What Defines A Hero, Free Essay Sample

What Defines a Hero? According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, a hero is â€Å"a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability.† The Cambridge Dictionary defines a hero as â€Å"a person admired for bravery, great achievements, or good qualities.† Both definitions are correct but what about you, what comes to mind when you hear the word hero being mentioned? Do you think of Spiderman, Thor, and Captain America or does your mind think of mere mortals who are doing tremendous work in spite of their limited strength? When children are growing up, parents often read them stories which most of us take as the gospel truth. It is only after one starts going to school and it becomes clear that what you heard while you were young were made up stories. Children have their beliefs of who real heroes are and what they are made of. However, as one grows, the word hero starts to have different meanings and simple acts of kindness, love, sacrific e, and compassion start to seem heroic. Slowly, ones thinking changes and it becomes clear that a hero can be a mere mortal like yourself but whose self-service is beyond expectation and reproach. Heroes are not in the movies or the many comic books, and this article will seek to reinforce the idea that heroes are simply human beings whose sacrifice, kindness, love for others, and compassion is admirable. Attributes of a True Hero Selflessness A real or true hero/heroine always finds a way to put others before themselves. Whenever people are faced with certain problems, they tend to think of themselves first and how best they can secure themselves. This kind of thinking is always expected, and people often talk about how they were able to overcome a challenge. However, being selfless means putting the needs and interests of others before yours. Putting the needs and interests of others above your own is not as simple as many would think. It calls for great sacrifice, and at times it can require you to offer your life for the sake of a course. Selfless people do not expect payback and always seem to think of themselves last. Being selfless would also mean accepting a lesser role for the greater good. People always want to be in the limelight and to experience life differently. However, a selfless person will accept the limited publicity if it is for the good of the people. Courageous How many people would quit or give up in life when the odds seem to be slightly against them or when life presents them with challenges? The answer is millions of people would. Courage is an important attribute, and it is quite common in heroes and heroines. Nelson Mandela once said that â€Å"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.† The truth is everyone is afraid of something in life, and a majority of us are slaves to our fears. People fear different things, for example, some fear loneliness, confrontations, death, war, etc. Furthermore, if you conduct a simple research, you will realize that fear controls many people. However, true heroes understand themselves and their weaknesses. If they are in positions of leadership, they understand the people’s fears and therefore, choose to be the brave face among the crowd. A hero understands that they have to embrace their fears and always put on a brave face whenever the odds are wildly against them. Humble True heroes and heroines are humble and always seem to do things out of the goodness of their hearts. Humble people often take the back seat and never want to be in the limelight. It is often said that pride comes before a fall and this adage seems always to be in the minds of heroes. Every time a person does something big, everyone often wants to talk about it, and some even get featured on our news channels. However, if you look around the society, you will notice that the people who have made the greatest contribution to our communities seem always to want to take a back seat. These people never want to be featured in any news stories. Modesty seems to be their mantra with acts of kindness, love, and compassion seemingly in an endless flow. Patient and Caring Patience is not a common virtue. Dealing with people can be difficult especially if you are a leader. Heroes never seem to be in a hurry and always seem to be patient with people. Displaying patience is not an easy feat, and it goes hand in hand with caring. If you do not care about a person or a course, it will be difficult to remain patient or to gift them a chance. Patience is not something you can learn from a book or read and understand what it entails. It goes deeper than what many people think and is in direct proportion with caring. When you care about something, you will sacrifice your time, money, and sweat to see it succeed. The truth is, you will also exercise some patience and show concern even when it is not expected or warranted. A true hero understands the importance of commitment as well as the fact that everything takes time. Compassion for others is also something a true hero will have in abundance because they tend to believe in the goodness of people. In conclusion, being a hero does not entail doing something big or showing a great amount of strength. It simply means showing love, belief, care, patience, sacrificing, and also showing a brave face in the midst of trouble. As a hero, you must be willing to have other people go ahead of you and act selflessly for the common or public good. Heroes also do not expect payback but offer their time, money, and skills for the course. What defines a hero is therefore beyond one’s physical attributes or might. It is about the simple acts of valor that parents do for their children, friends do for their loved ones, soldiers do for their brothers, and what the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela did for the interest of the masses. Heroes and heroines are, therefore, real but not in the upcoming Thor or Avengers movies.

The Basic Architecture Of The Brain - 1025 Words

You live and you learn, from the moment that we breathe our first breath, we are assimilating and are acquiring information. Life changing and profound learning experiences happen before we can even speak, as children our learning process is grandiose. Harvard University published a series of summaries on Child development. One of these articles mentions that â€Å"The basic architecture of the brain is constructed through an ongoing process that begins before birth and continues into adulthood.† (InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development, n.d.). Constantly learning and growing in our lifetime, allows us to gain an understanding of the world around us. Analyzing, admiring and reaching for what the world has to offer, we are able to†¦show more content†¦HBO was a professional stepping stone for me, and I was fortunate enough to work alongside some of the best and brightest individuals I had ever met. The Controller was my manager, subsequently becoming my mentor, guiding me and teaching, allowing me to truly acquire a full in depth understanding of accounting principles and practices. In reviewing not just my own work, but the work submitted by multiple other departments, allowed me to analyze and determine what I wanted my career path’s natural progression to be. The fact that I was working along various C-level executives, granted me the possibility to move from jr. accountant to executive assistant, a position that required the detail oriented skills of accounting, along with the high regard for confidential ity, organization, and soft skills that came easy to me. Time progressed and in the winter of 2002, my husband and I moved to Texas. This was a difficult transition that we made, furthermore changing our lives forever. I was beginning to reflect on what my life was going to be, analyzing and looking towards the future. My husband and I began talking about forming a family. Throughout this time, I would reminisce about my mother being my primary care giver, I recalled the fact that she graduated college, yet decided to stay home with us. This placed me in the path of transformative learning. In transformative learning Mezirow (1991) mention’s that we have â€Å"broad sets of predispositions resulting fromShow MoreRelatedThe Metaphor Of Architecture In Ayn Rands Fountainhead1547 Words   |  7 PagesThe Metaphor of Architecture in The Fountainhead At the outset of her novel The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand delivers an unorthodox artistic theme. Unlike other conventional art forms like poetry, painting, or music that dwell upon human emotion, the unique theme bears its roots within the realm of reason and rational thought. The art of architecture is observed as the medium for which the implied values of selfishness, individuality, and independence are revealed. In formalizing the essentialRead MoreWaiting for Your Cat to Barls Summary1053 Words   |  5 Pagesand tell us why is the minds of customers changed as they respond to products and services. And on the later part of the book, the authors will mentions about persuasion architecture and how to use it to influence potentials customers. In the final chapter, it encourage readers to getting started with the persuasion architecture in contrast, will make the gap between customer and marketer become smaller. Early marketer, with the studies and research of Pavlov, attempted to prove that when businessesRead MoreOn Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins1675 Words   |  7 Pagesthan neuroscience, Hawkins has a unique perspective and writes in terms that are accessible to someone from a non-neurological background or standpoint and often analogous to computer architecture, making the subject matter relatable to the interested layman. However, though he offers a plausible structure of the brain that mostly aligns with current thinking, he does not take into account important recent research, omitting neurologically developments that have been accepted by the scientific communityRead More Brain Development in Children Essay547 Words   |  3 Pagesthe past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that und erstanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. During pregnancy, the basic architecture of the brain is formed. Although, certain experiences do influence the developing brain during pregnancy, such as maternal health and stressRead MoreIt332 Kaplan Unit 101506 Words   |  7 PagesSystems Architectures Computer Systems Architectures Kaplan University Abstract Computer architecture is a set of rules that say how software and hardware interact to create a network or platform. In other words computer architecture is the design of the network base on the needs of the user, the system if it is there or needs to be built, and the technology that needs to go into the project. System design is all how all the hardware is set up while the instruction set architecture is theRead MoreWireless Eog Based Interface For Controlling Application1282 Words   |  6 Pagesimportant features are mobility, portability, modularity which making it adaptable to the particular needs of each user according to the type of handicap involved. A human-machine interfaces (HMI) is a system that provides an output channel for the brain and does not depend on peripheral muscles and nerves. We are focusing the mainly on EOG signals for the human–machine interface for controlling a wheelchair , where the control is actually effected by eye movements . This device includes wirelessRead MoreInterview And Reflection Assignment On Innovation1177 Words   |  5 Pagesthoughts into reality and conveys unmistakable results. (Elliott, 2014) Organizations today confront a brutal final offer: Innovate or fade away. Senior administrators over and again advise to their workers that neglecting to enhance would make a basic danger to their developmental scheme, even its existence. Associations rate themselves lower on one part of development i.e. the capacity to execute an arrangement of innovation – a characterized, reliable and successful innovation process. (FranceRead MoreArchitecture s Importance As A Public Art Essay1161 Words   |  5 Pages When people hear the word â€Å"architecture† people think of enormous structures in cities that are hundreds, and sometimes thousands of feet tall. Others may think of quaint buildings that are in rural England. In this paper I will mainly be referring to commercial building inside of major cities. However, this does not mean that all ideas that I present are limited to those buildings. All buildings serve as public art in their own way, and I believe that architecture is the most important form. Read MoreDifferences when working with children Adults In this assignment I will demonstrate my1600 Words   |  7 Pagescould also lead to future cyclic behaviours and events, similar to Maslows ‘Hierarchy’ and Eriksons ‘Stages’. For this reason I always take note of important events/influences at our assessment session, regardless of the client’s age. I have found my basic knowledge of the brain’s development extremely helpful, especially when working with teenage clients. It has assisted me in identifying the most suitable way of working with them. HC7: 17 year old male client who was referred into the service by FamilyRead MoreAn Eye Movement Tracking System1488 Words   |  6 Pagesinterface based on biopentials can help people, especially the disabilities, interact with the surroundings, and has wonderful application prospects. This technology has the potential to enable severely disabled people to drive wheelchair directly by brain activity rather than by physical means. The ultimate importance of BCI technology hinges on its clinical applications, that is, to what degree it can provide to people with motor disabilities useful communication and control capacities. One of its

Final Paper Juvenile Justice - 956 Words

Stephen Greene 12/03/2013 CJC-113-001 Final Paper There are currently two programs specifically in Henderson County which I am writing this paper about. One of the programs is the local Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County and the D.A.R.E. Program of Henderson County. I decided to write about local programs because it would give me the opportunity to learn more about juvenile delinquency prevention programs within my own community. Both programs are a huge staple within Henderson County and are two of the most important juvenile delinquency prevention programs within Henderson County. First I will report about the local Boys and Girls Club within Henderson County. On November 1st 1993 The Boys Girls Club of Henderson Co.†¦show more content†¦The second program I am going to talk about is the Henderson County D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. The D.A.R.E. program started in 1983 in Los Angeles, California as a partnership between parents, schools and law enforcement to educate children on the consequences of drug abuse and teaching good decision making skills to enable them to live productive drug and violence-free lives (2). The Henderson County branch started in 1985 in several schools in Henderson County as a pilot program for North Carolina and was implemented in 1987 in all the elementary schools locally (2). DARE has continued in the classroom since that time with well-trained, dedicated officers making a difference in children’s lives. The DARE Curriculum is focused at the 5th grade level, but has lessons available for all grades. There is also a D.A.R.E. camp in Henderson County, which is a summer program that children can attend that goes into even more detail than just the course they are required to take in school. It is an amazing opportunity for the children as well as their mentors. DARE Camp has grown from a day camp with 35 campers to an overnight camp with approximately 220 campers each year (2). Activities include: archery, swimming, first aide, zip line, â€Å"the blob†, fishing, canoeing, crafts, team challenges, singing,Show MoreRelatedThe Cost of Culpability: The Significance of Numbers Inside the Criminal Justice System (Age and Economics)1244 Words   |  5 Pages Both juveniles and mentally ill adult offenders fell under the above category, it was possible that one could be found not liable due to their age and mental status’ and win a victory in court that could be categorized as legal injustice. Throughout this paper, inconclusive evidence was found that suggested legal definitions were basically written the same but were interpreted differently by various courts. The only noticeable shifts were found in the application of these terms inside the criminalRead MoreCrj/301full Course All Dqs and Assignments/ (Juvenile Justice)3191 Words   |  13 PagesCRJ/301Full Course All DQs and Assignments/ (Juvenile Justice) Click Link Below To Buy: http://hwcampus.com/shop/crj-301-ashford/crj301full-course-all-dqs-and-assignments-juvenile-justice/ Or Visit www.hwcampus.com CRJ 301 (Juvenile Justice) Complete Class All DQs and Assignments CRJ 301 Week 1 DQ1 Juvenile Justice – Putting it in Perspective. In Chapter 1 of the text, our author talks about â€Å"putting it all into perspective.† After reading chapters 1 and 2 and reviewing the videoRead MoreAmerican Courts And Substantive Law1343 Words   |  6 PagesWhat have we learned about American courts and substantive law? We have learned that there are many parts of the American courts. Each court has its own responsibility, in this paper I will specify all of the responsibilities and the courts, state and federal, I will also identify the difference between them for better understanding. Furthermore I will continue to go into detail and state what I have learned about American courts and substantive law. There are four main federal courts in America;Read MoreJuvenile Delinquency Prevention Act Of 19741576 Words   |  7 Pagesexploring the internet on juvenile delinquents. We as a class have had many good questions to answer about the different ways juveniles are treated, and what the correct or incorrect treatment is for juveniles. We have written many papers and had many discussion on historical milestones, landmark cases, adult courts, juvenile courts, probation and parole, detention centers and juvenile training programs. This semester has really changed the way that I look at juvenile delinquents. Three historicalRead MoreHow Effective Is The Youth Justice System Essay1709 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction How effective is the Youth Justice System in responding to youth crime? Since the arrival of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) came into effect, the crime rates have decreased. Previously Canada had one of the highest youth incarceration rates in the western world. However since the Youth Criminal Justice Act got put into place in 2003, the crime rates have declined significantly. The Youth Justice System does their best to better and rehabilitate the adolescents that get intoRead MoreChapter 7 : Youth Gangs991 Words   |  4 Pagesjust one type of gang. â€Å"Gangs can be large or small, long term or short term, more or less territorial, more or less criminally involved† (pg. 201) and can be made up of different races/ethnicities. In this paper I will be explaining the different types of gangs in Texas, characteristics of juveniles who may be involved in gangs or gang activity, the reason/factors for their involvement, consequences that they may face, and a conclusion o n how we as members of society can help deter today’s youth fromRead MoreThe Youth Through Prevention And Detection, Rehabilitation, And Establishing A Future For Juvenile Justice System Essay1428 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract Juveniles navigate through a corrections system that is constantly changing. This research paper is dedicated to those that work with the youth through prevention and detection, rehabilitation, and establishing a future for juvenile justice. I will be focusing on what causes youth to become involved in the juvenile justice system, how we can help them get back on track and how to keep them moving forward in the right direction. In addition, the rehabilitation of the juveniles is fundamentalRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is It Just Or Unjust?1387 Words   |  6 Pagesjust, however, I think there should be a better, more defined system for deciding who gets the death penalty, and a more humane way to give out the death penalty. To defend my thesis I will state facts from The Death Penalty Information Center. This paper will show how we as Americans and humans can apply these facts about the death penalty to our everyday lives. The death penalty started approximately in the eighteenth century B.C. This is when there the first established death penalty laws. In theRead MoreThe Impact Of England And Wales Deals With Young People1280 Words   |  6 Pagesdebatable. On this paper we will be critically assessing the way in which England and Wales deals with young people. The Children act 1989 and the Criminal Justice Act 1991 were the significant event occurred in the youth justice system in 1990s which had the combine effect that separates the system of dealing with children perceived to be in need of care and to be dealt in a separate court namely Youth court. This was aimed to be a welfare based system. But the increases in the juvenile crime in theRead MoreCriminal Justice System Paper803 Words   |  4 PagesCriminal Justice System Paper CJA/204 Vonnie Cooper March 28, 2011 Ken Salmon The word â€Å"crime† means an illegal action that is prohibited by law or a breakage of certain laws set forth by the criminal justice system. When someone

British in Colonial India Photo Essay

Good and Evil in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel...

Good and Evil in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† there is a fight between good and evil with one main character being torn between the two sides and every other character seemingly on one side or the other through the reader’s view, although many characters do deceive Goodman Brown about whether they are good or evil. This fight between the two sides and the deception that causes confusion for Goodman Brown is the source of tension throughout the entire story. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† every character’s traits and dialogue, the setting, and even colors mentioned have double meanings and are symbolic to the main binary oppositions of either good or evil. In the beginning of the story,†¦show more content†¦This loneliness comes only after he is far away from his Faith and God and traveling deeper into the darkness of the forest, only â€Å"assisted by the [evil], uncertain [false] light† (2187). Young Goodman Brown overcomes his loneliness when he meets an older traveler who tells him that even Brown’s own family has come to the woods and shows him other supposed Christians who are in the woods on this night, too. Deception, something that evil uses to try to lure all people into its darkness, begins to slowly take hold of Goodman Brown when he sees other people he admires and looks up to in the woods, such as Goody Cloyse, towns-people (both good and evil), and even Deacon Gookin and the minister. Goodman Brown wants to fight against the evil images that he is enclosing him in the woods and he even calls out to his Faith, which represents not only his wife but his own faith in goodness and God, but his c ries are â€Å"drowned immediately in a louder murmur of voices, fading into far-off laughter, as the dark cloud swept away† (2191). Finally, evil wins over Goodman Brown when he cries that his â€Å"Faith is gone,† meaning his relationship with his pure, good wife and his relationship with his pure, good God, when he sees Faith’s pinkShow MoreRelatedThe Forest of Good and Evil in Young Goodman Brown†by Nathaniel Hawthorne938 Words   |  4 PagesThe Forest of Good and Evil In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author tells a story of a man named Goodman Brow. From the beginning to the end of the story, Hawthorne uses suspense, mystery, and conflict to create an interesting journey for his protagonist, who walks through the woods at night. However, there is more in it than just the story by itself; it is full of many forms of symbolism for the character names in every part of the story. Throughout the many symbols and elementsRead MoreEssay about Good and Evil in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne640 Words   |  3 PagesIn the short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Nathaniel Hawthorne sets the locale of the story during the Salem witch trials at his convenience to include the Calvinist theme of sin, that belief in which formed the early history of New England’s social and spiritual identity. As a dark romantic, Hawthorne includes the elements of human nature, mysticism, good and evil, and one’s own spirituality to convey his message to the reader. However, it is left to the reader’s own digression to interpret his ambiguousRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown1543 Words   |  7 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne s short story of Young Goodman Brown, the author uses symbolism and allegories in order to showcase the Puritan faith as well as man s conflict between good and evil. This analysis will break down the techniques that the author uses to critique the puritan society and to show the difference between how people appear to be in society and the true colors that they are hidden inside of them. There has been a lot of great authors in our time, but none more interesting thanRead MoreShort Story Analysis: Young Goodman Brown Essay1115 Words   |  5 Pagesa great author, but none more intriguing than Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne’s ability to weave stories through the use of complex language and early puritan society narratives has long been a topic of study amongst scholars and young adults, alike. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† explores the idea of good vs. evil and draws many parallels to the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is often debated whether man is born innately good or evil. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† it is possible to see Hawthorne’s stance on thisRead More Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Browns Apocalypse Essay1006 Words   |  5 PagesNathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Browns Apocalypse      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most criticism and reflection of Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown centers on a good versus evil theme. Critics also debate interpretations of the main characters consciousness; is Brown awake or dreaming.   What is certain is that he lives and dies in pain because his belief in his righteousness isolates him from his community.   It is also certain that Hawthornes interpretation of Browns mid-lifeRead More Ambiguity and Uncertainty in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown1512 Words   |  7 PagesAmbiguity and Uncertainty in Young Goodman Brown   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne, through the use of deceptive imagery, creates a sense of uncertainty that illuminates the theme of mans inability to operate within a framework of moral absolutism.   Within every man there is an innate difference between good and evil and Hawthornes deliberate use of ambiguity mirrors this complexity of human nature. Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown, is misled by believing in the perfectibilityRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown1492 Words   |  6 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story of Young Goodman Brown, the author uses symbolism and allegories in order to showcase the Puritan faith as well as man’s conflict between good and evil. This analysis will breakdown the techniques that the author uses to critique the puritan society, and to show the difference between how people appear to be in society and the true colors that they are hidden inside of them. There has been a lot of great authors in our time, but none more interesting than NathanielRead More Young Goodman Brown Essay1048 Words   |  5 Pages The main theme of the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, â€Å" Young Goodman Brown,† is the struggle between Goodman Brown’s faith, power to resist his own evil impulses and his own doubts within him. It is a story of Young Goodman Brown’s personal conflict over his inner desires and its greater meaning conflict between good and evil in the world. The characteristics of Young Goodman Brown are similar to the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne had his own doubts about his own Puritan life and beliefsRead MoreSymbols and Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown Essay1331 Words   |  6 Pagesthe evils of the world therefore sin can forever bind them in chains for eternity. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† by Nathaniel Hawthorne, reveals a similar resemblance of the Biblical inherent evil among man, through a disturbing dream of a young Puritan man who journeys into evil and is forced to examine the nature of evil among the human race. The Wife of Goodman Brown symbolizes the love that a wife has for her beloved husband but also the love, faith and devotion that her husband Goodman Brown hasRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 1175 Words   |  5 Pages1101 7 July 2017 Symbolism in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and was set during the 17th Century Puritan Era. The story was published in 1835 during the Romantic Era. Nathaniel Hawthorne was known for being the master of symbolism. His novels and short stories have been embedded with suggestion and imagination. The dense symbolism that Hawthorne writes could imply multiple interpretations. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† has quite a few themes and

The Importance of Drug Testing in Workplaces Free Essays

As widespread drug use is on the rise, many employers have begun to worry about the performance of their employees. Absenteeism, injuries, loss of productivity, employee morale, theft and fatalities are just some of the causes of drug use in the workplace. The idea of drug testing among workers has developed from society’s concern over a perceived increase in the use of drugs and the relation between drug use and impairment, with resultant risks to the worker, fellow workers and the public. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Drug Testing in Workplaces or any similar topic only for you Order Now As early as 1987, 21% of employers had instituted drug-testing programs. Employers have begun to think that mass drug tests are the answer to their problems. What many of these employers don’t know is that there are many problems that surround drug testing at work. One of the biggest of these problems is whether or not it is constitutional to conduct drug tests on the employees. Employers fail to educate themselves with established or recent laws about drug testing in the workplace and about human rights. Also, mass, low-cost screening tests may not be reliable or valid. Alcohol testing does not differentiate casual drinking from alcohol dependence or alcoholism. Drug tests can create an untrustworthy environment for the employees. There are better ways to address substance abuse. Drug testing in the workplace is an important issue for all of Canada’s labour force, regardless if it’s you’re first job or if you’ve had a steady job for 30 years. Many employees, who have had to subjugate themselves to degrading and demeaning drug tests, feel that these tests violate their constitutional rights. It is an infringement on their privacy. In order for the tests to make sure there is no specimen tampering there must be an administrator present to oversee every action the employee makes during their drug test. For tests such as hair and breath testing this does present a major problem, but for urine tests men and women alike are disturbed by the direct observation of their urine collection. Unfortunately, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies only to the laws and actions of the federal and provincial governments and their agencies. It does not apply to the policies and actions of private employers. The Charter therefore does not protect private sector employees from unreasonable drug testing. It is necessary to state that currently an employer can terminate an employee’s job if the employee has been using illegal drugs and alcohol, but only if such use is not considered a disability. Alcohol or drug addiction can be viewed as a physical and/or mental disability. In Ontario, the Ontario Human Rights, Citizenship, and Multiculturalism Act prohibit employment discrimination based on disability. Employers have a responsibility to accommodate employees who are disabled. Drug testing has not been proven to be against the Canadian Human Rights Commission. In order to institute a drug testing policy into a company which complies with human rights legislation, an employer must be able to demonstrate that the testing is related to job performance, and not just substance abuse. † Many employees feel that drug testing is a way of discriminating against people who might have a drug and/or alcohol disability. An example of such discrimination is found in Entrop v. Imperial Oil Ltd. The Ontario Board of Inquiry found that Imperial Oil Limited discriminated against Martin Entrop, a senior operator at the Sarnia Refinery, because of a disability. The Board of Inquiry found that â€Å"under a new Alcohol and Drug Policy introduce in 1992, Imperial Oil employees in â€Å"safety-sensitive† positions were required to notify management if they currently had or had previously had a substance abuse problem. † After Mr. Entrop heard that this policy was coming into effect he informed his employer that he had had an alcohol problem about ten years earlier, that he had attended Alcoholics Anonymous, and that he had abstained from using alcohol since 1984. Mr. Entrop had been an employee for seventeen years and he had had no problems at work that were related to substance abuse, but Imperial Oil’s policy required that Mr. Entrop be immediately removed form his current position. This example clearly shows that it is discriminatory to terminate a person’s job because of a past or present disability and that there are constitutional matters involved with drug testing in the workplace. The lab procedure is a second invasion of privacy. Urinalysis reveals not only the presence of illegal drugs, but also the existence of many other physical and medical conditions including pregnancy. Drug testing is an invasion of privacy that is to be abhorred and it is clearly against our constitutional rights. Drug testing is designed to detect and punish conduct that is usually engaged in off-duty and off employer’s premises, in other words, in private. There is much confusion about the accuracy of drug tests. In fact claims of billions of dollars lost in employee productivity are based on guesswork, not real evidence. Urine tests cannot test for drugs directly. They test for traces of substances taken before the test which are no longer active in your system but can still be detected. The most accurate methods of urine analysis are time-consuming and expensive, and even then can be wrong at least 10% of the time. Even though these drug tests are the most accurate, more often then not employers opt for a less accurate drug test because the more accurate ones are too much of an expense for the company. These cheaper drug tests often have an error rate of 30%, which means that 30% of all people that take these drugs tests are falsely accused and may be fired from their jobs. Also, traces of legal medicines, such as cough syrups, nasal sprays and eardrops can be confused with those of illegal drugs. Even the poppy seeds found in baked goods can produce a positive result for heroin. Furthermore, drug tests are not work-related because they do not measure impairment that occurs during work hours. A positive drug test only shows that a drug was taken at some time in the past. Also, the drug test does not distinguish between occasional and habitual use, the same is also true with alcohol testing. Another reason that drug testing isn’t very reliable is the fact that drug testing does not even detect all drug users. This is true because most stronger drugs such as cocaine do not last in the user’s blood stream as long as someone who has used marijuana for example. This means that the weekend user of cocaine is much more likely than the weekend user of marijuana to pass a weekday drug test. Also drug tests may not reveal very recent drug use. For example, a worker who does not smoke marijuana regularly decides to smoke marijuana in the middle of the work day, a drug test may come back negative because mot enough time has passed for drug metabolites to appear in the urine. With all these factors working against the accuracy of drug tests, not to mention the occasional error of the people who process the specimens at the lab and the false-negatives that occur when an employee deliberately decides to sabotage a drug test, it is hardly worth it for an employer to go through with the trouble of a drug tests when the true drug users, the ones that are harmful to the company, are not pointed out anyways. There are better ways to address substance abuse in the workplace then to rely on the very unreliable method of drug and alcohol testing. These ways are more cost-effective, time-effective and have a much better impact in the workplace; also they do not raise the same privacy issues that drug tests do. An effective alternative to drug testing is to train supervisors to confront, and refer impaired employees to Employee Assistance Programs or other intervention programs. This strategy leads to increased employee acceptance of treatment and a subsequent improvement in overall job performance. How to cite The Importance of Drug Testing in Workplaces, Essay examples

A Particular Life Experience That Will Bring Me to College free essay sample

The track has a fog rising over it due to the recent rain, and runners seem to appear out of nothing. It is May 29th, and today is also the Sectional track meet to qualify for state. I, along with three other guys am in a relay in which each of us runs two laps, the 3200 meter relay. Our personal best time this year was 8 minutes and 23 seconds, the estimated time to qualify for state was 8 minutes. Our chances were slim at best, but regardless we were ready to go. Coach huddles us together, â€Å"Boys, what can I say? Go out and run the best you can, we can only hope for a personal best.† His tone is solemn and timid. â€Å"We know the plan: VT gets us off to a good start, Sprung maintains as best he can, Joey does the same, and Z runs like hell for whatever place he can. We will write a custom essay sample on A Particular Life Experience That Will Bring Me to College or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † That was it; from then on it was us four, the track, and the other ten teams all fighting for the top three spots that make it to state. I have grown accustomed to having a lot of pressure being the anchor of this relay, no matter how well or poorly the first three guys run, the final result always comes down to my performance. We finish our final strides and head to the staging area, a race official slowly walks us from one end of the track to the starting line, all runners except the first are taken off to the side. VT starts us off well as usual; we sit comfortably in fourth place through one lap. Where he usually starts passing a few guys, VT is blown away by half the field and sits in sixth when he hands off to Sprung. Sprung does his job like always, only better, he phenomenally ends up handing off to Joey in second place. The crowd is starting to get restless for the anchor legs, and the noise is growing. I look around at my competition, most of these guys are two years older than me, but that’s never stopped me from beating them before. Joe has recently come off of mono, and is weak, but he maintains well for the first lap. From that point on, it seemed as if nothing could go right. Joey quickly fell to the back of the pack and it seemed he could only get slower. â€Å"JOEY! Pick your butt up, these guys are counting on you!† Coach’s voice pierces through the whole crowd. Joey came in as best he could, and almost killed himself in the process, but gave me the baton in sixth place. â€Å"I’m sorry.† He faintly mutters before walking off the track and collapsing. I dart into position not knowing what is going to happen. I have to determine the outcome, and regardless of what place I started in it was my job to get us to state. Coming through the first lap, I had not moved position wise, which was perfect. One lap left, 400 meters, and I could not have been more satisfied with my plan. With 300 left I swing all the way out to lane three, I see my coach jumping at the end of the track for me to move, I respond without any haste. I fly by guys as if they are standing still, and I soon find myself in third place. This is it, this is all I needed, but there are 200 meters left. First place is out of sight, but I’m swiftly coming up on second, and then swiftly go past. The last 100 meters of this race are a blur; I do not remember how I ran it. I do know, however, that I finished in second place and brought our team to state. From the moment I finished that race, I was on a cloud of joy and pleasure. My team was dancing around me; our coach es were befuddled, not understanding how a relay team that had run a pitiful 8:23 the week before could run an 8:02 today. Frequently I am put in this position where I must stand above the rest, it cannot always end up perfectly, but for today it did.