English, Effects of Orthodoxy - Essay Example

ESSAY: ENGLISH; EFFECTS OF ORTHRODOXY Introduction From the conversation, it is d that adherence to some cultural and religious norms in the societies by individuals are the biggest drawbacks to individual progress in life either academically or generally. It is therefore important to note here that for an individual to progress and succeed in life, he must go against some generally defined norms and cultures that are believed to be true by a society or community but are acting as a hindrance to the individual success. Those who strongly stick to orthodoxy, which is the adherence or submissiveness to some accepted norms, usually blocks their bright future and their dreams are shattered before fulfilling them. This is because, they never gets the chance to practise their visions due to fear of being victimized by the fellows who practise orthodoxy. It is also important to note here that, orthodoxy can even hinder the progress and development of a country, in that investors or business men who may want to invest in the country producing a unique commodity, may be blocked out of the market if the sale of the commodity goes against the generally accepted norms of the country’s citizens (Tipton & Witte, 2007). Literature Review In the work of Shirley Jackson, the author affirms categorically the demerits of confining to the generally accepted norms of a people, a society, community or a country. He strongly proposes for the total discarding of such acts b individuals. If orthodoxy is not ignored in societies by individuals, then it becomes very difficult for the people to maximise their potentials, utilize the resources available at their disposal for their personal benefits and that of the whole society. Orthodoxy limits our visions, impairs our judgement and blocks our capabilities, I therefore strongly agree with Shirley that people should never accept to be defined by the mere rules and regulations which the older generations adhered to which made no progress in their lives (Fass, 2004). The family plays very vital roles in the discouraging the habit of orthodoxy. This is portrayed in Jackson Bill’s family where his family strongly discouraged orthodoxy by stating out the inhuman effects of orthodoxy practise. When a family discourages its members from engaging in such practises, their innocence is not victimized and their progress are not blocked. It is therefore very important that families stop their children from the blind confinement of some norms believed to be true without clearly realizing or finding out neither the demerits of such adherence nor the effects of such practises to their humanity and wellbeing as a whole (Barker 2007). Another societal vice that greatly affects an individual’s development and progress is the lottery practise. This is the practise where individuals not realizing that they are wasting away their potential and capabilities engage in gambling activities in order to gain and amass fast money without working hard to gain and acquire the money. The beliefs in lottery are very false hopes that give individuals mere illusions in case they win the first gambling game; they then have some hope of gaining in the next gambling game. This therefore makes the individual not to look for an alternative source of income but rather stay idle waiting for the gambling game (Williams, 2006). The author Shirley, states that since some families are blinded by the gains in the lottery, to the extent that they don’t realize its false features, they willingly accepts the tradition and thereby becoming a victim of circumstance and subject to the norms of lottery game. Jackson states that “soon the family began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes” .This act indicates that the families do not realize that the information is totally false and the chances of gaining them is very minimal so to speak. If families do not sense the hidden false in lottery, they won’t be able prevent their innocent children from such inhuman activities that hinders and impairs their development (Tipton & Witte, 2007). It is noted that lottery is just one of the ways of encouraging and maintaining orthodoxy because once an individual begins the habit of gambling for sustenance, the practise becomes habitual and thereby the individual finds himself conforming to the norms of the gambling game. Lottery is even against the laws of the country and it is highly non acceptable as it ruins the innocence of the citizens and interferes with the country’s development. Lottery therefore acts as a silent brutal device to individuals who are blinded by its cheap gains not focusing on the negative effects on the humanity and morality (Tipton & Witte, 2007). It is however contradictory from the passage that, despite the fact that Jackson Bill knows that lottery cannot provide for his family for a long time throughout his lifetime, he never makes an attempt to disregard this unhealthy and inhumane practise that deprives them of their capabilities and focus. This is because, Jackson is a victim of the community that practises orthodoxy and therefore, despite his knowledge of the dangers of the vice, he has to conform to the norms and the general accepted rules and behaviours of the people he lives in. this therefore makes Jackson to be reluctant to seek an alternative source of income to maintain his family (Joshi, 2001). This act of Jackson is like slavery of the mind that is free but always in chains, since he knows what is to be done but he cannot just do it due to fear of being the only protagonist in the community. He therefore finds himself being subjected to slavery of the community and poverty, fighting to keep and maintain his family. I note here that conforming to an inhumane act such as lottery knowing that it is wrong and harmful, is more traumatising than that individual that conforms to the norms blindly. Jackson Bill should therefore speak out and abandon the orthodoxy and ensure his progress (Tipton & Witte, 2007). Joshi (1948) puts a contradictory statement that gives the negative effects of orthodoxy and at the same time believes that the sacrifice made during gambling games may accrue to some good fortunes that are beneficial. This means that the author on one side supports the practise as being beneficial as there are some hopes of gaining and on the other hands, he is disregarding the practise of lottery as being dangerous to humanity and development. He puts little hope in the lottery when he says “certainly like there is nothing supernatural about “The Lottery”, whose impacts rests on the very possibility of its occurrence”. The last part of the statement casts doubts on the success of the lottery, giving some possibilities of failure (Williams, 2006). Recommendations To subdue to the wrong cultural norms is very harmful to the human personality and morality. Jackson knows the dangers of orthodoxy but he cannot go against it because it is the community’s custom he therefore became an innocent victim of orthodoxy. Joshi’s statement acts as an educator to the community members, but since they are blinded by the cheap gains of the lottery, they seem not to sense the information he is passing to them but stick to their culture and this creates no awareness to them, they still remain to be slaves (Fass, 2004). However much Jackson tries to get out of the bondage, by letting the community members the negative effects of orthodoxy, they don’t accept any external force on their way of life and therefore they opt to conform to the norms of lottery (Barker 2007). Conclusion In summary, it is important to note that orthodoxy is very inhumane and should never be accepted in any society as it hinders development and denies individuals their capabilities of exploration of new ideas of progress but forever thy become subject to the norms and practises that seem to be true but negatively impacts on their way of life. People should therefore crate awareness to the other members of the societies that are still conforming to the mere rules of the society without critical evaluation of those rules in their lives (Tipton & Witte, 2007). Annotated Bibliography Catin, D. (2000). Lottery Book: The Truth behind the Numbers Paper back, North Carolina: McFarland The book provides a description on the truth behind the numbers used in lottery. It gives the nature of the numbers in the game and the technique of using them to have a big jack point or break through during the lottery game. The author of the books believes that anyone who wants to gain from gambling should have a clear understanding of the math that lies behind the numbers in the gambling game. If a gambler does not have good mastery of the numbers, then his chances of winning are limited. Despite the fact that lottery is illegal practise and that act inhumane, the author explores the advantages of lottery and how it can be used to earn income. What the author ignores is the fact that the income is dependent on the chance that the outcome of the game will be positive. Batten, D. (2011). Gale encyclopaedia of American law (3rd ed.). Detroit, Mich The book illuminates different kinds of acts considered illegal by the state. The author provide an in depth clarification on the punitive cases that are punishable by law if committed by the individuals. It also outlines the laws and principles that are generally accepted and those that the citizens should abide by. For clarity, the author has illustrated major leading cases, legal terms, important concepts to be considered and the documents that are vital in law. These are well explained in simple terms. Pickus, N.M. (2007). True Faith and allegiance immigration and American Civil Nationalism, Princeton, N.J, University Press The book clearly illustrates the true faith that is needed for the American citizens in the obedience to their constitution. It describes the requirement by the American government of its citizens to have moral convictions, not to get involved in the illegal acts nor disobey the ruling body. The author outlines the limits of operations by the citizens, what they could do and what they ought not to do. It also gave freedom to the legal immigrants into the country to operate freely if they abide by the constitution and they don’t infringe the rights of the natives. Ambrose, D. & Cross, T. (2009). Morality, ethics and gifted minds, New York, Springer The author in the book explores deeply into the wisdom on ethics and morality in the modern society. He develops new perspectives on the ethical dimensions of high quality and their applicability in the daily lives of the citizens. He recognizes the benefits of ethics and morality in the society for nurturing the individuals’ behaviours and manners. He also explores the importance of applying highly intelligent minds to reasoning and finding solutions between issues to help individuals from blindly conforming to some specified rules that might be harmful but attractive without clear understanding. Ross, W. D., & Brown, L. (2009). The Nicomachean ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. In this book, the author gives a clear understanding of the kinds of lives an individual would desire to have. The author believes that the best thing for any human is happiness. He goes further to explain that this happiness should be made up of those activities that utilizes the best human capabilities and not the fact that human are subjected to some form of mental slavery. If man is free from this kind of mental bondage, then the author believes that the community members will progress and utilize maximally their talents. The author also explores the benefits of moral virtues such as courage and justice and he believed that they nurture the morality and behaviours of individuals. References Barker. (2007). The anthropology of morality in Melanesia and beyond. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. Fass, P. S. (2004). Encyclopaedia of children and childhood in history and society. New York: Macmillan Reference USA. Joshi, S.T. (2001) The Modern Weird Tale. North Carolina: McFarland,. Print. Tipton, S. M., & Witte, J. (2005). Family transformed: religion, values, and society in American life. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. Williams, B. A. 2006). Morality an introduction to ethics. Cambridge: University Press. Read More