System Examples

In the news story of the Chinese man, whom has been diagnosed with parkinson, Countrywide abused of his knowledge of the language and played as if it was not their fault. By him not being capable of understanding the language, he was at a disadvantage and since the foreclosure company did not have the Countrywide logo on its envelop. Lin was a victim of Countrywide's system and how they mistreat their customers to their advantage to gain more money for the company, and get a bigger commission. I think that Countrywide was at fault, and should have done something for Lin to recuperate his home, because like Lin said he had not received a payment form the second loan for six months, therefore they would not know if he was able to pay the money or not. Lin was just another victim of an unfair system, due to cultural differences.
Systems are a structure humans get used to, we comfort ourselves with the labels we are given to by our systems. Power is what manipulates the comfort that we have with the labels given to us by the higher powers in our systems.
Rachel Barge from Cal started a Sustainability Team at Cal to raise funds, for projects that were not being funded at Cal, but needed to be done. With her leadership skills and determination she was able to surpass the stage of greed, and when creators wanted credit for what they did, and she kept her head centered on what her goal was to raise money for the programs needed at Cal and not for her own benefit.

Systems

Systems are created for many reasons; many systems are created with the purpose to be beneficial to the people, when in truth it is not like that. Systems are created with purposes, but those purposes just become the cover for the damages and effects the system does to a certain group of people. The definition of a system is: A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole. Systems that are meant to be beneficial for the people in the bottom of the pyramids are systems based on interdependent elements.
By creating systems that are interdependent it creates a system that it is going to create different levels of power, and it is going to become a self- concern and injustice system. The people on top with the most power are going to be looking for ways to only benefit themselves, and their people and not the system as a whole. By creating systems and making the distinctions between those with more and less a conflict has began. It then becomes an unethical system that does not follow their original missions, and lie to the people, whom it is supposed to be benefiting. Systems are created for a reason, once those reasons are not taken into consideration when the system is taking action for something, then that is when one knows that the system has failed its purpose, and then it starts to become self- concerning, unethical, and even conservative. Many systems, just care for its people, the people that have the power and authority just like them.

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Systems become cycles built on manipulation, self-interest, and ignorance. Most systems usually reflect the point of view of the creator, benefiting his own interest, without mutual benefit to others in the system. Systems are created to organize and cause the participants to assimilate and conform to it. These systems consequently give power to those who organize it, causing corruption. The people whom seem to be the organizers, are look as to be essential and the participants, those on the bottom, are often seen as unnecessary. However, in order for a system to work, they are often interdependent. The organizers are dependent on the participants to be compliant while the participants are dependent on the organizers in order to act accordingly for the system. Because participants are seem to be more dependent on the top, this causes the organizers to abuse and become unethical with the way they run the system.

The Unforgiving Tenant.

1. In the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, the high level servant is the main character, because his life as well as his family’s life was in danger and he asked for time, and the king doing an action of forgiveness, forgave the debt. But when the high level servant saw that another servant who owed him a relative small amount compared to his debt, the servant demanded for his money. His fellow servant asked him what he had asked the king, and he still did not forgive the debt. He did not learn about from the king, because he was still self-centered and selfish.
2. The king decides to forgive the debt, because he has enough to where he doesn't need to abuse others, unlike the servant who had nothing, and needed to harm others to get where he wanted to be. The king forgives him because he saw that the servant couldn't pay him back and forgave him, with the idea that he will learn from him.
3. The high level servant doesn't forgive the other servant, because he only cares about himself. He was only thinking about the consequences that would affect him, and not others, aside from his family because he did care about protecting them. Personally, I think that since he was excused from his debt, it was expected for him to learn from the experience, but since he was let off so easily, he didn't fully understand how the consequences affected someone.
4. The kingdom of God is like the king. In the beginning of the parable Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, which is the natural human response when someone sins against you, but it seems as he wasn’t asking the correct question, but it does help emphasize the point that forgiveness has no limit. Keeping track of how many times we forgive is not forgiving at all, it is not like God keeps track of how many times he forgives us for our sins. The kingdom of God is we all have a debt that is not payable, but God will still forgive us.

"U.S. Involvement;"

38.Why is the Israeli - Palestinian conflict so important on the global stage?
There are personal bonds, like religious, national and ethnic bonds. The strategy bonds such economical, military and other considerations. Palestine was a trading center for 3 continents. Palestine is in a central location for economical reasons and that is why other powerful nations cared about that small place. The Israelites are the 2nd or 3rd closets ally to the U.S., and in order for other nations to be close to the U.S. they needed a bond with Israel.

39.What is the international response to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict?
The Palestinian only were invited as observers to the U.N., they had no representation there, the international people were against agreement 242 and instead came up with the strategy that any land Israel conquered at war, shall be given back.

40.Why hasn't the U.S. been part of the consensus?
The U.S. thought that no other nations should not gain up on Israel and that only they had the power and authority to do so.

41.Why is the U.S. the central player in the Middle East?
The U.S. was the central player in the Middle East because they were the only ones that survived the war, and their economy and military were at a rise and hungry for oil. With all the events that had happened the U.S. now had power, to play a great role in the Middle East.The U.S. wanted to shape political map of the region.

42. What explains the U.S.- Israeli 'special relationship'?
The U.S. has had a special relationship with Israel due to the potential they saw in them when Israel defeated four Arab countries with their military during time of war. The U.S. saw they were worthwhile, and established a relationship with them.

43. Is the U.S. an "honest broker" on the conflict?
I did not get to read this part.

Summary of 3-7

3. The British withdrew from making a Jewish state in Palestine, handed the issue over to the U.N. to handle because they were Holocaust survivors and it got to the point when Jews had more Palestinian land than the Palestines.The Arabs left, because they felt as if they were forced to, as a result various wars broke during the time of Jews taking over Palestinian land.
4. The borders in the Middle East changed due to the Six Day war, it also created changeds in military and political perceptions,bringing in the United States into the conflict. Arabs surrounded Israelite land and threated to cut off Gulf for Israel access and that was Israel's number one source of oil.
5. Egypt and Syria attacked Israel in the Yom Kippur war, and the U.S thought it would be a good opportunity for them. Palestinians were trying to regain their land that was taken away. Israel was overconfident and caught by surprise by the war. Meanwhile, in the West Bank and Gaza war broke out because the Palestinians wanted the Israelites out. Sinai was given back to Egypt, but no final negotiation was done with Palestine.
6. Oslo agreement(self-government) was signed by Palestine and Israel meaning to bring peace, but it ended up starting a new intifada. It all started from a traffic accident when a Israel killed Palestinians. The intifada went on for years , Israelites thought they should end it because it was harming them morally and economically.
7. Erafatt's method and style of governing led for the process to fail and violated the terms in the Oslo agreement. He violated importing arms, having numerous amounts of forces more than allowed, and by not respecting human rights. At other agreement processes Erafatt should have stepped up and be courages and done what needed to be done, give everyone their piece of land they deserved. Neither group sucessed.

Parable of Tenants

The land of the parable of the Tenants is about an elite abusing of poor farmers by putting a vineyard knowing it would not produce for so long. The land represented something else, it was not just plain land, it simbolized the Holy land of Israel. The tennants are the religious leaders of Israel, the owner of the land is God and the beloved son is Jesus. The land symbolized Israel for what happens there that there are so many conflicts that arose from that land. The tennats are the farmers whom stride to become a self-sufficient community and the prophets tell them that God doesn't want them to be like that to help each other out, to share, and then he sends his son to preach as well, but they did not care Jesus was God's son and still killed him, without mercy, because the farmers, were tired of hearing the same message.

Letter to Senator

My name is Leslye Salinas and I am currently a junior at Saint Mary’s College High School, I’m currently taking a semester course Parables in Action, and we are focusing on helping others and we are trying to be able to do something about the poverty and problems in Africa.I am writing regarding the acts being discussed in congress right now to help improve world poverty. These bills: HR 2634, H.R. 2965, H.R. 2266, S. 1259 / H.R. 2092, seems to be a good group of legislation to help other countries, that do not have as much power as the United States does. The bills have good reasoning behind it; the facts stated as the background of the bills, people are dying for the things we see as little, people dying in Africa because they cannot to afford a seven dollar sleeping net to avoid the infection of malaria. What we see as simple little things, mean a lot more to them, we as a powerful nation should be able to help those countries that need it, instead of wasting unnecessary money on the War of Terror we are currently in. I think that the money we are spending on the War of Terror, it is inhumane that we are spending more money on violence than saving human lives. We are not asking for great heroic acts, but for some common sense towards where our money is going.Thank you Leslye

"The Mustard Weed."

The mustard seed is like the KoG because it expands and it takes over the place, just like the KoG can take over the life of someone. The KoG is like the spice that gives flavor and meaning to someone’s life. The mustard seed is the ingredient to help achieve abundant life. The KoG is what gives hope to the people in Africa going through poverty everyday and not knowing if they are going to be able to eat tomorrow or not. The KoG is the expansion of the abundant life the faith in God gives us.