Our mental health is just as essential as our physical health. When our body is damaged, we seek treatment and more often than not the road to recovery is straightforward. When our brain becomes damaged however, the answer to treatment is not always clear and what may work for one person isn’t guaranteed to work for the next. Advancements in scientific research have forged a new path for possible methods of treatment, though we are still left not fully understanding why our brains react the way they do. Free the Mind by Phie Ambo follows Dr. Richard Davidson, Emma Seppald and a handful of their research patients, as well as a young boy named Will. In the film, Davidson expresses that he believes meditation could play a key role in improving the mental health in both veterans suffering from PTSD and children facing disorders like ADHD. Phie Ambo’s film Free the Mind (2012) persuades the viewer to choose meditation for the improvement of mental health by providing emotional triggers and scientific research.
To start, the film ‘teases’ its potential viewers by first introducing them to Will, a young boy with ADHD. The curiosity over Will is sparked quickly when we learn of his fear of elevators, which came to be after an incident when he became stuck in one. We are pushed to sympathize with him as the camera zooms in close on his face, watching him cry in terror shortly after being asked to take a ride in one of his school’s elevators. The fear he experiences is relatable as
Almost Free is a story about a slave by the name of Samuel Johnson. Johnson was a mixed slave that lived in Warrenton, Virginia and worked to free himself and his family from slavery in the late 1700s and the early to mid-1800s. He was not like most slaves. Johnson’s father was white which gave him a lighter complexion than other slaves. His owner, as well as other town folk, took to liking him more because they believed he was a smarter, more capable slave than the rest. His owner, and a few other men with authority, helped Johnson become free and even stay in Warrenton. Though these men did help him, one must wonder if it was for an ulterior motive. It could have been to make things not seem so bad for the slaves, and thus ending a feud that would ultimately lead to the division of a nation.
During Mr. Rosenberg’s leave we learned different dramatic elements such as script analysis, stasis and intrusion, dramatic conflict, etc. This helps us to understand the different elements so one day when we have to apply the elements we will already be mindful of them. Additionally, we also learned about the beginning of theater dating back to ancient Greece and their different ways of displaying theater.
Almost everyone is preoccupied with happiness but yet the population seems to be increasingly unhappy. As society and human experience changes we can’t help but ask ourselves how can we fix an increasingly unhappy and dissatisfied society? Mindfulness meditation is a progressively popular solution to this issue. Mindfulness meditation stems from Buddhist tradition and is a practice that includes focusing one’s attention. Does mindfulness meditation have real psychological effects? And if so can they help improve quality of life? Many studies have been conducted proving that mindfulness meditation does have real psychological effects and can help individuals live a more meaningful and happy life. This can be proven through research related to neuroscience, depression and happiness.
David Dobbs explores the science behind the impulsive teenage psyche in “Beautiful Brains”, published in National Geographic in October 2011. Dobbs is an acclaimed author, with articles featured in New York Times, The Atlantic, and Wired among other publications. Some of Dobbs’ renowned work includes “Reef Madness” and “My Mother’s Lover”.
To be an ethnic American is a culture all on its own. Hunger of memory by Richard Rodríguez gives an insight into the rarely viewed world. A person that no longer falls into either category of family or American community. Such an individual is stuck between two worlds, in which two different cultures collide yet form a rift through family, language and education.
In Richard Rodriguez autobiography, Hunger of Memory, Richard himself writes about his educational journey. Rodriguez wrote such book in 1982. The book revolves around the life a young immigrant child, whom has a difficult time understanding how to adapt himself in the given environment. Furthermore, the book navigates the readers though Richards transition form boyhood to adulthood. Not only so, but Richard discusses how the opportunities that were presented to him altered his viewpoints in life as well as education.
We’ve looked at work from many different views in this class. From the bottom in Mike Roses book, Mind at Work which looks at the, on the jobsite skills and intelligence needed in the work force. Along with the way our society and education play a role in that. And then there was the middle working class view by journalist and author Barbara Ehreinch and her book Nickel and Dimed, which saw a middle class person look at the low wage lifestyle of Americans, and her failed attempt to live off wages. It ended up very one sided and controversial since it was a wealthier person trying to look in on a subject they could never understand. But one thing that I never really felt or saw either one really look at is the connection between work and life balance they only looked at the different aspects of work and those factors. But I feel there was a factor left out and it is life, family, personal aspects.
In the chapter,” Prisoners of Hope” Cornel West argues that black America is a despite state of inequality and corruption that’s jeopardizing the quality of life for the blacks. He focuses on the escalation of wealth inequality and class polarization to emphasize his argument with solid evidence. West gives a brief description of America as a mother whose care is eroding and being replaced by injustice all in the means of financial satisfactory for the elite. He begins by examining the struggles of the middle class through their fear of further underemployment and unemployment. West gives historical context for the need to speak up for equality through inspiring stories of Martin Luther king Jr. and Rosa Parks. On page 296, West says “We’ve forgotten that a rich life consists fundamentally of serving others, trying to leave the world a little better than you found it” trying to advocate the message that we should be helping each other make the world better, helping our race stand as one and advance as one. However, the oppression of black by white supremacists is slowing the process of advancement, rather its placing Blacks in an absurd situation, one where their anger is manifesting as physical violence. His strong call for action in the name of justice is emphasized in the tone and her use of important people who have made a contribution toward equality for blacks c, such as Malcolm X and Mohamed Ali.
Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart, once said: “A man who makes trouble for others is also making troubles for himself”. This concept can be seen in the development of Okonkwo as a character throughout the book. Creating plenty of trouble for others, but ultimately creating the most trouble for himself is possibly the plot for the entire book. Generally, the creation of trouble is not a value that is appreciated in any culture, especially in Umuofia. Okonkwo breaks many of the boundaries and social norms within his culture; his tendency to be immature and unaccountable combined with being very self-concerned and the defiance of elders creates an interesting mix adjacent to the cultural standards.
Okonkwo. Mr.Brown. These two men are drastically different from one another. But it is only 2 things in this whole wide world that separate them. In the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the fundamental differences between Okonkwo and Mr. Brown’s core beliefs as to how society should run derives from they’re interpretations of moral religious requirements and culturally accepted or rejected actions when it comes to economy, women’s rights, as well as war and military. That glaring line between their beliefs on those issues is materialism and how present materialism is in their respective religions and cultures.
Meditation means to concentrate and connect with ones’ own mind, to explore identity and emotions in order to be aware of conscious, sub-conscious and unconscious thoughts. Meditation originates and has been has been practiced in Asia for thousands of years for different reasons such as increasing concentration abilities, religious purposes and also to train the mind. This essay will focus on how meditation affects brain plasticity (ability to change), emotionally and intellectually, leading to better performance and coping abilities in stressful situations. Things like attention span, memory functions and complexity of emotions will be further explored and may interest the reader since meditation can answer many questions on improving mental health that affects almost everyone. I will make the claim that meditation practice needs to be introduced early into educational institutions such as schools. Because evidence suggests that that meditation increases the volume of the cortex in the brain, leading to a higher and more powerful emotional intellect and cognition that improves things like memory, attention and emotional control. It is logical to assume that in order to alter thickness of cortex, mental thought functions and emotional strength, meditation should be introduced to children early in school for greater performance.
Argumentative thesis: Although many people assume medications such as antidepressants are the only way to treat patients with depression, meditation is a better choice of treatment as it prevents relapse in patients that are recurringly depressed, is accepted by a large portion of patients that are typically unwilling to take medication to treat their depression, and rebuilds brain structures affected by the mental illness,
Mindfulness meditation consists of skills and methods to unplug from the busy world around you and from the busy 'monkey brain ' so often experienced in today 's life and particularly in ADHD, anxiety and depression. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness meditation trains and reinforces the ability to pay attention to the present moment, on purpose which helps to increase concentration, decrease anxiety, improve sleep, improve mood, decrease the stress response, and improve physical and emotional health. The studies are compelling about the health benefits of mindfulness meditation. In fact, studies show that mindfulness meditation actually changes the brain in positive ways. The cortex of the brain is thicker in certain areas of the brain in those who practice mindfulness meditation. And brainwave patterns are changed in healthy ways as well.
In order to justify the slave trade, Europeans made Africans look like primitive people who needed to be trained like animals. One way they did this was through literature. Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, said in an interview that the main reason for writing this novel was to encourage other African writers to write about their past in order to refute the stories of the Europeans, claiming that Africans are uncivilized animals, but also shows that the Ibo were not a perfect society, highlighting the parts of Ibo culture that are considered heinous crimes today, in order to prove that there were no truly civilized societies. In his novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe effectively educates his readers about the culture
In today’s society, people cannot afford to miss out on changes in trends, or technology. With the ever-rapid pace of the growing economy, one must be able and be willing to adapt and accept changes. Perspectives within different cultures and societies may differ with changes. People need to teach each other that much like the changing of the seasons, our way of life in time will also change. It should not be something forced, and that a way of life for one may not be the best way for others. People should also know that when trying to change a culture or society; it’s better to incorporate their religions, beliefs, and traditions to help gradually make the changes. Forcing something on a person or society would only lead to chaos.