Ahimsa

John Roberts, an Oregon resident, shot his wife Virginia with a gun. Virginia had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and wanted to die. She did not want to go through the process that is mandatory to get suicidal drugs. As a result, she asked her husband to end her life right then and there, and he did. Now the issue at hand is this: should this be considered murder or just an act of love that should be deemed the same as the assisted suicide drug? Assisted suicide, or euthanasia, has been a…

present day, Buddhism continues to hold the moral precept of non-violence to a great extent; however, if this principle is so central, why then, have Buddhists in Myanmar and Sri Lanka contradicted the crucial teaching of the Buddha and the virtue of ahimsa, or ‘not hurt,’ one that is essential to Jainism, but also corresponds to Buddhism non-violence precept? More to the point, why have Buddhist monks attacked Muslims residing in these geographical locations? Simply put, it is essential to…

In healthcare settings to making an ethical decision Tom Beauchamp and James Childress developed a four principles approach, which is also called principlism. The most common accepted priciples of ethics include Respect for Autonomy, Nonmaleficence, Beneficence and Justice. Respect for autonomy – Respecting the informed choices of competent patients. Nonmaleficence – is not cause harm to others. the moral obligation not to cause harm on others. Beneficence –perform for the benefit of others.…

The Himalayas: A Mystic’s Viewpoint Himalaya literally meaning the abode of snow. Apart from being a geographical entity, it has in various ways shaped the life and culture of South Asian people. Comprising of nine highest peaks in the world, this awe inspiring range has been an object of veneration for people and epitomizes the concept of sublime beauty. The Himalayas are bordered on the north by the Tibetan Plateau, on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain, on the northwest by the…

As defined by Merriam-Webster, abortion is a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus (Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary). Every religion has their own opinions on abortion; some being more strict than others. Whether it be Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, or Judaism they all feel that abortion is wrong, but all have their own opinions on how wrong it is to abort a fetus. Churches believe that abortions lead to issues presently and later in life, decision…

An African man by the name Anais once told me a story about a young boy by the name Nicholas whom, at the age of fifteen lived with his parents seventeen miles outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. In the depths of the country, they had no neighbors. One day, Nicholas’s father asked him to drive him to the city where he had an all-day conference. His father prompted him on getting all his chores done, getting the car service before he could enjoy the city and also to pick him up at 6:00pm where…

1. This diverse themed movie shows some link to the Social Morality Theory that has been imparted in our lessons. The violence in this movie was seen when Jack Slater’s cousin was threaten by Tony Vivaldi and caused him to seriously injured then eventually set a bomb on his body and consequently killed two police officer. Besides, the characters shot each other while they were driving at the beginning of the movie. Bombs were thrown by the villains and bomb…

The last interview which Mahatma Gandhi gave to Margrate Bourka White in the early afternoon on 30th January, 1948 was on “His persistence in his theory of non-violence in the event of a nuclear attack on a city.” The Mahatma’s reply was that if the defenseless citizens died in a spirit on non-violence, their sacrifice would not in vain; they might all pray for the soul of the pilot who had thoughtlessly sprayed death on the city. This was the last message of compassion to mankind. Gandhi had…

After the end of Second World War, the two power bloc was raising in world politics and the revelry between the blocs was on top. The cold war politics emerged as a bitter experience of international relations. Both blocs were mollifying the other countries of the world. It had to become stronger because of many newly independent countries. For the sake their independence many countries choose the third path to avoiding war and keeping their independence, they framed NAM (Non-alignment Movement)…

4. Representations of Gandhi For nearly six decades, Gandhi has been a recurring figure in diverse mediums all over the world. Whether it’s a new biography or a modern take on Gandhi’s philosophies, the Gandhian tradition has been kept alive in not just literature, but in almost all art forms. However, it creates an interesting but a paradoxical situation; during his lifetime Gandhi was likened to other eminent figures like Lenin, Tolstoy and even Jesus Christ. Soon after his death a discourse…