Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanace essays

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanace essays Imagine traveling state to state on a motorcycle, the wind rushing through your hair and the vibrating of the engine massaging your body. Imagine traveling cross-country on a Honda motorcycle on a seventeen-day journey. Robert Pirsig and his son Christopher experienced precisely this. Pirsig saw this journey as a way to rediscover himself after a mental breakdown, to ponder the basic aspects of philosophy, and to decipher the way people think. His son was just along for the ride. And from this adventure, the basis of Pirsig's first book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, was created. Robert Pirsig was born on September 6, 1928, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Education played a very important role in Pirsig's upbringing. After he finished his four years in high school, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota. Unfortunately, he dropped out after only two years, and he joined the U.S. Army shortly after that. After completing his term in the service, Pirsig returned to the University of Minnesota and received his B.A. in 1950. Later in his life, Pirsig traveled to India to study philosophy at the Bears Hindu University. In 1954, Pirsig returned to the Midwest and married his first wife, Nancy James. Pirsig lived in Nevada and New Mexico for a while and made his living as a journalist, a science writer, and an industrial advertising writer. Later, he returned to school and received his M.A in journalism at the University of Minnesota. Pirsig enrolled himself in a doctoral program at the University of Chicago in 1961. He taught rhetoric to undergraduates as a way to finance his studies. While in Chicago, Pirsig suffered a mental breakdown and was plagued by mental disorders. These disorders later got so bad that he admitted himself to a state mental institution. After about two years Pirsig left the institution and also left Chicago without his doctorate. Then, in 1968, he made his famous cross-country motorcycle j...

Free Essays on Marriage In The Middle Ages

As human beings, we often spend our entire lives living to be loved and searching for our â€Å"soul mate.† In response to this need for love and companionship, the tradition of marriage was brought into existence. The idea of a "perfect" wedding has drastically changed over the years; however, if we examine history, we will find that no other era was as influential towards marriage as the Middle Ages. One might say the medieval marriages were the building blocks to what marriage is today. The appropriate age to get married in the Middle Ages was much younger than what we see today. Grooms, on the average, were much older than their brides. More than three-fourths of all women were married before they reached the age of nineteen; however, there were cases of noble women not marrying until twenty-four. Couples typically married as soon as they reached maturity or were able to have children. Love, however, was not seen as a necessity. This is a result of the medieval belief that the sole purpose of marriage was to reproduce. Most couples weren't married by choice; rather the majority of marriages were arranged. This custom allowed families control over who their children spent the rest of their lives with. Marriage laws in the Middle Ages were very strict, yet to the point. Each marriage custom had laws to go along with it; if these laws were not upheld, legal action could be taken. The council of Westminster decided in 1076 that no man should give his daughter or female relative to anyone without religious blessing. Later, councils would decide that marriage should not be secret but held in the open. Marriage became a public confession of two people's love for one another. Witnesses are and were always present at a wedding to ensure its validity. Many of the wedding customs followed by medieval couples are still carried out today. Even in medieval marriage vows, the couple's promise to each other was sealed with a kiss which symbo... Free Essays on Marriage In The Middle Ages Free Essays on Marriage In The Middle Ages As human beings, we often spend our entire lives living to be loved and searching for our â€Å"soul mate.† In response to this need for love and companionship, the tradition of marriage was brought into existence. The idea of a "perfect" wedding has drastically changed over the years; however, if we examine history, we will find that no other era was as influential towards marriage as the Middle Ages. One might say the medieval marriages were the building blocks to what marriage is today. The appropriate age to get married in the Middle Ages was much younger than what we see today. Grooms, on the average, were much older than their brides. More than three-fourths of all women were married before they reached the age of nineteen; however, there were cases of noble women not marrying until twenty-four. Couples typically married as soon as they reached maturity or were able to have children. Love, however, was not seen as a necessity. This is a result of the medieval belief that the sole purpose of marriage was to reproduce. Most couples weren't married by choice; rather the majority of marriages were arranged. This custom allowed families control over who their children spent the rest of their lives with. Marriage laws in the Middle Ages were very strict, yet to the point. Each marriage custom had laws to go along with it; if these laws were not upheld, legal action could be taken. The council of Westminster decided in 1076 that no man should give his daughter or female relative to anyone without religious blessing. Later, councils would decide that marriage should not be secret but held in the open. Marriage became a public confession of two people's love for one another. Witnesses are and were always present at a wedding to ensure its validity. Many of the wedding customs followed by medieval couples are still carried out today. Even in medieval marriage vows, the couple's promise to each other was sealed with a kiss which symbo...

The Mystery of Capital Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Mystery of Capital - Assignment Example In Communist China, property ownership and rights extend only as far as the Communist Chinese Party goes. The structure of The Party illustrates not only how communist the nation’s political system is, but also how Leninist it remains. It is true that China is not only communist in name. It is true that the nation shifted from its core communist economic system long ago and replaced it with a strict central planning that facilitated the coexistence of commercial state enterprises alongside a vigorous private sector. However, according to McGregor, it is also true that the tension existing within the political structure and the level to which capitalism may benefit the country is inextricably intertwined with how the political structure is permitted to develop the economy. This is in light of the Chinese dictators being keen to maintain a grip on politics by commanding the People’s Liberation Army, propaganda and personnel. All aspects of life, including owning property or conducting for-profit business, are controlled by The Party. Individuals cannot own private property exclusively in a manner that can afford them to use it as collateral and release capital. To be able to run a business and earn a sort of immunity from legal procedures or prosecution, one needs to seek membership to The Party.