Question of the week 41: Contemplate

Hi there! This week I will be writing about the word contemplate whilst answering the following question:

When you contemplate about life, what do you contemplate about?

The term contemplate could stand for thoroughly thinking about something that you may want to achieve, purchase, obtain, acquire, etc., in the future. For instance, you could be contemplating on your career path, on buying a new TV, on selling your house, or on going to university. Contemplating occurs only when a person puts thought into an upcoming action. A person who acts based on instinct and without thought would therefore not have contemplated.

When a person contemplates, it usually happens when you are alone and have time to think. It could be whilst taking a shower, or just before sleeping where you lie down in bed thinking about the future, or on public transportation. This however does not mean that contemplating happens alone. You could also contemplate in a group, discussing and thinking of setting up a future business collectively.

There is no defined list of thoughts on contemplating about life since everybody perceives life differently and thinks of differing goals for differing reasons. Thus, whilst one person would think intensely about how life will be in 5 years time in terms of family and a steady career, another person may be contemplating on putting all the effort in making a job promotion. Here are a couple of things that you could be contemplating about:

Choosing your career path and thinking about the consequences for taking that specific direction. As is always the case, when you choose one route, you will always give up other routes.

Thinking about how you want to contribute to society, what your purpose is in improving not just your life, but life in general.

Contemplating on the best possible way to use the money you have earned. Money that is put in the bank earns interest, however investing it in a company or governments, or your own establishment, may create greater rewards. 

In short: The word contemplate stands for thinking thoroughly about what you want in the future. You can privately contemplate, contemplate with a friend, or contemplate within a group. Three areas where you may contemplate about life include choosing your career path, thinking about how your life contributes to society, and contemplating on how best to use the money you have earned.

If you have any questions, doubts, or would like to contribute, then please do not hesitate to leave a comment!

Question of the week 40: Sovereign

Welcome to the 40^th Question of the Week entry!  This week I will cover the word sovereign in the following question:

Does the impact of globalization have a positive effect on the sovereignty of a state?

The word sovereign stands for a state that has complete control over a specific territory and its inhabitants. Currently there are 195 sovereign states¹. For these states to be recognized, a number of criteria have to be met. These include: a defined territory, inhabitants within that territory, a government, and the ability to interact with other states. The last point is important because if no other country recognizes a self-proclaimed state, then it cannot be defined as a sovereign state.

When looking at the world today, virtually every country is connected to each other in some way. Computers for instance may be designed in the USA, after which suppliers from South Korea would send parts to China for assembly, which would then be transported via a Danish shipping firm to Doha, Qatar. The same can be said for local cultures, since in many big cities around the world there is a China town. These all play a role in governments since countries would have to trade with each other in order to import and export products.

State sovereignty looks at the rules in which a country governs its territory and people. For trade to occur, it would mean that the trading countries have to accept a set of rules in the likelihood that something goes wrong. For instance, if a criminal in country A steals property of a company from country B, then country B would ask country A to fulfill its obligations and catch the criminal. If not, then country B would threaten country A by place trade embargos, cut financial aid, or halt government investments, just to name a few. Thus due to the increase in trade, as an effect of globalization, it establishes a set of rules that facilitate the communication between two sovereign states.

Certain global initiatives may also affect state sovereignty by making governments change the way they let their inhabitants live. One example is the Kyoto protocol, which asks member nations to reduce their greenhouse emissions (CO₂) and other air pollutants. By sharing the common problem of pollution, which is a result of the ever increasing globalization and manufacture of products such as cars, fast-food, and electronics, governments would change their legislation to a worldwide standard that is beneficial to the environment and ultimately its inhabitants. Another example concerns the diminishing of trade barriers that has to be adopted by, for instance, members of the European Economic Area (EEA), the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the Association of South East Asian Nations free trade zone (ASEAN). This has the positive effect of exposing the local inhabitants to cheaper prices and to a greater variety of products. Thus, sovereign states now combine their knowledge to tackle the consequences of globalization collectively that positively affects the standard of living of its inhabitants.

In short: A sovereign state is a state that is independent of other states, defined by its territory and inhabitants. Globalization has a positive impact on the sovereignty of a state as changes in legislation have to be made in order to facilitate communication with a foreign state. It also allows countries to collectively work together in tackling the consequences of globalization, such as pollution and trade barriers.

If you have any doubts, questions, or would like to contribute, then please do not hesitate to leave a comment!

¹ http://www.state.gov/s/inr/rls/4250.htm

Question of the week 39: Simile

I hope that you had a nice Halloween and/or Guy Fawkes celebration! Now it’s time for another ‘Question of the Week’. This week, the word Simile is covered in the following question:

What is the purpose of similes?

The term simile is used when making a comparison. The words ‘like’ or ‘as’ need to be used in a sentence in order to create this simile. For instance, the sun is as big as 1,300,000 earths. Fireworks sound like cannon and gunfire. A number of expressions use similes, such as: ‘feels like heaven’, ‘flow like a butterfly; sting like a bee’, ‘as white as snow’.

Since similes are used for comparisons, they can be used in different contexts. One way is to establish a comparison so that it is easier to understand. This can be seen when comparing the imperial measurement system with the metric system. 1 inch is equivalent to, or is like, 2.54 centimeters.

Another One form of simile may involve the senses, such as herbal tea smelling like a flower garden. It would immediately remind you of something that you have smelled in the past. Something that is soft and spongy may have the simile of it feeling like gelatin.

Similes can also be used to express emotion. He was as angry as the Hulk. She was as happy as can be. This is especially used in storytelling where the listener did not see any of the emotions and interactions.

There are also other ways of using similes, such as to compliment a person, to crack a joke, to vent off anger or stress, to rate, etc. One thing that all these contexts have in common however is the fact that there is always a comparison to something that sparks a memory. Thus the purpose of a simile is to make you remember an event in order to make sense of what was being compared.

In short: A simile is a comparison, which utilizes the word ‘like’ or ‘as’ in a sentence. The purpose of a simile is to spark a memory in order to better understand what was being compared.

If you want to contribute to this post then please do not hesitate to leave a comment!