What does it mean to be free What is Individual Freedom Essay

What does it mean to be free What is Individual Freedom - Essay Example There are some people who feel obliged to take accountability of family members and communal affairs. People should pursue their dreams regardless of what others perceive about it in order to realize full joy in life. Individual autonomy has different meaning to different people. What a person thinks is fine, may be perceived differently by other people. People should pursue their own decency regardless of other people’s opinion. For example, in Bellah (3), Brian believes that personal autonomy is attained when a person is able to accomplish individual dreams. For example, those who want to pursue success in trade, their joy becomes absolute the moment they are able to achieve that vision. Relatives or communal commitment should not hinder a person from achieving his or her life happiness. For example Brian had to put extra effort after he got married in order to sustain his family. He used to burn the midnight oil so that his family could have a decent living. According to hi m, family commitments made him sacrifice his personal independence. However, autonomy means doing what one desires without limitations (Bellah, 167). Without money Brian could not be able to enjoy nice trips or meet successful people in life. However, Brian later came to realize that he could not achieve full joy in life without family affection. Being able to provide for the family and achieve other essential things in life is a great victory. Regardless of the means used to acquire wealth, being able to provide for the family, such as paying school fees for the children and providing magnificent building, amounts to personal independence. With material possessions, people can do what they want at their own will (Bellah, 21). The dilemma occurs when it comes to gauging the level of achievement attained in a particular moment, and in appraising it with previous success or relating to what others have achieved. However, there is no need to contrast your victory with others, but the m ost essential consideration is your ability to achieve what you purposed to achieve in life. People should put effort towards helping their families and the society. The success of the community in which individual comes from also determines their victory (Bellah, 8).This is because, individuals and the society are reliant on each other. A person should contribute towards success of the society. In the same way, the community will also influence individual’s victory in one way or the other. Also, taking care of the family makes the person feel esteemed. Similarly, an individual draws happiness from the family and the society. For example, Joe engaged in activities of the society and his pleasure was in helping the public (Bellah, 54). Those organizations which are interested in satisfying the public will always ensure they give back to the community. They will design community activities and ensure they succeed. People who come from successful families or societies feel conte nted, and such contentment is what makes a person free. However, it is difficult to compare different communities or families to determine which family or society provides better satisfaction than the others. What matters are not comparing oneself with others but to be contented with own situation and work towards improving existing conditions. Those who find fulfillment in their own victory rather than communal tends to be deceitful. They can deprive the community of its resources to enrich themselves (Bellah, 63).

Karen Head and Thomas Friedman on the topic of MOOCs and their ability Essay

Karen Head and Thomas Friedman on the topic of MOOCs and their ability to deliver writing instruction online - Essay Example Usually, participants of a MOOC can be learners who are enrolled at a particular institution or any individual with internet access. Dr. Karen Head, an assistant professor at the School of Literature, Media and Communication in Georgia Institute of Technology, and a New York Times OP-ED Columnist Thomas Friedman seem to agree and disagree on a number of aspects that concern the MOOCs. While the former presents an objective look at the subject, the latter is quite optimistic about the whole idea surrounding the MOOCs. Both authors seem to agree to the fact that MOOCs are a noble idea that can revolutionize the education sector in terms of expanded access and reduced costs. For example, in her article â€Å"Lessons Learned from a Freshman-Composition MOOC†, Head (2013) observes that about 21,934 students enrolled for the freshman composition course. This is quite a huge number of students receiving the course, which would have otherwise been restricted to few tens of students if it was to be offered in a traditional classroom setting. In Inside a MOOC in Progress, Head (2013) observes that with the application of tools such as Google Maps, students can be reached on every continent. Friedman refers to MOOCs as a revolution. In his article Revolution hits the Universities, Friedman (2013) notes that MOOCs have a huge potential in unlocking many more brains in solving the world’s pressing problems. However, the two authors seem to present different views on the effectiveness and practi cability of MOOCs on the ground. First, Dr. Head observes that while many students enroll for the MOOCs, the retention rates are terrible. For example, out of the 21,934 students who had enrolled for the freshman composition course, about 14,771 of them were active in the course, but only 238 students managed to receive a completion certificate, (Head, 2013). Receiving the completion