Unit 1 Critical Thinking - Essay Example

Unit Critical Thinking “The Mouse Does Not Know Life Until It Has Been Into The Mouth Of The Cat” Introduction: According to Hippocrates, "Life is short, the art long, opportunity fleeting, Experiment treacherous, Judgment difficult” (Katz, 1996). God has given all of us one life and one time to live. However most of us do not understand the value of life until it is almost taken away from us. Life and Death:People tend to live their entire lives wasting the precious gift from God. Little do we realise that we live just once.

As the proverb clearly states that the moue only realises the importance of life and its responsibilities when it moves into the mouth of a cat, similarly, we realise out responsibilities only when we are put through difficult situations and life taking events. According to Rawson (2007), death is not the end of all issues and troubles. He explains that if a man had died with a headache or anger, this will continue on even after death until he is able to recognise and learn the truth about the issue (Rawson F. L., 2007).

Being unsatisfied with everything that we have is one of the major traits of almost every human being. It is only when everything is taken away from us that we realise and are grateful for what God has given us. Personally we display traits where no matter what we have in life we regret not having other things. This makes us not value life and all the blessing around us instead we crave to gain more and more setting the important things in life aside. This is very similar to a mouse, where the mouse moves around everywhere with aim of getting more food, without realising the dangers involved in its life.

If a mouse were to stay content with the food it has, and look only when needed instead of to try and stock up the chances of it being attacked by a cat is relatively lower. However for the mouse to understand this, it would take, for it to be attacked by a cat. Hence the saying ‘the mouse does not know life until it has been into the mouth of the cat’. Conclusions: Irrespective of which culture, caste or creed one belongs, the life that God has given is the same for all. Each of us requires understanding and cherishing every moment of life rather than cribbing and crying in spite of all the blessings we have in life.

God has created all of for a reason and has sent us down to Earth to fulfil our responsibilities. It is important that we understand this without having to reach the extreme stage of loss (Katz, 1996). Like the proverb states, the mouse only understands the worth of life when in the cat’s mouth, similarly we only understand the importance of life when we are about to die. That’s the main cause for our life to flash in front of our eyes when we are about to die. Self hate, self destructive behaviour, self abuse, murdering, and not living life to the fullest are certain things that God has not sent us to do.

Only when we realise the importance of life, will people stop doing things like this. According to a Buddhist master, "Yesterday is just a memory. The future is just a promise (or hope). The only reality is the present moment." Enjoy the present. As elders and the wise have always said, ‘life is short, live it to the fullest’. As human being with the ability to understand and comprehend things, we need to realise that God intended for us to live life in the righteous manner and to fulfil all the responsibilities.

Hence the sooner we realise the importance of life, the most we will receive from life as well. If a person continues to waste life, this will go on even after death until the truth is not understood by the person. Hence live life to the fullest and make each day a valuable one since we never know when the last day of life is. Live to feel proud of all that has been done and to cherish every blessing we have got (Rawson & Frontispiece, 1920). ReferencesKatz, J. (1996). Human Sacrifice and Human Experimentation: Reflections at Nuremberg.

Retrieved October 10, 2009, from Law.yale.edu: http://www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/human_sacrifice_and_human_experimentation.pdfRawson, F. L. (2007). Life Understood: From a Scientific and Religious Point of View. Cosimo Classics.Rawson, F. L., & Frontispiece. (1920). Life Understood From A Scientific And Religious Point Of View And The Practical Method Of Destroying Sin, Disease, And Death . The Crystal Press.