The Madness Of Playing :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites If a lone, unkempt, person, standing on a soapbox were to say that he should become the Prime Minister, he would have been diagnosed by a passing psychiatrist as suffering from this or that mental disturbance. But were the same psychiatrist to frequent the same spot and see a crowd of millions saluting the same lonely, shabby figure - what would have his diagnosis been? Surely, different (perhaps of a more political hue). It seems that one thing setting social games apart from madness is quantitative: the amount of the participants involved. Madness is a one-person game, and even mass mental disturbances are limited in scope. Moreover, it has long been demonstrated (for instance, by Karen Horney) that the definition of certain mental disorders is highly dependent upon the context of the prevailing culture. Mental disturbances (including psychoses) are time-dependent and locus-dependent. Religious behaviour and romantic behaviour could be easily construed as psychopathologies when examined out of their social, cultural, historical and political contexts. Historical figures as diverse as Nietzsche (philosophy), Van Gogh (art), Hitler (politics) and Herzl (political visionary) made this smooth phase transition from the lunatic fringes to centre stage. They succeeded to attract, convince and influence a critical human mass, which provided for this transition. They appeared on history's stage (or were placed there posthumously) at the right time and in the right place. The biblical prophets and Jesus are similar examples though of a more severe disorder. Hitler and Herzl possibly suffered from personality disorders - the biblical prophets were, almost certainly, psychotic. We play games because they are reversible and their outcomes are reversible. No game-player expects his involvement, or his particular moves to make a lasting impression on history, fellow humans, a territory, or a business entity. This, indeed, is the major taxonomic difference: the same class of actions can be classified as "game" when it does not intend to exert a lasting (that is, irreversible) influence on the environment. When such intention is evident - the very same actions qualify as something completely different. Games, therefore, are only mildly associated with memory. They are intended to be forgotten, eroded by time and entropy, by quantum events in our brains and macro-events in physical reality. Games - as opposed to absolutely all other human activities - are entropic. Negentropy - the act of reducing entropy and increasing order - is present in a game, only to be reversed later.

Gwen Harwood Essay

To what extent does your response to ‘Father and Child’ inform your judgement of this poem and Harwood’s poetry as a whole? (In your essay refer to at least one other poem) For a true appreciation of the sanctity of life and for true spiritual maturation, an individual must accept and come to terms with the frail mortality of human life. Harwood’s poetry uses truly harrowing language to convey how her own personal experiences and relationships have led her to an enlightened state of being, with continual use of religious metaphor and allusion to convey her enriched spirituality. One of her poems that shows this is, At Mornington, is a reflection of her life, from her early childhood experiences at the beach, to her present middle-aged self, by the graves of her parents. Another that examines this is Father and Child, which is in two separate sections, the first depicting her initial confrontation with death as a child and the second conveying her acceptance of mortality when she is forced to part ways with her dying father. Life is a fleeting and impermanent state that must be treated with an almost religious sanctity in preserving and protecting it. In Father and Child, Harwood uses the innocent and protected narrative voice of a child to convey the distressing emotions she experiences while watching the pain and suffering of a barn owl, and her shock when witnessing the true nature of death. This is shown in the recurring accumulation of graphic, morbid imagery of the owl as â€Å"this obscene bundle of stuff that dropped, and dribbled through loose straw, tangling in bowels†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This confrontation leads her into a self-discovery of her own brutality (in the metaphor â€Å"eyes†¦ mirror my cruelty†) and the need to preserve life. It also develops her mental and spiritual maturation while coming to terms with the transience of life. Experiences and relationships can also shape one’s appreciation of life and understanding of the nature of death. This is shown in part two of the poem, Night Fall, when, through a mature narrative voice, Harwood explores how, through loss, we can accept the morbid nature of death and truly appreciate life, as evidenced in the last two lines of accumulation as the narrator mourns the loss of her father, â€Å"grown to learn what sorrows, in the end, no ords, no tears can mend†. This ultimately furthers her ability to realise the value in appreciating the sanctity of life and accepting the inevitability of death. An acceptance of the transient nature of life is an essential part in achieving an enriched state of being and acknowledging the limits of human existence. The second poem, At Mornington, juxtaposes the innocence of youth in her first stanza with the mature an d understanding of her present self, throughout the rest of the poem, to signify the changing perspectives induced by experience and age. The recurring water motif in â€Å"caught by a wave†¦ among rattling shells†¦ on what flood are they borne†¦ fugitive as light in a sea-wet shell†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is symbolic of the various stages of her life and the conflicting nature of emotion, conveying the impermanent and fragile nature of life as she comes to an understanding of its sanctity. Upon reflection, an individual may also find an acceptance of death in an understanding of the transient nature of life, through reminiscing old memories and appreciating the varied yet cyclical nature of life. This is shown through the consideration of past sentiments in the last stanza, using symbolism, metaphor and an accepting tone in â€Å"the peace of this day will shine like light on the face of the waters that bear me away for ever†. Harwood is able to convey this meaning through her poetry so that a responder may be able to reflect upon their own experiences and come to a better understanding and acceptance of life, giving one the opportunity to further their own experiences and enrich their own lives with these wisdoms. It also leads an individual into a self-discovery of their own personal truths in terms of an appreciation of the life they live. For it is only through an acceptance of the frailty of human life and the inevitability of death that an individual can reach true spiritual maturation and fully appreciate life.

The Growth of Government Intervention in the Economy

The founding fathers of the United States wanted to create a nation where the federal government was limited in its authority to dictate ones inalienable rights, and many argued this extended to the right to the pursuit of happiness in the context of starting ones own business. Initially, the government did not meddle in the affairs of businesses, but the consolidation of the industry after the Industrial Revolution resulted in a monopoly of markets by increasingly powerful corporations, so the government stepped in to protect  small businesses  and consumers from corporate greed. Since then, and especially in the wake of the Great Depression and President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal with businesses, the federal government has enacted more than 100 regulations to control the economy and prevent monopolization of certain markets. Early Involvement of Government Near the end of  the 20th century, the rapid consolidation of power in the economy to a few select corporations spurred the United States government to step in and begin regulating the free trade market, starting with the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which restored competition and free enterprise by breaking up corporate control of niche markets. Congress again passed laws in 1906 to regulate the production of food and drugs, ensuring that the products were correctly labeled and all meat tested before being sold. In 1913, the  Federal Reserve  was created to regulate the nations supply of money and establish a central bank that monitored and controlled certain banking activities. However, according to the United States Department of State, the largest changes in the governments role occurred during the New Deal, President Franklin D. Roosevelts response to the Great Depression. In this Roosevelt and Congress passed multiple new laws that allowed the government to intervene in the economy to prevent another such catastrophe. These regulations set rules for wages and hours, gave benefits to unemployed and retired workers, established subsidies for rural farmers and local manufacturers, insured bank deposits, and created a massive development authority. Current Government Involvement in the Economy Throughout the 20th century, Congress continued to enact these regulations meant to protect the working class from corporate interests. These policies eventually evolved to include protections against discrimination based on age, race, sex, sexuality or religious beliefs and against false advertisements meant to purposefully mislead consumers. Over 100 federal regulatory agencies have been created in the United States by the early 1990s, covering fields from trade to employment opportunity. In theory, these agencies are meant to be shielded from partisan politics and the president, meant purely to protect the federal economy from collapse through its control of individual markets. According to the U.S. Department of State, by law members of the boards of these agencies must include commissioners from both political parties who serve for fixed terms, usually of five to seven years; each agency has a staff, often more than 1,000 persons; Congress appropriates funds to the agencies and oversees their operations.