Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism

I found it interesting to learn about Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism in history class.  Confucianism involves the belief in the importance of an educated, proper, and orderly society.  Taoism involves the belief in the importance of a natural, balanced society.  Lastly, Buddhism involves the belief in the importance of following the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Overall, I think Buddhism sounds too difficult for me.  Closely following the Eightfold Path in order to end desire would be too difficult.  To me, the ideal philosophy would be a balanced mix between Confucianism and Taoism.  I like the idea, with Confucianism, of an educated society.  It is important for people to be knowledgeable of the world around them.  It is also good with the idea of respecting relationships.  The young must respect their elders, and vice versa.  Rules and order are also good to have in a society, because it prevents people from attacking or taking away from other people.  However, I also like the ideas of Taoism.  It involves everything in the world being in balance.  Accepting the harmony of the natural world is an important part of Taoism.  Taoism is more about “going with the flow,” following the nature of events as they come.

Confucianism and Taoism are often thought of to be opposites, just like the Yin Yang.  Confucianism is more proper and orderly, while Taioism is more relaxed and in balance with nature.  I think the ideal belief would be a mix of the two.  It would include having an orderly society, but still in harmony with nature.  It would be proper and educated, yet at the same time relaxed and “going with the flow.”  It would also respect the Five Basic Relationships.  The idea of a mix between the two beliefs would also go well with the idea of Yin Yang.

Is More Security Needed For Standardized Testing?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-04-07-dcschools07_ST_N.htm

In the Washington, D.C. public school system, school board officials are concerned with the possibility that a security seal on text booklets might not be protective enough against tampering with the answer sheets.  However, I think that security on standardized testing is a little too protective.  It is good that they make attempts to prevent cheating with security measures, but sometimes they go a little overboard.  For example, tearing the wrong seal could result in an invalidation of one’s test as well as disciplinary actions.  What if someone did it by accident?  Most people who would happen to tear the seal likely would not be doing it for the intent of cheating, but rather by mistake.  The tests can be somewhat nerve-wracking due to the intense security.  I tend to worry more about accidentally doing something wrong security-wise rather than the content of the tests themselves.

In this case of this story, however, adding an additional seal that can only be broken by the student during testing probably would not be too bad.  It should reduce the amount of tampering, so in that case, it would likely be beneficial.  Reducing the amount of tampering would be more fair for everyone and would also improve the accuracy of statistics.  However, the security should also be altered in that consequences would not be as harsh for people who simply breached the security on accident.  Doing something such as breaking the wrong seal is not too difficult to do, and one should not be strictly disciplined for doing something they did not mean to do.  The ideal changes that could possibly happen would be the addition of additional security measures paired with the reduction of consequences for those who breach security by mistake, allowing the innocent to be able to take tests with less worries.   Hopefully, however, the rate of cheating or tampering will decrease over time, and standardized tests would become more fair for all.

Human Rights

Today in class, we watched a video involving human rights.  There are many countries around the world where people have limited or no rights.  I believe that that is unjust.  Every human being in this world deserves to have rights.  For example, everybody deserves to have freedom.  Everyone should each be able to do what they want in their life.  If they want to become a salesperson, they should be able to.  If they want to become a mechanic, they should be able to as well.  It is unjust for governments or other authorities to force people to be something they do not want to be.

Another right that everyone deserves is the right to a free education.  There are countries where not everybody has an equal opportunity for education.  For example, in some countries, women are not given the chance to be educated.  Without an education, a government can just rule over people, and the people would not be knowledgeable enough to know that it was unfair and unjust.  An education also helps people throughout their life.  They become more knowledgable about the world around them, and thus can make better decisions for themselves and their community.  Education is an important part of everyone’s life.

Everybody also deserves the right to freedom of expression.  People should be able to be who they want to be.  They should also be able to share their thoughts and beliefs without fear of being penalized.  If they are unhappy with their government, they should be able to express their beliefs and protest the government.  They should also be able to practice whatever religion they follow.  Freedom of expression allows for a better, more equal society.

There are certain rights that everyone in this world should have, but yet many people are left without.  We, in the United States, are very fortunate to have these rights, and we must hope that the countries that do not have these rights get them as well.