Damn the Fates - the question of Free Will.

Damn the Fates - the question of Free Will. D.T. Suzuki, a renowned expert on Zen Buddhism, called attention to the topic of free will in one of his lectures by stating that it was the battle of 'God versus Man, Man versus God, God versus Nature, Nature versus God, Man versus Nature, Nature versus Man1.' These six battles constitute an ultimately greater battle: the battle of free will versus determinism. Free will is that ability for a human being to make decisions as to what life he or she would like to lead and have the freedom to live according to their own means and thus choose their own destiny; determinism is the circumstance of a higher being ordaining a man's life from the day he was born until the day he dies. Free will is in itself a far-reaching ideal that exemplifies the essence of what mankind could be when he determines his own fate. But with determinism, a man has a predetermined destiny and fate that absolutely cannot be altered by the man himself.Oedipus slaying the sphinx. Attic red-figured leky...Yet, it ha s been the desire of man to avoid the perils that his fate holds and thus he unceasingly attempts to thwart fate and the will of the divine.. Within the principle of determinism, this outright contention to divine mandate is blasphemous and considered sin. This ideal itself, and the whole concept of determinism, is quite common in the workings of Greek and Classical literature. A manifest example of this was the infamous Oedipus of The Theban Plays, a man who tried to defy fate, and therefore sinned.The logic of Oedipus' transgression is actually quite obvious, and Oedipus' father, King Laius, also has an analogous methodology and transgression. They both had unfortunate destinies: Laius was destined to be killed by his own son, and Oedipus was destined to kill...

6 Reasons Why Your Company Is Not Your Friend

6 Reasons Why Your Company Is Not Your Friend We all want to believe that the company we work for has our best interests in career development at heart. We want the company to be our friend, our rock, our resource. We want trust. But the truth is, when it comes to your company, you are the resource. And the only thing you can really trust is yourself. There are some rare companies out there that truly care about their employees. Yours might be one of them. That doesn’t mean you can let your guard down for any length of time. Loyalty used to be an important thing, but as employee tenure at different jobs has shrunk from long-term to medium-term and even shorter, and as layoffs and cutbacks become more common, you’ll have to look out for yourself.Here are a few reasons to help convince you to remember you are number one.1. Loyalty is a joke.Imagine this scenario: you work late, come early, put in all the extra time and effort- thinking that will be rewarded. Then the wind changes and you’re tossed out on your very loyal rear end. Your employer gets to walk away thinking itself a shrewd and prudent business, and you’re left devastated. You should have kept your eye on the ball.2. HR is likely not there for you.You may think Human Resources are there for you- to help you, protect you. Think again. HR is really a mechanism to handle paperwork and payroll- and sometimes training or morale-building- so managers can concentrate on their own work. And though they are there to try and settle disputes, they will side with the company every time. They’re paid by the higher-ups, remember. Not by you.3. You never know when†¦A layoff or a merger or even just a wholesale staff-culling might be just around the corner. Don’t stop looking for a job just because you found one. Keep your feelers out there. Keep a few opportunities on your back burners at all times. You’ll never know when you might need one.4. They need you more than you need them.This may seem contradictory , but if you keep this mindset, you’ll be able to adapt better when things go awry. If you get stuck in a position and you start feeling desperate- and scared you might not be able to find another job quickly- then start looking to build your confidence and flexibility back up.5. You’re never valued enough.Again, there are outliers here. You might be valued every bit as much as you should be at your current job. But if you aren’t- and you start to feel as though you’ve faded into the wallpaper, or worse, you’ve become a doormat, remember that you should be looking out for you. Find yourself a better opportunity and make a change.6. Opportunity doesn’t knock often.If you’re so loyal that you find yourself passing up opportunities because your boss â€Å"needs† you or your company can’t do without you? Danger sign! Of course they need you. But you are almost always replaceable. And they will remember that when convenient f or them- and most likely inconvenient for you. Make your path your priority instead.Loyalty can cloud your perception of how things are going in your department. Don’t let it. Keep your eyes open for signs that your company is imploding. Get out with the first rats, rather than the ones that go down with the sinking ship.