The Utopian Vision of Mother Teresa

2072 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on mother teresa

The Utopian Vision of Mother Teresa

In August 1948, at the age of 38, Mother Teresa decided to adventure into the poorest neighborhoods of Calcutta, India, in order to live out her utopian dream by providing food, care, education, and shelter for the poor. Feeding people the Word of God; clothing them with dignity; educating them with knowledge, peace, truth, justice and love; nursing the mind and spirit; and sheltering them with a heart that understands. ("servants") I believe that a utopian vision is any vision that follows natural law, creates happiness in the community, and is feasible. Mother Teresa's visions are, in fact, effective utopian visions. Mother Teresa's visions included living a simple life, serving the poorest of the poor, treating everyone as equals, suffering cheerfully, and loving all until it hurts. In this paper, the ideas and visions that Mother Teresa cherished will be evaluated and questioned based on my three defined criteria of a utopian vision.

"The theory of natural law is the view that moral values are fixed features of the universe which all humanity can discover through reason."(Fiesner) The Golden rule is an example of natural law. When you do onto others as you would want done onto you, you follow natural law. Equality provides for natural laws to thrive. Mother Teresa always strove for the equality of all people, but many would say that she felt superior to others. It is stated that the greatest flaw in the Mother Teresa's teachings "is the belief that as long as a sister obeys [Mother Teresa] she is doing God's will."(Adams) This is inherently a downfall, but it is only natural for the person who creates something to want to control it. "There was brazen hypocrisy in Tere...

... middle of paper ...

...Famous", Sept. 13, 1997, http://www.users.bigpond.com/Atheist_Australia/teresa4.htm Accessed 2/14/99

Lev, Michael A. "The Entire World Says 'Goodbye' and 'Godspeed' to Mother Teresa". Chicago Tribune, reprinted by The Providence Sunday Journal, September 14, 1997,

Volume CXI, No. 37, pages A-1, 14. http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1109.cfm Accessed 2/14/99

Muggeridge, Malcolm. Something Beautiful For God. New York: Ballantine Books, 1971.

Roehl, Jayson. "Mother Teresa: Love and Politics" http://www.neopolitique.org/articles/nov97-teresa.html Accessed 2/14/99

"Suffering Servants" http://www.in.net/~servant/servmo-t.htm Accessed 2/14/99

Teresa, Mother. Mother Teresa, A Simple Path. New York: Ballantine Books, 1995.

Teresa, Mother. A gift for God / Mother Teresa of Calcutta &endash; 1st U.S. edition, New York: Harper & Row, 1975.

Show More
Related

  • Cult of True Womanhood: Women's Suffrage

    1288 Words  | 3 Pages

    Harper, Judith E. Susan B. Anthony: A Biographical Companion . 1998. 07 May 2014. .

    Read More

  • All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    In closing, the undoubtable influence of music, more specifically of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society is responsible for a number of changes to the status quo. These range from sexual liberation and racial desegregation all culminating with other influences to create an intergenerational identity. Despite the desperate attempts of older generations to smother these influences, these changes ultimately shaped the years that followed, molding the country into what it is today. Along the way these changes as well as individual involvement in them has also eased the lives of many through empowerment and a feeling of community and purpose. Despite a lull and renewal Rock ‘n’ Roll continues to serve as an agent of influence and change in today’s youth culture and continues to burn in the heart of past generations of loyal fans.

    Read More

  • Charlie Parker: Jazz Improvisers And Innovators Of The 20th Century

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    On August 29, 1920, Parker was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He got his start on the alto saxophone in 1933, and in 1935 he moved on to become a full-time musician. At the time, Kansas City thrived with African-American music, so Parker took advantage of this. For a few years he played in various semi-professional groups, developing his skill through experience. In 1939, he moved to

    Read More

  • John Corvino's Arguments For The Morality Of Homosexuality

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    A natural law theorist says that actions are right because they are natural and wrong because they

    Read More

  • St. Teresa of Avila: The Unperfect Saint

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    Starr, M. (2007). Teresa of avila: The book of my life. Boston, MA: New Seeds Books

    Read More

  • Louis Armstrong: Jazz Music And Music In Jazz Culture

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    Louis Armstrong, born August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, was a jazz musician with gifted performing skills ranging from playing the trumpet and composing music to singing and occasional acting. His career was most prominent from the 1920s through the 1960s playing songs such as “What a wonderful world” and “Hello, Dolly”. Armstrong had multiple nicknames such as Pops, Big Papa Dip, and Satchmo his extraordinary jazz performances not only influenced jazz but American culture and the world as a whole. His perfect pitch and rhythm spread throughout America like a freight train. His music supplied such revolutionary vocabulary it soon became commonplace, like forks and knives. Armstrong once said “If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know”.

    Read More

  • Bob Dylan's Influence during the Civil Rights Movements

    1207 Words  | 3 Pages

    Music has been around since the very beginning of time. The human body flows in a rhythmic syncopation. Music is used to change one’s mood and to inspire those who open their minds. It has the potential to cure diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Humans, of every culture and society, function with a type of rhythmic music. As humans, we are hard wired to respond to music (Mannes). The human brain responds to music in such a way that the brain becomes more open to new rhythms, ideas, and values. Music has the power to take over the human body. This makes it easier to overcome conflict and change the ideals of somebody while using music (The Power of Music).

    Read More

  • Mother Teresa Research Paper

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    Morin, Karin Venable. "Mother Teresa." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History. : Oxford University Press, 2008. Oxford Reference. 2008. Date Accessed 14 Mar. 2014

    Read More

  • Pop Culture and Paganism: A Mutation of Truth

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people when they hear the word Pagan, they think of the old haggard Witch who stirs her dark caldron that contains some unknown malicious concoction. Unfortunately much like the old sailors stories about mermaids that turned out to be nothing more than manatees, the stories of evil witches are greatly exaggerated. Nowhere is this seen stronger than in Pop Culture, Pagans the world over fight to be understood and have paganism accepted for what it is and not what it isn’t. In fact many people who do buy into this media driven stereotype have little to no knowledge of what paganism actually is and where it comes from. Sue McCaskill an accomplished writer for Times Colonist (Victoria, British Columbia) explains this best in her article published October 5, 2013:

    Read More

  • Exploring Utopian Ideals: A Quest for Perfection

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Utopian ideals often place emphasis on principles of equality in the society’s economic, judicial and governing decisions. The method of implementation varies depending on the way different people perceive what it is to be an ideal society.

    Read More

  • Utopia Essay

    3248 Words  | 7 Pages

    With the following of the American Revolution, Western Utopianism was created. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was seen in this new found utopianism that it was realistic and possible to create utopian societies. With no monarchial rein, it...

    Read More

  • Change in Medieval and Renaissance Paintings

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e others look very real and shaded. The landscape goes back in the distance and is done with great perspective but some areas aren't so deeply painted as others which if looked closely upon can throw a viewer on what type of painting it should be considered. One of the Magi has such detail and depth in one view of his wardrobe that it looks like a picture but then you look at the front surface and it's almost perfectly flat.

    Read More

  • Comparing Plato's Republic and Thomas More's Utopia

    2965 Words  | 6 Pages

    Manuel, Frank E. and Fritzie P. Manuel. Utopian Thought in the Western World. Cambridge, MA: Belknap-Harvard Press, 1979.

    Read More

  • The Natural Law by Thomas Aquinas

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    The natural law was given to man so that he might know virtue. While the natural law is vague, and hard to understand it always points in the right direction. Human law derives its precepts from the natural law. However, human law often misinterprets what the highest good is and creates laws that disagree with the natural law. One case where the natural law conflicts with human law is abortion, which is directly opposed to the natural law of God.

    Read More

  • Renaissance Art Essay

    1696 Words  | 4 Pages

    The artists of the Renaissance obtained the laws of perspective and chiaroscuro, studied the proportions and anatomy. Painting ousted icon, sculpture revived the free-standing statues, such as horse statue, portrait bust, adding to them sculptural architectural tombstone, scenic terrain. The new demands faced art and caused its enrichment in the types and genres. Along with the pre-existing religious and mythological genres of painting, new genres of portrait, historical and landscape paintings found their place. The heart of Renaissance art was filled with the principle of humanity, the dignity and beauty of the real man, his mind and creative powers. Unlike the medieval times of life-affirming culture, the Renaissance artists exempted from scholasticism and church dogma by contributing to the rise of science. The painters led by passionate thirst for knowledge o...

    Read More

More about The Utopian Vision of Mother Teresa

Open Document