The Monkey and His Mother
My mother is always suspicious of panhandlers. She used to pull me closer whenever we'd encounter a begging homeless person on the subway and drop her eyes, focusing on the stray paper and chewing-gum medallions--blackened with soot of the city--that decorated the floor. She and my father frequently describe seeing a homeless man who begs in our neighborhood (claiming to have AIDS, and afflicted with a multitude of painful-looking sores) walking down a street near our house, dapper in a dark business suit, his face free of the blemishes that had covered his skin on other occasions.
My father, also a self-professed cynic, believes in an inherent selfishness that motivates most human actions. "The tribal impulse is very strong," he says with a wry smile, as he gestures toward a newspaper article about nationalistic conflict. "People look out for their own interests." When I asked him about his experiences living through the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam war, I found that his involvement with each was limited--he vocalized support for the ideals of the former, and by 1969, disdain for the strategic incompetence represented by the latter--as he was occupied by his studies, and the desire to begin his career.
My parents' cynicism spares no one. I remember my father's delight upon reading the book review for Christopher Hitchens's criticism of Mother Theresa, Missionary Position, Theory and Practice, in 1995. In the book, Hitchens cites Mother Theresa's apparently numerous, and highly self-interested exhibitions of decidedly unsaintly behavior. He describes her enormous--and entirely unaudited--wealth (Hitchens estimates one $50 million bank account to be only a "small portion" of her fortune) which she consciously kept outside of India--where she did most of her work--because the Indian government requires disclosure of foreign missionary funds. According to Hitchens, Mother Theresa received money from some dubious donors, including Savings and Loan swindler Charles Keating. Even despite her hefty fortune, the book asserts, Mother Theresa's treatment of the terminally ill was primitive and often completely ineffective. My father seized upon this exposition as a triumph of what he'd always known: no person should be considered angelic--most of us are equal parts good and evil, and, like most living creatures, we will all act on our own behalves most of the time.
Neither I--a third-rate Mother Theresa at best--nor my sister was safe from the slings and arrows of my parents' pessimistic world-view.
The 1960’s was a time society fantasized of a better world. However, the horrors of the Vietnam War soon became evident; the mass amounts of death occurring because of the war became a reality. It created a “movement”, especially in American colleges, in order to stand up for what they believed to be “right”. By 1970, many Americans believed sending troops to Vietnam was a mistake, however there were also various individuals becoming increasingly critical of the student antiwar movement
During the Vietnam Conflict, many Americans held a poor view of the military and its political and military leadership. Protestors met returning soldiers at airports, train and bus stations, and in hometowns with open hostility. Following the conflict, and perhaps the maturing of the ‘60s generation, the view towards the military began to change somewhat. The hostility declined, but an appreciation for the military never really re-emerged during the ...
In James McPherson’s novel, What They Fought For, a variety of Civil War soldier documents are examined to show the diverse personal beliefs and motives for being involved in the war. McPherson’s sample, “is biased toward genuine fighting soldiers” (McPherson, 17) meaning he discusses what the ordinary soldier fought for. The Confederacy was often viewed as the favorable side because their life style relied on the war; Confederates surrounded their lives with practices like slavery and agriculture, and these practices were at stake during the war. On the other hand, Northerners fought to keep the country together. Although the Civil War was brutal, McPherson presents his research to show the dedication and patriotism of the soldiers that fought and died for a cause.
Tim O’Brien finds himself staring at his draft notice on June 17, 1968. He was confused and flustered. O’Brien does not know how or why he got selected for the draft. All he knew was that he was above the war itself, “A million things all at once—I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, to everything. It couldn’t happen” (41). He was also demented on the fact that he, a war hater, was being drafted. He felt if anyone were to be drafted it should be the people who supported the war. “If you support a war, if you think it’s worth the price, that’s fine, but you have to put your own precious fluids on the line” (42). His draft notice was when he first carried his thought of embarrassment. He instantly thought if he does not support the war he should not have to go to war. The only way not to go to war was to flee the country so the draft council could not find him. He had a moral split. “I feared the war, yes, but I also feared exile” (44). This quote is so true in young adults, not only then, but also now. Peer pressure, the thought of being embarrassed if we do not do something, pushes many young adults to do things they do not want to such as pushing Tim O’Brien to enter the draft. The thought of being judged ...
Self-Interest and Civilians' Attitudes Toward the Vietnam WarRichard R. Lau, Thad A. Brown and David O. SearsThe Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 42, No. 4 (Winter, 1978), pp. 464-483
The 1960’s and early 1970’s were a time that eternally changed the culture and humanity of America. It was a time widely known for peace and love when in reality; many minorities were struggling to gain a modicum of equality and freedom. It was a time, in which a younger generation rebelled against the conventional norms, questioning power and government, and insisting on more freedoms for minorities. In addition, an enormous movement began rising in opposition to the Vietnam War. It was a time of brutal altercations, with the civil rights movement and the youth culture demanding equality and the war in Vietnam put public loyalty to the test. Countless African-Americans, Native-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, women, and college students became frustrated, angry, and disillusioned by the turmoil around them.
So why shouldn’t people give money directly to pan-handlers? It is a common thought that the homeless will simply spend their hard “earned” money on cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. It is debated whether or not this belief is based on any truth or not. One group in San Francisco decided to find out. They found that “25 percent are alcoholics” and “32 percent are addicted to drugs” (Keyes) thus they claimed that the homeless are spending the majority of their profits on food. However, other surveys say that approximately “80% of people begging do so to support a drug habit” (Doward). So here are two sources that disagree with each other. Which one is valid? The first results were come by after a team of GLS researchers to survey the homeless people on the streets and came up with the results by their answers. The second conclusion was made by looking at police records. In places where it is illegal to panhandle, police would arrest the panhandlers and, among other things, preform a drug test on them. The results of the second statistics were deduced from these ...
LaPierre, D. (1997). Mother Teresa and the leprosy of the soul. New Perspectives Quarterly, 14(4), 35.
Herman, Peter G., Ed. The American Prison System. n.p.: The H. W. Wilson Company, 2001. Print.
Have you ever had to choose between living a life of luxury and plenty or choose one that contained hardship and want, but you were able to help the poor? Mother Teresa, in the book Something Beautiful for God, written by Malcum Muggeridge, had to face this same issue. Everyone believes that Mother Teresa helped the poor, but some believe that Mother Teresa should have helped them and some believe they should have not.
America is often described as the land of the free, yet to the thousands of inmates that sit in prison this is a luxury they may never experience again. While common sense says that prisons are a necessary part of the world, America’s prison system has been neglected for far too long. Many prisons are on the brink collapsing and the living conditions of the inmate’s borderline on inhumane. In addition America has one of the largest prison systems in the world, and it shows as many prisons are bursting at the seams. As the government struggles to pay the deficient, often the prison system is the last thing on anyone’s mind as money is so tight. Still there must be something that can be done to improve the safety of not only the inmates, but
The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”- Mother Teresa. Another beautiful act of a humble nun, was her main philosophy of the poor, and how all of us are spiritually poor in some way. Though, her philosophy could be taken one of two ways, she still had respect for the rich and kindness for the poor. Some say Mother Teresa was a saint, others would say she resembled a kind hearted individual, unfortunately, people thought she was abusive towards poor children, but as this was made very clear that she isn't a hospital but rather a home- and to provide a home, she also trained abandoned infants. Was this impartial poor or rich people? Was there really any form of rank in Mother Teresa?
The United States at present has the highest incarceration rate that costs taxpayers millions of dollars and continually has our county jails operating over their rated capacities.(Hess 2008). A significant number of the jails in the United States are overcrowded, and this has been a management issue which has been in existence for years. Jail overcrowding has become one of the major financial and controversial problem in the United States. The jail population is increasing rapidly, which has caused a lot of tension on the management team to be able to perform their duties efficiently and has raised a lot question by The increase population of inmates in many county jails has raised a lot
To answer God’s calling Mother Teresa decided to become a nun when she got older. In church one day she saw pictures of starving families in small cities around India. She consulted the Father for adv...
Evidence from her residence in the Indian village of Calcutta reveals that she sympathized with the poor and the vulnerable people in the society. Although she had conducted other voluntary missions before, the love for human beings was revealed when she decided to live among the poor people in the village of Calcutta. Her compassionate nature was largely derived from the teachings of Jesus Christ. For example, one of the many articles on Mother Teresa observed that Mother Teresa was on several occasions heard quoting the teachings of Jesus Christ. One of the quotes that she referred to was “Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me” (Emilie 3). The foregoing reveals that she was ready to treat vulnerable human beings in a manner that upheld their