What Is a Second Language (L2)

Any language that a person uses other than a first or native language (L1). Contemporary linguists and educators commonly use the term L1 to refer to a first or native language, and the term L2 to refer to a second language or a foreign language thats being studied. Vivian Cook notes that L2 users are not necessarily the same as L2 learners. Language users are exploiting whatever linguistic resources they have for real-life purposes . . . . Language learners are acquiring a system for later use (Portraits of the L2 User, 2002). Examples and Observations: Some terms fall into more than one category. For example, foreign language can be subjectively a language which is not my L1, or objectively a language which has no legal status within the national boundaries. There is simply a semantic confusion between the first two sets of terms and the third in the following instance in which a certain French Canadian said I object to you speaking of learning French as a second language in Canada: French is as much a first language as English. It is indeed perfectly true to say that for most French Canadians French is the first language, L1, or mother tongue. For them, English is a second language or L2. But for English native speakers in Canada French is a second language or L2. In this example, the confusion has been created by equating first with national, historically first or important, and second with less important or inferior, and thus mixing up the third set of objective terms which attributes a position, value or status to a language with the first two sets of subjective terms which relate individuals and their use of languages. . . .The concept of L2 (non-native language, second language, foreign language) implies the prior availability to the individual of an L1, in other words some form of bilingualism. Again, the use of the L2 set of terms has a dual function: it indicates something about the acquisition of the language and something about the nature of the command. . . .To sum up, the term second language ha s two meanings. First, it refers to the chronology of language learning. A second langauge is any language acquired (or to be acquired) later than the native language. . . .Second, the term second language is used to refer to the level of language command in comparison with a primary or dominant language. In this second sense, second language indicates a lower level of actual or believed proficiency. Hence second means also weaker or secondary. (H. H. Stern, Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching. Oxford University Press, 1983) The Number and Variety of L2 Users Using a second language is a commonplace activity. There are few places in the world where only one language is used. In London people speak over 300 languages and 32% of the children live in homes where English is not the main language (Baker Eversley, 2000). In Australia 15.5% of the population speak a language other than English at home, amounting to 200 languages (Australian Government Census, 1996). In the Congo people speak 212 African languages, with French as the official language. In Pakistan they speak 66 languages, chiefly Punjabi, Sindhi, Siraiki, Pashtu and Urdu. . . .In a sense L2 users have no more in common than L1 users; the whole diversity of mankind is there. Some of them use the second language as skillfully as a monolingual native speaker, like [Vladimir] Nabokov writing whole novels in a second language; some of them can barely ask for a coffee in a restaurant. The concept of the L2 user is similar to Haugens minimal definition of bilingualism as the point wher e a speaker can first produce meaningful utterances in the other language (Haugen, 1953: 7) and to Bloomfields comment To the extent that the learner can communicate, he may be ranked as a foreign speaker of a language (Bloomfield, 1933: 54). Any use counts, however small or ineffective. (Vivian Cook, Portraits of the L2 User. Multilingual Matters, 2002) Second Language Acquisition Whereas L1 development happens relatively fast, the rate of L2 acquisition is typically protracted, and contrary to the uniformity of L1 across children, one finds a broad range of variation in L2, across individuals and within learners over time. Invariant developmental sequences, on the other hand, have been discovered for L2 as well, but they are not the same as in L1. Most importantly, perhaps, it is obviously not the case that all L2 learners are successful--on the contrary, L2 acquisition typically leads to incomplete grammatical knowledge, even after many years of exposure to the target language. Whether it is in principle possible to acquire native competence in the L2 is a matter of much controversy, but if it should be possible, the perfect learners undoubtedly represent an extremely small fraction of those who begin L2 acquisition . . .. (Jà ¼rgen M. Meisel, Age of Onset in Successive Acquisition of Bilingualism: Effects on Grammatical Development. Language Acquisition Ac ross Linguistic and Cognitive Systems, ed. by Michà ¨le Kail and Maya Hickmann. John Benjamins, 2010) Second Language Writing    [In the 1990s] second language writing evolved into an interdisciplinary field of inquiry situated in both composition studies and second language studies simultaneously. . . .[J]ust as theories of writing derived only from first language writers can at best be extremely tentative and at worst invalid (Silva, Leki, Carson, 1997, p. 402), theories of second language writing derived only from one language or one context are also limited. For second language writing instruction to be most effective in various disciplinary and institutional contexts, it needs to reflect the findings of studies conducted in a wide variety of instructional contexts as well as disciplinary perspectives. (Paul Kei Matsuda, Second Language Writing in the Twentieth Century: A Situated Historical Perspective. Exploring the Dynamics of Second Language Writing, ed. by Barbara Kroll. Cambridge University Press, 2003) Second Language Reading One general implication, in considering the wide range of contexts for L2 reading, is that there is no single one size fits all set of recommendations for reading instruction or curriculum development. L2 reading instruction should be sensitive to the students needs and goals and to the larger institutional context.When L2 students read specific texts in classroom contexts, particularly in academically oriented settings, they will engage in varying types of reading that reflect differing tasks, texts, and instructional objectives. Sometimes students do not fully understand the goals for a given reading text or reading task, and perform poorly. The problem may not be an inability to comprehend but a lack of awareness of the real goal for that reading task (Newman, Griffin, Cole, 1989; Perfetti, Marron, Foltz, 1996). Students need to become aware of the goals that they might adopt while reading. (William Grabe, Reading in a Second Language: Moving from Theory to Practice. Cambridge U niversity Press, 2009)

Rhetorical Analysis OfHold On, Pain Ends - 812 Words

first-born son. However, as Du Bois recalls, every time when he glances at his son’s gold hair and blue eyes, he would think about the Veil that prevents him and perhaps other Negroes from acknowledging who they are and how their souls are as precious as those of the white’s are. Du Bois’s manipulative sentence composition engages the readers to fully understand his position: hope does exist because the birth of new lives will inherit the black soul, but hope is unhopeful because what they are going to face is the endless and hopeless striving with the destiny that has trammeled them in the darkest corner in the world for years. So unpredictable is destiny that no one is convinced of the truth of â€Å"Hold On, Pain Ends.† Rhetorical Devices†¦show more content†¦Du Bois gives an instruction that the black race should struggle to free themselves from the haze of the past and the present, and seek a brighter prospect by cooperating with white neighbors, which also reinforces the fact that unity is crucial to eliminate the color line. The apophasis he adds here has a thematic effect, calling attention to the importance of, not only education as he discusses in this whole chapter, but also the will to tear asunder the Veil that binds the striving spirit of black folk. Metonymy At the end of Chapter 12, Du Bois writes, â€Å"I wonder if in that dim world beyond, as he came gliding in, there rose on some wan throne a King, — a dark and pierced Jew, who knows the writhings of the earthly damned, saying, as he laid those heart-wrung talents down, ‘Well done!’ while round about the morning stars sat singing†(385). Du Bois predicts Alexander Crummell’s death in a style that expresses his unique, desolate romanticism. He portrays an image of a King, a leader of the black folk, who slowly slides in â€Å"that dim world beyond† the humiliation where he bears his stigma, and discusses the pride he has accomplished and reclaimed for himself and his fellow folks by resisting his wrongly defined destiny. â€Å"Rose on some wan† indicates that Crummell’s striving is only recognized by negligible men or by someone who is the only one being able to

Effects of substance abuse on adolescent Essay Example For Students

Effects of substance abuse on adolescent Essay Mikayla ClementsLaurie dahleyHuman behaivor and the social environment Concordia college Abstract A teenager is likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol, especially during high school. Some teenagers try it and do not like it, others love it. This love for drugs and alcohol becomes a regular activity, and then a teen may become dependent on the drug or drink, and can progress to addiction. These stages of substance abuse affect ones relationships, health and ambitions.Families and friends are devastated when their loved ones resort to drugs and alcohol. Relationships are ruined when someone is addicted to escaping reality by distorting their mind because an addict will steal and lie to get their next high. It has been found by many researchers that relationships and drug use are related. According to Andreas Schindler, and other researchers, mothers and fathers have asignificant impacton their childs behavior. There is an excess of parents who are preoccupied and do not hav e time for their children, and there are others who cannot support them. This leaves the children to have less discipline in their life, making it more likely for them to use substances. There are also parents who are fully supportive and their children still use drugs, but it is less likely. (Schindler, A. 2007: Family) The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that teens with stronger family ties are at a lower risk to use substances, and have substance-abusing friends. While an adolescent with weak family ties is 20% likely to use marijuana, a teen with strong family ties is only at a 5% risk to try weed. Teens with strong family ties have a very high percentage of excellent relationships with their parents, and spend time with them. Weak family ties show bad relationships with parents, terrible communication, and very little time spent together. (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia, U. 2010). We will write a custom essay on Effects of substance abuse on adolescent specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Alia Butleras findings are in consonance with the previous sources. Teenagers who misuse substances set adverse patterns for younger relatives. When one sibling uses substances, and another does not, they begin to grow apart. A drug abusing teen becomes very stressful for the parent. Parents often blame themselves for their childs mistakes, creating a whole new problem. (Butler: Parents) According to the SAMA Foundation (ScienceandManagement of Addictions,) there are copious amounts of negative effects that drugs can have on a developing adolescent brain. There are short and long-term effects of substance abuse. An example of a short-term effect would be impaired judgement (drunk driving,) and can lead to horrific accidents leaving the teen in verypoor health. An example of a long-term effect is that when a still developing teen uses drugs, their progress in maturity slows, and although they get physically older, their brain does not mature at an appropriate ratio. (Weinberger, Elve vag ; Giedd, The Adolescent Brain) The U.S. Department of Justice, The Nemours Foundation, and The National Institute on Drug Abuse agree that using drugs can have negative effects on ones relationships. There can be physical violence, which can ruin a relationship in an instant. Also, when a teen becomes dependent on drugs, that teen begins to lie and steal to support his or her habit. Trust is lost, and relationships fade away. (U.S Dept of Justice. Drug abuse impact.) Looking at this topic from a different perspective, Sandra A. Brown, and others, found that there is a link between parents using alcohol and/or drugs, and their children following in their footsteps. They believe that when seeing their parents use substances, a teen is tremendously more likely to use. Conducting a study on 147 teens along with their families, the results show that when a parent is an abuser of alcohol or drugs, the child is likely to become an abuser as well. Although there are outliers, theconsens uson this matter is that parents have an enormous role in their childrens lives, and their mistakes or successes can be that of their children. (Sandra A Brown, et al, Paternal Psychology.) Dooley Worth found that people who use drugs, tend to make bad decisions. Worth finds that when a woman is on drugs, she is more vulnerable to participate in sex without a condom. This decision can alter ones life forever. The woman can become pregnant, or contract sexually transmitted diseases. A decision that is made while high is tremendously more likely to change your goals andambitions. (Dooley Worth, Studies in Family Planning) Steve Sussman and many of his colleagues researched this topic, and conclude that drugs affect decision making, motivation and skills. Their goal is to prevent the use of drugs in the first place. It is known that once drugs are ingested, inhibitions are lowered, and goals start to fade away. Someone with a very bright future ahead of them, can end up homeless and be gging for food, because of one decision they made because of drugs, that led to many other irresponsible decisions. (Steve Sussman, et al, Substance abuse) According toMedhaTalpade, Diane Lynch, Barbara Lattimore, and Ashlee Graham, drugs affect ones decision making, especially in teenagers. Teens brains are not fully developed, so they tend to rely on their emotions to decide whether something is right or wrong. A teen will do something if they feel it is exciting enough, or pleasurable enough, if they do not have the proper mindset for this situation. Once a teen does a drug or drink, they then decide whether they want to continue this use, and this is where drugs can make or break someone for the rest of their life. (Talpade, M., Lynch, D., Lattimore, B., Graham, A. 2008: Juvenile Abuse Prevention) Case Study In a study by Andreas Schindler and colleagues, it was found that parents have a remarkable impact on the behavior of their children. When parents are very supportive, the child is less likely to use drugs or act mischievous. However, there are cases where a child who has supportive parents still use drugs. One case would be the life of James McCarrier. His father died when he was two years old, but his mother raised him with a foundation to strive to succeed in everything he attempted. Despite this foundation, James strayed off this path, used drugs, and was arrested on multiple occasions. .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 , .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 .postImageUrl , .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 , .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614:hover , .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614:visited , .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614:active { border:0!important; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614:active , .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614 .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5917598cff910996e572940d86483614:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Marvell vs Herrick Essay At the age of twelve, James started experimenting with marijuana. By the age of fourteen, he was using it multiple times a day. He was involved with the Department of Juvenile Justice for a year and a half, participating in a probation program. While on probation, James began to use synthetic marijuana on a daily basis. This was an alternative to using marijuana and alcohol, and would not appear on drug screens. James became very addicted to spice or synthetic marijuana, and eventually was forced to quit using it. Once James graduated probation, he began using marijuana again. Marijuana use became James life. Every dollar earned went to supporting his habit. He sold all his electronics, quit going to school, and began mowing lawns every day to get high. On August 26th, 2012, James was at a house party in Fort Myers, Florida, and got behind the wheel of a car with another party-goer. They were involved in an accident at a speed of seventy miles per hour, and totaled the car into a telephone pole. James was arrested and his license was suspended for a year. James health was deteriorating rapidly from heavy usage of marijuana and alcohol, along with MDMA. His weight was way below average, and his stamina was incredibly low. He did not communicate with his mother or step-father at all, would come home just to sleep and bathe. There wasnotalking or spending time together, and James would steal from them to support his drug habit. James stopped hanging out with his childhood best friends, and began to only spend time with people who supported his drug habit. There are a few main theories that can be applied to this case study. One of the main theories that could be applied to teenagers with substance addiction is Systems theory.As a social worker looking at systems is critical, what makes up this persons life. For example, in the case studyJames father had passed away, he was surrounding himself by people that enabledhim.Looking at these systems that make up a person help determine what system of their life needs some improvement.When a t eenager experiments with drugs and alcohol, things may be fine for a while. Once experimentation turns into a habit, and it becomes abuse, problems develop. Relationships seem to be the first thing affected. Even with strong family ties, there is no guarantee that a teen will not abuse drugs. (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia, U. 2010).It is believed that people with addiction problems have a different brain chemistry than a non-addict/alcoholic. The problem with non-addicts and addicts having a relationship, is that someone who has not suffered from the disease, cannot fully understand the problem. This makes it especially difficult when an addict is still active in his or her addiction. Communication is almost impossible, and family ties, no matter how strong, can be destroyed. Trust will be obliterated, and it is very difficult to earn back. The Looking glass theory also plays a role when it comes tohow clients views themselves. People start to base their self-concepts on what others think of them. This can be problematic for someone such as James in the case study because others are starting to view him as a criminal and someone that abuses drugs only cause further damage.Substance abusers will normally surround themselveswith people who only see them as drug users or a criminal. This can give the person a self- concept that they are no more than a drug useror criminal. As a social worker, there needs to be an understanding of the clients self-concept and how that has been influence by others around them. A defense mechanism is an unconscious attempt to adjust to painful conditionssuch as anxiety, anger or guilt.Drugsand alcohol are often used as negativedefense mechanism. Forexample,in the case study James did lose his father and he maybe that is underlying reason that he abuses drugs.Ambitions are incredibly altered when using drugs and alcohol. No matter howbright your future may seem, if you ingest drugs or alcohol into your body, you begin a downward spiral that is very difficult to get out of (Sussman, S. Substance Abuse.) Especially for teenagers, drug use leads to negative decision making. This is because an adolescent brain is not fully developed in the frontal lobe, so a teenager will rely on how they feel about the situation to decide if it is a good idea or not (Talpade, A 2008.). .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 , .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 .postImageUrl , .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 , .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968:hover , .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968:visited , .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968:active { border:0!important; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968:active , .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968 .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc6b18150df5d74bf113a0eb1a18da968:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: David Copperfield’s Relationships with Heep Essay The social learning theory can be applied to teenagers and substance abuse because they learn how to use drugs and alcohol. Abuse of drugs is a learned a behavior, whether they learn from a parent or from other peers. When working with an adolescent who is struggling with substance abuse look for where they have learned this behavior. If they learn from a parent or someone close that means that there needs to be an intervention within the family in order to peruse the wellbeing of this teenager. The SAMA Foundation (Weinberger, Elvevag Giedd) found that drugs have ample amounts of unfavorable side effects on a deve loping brain. Along with those side effects drugs have on the brain, there are other adverse health effects, such as drinking and driving, intravenous drug use resulting in Hepatitis C, or other diseases. Other bad decisions tend to be made when under the influence of drugs or alcohol, such as sex without using a condom. Many teenagers have died because of drug overdoses and diseases contracted from sharing needles. Also, lots of teens have contracted sexually transmitted diseases because they participate in unsafe sex. Teenagers in the twenty-first century have a wide variety of drugs to try, including research chemicals such as 2CE and 2CI. These are synthetic psychedelics made in laboratories. Teens take pills and other forms of what they think are these drugs, and couldbetaking aspirin or methamphetamines, the possibilities are endless. Teens are clueless about what these pillscontainand take them. When looking at the case study of James McCarrier, you can safely assume that because he was seventeen years old, the frontal lobe of his brain was not fully developed. He did not have the proper knowledge to fully assess the situation. To add to that, he was incredibly intoxicated, making the decision-making skills he did have become even lower. He did not think about his goals of graduating high school, or going to college. Conclusion Teenagers are not stupid; drug abusers are not stupid. Being a teenager and being a drug abuser can be the hardest parts of someones life, and if one happens to become an abuser or addict while being a teenager, this is very likely to be incredibly difficult. Drug abuse alters relationships, whether with family, friends, or even acquaintances. There is also the aspect of health that drug abuse can destroy. Drugs lower your bodys ability to fight off infections and illnesses, and cause your brain to mature more slowly. With the brain maturing more slowly, a drug abuser tends to forget about their goals and ambitions. When caught up in the fast lifestyle of doing drugs, the future seems irrelevant and even unattainable. ReferencesSchindler, A. (2007). Insecure family bases and adolescent drug abuse: A new approach to family patterns of attachment. Attachment Human Development, 9(2), 111. doi:10.1080/14616730701349689Johnston, L. D., OMalley, P. M., Bachman, J. G.,Schulenberg, J. E., ; National Institute on Drug Abuse, (. (2009). Monitoring the Future: National Results on Adolescent Drug Use. Overview of Key Findings, 2008. National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA),National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia, U. (2010). National Survey ofAmerican Attitudes on Substance Abuse XV: Teens and Parents. National CenteronAddictionandSubstance Abuse At Columbia University,Researcher asserts drug abuse is a chronic disease primarycare role needed in treatment.(2005). DATA: The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory Application, 24(2), 3.Department of Education, W. C. (2007). The Challenge. Volume 14, Number 3. US Department of Education. Office of National Drug Control, P. (2010). Back to School: Keeping Our Children Safe,Healthy, and Drug-Free in the New School Season. Fact Sheet. Office of National Drug Control Policy. Talpade, M., Lynch, D., Lattimore, B., Graham, A. (2008). The Juvenile and AdolescentSubstance Abuse Prevention Program: An evaluation. International Journal of BehavioralConsultation and Therapy, 4(4), 304-310. Weinberger, D.,Elvevag, B., Giedd, J. (2005).The Adolescent Brain: A Work inProgress.Washington, DC: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and UnplannedPregnancy. Zastrow, C., Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the socialenvironment. Boston, MA, USA: Cengage Learning.

The Meaning of Life

The Meaning of Life -Opinion Essay My beliefs on the meaning of life in religion and interpretation of such things.In approaching the question of the meaning of life we have to examine the nature of meaning itself. Meaning, is by definition the point, or the intended goal. Consider the point of humans and the universe as seen from monotheistic religion. If life and the universe is some sort of toy or form of entertainment for some greater being, his point, his own entertainment, would then be the meaning of humans and the universe. Consider the goals of the deities of various cultures. Some strive for a balance between the forces of good and evil. This balance seems to simply be a choice of the deity, the way he thinks it ought to be. The concept of a greater being as a source of the meaning of life is flawed, because in talking about an actual point to absolutely everything, we are simply considering the goals of a being more powerful than ourselves who has chosen one of many possible goals that humans can conceive. This is to say that, if a god like this exists, his goal for life and the universe is not necessarily valid as a meaning of life, the universe, and himself.For instance, the Bible claims that the Christian deity created the universe and placed humans in it that they might be in awe of his power. We will write a custom essay on The Meaning of Life -Opinion specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now If this is so, why is worship the correct response? The meaning of the universe as created by God is the entertainment of God, but what is the meaning of the larger system containing God and his creations? We could conceive of an even greater being, but that simply takes us all the way back into the wall of infinite regression. When I first read the Bible, it struck me as neutral on the idea of worship. The Bible flat out tells you that God created humans so that they would be in awe of him, which amounts to saying God created us to inflate his ego. We are to God as our pets are to ourselves, sources of unconditional love. In the book of Job, God essentially makes a gentlemans bet with Satan that Jobs worship is genuine and not inspired by Gods kindness. In other words, you throw a rock at my dog and Ill swing my arm so it looks I threw it, and well see if he still comes when I call him. In the end, Job is not simply the dog, because he questions Gods throwing of the rock. Gods response is consistent with his goal of inspiring awe. Even though the idea of a bet with Satan is well within Jobs grasp, God claims that his purpose was inconceivable to Job. God is simply fortifying the concept that is critical to the continuance of human worship: that with inconceivable power comes incredible intelligence and unknowable purpose. The narrator of the Bible, which is supposedly God himself, speaking through humans, never directly says that he should be worshipped. This is merely the interpretation of humans, who may be created in Gods image with one crucial difference, the need to worship. Perhaps then, God is after the meaning of life. Imagine a being so powerful as to be able to create and mold the universe, who, like Roman and Greek gods, is only marginally more intelligent than his creations. Perhaps God, in all his ridiculous power, cannot change himself. In order to find the meaning of his own existence he creates the human race so that we might evolve to an intelligence greater than his own, in much the same way that a computer programmer wishes to create true AI, an intelligence greater than human, which might evolve within a computer. We are given the title of pet and the instinct of worship while the creator waits for a companion in the search for meaning. Of course this is wrong, or I would have been struck by a lightning bolt during that last sentence and brought to Gods side. .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf , .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf .postImageUrl , .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf , .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf:hover , .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf:visited , .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf:active { border:0!important; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf:active , .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue30868ad09bc32e38620ce90f4cd6daf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Olympic Debate Speech Essay Or perhaps God is not aware of his own success yet, or perhaps I am not the first to uncover Gods .