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STUDENT NAME: GODFRED KWAME ABLEDU IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: UD17440HST25230

COURSE SEMINAR OF CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT(THE HIDDEN CONNECTIONS)

ASSIGNMENT 10: PHASE II: TOPIC NATURE OF LIFE AN ESSAY BASED ON THE BOOK ENTITLED THE HIDDEN CONNECTIONS: A SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING WRITTEN BY FRITJOF CAPRA

ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY HONOLULU, HAWAII MAY, 2012

STUDENT NAME: GODFRED KWAME ABLEDU

IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: UD17440HST25230

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Introduction This is an essay based on the book: Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable Living written by Fritjof Capra. The purpose of the book is to present a conceptual framework that integrates lifes biological, cognitive and social dimensions to offer a unified view of life, mind and society and a coherent, systemic approach to some of the critical issues of our time. The focus of the book is on the philosophical school of deep ecology which does not separate humans from nature. That is, humans and their social life evolved out of the biological world, and that recognizes the intrinsic values of all human beings as an ideal philosophical and spiritual context for the new scientific paradigm. Capras focus is on the processes and patterns of organization of living systems: on the hidden connections between phenomena that his extension of the systems approach to the social domain explicitly includes the material world because the key challenges of the new century, for social and natural scientists and everyone else, will be to build ecologically sustainable communities, designed in such a way that their technologies and social systems, their material and social structures, do not interfere with natures inherent ability to sustain life. That the design principles of our future social institutions must be consistent with the principles of organization that nature has evolved to sustain the web of life. The theme chosen from this abstract for the current essay is: Nature of Life. The main objective of this essay is to bring forth a new understanding of life by presenting a conceptual framework that integrates lifes biological, cognitive and social dimensions(Capra, 2002). It offers a clear, systemic approach to some of the concerning issues we face that are having negative global impacts, especially on the environment. Thus, this essay is put under the following sub-headings: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Science of Life. Life and the Environment Linkages of Life Life as an Organization Conclusion

The Science of Life. Have you ever wondered why people resemble their parents? The answer to this question and others about inheritance lies in the science of genetics one of the most developed branches of biology. Knowledge of the heredity is important in many phases of modern life. Perhaps you have never stopped to realize that one other hand is quite like your right hand, except your left one. Nor will there ever be another face, body or personality just like you. At one time people believe that all characteristics were controlled by the blood. Doubtless you have heard some of your friends say that they
STUDENT NAME: GODFRED KWAME ABLEDU IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: UD17440HST25230

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are related by blood to some famous person. Breeders of dogs, cats and farm animals always refer to blood line. In 1865, Gregor Mendal, an Austrian monk, published the results of a masterful piece of work on the laws of heredity. He was not the first to experiment in the field of inheritance, but his findings were the first of any scientific consequence. His paper representing years of work with garden peas was published by the Natural History of Society of Brum in Austria years after his death. Three other scientists discovered his work and began to use his findings. It is however a great tribute to Mendel that the laws he formulated from his experiment with garden peas stood today practically unchanged as the basis of the science of genetics. Laws seem to control the heredity of those peas. Genetics originated to explain the phenomena which resulted from plant and animal breeding. Selective breeding was a practice of chance selection rather than scientific application of principles. With the development of genetics as a science, established laws have greatly improved the efficiency of the process. The gardener and horticulturist apply the principles of heredity to plant breeding in the production of new varieties of garden flowers, crop plants, and fruit trees. The agriculturist has used them in developing his beef cattle and dairy cattle, hags, sheep and other highly productive animals. Selective breeding of plants is an old practice. For centuries man has made a constant effort to improve the varieties of plants and animals which supply his daily needs. Wheat was grown as a cereal by the early Egyptians. Garden flowers, fruit trees, domestic fowl, sheep, goats, cattle and many other plants and animals have been domesticated longer than recorded history. Only in recent years have we known how the family traits are passed on from parent to offspring. Like father like son is a small part of the story. The study of genetics shows us how genes can be carried without indicating their presence for several generations and may then appear at a later time in some member of the family. Actually the blood has nothing to do with the qualities an organism inherits from its parents. A childs blood frequently is unlike that of his father or mother. Nor are the characteristics of an individual changed in any way by receiving blood from another person during Life and the Environment The word ecology is defined as the science which studies the relationship between all living things and the environment that supports them. The influence of animals and plants on the environment and how they are in turn affected by the environment and its changes form an ecological system which is usually known as an eco-system.

STUDENT NAME: GODFRED KWAME ABLEDU

IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: UD17440HST25230

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An eco-system is a complete ecological unit which can be studied. It is a community that is an association of living organisms-plants and animals- interacting in an area. an eco-system consists of components- living(biotic) things and non living(abiotic) things. The living(biotic) things in the eco-system are classified according to their way of feeding(trophic levels). Green plants which receive their energy from the sun are called the primary producers and form the first trophic level. The herbivorous animals which feed on these plants are referred to as primary consumers and they occupy the second of the trophic levels. All eco-systems have a trophic structure. In most systems, the only source of energy is the sun, but for many sub-systems, energy enters in the form of live or dead organisms, or in the form of decomposed organisms from another system. The energy is then used by organism for building new compounds for growth and reproduction, maintaining the cells in their bodies, movement, and maintaining body temperature. As a result, there is a constant flow of energy through the eco-system from primary producers to carnivores and decomposers, and a constant loss of energy to the atmosphere as a by-product of respiration. Every ecosystem survives on energy and this energy is moved from one member of the eco-systems to another. The green plants in the community are the initial source of energy in the community. The plants obtain energy by changing the suns energy into stored food energy. A special interaction between plants and animals, and their environment is observed in the phenomenon called ecological succession. In nature when the stability of communities of animals and plants is sometimes disrupted, the conditions for life may be totally changed. Natural changes include floods, drought, outbreak of diseases and pests. For example, such a change brought about when a forest is completely burnt. In this forest area for the first few years there will be a rapid growth of plants. As time goes by other forms of plant life which appear gradually replace the first kind. Such a replacement is known as ecological succession. Studies of the present day environment show that there is deterioration in the quality of the environment, which has reduced the quality of our life. Uneven economic and social development affects the balance between population and resources which in turn affects the environment and this reduces the quality of life. Food production has reduced, especially in countries affected by drought and this causes malnutrition and famine. Diseases such as cholera, malaria, bilharzias, river blindness are still not under effective control and result in a high death rate among people. Most of the ecological problems in our immediate surroundings are man-made. That is, our own activities in the environment bring about these ecological problems. These problems include the removal of vegetation cover. This is a serious problem as it
STUDENT NAME: GODFRED KWAME ABLEDU IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: UD17440HST25230

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reduces the soil quality as well as causing erosion which creates gutters in the environment. The first way the people knew to survive was to gather wild fruits and burnt animals for food. They later cultivated the land with very simple tools that did not have harmful effects on the environment. Later people came to live in communities, and there was a form of civilization. The number of people increased, and they invented more complex tools to cultivate the land to increase food supply. The people invented machines and used chemicals for growing food. As a result of the increased pressure on the environment and its resources, the state and quality of the environment has changed. There is degradation of the land as a result of this pressure. Environmental degradation is brought about as a result of human activities. Most of our development programs involve the use of natural resources available in our environment. These natural resources are made up of biological resources such as plants and animals, and geological resources which include soils, water bodies and fossil fuel. The atmosphere and all that it contains including air, sunlight and rain are all natural resources. Environmental degradation is the gradual deterioration of the environment leading to the inability of the resources to support animal life. Any eco-system places a limit on the number of living things which it can support within its boundaries. For example, a farmer can put only a certain number of cattle or sheep on his grassland. If he has too many animals, over grazing will occur and his grassland will deteriorate. If this condition persists for too long, his grassland will be destroyed as erosion will set in and environmental degradation will have taken place. In Ghana, as it is in other countries of the world, environmental degradation is a result of peoples attempt to use natural resources without proper control. One of these activities which results in environmental degradation is agriculture. Agriculture is the backbone of the Ghanaian economy and that of most other countries. Generally, agriculture is mainly rain-fed. That is, our farmers depend on the rains for their farming activities. However, irrigation agriculture is increasing, particularly for the cultivation of cereals and vegetables. In all the practices, there is the clearing of the vegetation, where most farmers employ the slash and burn method which is no longer ecologically sound as this only works well in areas with low population density. As stated earlier, population pressure has resulted in over grazing and over cultivation of the land. Salination of soil may also occur because of poorly managed irrigation projects.

STUDENT NAME: GODFRED KWAME ABLEDU

IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: UD17440HST25230

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Human settlements is another activity which results in environmental degradation. The development of human settlements or communities both urban and rural, large and small, for productive purposes, changes the natural environment into man-made environment. These communities have certain facilities such as parks, gardens, houses, transportation, water, waste disposal and energy sources. In the major urban areas, excessive population pressure has contributed to a serious decline of inner city life. The problems of sanitation including solid waste disposal have not been controlled with pile of refuse on streets and choked gutters. In the rural areas, the major problem is the need for potable drinking water although there is also the need for improved sanitation and effective use of energy. Another activity which results in environmental degradation is the excessive use of forest resources. The forest and savannah woodlands of Ghana have large varieties of economic trees. Among these are commercial timber species and household species. In the savannah woodlands the shea tree is one of the most important. There is an intensive economic and social demand for the forest resources. Timber exports provide a significant percentage of the countrys foreign exchange earnings. Population pressure has increased the demand in the urban and rural areas for wood for fuel, pestle, mortars and sculpture among other things. Linkages of Life No individual organism can exist in isolation. All life is made up of link which scientists and mathematicians refer to as correlation. For example, animals depend on the photosynthesis of plants to survive. Life is not solely determined by genetic blueprint, but rather, is an emergent process that involves an entire epigenetic network that is constantly reacting to both the physical and chemical constraints of our environment. The unfolding of life over time, though it has appeared gradual, has been punctuated by periods of rapid transition(Capra, 2002). In economics, business and other studies, these links are referred to as correlation. A correlation means that each time you observe a specific incident; it will be linked to a specific outcome. This outcome may be how anybody should react. For example, if you see what appears to be a stone coming toward your body, you will expect that it is likely to hurt you. Of course, your reaction will be to dodge it. A famous proverb says that there is no smoke without fire. As I tell my tobacco smoking friends, If you do not stop smoking, smoking will stop you. I use a similar warning for those who like sugar and other harmful items. Each word, thought, activity or incident is linked with other ideas or events which occurred earlier or will happen. Nothing on earth or throughout the universe stands all
STUDENT NAME: GODFRED KWAME ABLEDU IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: UD17440HST25230

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by itself. Each is related to something else. For example the moon may appear to be standing by itself. This may be true, but there is a mutual pull between the moon and the earth that is so balanced that it does not fall down upon us nor are we sucked to it. Let us now assume that each child has to learn, through his own experience, most of these sets objects, functions and links that are important for living. Most of his life can be spent gaining this type of knowledge, leaving very little room for actually enjoying. Therefore, so as to make matters easier, each society already has its collection of links that people have piled up over several centuries. Accordingly, as children grow from babies to into adults, one very important role of parents, teachers, and other adults in society is to pass on as much as we can of these types of information on links to this future generation of the society. This then saves each generation of children the trouble of having to assemble what should already be known. As the saying goes, There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Links between objects and what they do or situations and what to expect from them are brief but very important clues that demand specific reactions from us. For example, even animals know that when they see snake near where they live, they must run away in the opposite direction. This shorthand method of identifying various circumstances that we use for guiding our responses is very critical indeed. They help us survive physically and to enjoy living. Therefore, each person has a duty to himself, to learn as much as possible about whatever links that this society has already identified. Because each of us is unique in several ways, the second duty is to keep increasing these links. Apart from the set of links that we have inherited from our different cultures, there are now several additional channels and sources of information on links. These flow out of the present unfolding revolution in modern communications that are expanding the concept of community or neighborhood. Radio, television, computers, books, magazines and newspapers make people all over the world almost like next door neighbors. Within this global village, any person can have access to information on many more of these links that are regularly being imported to us from other parts of the world. Out of this enormously large stock of inherited and imported links, each of us then keeps picking and using whichever response is relevant for a particular situation, time and place. Obviously, a child who has more of this type of knowledge is likely to act more intelligently and eventually as an adult to survive better in the world of hard knocks than one who has less. Eventually, many links become very obvious to persons living within the affected society. It is also equally obvious how links determine the predictable reactions of members of that community. For example, a dress suggests that the wearer is a lady. Depending on its design, a man wearing a uniform will automatically suggest that he is a priest, a nurse, a policeman, soldier or some other official. Indeed a person can so
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expertly disguised so as to be mistaken for a lion. Each of the situations listed and the links they suggest for specific actions may or may not be true. There will meanwhile be predictable reactions to these people by others in that society. However, after more information has become available a bit later, the person who was wearing dress may not have been a lady after all. He was rather a male transvestite who occasionally or even regularly enjoys playing the role of ladies in his relationship with other men. The lion roaming around the central market may be two comedians who were putting on an act for a camera crew to capture the instinctive reactions of the people. From the time we begin life as fetuses, right up to the end of our lives, we were curious. Indeed the entire information industry has grown out of the fact that there are enough curious people who will pay to know what is happening. Some of the products of this industry are for people who regularly wish to read humors and scandals about various personalities in politics, the film industry, in sports and in other areas of modern life. Experience allows us to relate incidents and objects with their functions, or what they most likely to do. Therefore, we expect some results and if so, how we should react to them. The first time a child sees bright red object, it is attractive enough for him to reach out for it. He will be burnt, and from then onward, he establishes a link in his mind that all bright red objects burn. Of course, this is not always true. However, it will eventually take some experience with various objects and situations for him to know enough exceptions to the experience that he had through burnt finger. One of the most important correlations that each human being should apply to his life is what most religions express as follows: whatever you sow is what you reap. This is easily the most powerful rule that determines the circumstances of each person that we see. For example, each person is presently enjoying the conditions he has created. This includes the patient lying in the hospital, with both legs cut off by doctors. Obviously, it is very difficult for most people to accept human tragedies as having been caused by the victims themselves. It is much easier for them to accept this factor in situations that are not tragic, but whether we are aware of it or not, there is neither good luck nor bad luck. Every condition that you are currently enjoying, whether adverse or positive was brought into your life by only you and nobody else. When you get familiar with the ways various laws of life operate, you can then use them to create the precise conditions that you wish. Instead of getting results by chance or by default, you can consciously get what you wish and accordingly get results. You can then deliberately choose your own destiny. Of course, this is what each of us has been doing all along. However, most do so totally unaware that they are responsibly for everything that has ever happened to them. This is what some people refer to as fate or destiny. Jesus was speaking on basic truth when he said: Ask and ye shall be given, in relation to any request that is directed to God, our father and creator. He even clarified it further by asking: Which father will give his son a stone when he has asked
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for bread or a serpent when he has asked for fish?Very simply, Jesus was assuring all those who care to listen that destiny is by choice and not by chance. Linked with the observations made above is a fact that every event takes time to unfold. Some take seconds, others minutes and yet others day, weeks, months, years, centuries or even millennia. Every event has its period of unfolding. For example, the days pass, one after the other, and we finally find ourselves celebrating New Years Day. A person consumes so called soft drink and his pancreas gets progressively overworked over a period. He eventually feels rather weak, has frequent headaches and various other types of discomfort. A visit to his doctor confirms to his distress that he has diabetes. He is then put on medication. As may happen for some of these patients, he may eventually become impotent or blind or have a leg or both cut off, because of infections that will not respond to other drastic forms of medical care. In yet another case, a person takes to consuming alcohol. After a period of being a good social mixer, his liver goes on strike. The doctors tells him that the cirrhosis he is now suffering will shorten his life. Apparently, we cannot avoid at least three related conditions or links on our planet, earth. The first of these is the fact that all conditions in life come in packages or a set of links. Each one is part of a menu. Situations of `a la carte hardly exists. Once you choose to have one experience, you must also take along other elements within the package. You may experience temporary enjoyment from taking all types harmful substances that may appear harmless. However, you must be aware of other elements of this parcel that can eventually enhance or cripple your health. The second related point to stress is that no final results just happens suddenly. Every condition has the period it takes to make itself visible or felt. Your doctor will refer to this as the incubation or gestation period of diseases. A third related point is also important has to realize is that each event has a positive and also an adverse aspect to it. Nothing in life is totally negative or totally positive. What we consider as opposites are always inseparable together. As a child grows, he learns many important links in life. When he begins to ask question such as: Mummy, why does the wind blow?, What makes the sun hot?, How do birds fly? and an almost endless number of similar questions, he is trying to build his stock of links between events, their causes and their related outcomes. These outcomes include how he should react or expect people to react to these events. It is therefore important that we encourage children to ask and keep asking questions. We may not have answers for some of them; however, in seeking we shall also be improving our knowledge of links in the exciting arena of life. Nonetheless, there must be adults or some other sources of education that can help us with the information the child wants. This is where social net work comes to play an important role in the dissemination of information
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Capra believes that the idea that people naturally resist change is false. He argues that people only resists having change imposed in them. When we shift our metaphor of an organization from machines to living systems, we begin to view organization as communities with collective identities that share common values. In addition to being living communities, organizations are social institutions designed for specific purposes and functioning in a specific economic environment. As these communities become large, they interdependence increases, leading to globalization and its consequences. The different definitions of globalization according to many authors, Annabelle and Betsy(2007), Boudreaux(2008), Schirm(2007) and Cortell(2006), converge around a common understanding of globalization as an integration of markets, a cross-border interconnectedness of economic spaces and thus a denationalization of economic process. Therefore, economic globalization shall be defined here as the increasing share of private cross-border activities in the total economic output of countries. With this basic definition, globalization can be measured as the share of foreign trade, foreign direct investment and financial transaction in the gross domestic product of a country or a region and as a share in the world product (Annabelle and Betsy, 2007; Boudreaux, 2008; Schirm, 2007 and Cortell, 2006). Life as a Political Organization The systemic understanding of life allows us to see the fundamental unity to life that different living systems exhibit similar patterns of organization. When we extend this understanding to the social domain, we apply our knowledge of lifes basic patterns and principles of organization and specifically our understanding of living networks to social reality. Man is free who is conscious of himself as the author of law which he obeys. For example, if you are the author of a book, it means you are responsible for it; you are superior to it; you transcend it. So the above statement means that we must transcend the law so that the law may not be a bother to use; when we are thus above the law then we are really free. Also you only become free when you allow others to be free. The Belief in the continued power and influence of our ancestors can limit the freedom of thought and action of an individual; that is, culturally, we are limited by tradition. Besides, sinning makes you a slave to sin. Our use of communication, takes place in multiple feedback loops, as a way to reproduce itself and its culture, its value and beliefs. Whenever there is social organization, there is power due to inevitable conflicts of interest. Power plays a central role in the emergence of social structure which provides people with rules of behavior(Capra, 2002). This power gives authority to the individuals and organizations. Authority is the influence which maintains order in the life of an individual or of society. It is also an influence which helps us to grow or develop or to realize the growth of our lives. Authority originated from the Latin word augere to increase, to make to grow. It
STUDENT NAME: GODFRED KWAME ABLEDU IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: UD17440HST25230

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is influence which parents have over a child and which helps the child to grow. But Schofield(1972) says the word authority comes from the Latin authorities which means presence or bearing and was the word used to describe the demeanor of a dignitary. He says authority has an aura about it and is associated with power. Authority is an experience that guides or directs growth and it is the power over the young that dictates his growth. In life, there is always a period of dependence for growth physically, morally, intellectually and spiritually and so we depend on our parents, teachers, friends, intellect and bodies to be able to grow. We refer to a book as an authority because it provides guidance. The person with authority is always one who has more experience than we have. Authority is, therefore, based on experience, knowledge, tradition, wisdom and age. It is this that guides and shaped our lives and it is a means whereby we become socialized that is it is a means of socialization. And so to accept authority is to accept what others give to us to grow in the right and proper way. Because we always go through a stage of dependence, we have to subject ourselves to authority in order to live in our culture and history. Subjecting ourselves to authority makes us free (Hirst, 1974). Freedom and authority seem incompatible, yet they inter-depend on each other. As we grow we must be able to know what valid authority is. Valid authority helps us to live satisfactorily. Freedom and authority complement each other and they depend on each other, though they seem incomparable for in our culture, age alone is not a criterion to valid authority. It is necessary for authority to be examined from time to time in order to establish its validity. For example, a headmasters authority will cease to become useful and will be questioned if it is not relevant to his school. Authentic or true authority is rationally formulated or derived. It is accepted, respected, and obeyed because it is applied in a very sensible manner. It is considerate, firm and just and exercises influences which are practicable and calculated to bring about program and human advancement. In a democratic society, true authority is power which is arrived at through discussion and through the taking of collective decisions. Power derived in this way is genuine. Power or authority may be derived from genuine election. In the case of the teacher, the validity of his authority is based on his superior knowledge, skill, and insight and on his personal integrity or on his character. Also, standing by a certain principle and abiding by it gives us some authority, say a religious faith or a philosophy of life; that is if you stand for a certain principle in life and you abide by it. And people know that this is where you stand or what you stand for, this gives you authority. Nash(1966) says authority is that which exercise a force or influence over us. Freedom is the power to achieve, choose, become. If we behave irresponsibly we may lose our freedom, and if we have authority we may lose it. If we transgress rules and regulations
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in a school or society we may lose our freedom or authority just as if our conduct retrogresses and becomes unsatisfactory. When people become subjected to dictatorship, then they revolt against authority. When they do not revolt they become afraid, timid and mere conformists, they over-conform when they lose their freedom. According to Schofield, a feeling of inferiority or powerlessness also makes people submit to authority. When we have a sense of guilt, it is easy to submit oneself to other. For example, when you have embezzled money and you have not been caught, you are overwhelmed by a guilty conscience, you lose confidence and you are prepared to submit to others, it is bad subservience to authority. It is therefore necessary to educate people to know their own worth, value in a corporation, school or in society and to exercise their own freedom. It is also necessary to educate those who have indoctrinaire attitude towards freedom that is those who are dogmatic about freedom, so that they may know what freedom is. The Gospels mentioned that Christ taught with authority demonstrating exceptionally high standards of virtue and wisdom coupled with great confidence and knowledge. He could not be compared with the Pharisees and Law-makers whose behavior betrayed them as haughty and pompous. Authority is given to certain people in the traditional society who are honest and trustworthy and whose conduct is exemplary and a shining example to other citizens, people whose actions demonstrate great wisdom, simple and humble people who are easily accessible. Their behavior is parallel to the established norms and standards of their ancestors and their views are accepted and respected by the people from whom they receive their legitimate power. There is also the legal rational authority which derives its power from a rational basis and not from the good qualities and proper moral behavior of the person who holds it. Also it does not depend for support from those who are willing to accept it or how effectively the authority is used; it owes its existence from it being sensible and rationally justified. Schofield (1972) says that Teachers, Kings and Chiefs possess legal-rational authority. For example, St. Thomas Aquinas presented the rational basis for belief in God and the right of the Church to demand specified forms of behavior through its doctrine and dogma. Both teachers and rulers have to make laws or rules to guide conduct. Both are backed by authority. According to Schofield (1972), the arbitrariness of the teachers absolute command is no longer regularly or automatically tolerated by the learner. If the rules which learners are to obey are to be acceptable and meaningful, they must be rationally justified. Then their reasonableness will be seen and demands which they make accepted. Authorities make rules which are required to be obeyed. They are obeyed for different reasons and because they come from that kind of authority, just like the authority exercised by Moses and that of Christ too for its special attraction and
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demands. The power of Rome in those days brought stability and later on the Church took and brought unity and stability through the teaching of its doctrine and dogma. Later too people sought freedom and stability through the ability to think for themselves. Having authority leads to freedom. Mbiti(1989) in his philosophy of Education describes freedom as one of the distinguishing marks of mans nature. Man is not like an inorganic matter which moves in a manner described by the laws of physics. According to Mbiti(1989), freedom to choose is a dominant factor\attribute of human beings and has come to be regarded as an imprescriptibly right without which a person cannot consider himself to be a human being. So, throughout the life of man on this earth, nations and revolutionary movements as well as individuals have always struggled to obtain their freedom where the restraint has been intolerably suppressed to deny in unfavorable social circumstances. Therefore according to Mbiti (1989), freedom is a goal to be attained rather than a possession guaranteed by nature. Consequently the struggle to become free is a striving for complete humanity. Yet it is not always completely realized in the life of man. Freedom is an absence of restraint and of limiting conditions in life. Schofield (1972) also defines freedom as absence of constraint. According to him a child may not do well at school and his ability may be impeded by a natural constraint because he is not academically endowed. On the other hand, he may not make any progress at school because of some artificial constraint due to environmental factors like poor home and peer group influence. We have different types of freedoms. For example, we have political freedom where people struggle to obtain their freedom from domination by a colonial master. We have also moral freedom. Since we have our freedom, it means we are free to act in a way that is dictated by this freedom, it follows, therefore, that if we are constrained to do whatever is right or wrong, we lose our freedom of choice, for it is this freedom that saddles us with a certain responsibility for behaving in a particular way or for doing whatever we do at a particular time. That is why some people earn praise for their action or choice is the result of the use of the freedom they have. In the school situation, it can be found that there is almost always a very strong desire to be free from school regulations which are considered unnecessary, peremptory or too rigid for compliance (Nash, 1966). And when students have fought relentlessly to obtain a certain freedom it becomes inevitable for them to behave responsibly in the absence of any constraint knowing too well that any infringement of the rules might bring them face to face with the Disciplinary Committee of the school. If they cannot take good care of their freedom and behave in a way conformable to the Code of Discipline, then they should either give up that particular freedom or be prepared to face the consequences. According to Schofild (1972), education leads to freedom. For, one of the purposes of education is to ensure that the child becomes free. Therefore, if we seek freedom in order to be able to choose between right and wrong, then we need to remember that
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intelligence plays a very useful part in the exercise of our freedom and that means acting in accordance with reason and, therefore, acting intelligently. In effect, the individual chooses his type of life and the freedom associated with it. This freedom is not based on convention or authority but on the use of intelligence or rationality. This type of freedom enables us to make carefully weighted decisions. For it is intelligence that helps us to choose the life we proffer and the associated freedom thus enabling us to make decisions which are carefully thought out and intelligible. For it is necessary for man to make intelligent choices. In sum, freedom entails the will to act using our intelligence through our reasoning power. For according to Schofield, if you have freedom, it means you can choose between right and wrong. To be able to choose between right and wrong, you need the will reason and intelligence. Conclusion In order that we may have a comfortable environment to live in, we must engage in activities that will promote a healthy environment. We should always use improved and scientific methods of farming so that we do not cause deforestation and desertified conditions. Organic farming is an ecological alternative which preserves and sustains ecological cycles, integrating their biological process into the processes of food production (Capra, 2002). In addition, when soil is cultivated organically, its carbon content increases and thus contributes to reducing global warming (Capra 2002). Our environment is seriously degraded but the future need not be bleak if we make concerted effort as individuals and groups and nations have the political will to take steps to remedy the problems. We should be guided by the principle that whatever we take from the earth without sustaining or replacing it will affect our lives adversely. NGOs have very important roles to play in the sustainability of the environment. NGOs have been peoples power over the past decade in hopes of establishing a more systemic approach to the issues we face today. They are working to rewrite the rules of globalization and thus begin taking the steps to save ourselves from its ill-effects. The first step is to move towards sustainability. Sustainability design is uniquely positioned in academic and professional culture to engage in a dynamic process of moving from theory to practice and moving between disciplines and sectors to facilitate transdisciplinary actions. Shift from designing artifacts, buildings etc. to designing processes and futures ways of living. The second step involves ecodesign. We need to apply our technologies and social institutions, thus bridging the gap between the two. Then you can use your freedom meaningfully. Forms of restraint-restraint can be in the form of regulations. These seek to guide the behavior of people so that they may comport themselves behaving without trampling on the freedom of other people. There are laws are also meant to be a sort of measuring rod or yard stick to guide the behavior
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of members of the society according to the norms of that society so that everybodys behavior may be within reasonable bounds without offending other people or restricting them so that they do not fully enjoy their freedom. People in the neighborhood of our dwelling can impose limitations to our freedom perhaps because the wield considerable influence in the society. For example, somebody can lay claim to the land where you have put up your building and you will have no peace of mind thenceforth. The next door neighbor can make his radio extraordinarily loud to disturb your peace and if you attempt to cross swords with him, you may unexpectedly lose your freedom. Certain customary laws may, by their use, put impediments in other peoples way and limit their freedom. A custom may prevent one from marrying or from doing anything dictated by their freedom. Also we cannot go to the bush or go to sea on certain days of the week. The individual chooses his type of life and the freedom associated with it. The meaning of mans existence is in his experience. This is one of the discoveries of the philosophy of Existentialism. Here, the fact that mans being is not determined before existence but is determined by the individual is emphasized. Your existence precedes your essence. The idea of predestination is thus totally ruled out. In order to make a rational decision you need facts. It is in view of this that the Realists insist on giving the child knowledge so that he may be able to take his own decisions. Freedom of the Spirit (Spiritual Freedom) this is the type of freedom known in Christian experience, it is freedom of worship and freedom for spiritual growth and development. The individual has the freedom to reflect on religious topics or issues like the Ten Commandments. But we can get this kind of freedom only if we accept freely the necessary limitations of human existence, that is, the acceptance of the necessary order and law for the perfect running of affairs in a state or a community. For example, our religious freedom does not entitle us, in our worship, to make an unbearable noise to disrupt the program of other people or to disturb their peace. We need to respect the freedom of others. It is mans essence to be free. It is necessary for him to exist as a man and life in which the good life is realized is a life in which the human potentialities have been realized. The search for freedom is the search for ones true self as a man, for in freedom we see our true nature. Freedom, however, has its limitations. One of the ultimate aims of education should educate the child to be free from the limitations of nature, social limitations, psychological, internal etc. The child should be brought up in such a way that he should not be afraid to be free. Accordingly, many of the new indicators of a countrys progress use multidisciplinary, systemic approaches with appropriate metrics for measuring the many aspects of quality of life (Capra and Henderson, 2009). Change is inescapable part of both social and organizational life. Todays business environment is changing so rapid, so quick that if you do not accept the change and move with it, you will be left behind. Organization no longer have a choice, they must change in order to survive. Organizational change focuses on the way in which the organization is structured. Capra (2002) believes that the idea that people naturally resist change is false. He argues that people only resists having change imposed on
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them. When we shift our metaphor of an organization from machines to living systems, we begin to view organization as communities with collective identities that share common values.

Reference Annabelle, M. and Betsy, E.(2007): Globalization: The Key Concepts. In: Routledge key guides. Routledge. Boehnert, J.J.(2010) Design for Social Learning Transformative Learning in Theory and Practice. The Visual Communication of Ecological Literacy Boudreaux, D. J.(2008): Globalization. In: Greenwood guides to business and economics, 1559-2367. Greenwood Press. Capra, F.(2002):The Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable Living. Harper Collins. http://www.stevezuieback.com/pdf_systems/hiddenconnections_summary_v.pdf?&lang =en_us&output=json&session-id=d5c3ceab770563aa7dc943a601a29345 (Accessed on 16th May, 2012) Capra, F. and Henderson, H.(2009): Qualitative Growth. The Institute of Chartered Accountants Cortell, A. P.(2006): Mediating Globalization : Domestic Institutions and Industrial Policies in the United States and Britain. In: SUNY series in global politics. State University of New York Press. Hirst, P.H.(1974): Moral Education in a Secular Society. University of London Press Ltd. Mbiti, J.(1989): African Philosophy and Religion. London, Heinemann Schirm, S. A. (2007): Globalization : State of the Art and Perspectives.. In: Routledge frontiers of political economy. Routledge. Schofild, J. (1972): The Philosophy of Education: An Introduction. London, George Allen and Unwin

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