Measure of Success

 

The measure of success of an individual primarily depends on his level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Satisfaction on one hand limits success while dissatisfaction on the other hand motivates an individual to move to the next level of accomplishment and success that ensures greater contentment. According to Mill, dissatisfaction is important to attain greater achievement and satisfaction and acts as a motivating force. In this article, the role of satisfaction and dissatisfaction being a significant factor of success is discussed.

Dissatisfaction does cause mental restlessness, however it certainly pays a rich dividend in the end. A discontented attitude makes more endeavors and tries its level best to reach the desired level of success and happiness. Happiness and pleasures to a great extent depend on the level of contentment an individual possesses. It can be said that contentment or discontentment is directly proportional to the level of success and pleasures one derives in life. When a person is contented, he sticks to it without making additional efforts that can take him to the next level of success and satisfaction. In a way, dissatisfaction restricts an individual to move to the next level of success and attain higher degree of contentment. It can be said with certainty that, dissatisfaction does play a decisive role in ensuring higher level of satisfaction but at a price of mental stress and well being.

When human attitudes are closely observed, we can see that our feelings, thoughts, views and experiences shape our intentions. The level of success we can attain is determined by the above mentioned factors to a great extent however it is up to us to what extent we can stay contented with the level of success and contentment we accomplish. Dissatisfied attitude can result from several reasons that impacts adversely on the above stated factors of personality. Being dissatisfied does not always indicate a negative personality or a pessimistic attitude. It can be positive if taken in a right direction, leading to great success, achievement and satisfaction.

 

Thus, in order to realize complete success and satisfaction in life, it is crucial that people  maintain a balanced attitude that compels them to make necessary endeavors and experience complete satisfaction of their accomplishments. People should develop their attitude according to their capabilities and intellectual strengths so that dissatisfaction does not affect their lives negatively. Dissatisfaction is often regarded as a sign of failure or obstacles but in true sense, it is an ability in itself that provides opportunity to excel and climb the next level of success by motivating an individual to make additional required efforts which eventually ensures greater success and contentment.

Natural Vs Manmade Disasters

 

Earthquakes are natural calamities that result in huge loss of life and property. They are caused by disturbances in earth’s crust that trigger sudden movement of plates inside the earth. Most of the earthquakes occur due to collision of giant rock slabs also known as tectonic plates that make the earth’s upper surface. These tectonic plates slide or collide against each other, and the impact between them beneath the earth’s crust is gradual and cannot be felt on the surface. However, this gradual stress gives rise to massive pressure between the plates, and when this energy is released quickly; massive vibrations referred to as seismic waves are sent. This causes earthquakes killing thousands of human beings and destroying billion worth of property. These massive vibrations are often generated deep within the earth’s crust, often hundreds of miles beneath the surface.

The largest earthquake ever recorded occurred on May 22, 1960 in Chile that killed 1655 people and injured nearly 3000 humans. Property damage worth $ 550 million was estimated and nearly 200, 000 people were homeless due to this earthquake that shocked southern Chile with a highest magnitude of 9.5 on Richter scale. Such higher magnitude catastrophes occur once in a century and cause tremendous loss of life and property. Earthquakes are measured by using a device called Richter scale that can accurately show their intensity and forecast possible amount of loss.

Japan Earthquake- 2011

A devastating earthquake of 9.0 magnitudes measured on a Richter scale hit Japan on March, 11, 2011 that triggered a massive tsunami of 23 foot high in northern Japan. The giant waves destroyed everything that came their way and caused massive irreparable loss to human lives and property. Cars, buildings, trains, boats, homes etc. were wiped out killing numerous human and animal lives. This earthquake caused serious concerns to Japanese nuclear plants namely the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on the east coast of Japan which failed immediately after the occurrence of disaster. It generated a nuclear crisis in Japan as the reactor failed to function and exploded causing partial meltdown in the two reactors. Three other nuclear facilities also faced problems due to the unprecedented earthquake and nearly 200, 000 people were evacuated from the affected areas of Japan. The country raised the assessment level to 7 at Fukushima Daiichi power plant, considered as the worst rating on the international scale

The cooling system failure in Fukushima Daiichi power plant released harmful radioactive materials in the environment causing serious health and safety threat to the surrounding inhabitants. 300 tons of radioactive water continues to leak each day into the Pacific Ocean that adversely affects the marine life and destroys the ecosystem.

Radioactivity

Radioactivity is defined as a phenomenon in which unstable atomic nuclei releases subatomic particles. Only heavy elements of the periodic table such as Uranium, Strontium, Actinium, Polonium etc. are said to be radioactive due to the fact that their atomic mass and number make them capable of undergoing radioactivity. In simple language of physics, radioactivity is nothing but decomposition of unstable nuclei of heavy elements that releases energy. Due to instability of atomic nuclei, the nuclei of unstable atoms breaks down, and this phenomenon is known as decay of atoms. Those elements which undergo decomposition to form stable atoms and release energy are known as radioactive elements. Half life of a radioactive element is defined as the time taken for half of the nuclei of radioactive atoms.

Nuclear power plants are massive generators or store houses that produce large amount of energy that can be utilized for the welfare of mankind. The energy produced by nuclear power stations is a clean form of energy and assures us independence from the shackles of fossil fuel dependence. Uranium is a primary and most important radioactive element used as fuel in nuclear power stations. The heat released during the process of nuclear fission is utilized to generate steam that in turn revolves the turbine in order to generate electricity. This energy is sufficient to serve human needs and can be used in various ways for the welfare of humanity.

Nuclear weapons are an absolute sign of being super power, and every nation today is ensuring its safety by developing weapons of mass destruction and wants to achieve supremacy over its rival nations. However, in this race of building nuclear weapons, there is a serious threat to the existence of human race and other species due to the fact that any single action between enemy countries can trigger a war that can lead to the use of weapons of mass destructions which is enough to wipe out mankind and cause long term serious consequences and irreparable damage to our civilization. Facts reveal that there are at least 23,000 nuclear weapons with different developed nations. A nuclear war can cause a blanket of particles in the atmosphere, blocking the sun’s rays and destroying the vegetation and various life forms. This is in addition to death of people, animals, and plants caused by the explosive power, the radiation & shockwaves.

This topic is important for research as it talks about the natural and manmade threats and also warns us of the unexpected as well as expected mishaps in future that may pose serious dangers to human race. Expected dangers occur due to human mistakes in the form of wars and use of nuclear weapons that can cause irreparable loss to our civilization. This topic teaches us to be careful about the use of nuclear power and nuclear weapons and ensure that world peace and harmony is maintained at any cost if we want to advance our civilization and progress.

The example of Fukushima Daiichi teaches us to take precautionary measures when need arises and be prepared for natural calamities like massive earthquakes and tsunamis to prevent leakages of radioactive materials that can cause serious threats to various animal and plant life forms that survive on land and in water.

Nuclear power stations are giant power generators and appropriate techniques to handle and efficiently run them need to be implemented to ensure safety in the surrounding environment. My overall impression and thoughts about this project is that we must learn to harness energy in an eco-friendly manner and use it to the best of human welfare. Natural calamities such as Japan earthquake are bound to occur as contemporary science & technology is inadequate to forecast place and timings of earthquakes and volcanoes. Therefore, understanding human limits we need insure we at the least can prevent avoidable mishaps such as radioactive leakage of Fukushima nuclear power plant that caused severe destruction of marine life. It is quite possible that manmade disasters resulting from use of nukes or any other technology could permanently wipeout diverse species on the planet than the nature's fury. 

 

Aspects of Identity - 1

 

Identity is a very important aspect of our personality or individuality. Our identity is something that we believe we are. It is built, shaped, developed, and nurtured through knowledge, intelligence, experiences, environment, behavior, and skills. Each one of us has a distinct identity of our own that is easily distinguishable from others. In a sense, every one of us is unique because we talk differently, we think differently; we observe differently, we learn differently, we view and react to the outer world differently; however an important thing to note is that our identity is influenced by various factors such as the environment we live in, the family we live with, culture we are born and brought up, the society we live in, friends and people we mingle with, interests and hobbies that we cultivate over time resulting from association, inheritance or our own preferences and so on.  

There are many people who have attained the peak of success in their respective fields regardless of their family background, their education, or social status. Identity according to me is built and shaped by a variety of factors as stated above however personal choices and preferences have a dominant role to play in our lives that form an integral part of our identity. A book you choose to read from the shelf, friends you choose, your favorite movies, songs, the games you like to play, your hobbies and interests etc are so many things that reveal your inner persona. These elements play an indispensable role in framing your identity and character.

It is a topic of research to know and understand what exactly is mainly responsible for creating an identity? According to some research scholars, our culture lays a crucial role in building our identities. This statement to a large extent is true as we are constantly exposed to our culture and society in our everyday lives and thus become a part of it. We tend to incorporate the values, customs, norms, and life styles in our lives that our culture allows us to follow. However, there still remains a good volume of room for making personal choices and preferences in life that makes us distinct from others. Our identity is not known by our culture or society we live in but by the distinct identity we carry, likes and dislikes we exhibit, attire we use, complexion, company, knowledge and attitude we show to the outer world. 

The first sense of our identity is known or felt when we are in our teens. A best example to understand the concept of identity is a high school cafeteria wherein teens/students gather for lunch or short leisure and one can easily spot a popular guy or a girl among the group. It is easy to identify who is popular, who has many friends, who is reserved and sober and other fine aspects of a student’s persona just on the basis of observations.

It is important to note that some identities require peculiar environment while some grow in any environment. As for example, an Asian student may not easily adjust to the American way of living and may take time in making friendship, get along with people, mingle with associates etc. Here, it can be found that cultural differences certainly impact on one’s identity and may act as a barrier. Therefore, it requires time for a new comer to adjust to the host culture in order to settle and get going the easy way.      

A culture can be described as a set of principles, beliefs and customs laid by religious and social beliefs. A culture exerts a strong influence on people’s life styles, way of thinking and their identities. A culture to a great extent shapes our way of living, habits, life style, diet, attire etc. However, despite of such a strong impact of our culture on an individual’s identity, individuals often tend to make a distinct individuality of themselves through their peculiarity of thought, actions and way of living. According to many authors, environmental influences namely the cultural forces to a great extent impact on one’s behavior, attitude, and way of thinking and habits that eventually shapes one’s identity. In my opinion, this is a generic statement as it is the inherent and inner self that dominates and plays a significant role in making and building a person’s identity. However, this statement is an exception to the popular belief that environmental influences are much stronger than the personal preferences.

Influence on Identity

A good example of culture versus the personal influence on one’s identity is a group of students in a particular grade or class who exhibit a peculiar behavioral pattern, attitude or qualities. For example, studying in a similar environment, students show different attributes of personality that can be easily observed from their obvious behavior in the class. A student with dominating attitude will tend to command others by his language, acts and behavior while on the contrary a student who is studious and sincere in studies show very peculiar behavioral trait that is desirable and suitable to the academic environment. The former may be popular, less liked and less favored by the class teacher while the latter is less known but liked and favored by the class teacher as a studious and obedient student. This is a very good example of a group that is exposed to same environment, culture and society but exhibiting difference in their attributes and personality thus creating a unique identity.

It is very important to keep in mind that our reactions to external influences vary from person to person and one cannot expect a similar reaction from two different individuals. Since we all are very different from one another, our individualities too vary. In order to understand what exactly causes such differences in identities, it is important to know what identities are made up of. We are a product of our culture, habits, preferences, inherited characteristics, social influences and free will. In majority of cases, people who have attained highest success and given their greatest contribution to society are those who have always created their identities by themselves. They are the masters of their preferences, habits and attitude and regard social and cultural forces as less important. On the other hand, people who are always bonded with cultural and social forces tend to adhere to the common beliefs and principles seizing the peculiarity of their identity.

Aspects of Identity

Things such as our names, social security number, our finger prints, driving license etc serve to identify us among others and by distinguishing us from other people. However, these are just social norms to identity one from the rest. Our true identity lies in our persona that includes features such as, culture, color, race, gender, religion, nationality etc. These characteristics help in narrowing our search to trace one unique individual yet there still remain room for dilemma. This is because there are many individuals with the above mentioned features living in a particular place or region. In such a situation, how can one trace a specific person on the basis of these above mentioned features? For example, there may be two or three individuals who have a common name, color, nationality, gender and living in a particular place and culture. How can one trace the one who is actually required for the purpose? In a situation like this one, one would certainly require some more information about the subject that can differentiate one from the others. Even if these individuals have every above mentioned characteristic in common, they still greatly differ from one another in habits, interests, preferences, voice, attitudes, and other finer characteristics that do not match or resemble from the rest. Therefore, in order to trace the wanted, we would have to narrow down our search further focusing on the attributes that are uncommon, distinct part of their individuality and easily separate them from others. Identity identifiers such as their date of birth, social security numbers, finger prints etc is one easy yet effective way to separate one from millions. Thus, this example proves that identity is a very special phenomenon that requires special consideration when dealing with it.

Aspects of Identity - 2

 

Classification of Identity

In contrast to external identity that is bestowed upon us by the society in the form of position, title, etc we also possess an inner identity that reflects our inner capabilities, strengths, skills, talents, etc that plays a dominant role in our lives by constantly interfering with our external identity and impacting it making it recognizable, easily identifiable and building one’s identity in true sense. In reality, we all are made up of our inner identities that help others to distinguish us from others as inner characteristics greatly differ from one individual to another and help in easy classification of people from one another. One important aspect of inner identity is that it can be felt, realized, and experienced by people who are in close contact with the concerned subject and to understand one’s inner attributes and identity, it is important to know a particular individual for a prolonged period of time. For example, two good friends can easily examine each other’s tendencies, interests and preferences, psychological behavior, decision making capability, ability, skills etc just because they know and understand each other’s identity well and thoroughly because they have maintained friendship for a prolonged period of time. External identity is what we project we are while internal or inner identity is what we actually are. External identity is known and recognized by our title, responsibilities, position etc while inner identity needs to be understood being in constant contact. Two good friends, partners, couple, family, etc are example of people who know and understand each other’s inner identities as well as recognize external identities of their loved ones.

Important characteristics of inner identity of an individual are his intellect, emotions, psychological attributes, spiritual inclinations, interests and instincts, physical attributes, priorities and objectives in life and career, needs and wants etc. These features are responsible for building his core identity that eventually forms his external identity. Some other fine examples of one’s inner identity could go beyond one’s genetic characteristics and include various aspects of persona such as skills and talents, communication styles, learning patterns, collection, processing and organization of information, analytical power, sense of humor, analyzing power, etc. These fine characteristics form an integral part of an individual’s identity. This is evident from world’s greatest physicists, mathematicians or sportsmen who have no inherited history of intellectual genius or physical capability.

Researchers opine that despite of similarities of interests and preferences among students in subjects of common interests there is every probability that each of the student may be distinctly different from the rest in various other aspects of being. An example of this would be similarities in the form of favorite games or favorite teacher or a favorite tourist spots, however; they will significantly vary when varied other factors are examined. This simply proves differing identities may share their similarities over a matter of interest however they still differ in many other important aspects of personality. Therefore, identity is something that is a fine assortment of various attributes and characteristics that are cultivated during the course of life; learnt from experiences, knowledge, own thinking and instincts. This is evident from various real life instances of real people who significantly vary in their tastes, interests and preferences. For example, a white American may have no issue marrying an African however; on the contrary a black may have issues marrying a white due to various inherent finer attributes of personality involving interests, preferences, etc.  

Identity in fact is such a broad subject that it even encompasses finer aspects of one’s personality such as tastes in terms of what one likes to eat and drink, touch- what one likes to feel and experience, smell- what pleases and what not, sight- what one prefers in terms of color, designs, structures, shapes and sizes in regards to watching movies, wearing cloths, sightseeing, etc and listening- what one likes to listen to in regards to music, subjects of interest etc. Therefore, identity is a complex phenomenon that requires a thorough consideration and deeper analysis before one can actually arrive to a definite conclusion on the subject. 

Transformation of identity

Our identities are influences by the society we live in and are significantly altered by external influences on a constant basis. An example of this would be an extrovert individual who is given opportunity and scope in the society tends to behave more confidently and in an authoritative way as compared to an introvert individual may be successful in his domain yet has craving for social appreciation. This simply demonstrates how external factors influence our behavior, attitude and identity. Another good example of this fact would be a native of Africa migrating to Russia. In the initial period of time, he is bound to face several challenges in order to be accepted in Russian society. In real sense, his identity is being transformed from an African to a Russian. This transformation would demand him to adopt Russian way of living, speaking, diet, rules and regulation, behavior and following etiquettes the Russian way. He will have to transform his identity into a new identity in order to be accepted by the Russian society. This change in identity is a constant process as new things are learnt every passing day through experiences and regular exposure to the external environment. However, this individual will still retain his true identity with his family members, friends and people back home. This is a good illustration of how new places, people and environment demand new identities in order to be accepted.

According to the researchers one should always be aware about one’s identity, be self conscious and make attempts to build one’s self confidence and self esteem. This is particularly true when there is situations when/where your identity is at stake. The author strongly believes that identity is something that can be shaped, built and maintained through personal choices, likes and dislikes.

Aspects of Identity 3

 

Awareness about Identity

The fine balance of external and internal identities makes you a whole being. Our identities are formed during the course of our lives and therefore it can be called as an evolutionary phenomenon that develops over a prolonged period of time. Combination of one’s intellectual abilities, emotional and spiritual being with the social and cultural forces results in complete identity of an individual. As discussed earlier, both environmental influences and inner characteristics contribute in making an identity. On the basis identity, you discover who you actually are and not on the basis of what you possess or do. The inherent characteristics that constantly motivate you and create zeal within, urge about things and phenomenon, and frames your psychology makes you well aware about your being and provides that inner motivation to strive and accomplish things and goals that you want to attain in life. Once you are fully aware about your inner identity, you tend to show less interest in relationships, companions, connections, friendships etc because you know you are completely aware about yourself and without the outer influences, you are a complete identity. This process is a prolonged phenomenon that requires a lengthy span of time for one to realize that external influences cannot alter one’s core instincts and attributes of life to the extent that one changes completely. Your true identity awareness about yourself helps in letting you know what you are at the deepest core of your existence. This stage of life can be called as the first phase of knowing oneself and living a sentient life.

Without being aware about our core identity, it is not possible to be authentic or original. One cannot be original without even knowing the meaning of originality. One cannot be real without even knowing what real means. Our identity has a strong impact on our profession or business, relationships, lifestyles, preferences, etc and therefore it becomes utmost important to know and understand who we really are. Being aware about our inner self helps us in being authentic and making wise decisions in life. For example, when we fail to realize our inner strengths, skills and capabilities how can be determine our goals in life. One need to know what one likes before one knows what one wants. When you know purple is your favorite color, you would like to buy cloths in purple color because you know what you like. When you know you have the capability of singing or acting, you will obviously want to be an actor or a singer. Therefore, complete knowledge about you is an important step towards forming a definite identity and attaining things in life. These small yet important attributes of life build an identity that lasts for a life time. Once your inherent preferences, likes and dislikes are known, you are recognized on the basis of your identity attributes by your circles such as friends, relatives, family members, subordinates etc because they know the characteristics features of your identity.

Recognition through Identity

The aspects of identity are so important that a class teacher can name a student merely on the basis of the characteristics exhibited by the student. For example, if a teacher is asked to name the student who is dominating in the class, she can immediately name the students who always exhibit authoritative behavior in the class. She can immediately recognize the students on the basis of aspects of identity shown by each student in the class. If she is asked to name the most popular guy or one who has many friends in the class or the one who is too mischievous in the class, she can give out the names of each student merely on the basis of these finer attributes of their personalities being a constant observer of their identities. This simply demonstrates how our behavior, attributes and preferences can shape our identity and leave a lasting impression on people’s minds.