concentrated on starting a family and that seeds into the next stage of semi-retirement. This stage is mostly a filler of gradual attachment in order to prep for the final stage of complete readiness to withdraw entirely from a social life. Individuals are divided into four categories based on their inherent qualities (Singh, 1990). This is commonly known as a caste (or varna) system, and it is still used to this day in India. The four varnas break down into the Brahmanas, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras. The Brahmanas are ranked the highest and appear on the top of a vertical ladder. They are the people who provide spiritual guidance and intellectual sustenance to society (Singh, 1990). Next comes the Ksatriyas, or the warriors. In America they would be considered soldiers or people of power in the government; peoples who duty or dharma revolves around ruling the nation and defending it against aggression (Singh, 1990). The vaisyas are the traders, those who are involved in agricultural and commercial operation (Singh, 1990). Lastly, there are the Sudras or the labourers. However, contrary to popular belief, the ladder can be shifted to look at horizontally rather than vertically. People are not desperate to switch cast es, even if they appear on the lower rung. They are proud of their caste and everyone is considered an integral part of society. The Vedanta, also known as the Upanishad, come at the end of the Vedas and hold what is considered to be key tenets of Hinduism. It follows five main principles that are the core of Hindu belief. The first one is the all-pervasive Brahman. This is an ideology that is shown in countless other religions. There is one divine entity that has a driving force and power for everything that anyone does. There is no manifestation without the divinity behind it (Singh, 1990). This concept of the Brahman is what makes Hinduism a monotheistic religion, contrary to the common misconception of it being a polytheistic one. The next principle leapfrogs off of the first one as the Brahman resides within each persons consciousness, in the Atman (Singh, 1990). The Atman is fundamentally a soul residing in an individual. The Atman is neither separate nor apart of the Brahman as the Lord resides within the heart of each person. The relationship between the Atman and the Brahman is the crucial point upon which the entire Vedantic teaching revolves (Singh, 1990). The last three principles are what establish Hinduism as a universal religion rather than a limited one. The four yogas (Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, and Raja) are concentrated on bringing a union between the Atman and the Brahman (Singh, 1990). The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word, yuj, which is translated to join or yoke. That is why the idea of the four yogas or paths to the divine involves the joining of the individual soul with the universal divine being (Singh, 1990). Jnana yoga encompasses intellectual discrimination and knowledge (Singh, 1990). Intellectual discrimination is discerning between real and fiction (Gabriel, 2018). The goal is to reach Enlightenment through the process of reasoning (Gabriel, 2018). This yoga is done via studying. Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion to a personal form of God (Singh, 1990). It is considered the easiest yoga to practice, as one does not have to have supreme physical or mental attributes. In the Vedanta, there is said to be a fine thread of pure love which connects [ones] heart to the divine (Gabriel, 2018). That thread is reflected to be the crux of Bhakti. It is the ultimate surrender to the divine. Karma yoga, not to be confused as just karma, is known as, the way of action (Singh, 1990). It is performing an action, regardless of the benefits. Essentially, it is acting selflessly. The final yoga is raja yoga and it is considered the king of all yogas. This yoga involves the various spiritual practices, including physical and psychic exercises (Singh, 1990). Raja yoga means the royal path (Singleton, 2010). It is about maintaining control over ones mind. This is done through the practices of mantras, various techniques, and meditation. Every mind is filled with conflicts, which causes the obscuration of the Divine. Through the practices mentioned above, the Divine will be able to peacefully join with oneself. Many Westerners appreciate Raja yoga as it is not necessarily linked with the Hindu religion, and can be practiced regardless of ones belief system (Singleton, 2010). The concept of karma is not lost on Western culture and this Hindu idea is one of the more recognized one. Etymologically karma means work, but it is more often noted for the after effects of any action (Kalghatgi, 1965). The principle of karma revolves around the idea of eternal metempsychosis (Kalghatgi, 1965). This word, developed from the Greek language, envelops the idea of the soul after death, transitioning to a new body, regardless of species. It is a subcategory of the idea of reincarnation. The basic idea of karma is that through ones actions, a unique and particular life is created (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). Regardless of the nature of any action action, actions of a particular type produce experiences that match that type of said action (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). The actions continuously persist, until a human makes an effort to change their ways and stop performing actions that harm either themselves or others. This is where the idea of metempsychosis comes in. Accumulated kar ma is carried over from one lifetime to the next (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). A specific soul will be forced to continually reincarnate until the lessons from the previous life are learned and no more karma is generated, regardless if it is good or bad (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). All human beings, because of their shared spirituality, are members of a single, extended family (Singh, 1990). This is a principle found in the Vedanta that displays Hinduism as a universal religion. It is the belief that individuals are amrtasya putrah: children of immortality. Humans carry within their consciousness the light and power of the Brahman (Singh, 1990). Furthermore, the Vedanta talks about the essential unity of all religions and of all spiritual paths (Singh, 1990). There is no explicit way to the divine but rather there is a multiplicity of paths. Hinduism has approximately around nine hundred million followers. There is a multiplicity of paths on the way to the divine, and that is due to the fact that everyone comes from a different background. Even in the Bhagavad-Gita, there is a sense of universal applicability. Hinduism does not confine itself to any particular creed, and has no desire to make converts (Singh, 1990). This is due to the fact that the divine Brahman and Atman reside in all beings (Singh, 1990). What works for one person, may not work for another. There is no central book or authority, which is different from many religions as Christianity focuses on the Bible and Islam, has the Quran. While Hinduism is a religion, it can also be seen as a way of life. There are no strict rules or guidelines one must follow in order to be in accordance with their way of living. While many Hindus are vegetarian because they believe in the well being of all beings, there are others who are not. There is no specificity. Furthermore, it is extremely tolerant. In all the religious Scriptures and texts such as the Upanishads and the Vedas, Hindus put an emphasis on the many different ways to reach God or the Brahman. This belief comes from the fact that God exists in everything and everyone. Furthermore, Hinduism doesnt believe in conversions. Missionaries were never a priority because if the Brahman resides in all beings, people will realize it themselves. While Hindus do have rituals, which they follow, they are by no means necessary in order to the gain access to the Divine. The only requisite to become a Hindu, is sincerity and the actual desire to become one with the Brahman. There is a prayer in Hinduism that translates to, well-being of the whole world. Hinduism is not an exclusive religion, but one that is open to all (Beckerlegge, 2004). Like most belief systems, Hinduism has many different tenants and principles condensed into one religion. Whether it is the idea of reincarnation, where a soul is reborn into another body after death, or the concept of karma, Hinduism has managed to become a forefront on the religious playing field. It is currently the third highest followed religion in the world, with over millions of faithful followers. While it started as a religion based on geography (the Indu River), it has made its way all throughout India and even into the Western hemisphere. But how has a religion that doesnt force conversions or even believe in missionaries become so big? Hinduism prides itself on being a tolerant religion. Unlike Christianity and Islam, Hindus are open-minded towards other faiths because they believe that they are all pathways to the Brahman. It is difficult to categorize Hinduism into a specific sect of theology, as Hindu theology contains many different elements of almost every theologica l system. There are five ideologies, however, that help condense the Hindu religion. These five elements have given shape to the Hindu religious tradition: doctrine, practice, society, story, and devotion (Narayanan, et al., 2018). While Hinduism has many different messages relayed to its followers, the very essence of Hinduism is found in the opening line of the Upanishads, This entire cosmos, what is still or moving is pervaded by the Divine (Singh, 1990).