Saladin The Divine Plan Of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Saladin The Divine Plan Of God - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that the two armies met face to face and realizing the weakness of the Franks, Muslims had a hand to hand fight with the Franks (Lane-Poole 193). The thirst, burning sun and the smoke of the bush that Muslims had fired, made the Franks lose their sanity (Lane-Poole 194). In desperation to reach the lake for water, Franks neglected the combination with their knights and by doing so, lost their only chance to victory (Lane-Poole 194). The Saracens eventually attacked all of them and killed them and captured the rest (Lane-Poole 194). Many of the soldiers surrendered and even the knights begged Saladin to kill them instead of leaving them to live a torturous life (Lane-Poole 195). Also, it is believed that 30,000 Christians lost their lives in the battle, which is famously known as the battle of Hattin (Lane-Poole 198). This paper makes a conclusion that Saladin was one of the greatest Muslim warriors who unified the Muslim countries for the first time and br ought together all the Muslim armies and transformed them into one army. Saladin was successful in winning the Holy war against the crusaders and restoring the Muslim rule on the Holy Land. Among all of his achievements, the victory of battle of Hattin was one of his greatest, and it made clear that Saladin’s rule in Egypt and his conquest of the Holy Land was nothing less than the plan of God. Hence, it won’t be wrong to say that Saladin was not only the king of Egypt, but was also a hand of God. ... Shirkuh continued his service under Nur al-Din, who took over Aleppo (Lyons and Jackson 3). On the other hand, the troops of Damascus attacked and besieged Saladin’s father in Baalbek (Lyons and Jackson 3). Ayyub had no choice but to surrender on favourable terms as no help from force came to his rescue (Lyons and Jackson 3). Ayyub moved to Damascus with his family and started living there (Lyons and Jackson 3). However, in the year 1154, when Nur al-Din attacked the city, Ayyub helped him to victory by making the surrender of Damascus easy (Lyons and Jackson 3). Later, he joined Nur al-Din (Lyons and Jackson 3). It has been noted by the historians that as Saladin’s childhood was spent in Damascus, he was particularly fond of that place (Lyons and Jackson 3). Saladin’s childhood and character Saladin was highly educated human being and was more inclined towards studies than towards military achievements (Lyons and Jackson 3). It was observed that Saladin was not only good at academic subjects like arithmetic and law, but was also knowledgeable of the Quran and the cultural heritage of Arab traditions (Lyons and Jackson 3). Saladin had learnt the values, attitudes, emotions and essence of Arab by learning by heart the anthology of Arab poets called as ‘Hamasa’ (Lyons and Jackson 3). Saladin’s ambitions were very moderate as he never aimed for power or command (Lyons and Jackson 3). However, destiny had something else in store for Saladin. He was destined to enter Egypt and become its king. First expedition to Egypt It can be said that God had destined Saladin to become a king. It was in the year 1163 that the events that led Saladin to Egypt took place. Shawar, the deposed vizier of Egypt, arrived in Cairo to ask

New tourist market in Slovenia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

New tourist market in Slovenia - Research Paper Example Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa that generates revenue reaching up to 1% to 3% of the gross domestic product. Directly and indirectly, it constitutes 7% to the employment (South Africa’s tourism industry, 2008). South Africa holds special attraction for the tourists interested in sports. South Africa has successfully hosted international events like; 2101 FIFA World Cup,The Rugby World Cup, Cricket World Cup, A1 Grand Prix, Indian Premier League, World Cups of Golf, Athletics, Swimming etc. (Morgan, n.d). The country also offers people from overseas, some fantastic events like bungee jumping, hiking, fishing, yacht racing, rock climbing, scuba diving, paragliding and horse riding. Target Market: The growth in the popularity of sport-oriented leisure travel can be viewed daily. The highways are, more often than not, seen busy with cars laden with bicycles, skis, and canoes. The number of vacation destinations offering sporting facilities is also growing tremendously (Gibson, 1998). Sports tourism involves either viewing, or participating in the sporting events. It is the fastest growing segment in the global travel agency. This tourism can be divided into three types; Sports Event Tourism, Celebrity and Nostalgia Sport Tourism  and  Active Sport Tourism. ... South Africa has a great potential for this sector of tourism industry, as it caters to both the spectators and the players. Vision: South Africa is a beautiful and prosperous country. The aim is to; Promote sports event tourism and active sport tourism Attract international organisers and tourists and make them fall in love with the country. Encourage international organisers to host their future events on South African soil. Increase the employment rate. Concept: South Africa has fantastic rivers, breath-taking surroundings, sublime coastal scenery and consistent high-quality surf, horse riding trails as diverse as the terrain, a huge variety of superb scenic hiking trails and a climate made for the outdoors enthusiast. So, if a person is interested in canoeing, rafting, kayaking, hiking, horse riding, surf skiing, sailing, he/she is in for a treat. There is no better place for a person looking for an adventurous and fun filled vacation. And what more could a person ask for when ev erything he wants is present in one place. Just one vacation and he gets a lifetime experience. While some sport lovers come to explore their own talents, there are some diehard fans that come to watch world cups and tournaments held there. With the success of 2010 World Cup, the tourism players are now aiming at promoting the country as an outstanding host for future large scale international events. The 2010 World Cup has left an everlasting mark on the South African landscape. Tourism industry is not all about attracting foreigners; it holds some incentives for the locals as well. All kinds of sport attract fervent support, both at the event and at home. There are both social and economical advantages, on a national and regional level, that come from hosting sports events,

Testing (HRM) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Testing (HRM) - Essay Example To be effective in meeting long term objectives of the organization, human resource system must fulfil at least two needs of organizational objectives: (1) accurate forecasting the human resource requirements and (2) providing management with the tools and knowledge for sound personnel decisions. These two decisions serve as the foundation of the selection process that defines and measures the potential of the job candidate. Appropriate selection process saves the organization from severe damage that can be done to the careers of individuals and to the organization's human resource by procedures if classified individuals inappropriately. The labels attached to employees as a result of such procedures often dog their footsteps throughout their work life with the organization. It is not uncommon for supposedly infallible 'high potentials' to find that they cannot perform effectively in a different functional department or in positions with increased responsibility. It is in such failure-prone situations that work 'burnout' begins to appear and, depending on the organization's human resource policy, the afflicted individual may either be given extended leave and advice to seek help, put out to pasture in some non-sensitive position, or ruthlessly severed from the payroll. Just as bad, and more difficult to document, is the number of 'low potentials' who are never given the opportunity to try out for other positions (Baehr, 1992, p. 7). The sad results of the procedures are the flawed careers of individuals and the irresponsible expenditure of the organization's human resource. The Testing Process The testing process allows the organization to measure the standards of the individual as an employee so that his personal organizational practices at time of recruiting and selection inform the organization about his professional and behavioural capabilities. These effects generalize from the specific practices to a wide range of perceptions and work-related attitudes. For example, applicants form impressions upon the organization of general personnel practices, anticipated treatment by the supervisor, expected interactions with peers and perceptions of the organization climate. The results show clear conflicts between the organization's interest in obtaining valid information and attracting the individual versus the individual's interest in gathering information for his or her own decision-making process. Nevo (1989) has analyzed three solid reasons for gathering information from examinees about their reactions to testing procedures. First, it is in the moral rights of the examinees to be given a chance to express their opinions, secondly it is practically in their interest to be useful to find out what they think and, theoretically, it is interesting to learn about examinee's reactions from psychological point of view (Schuler et al, 1993, p. 65). Physical Ability Tests Physical ability tests provide us the means and measures to evaluate the physical abilities of an individual in context with the physical ability required to perform a particular job. An example is that of an employer who want to evaluate

NMR Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

NMR - Lab Report Example Hydrogen bonding stabilizes the enol form in polar solvents contrary to the non-polar solvents that lack hydrogen bonding. Stabilization of the enol form is attained by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The HNMR spectrum for compound CH3OH display two peaks with a chemical shift of 4.9287 and 3.3721 and integration of 1 and 3 respectively. The computed equilibrium constant for acetylacetone in CCl4 is higher than the equilibrium constant for acetylacetone in CH3OH. The equilibrium constant for acetylacetone in CCl4 is higher than that in CH3OH because it is a non-polar solvent. The equilibrium constant is a ratio of the quantity of enol form to the quantity of keto form. Therefore, the quantity of keto form is inversely proportional to the equilibrium constant. The keto form increases with increase in solvent polarity because keto is favored by hydrogen-bonding solvents. The CH3OH compound used in this experiment display only two peaks in the NMR spectrum. The spectrum lacks the OH peak thus gives a slightly lower keto form than expected. The main factor in stabilizing any form is the intermolecular hydrogen bond. From research, the polar solvent has the capability of establishing two intermolecular bonds in one molecule and the non-polar solvent establishes only one intermolecular hydrogen bond. (Malcolm). However, in this case, the polar solvent only establishes one intermolecular hydrogen bond. The temperature affecting the equilibrium constant is related to the equilibrium change in enthalpy to that of

Single parents in the military Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Single parents in the military - Article Example The discussion in this paper is mainly about single parents, but not in the general population, the main focus would be the single parents in the military. The United States Army consists of combat, and aviation and water transport service forces (Lawrence, 2002). It is well-ordered, trained and well-equipped in order to be capable of combating on land. It has two major responsibilities and they are (1) to prepare the land forces for war, and (2) expand the peacetime components needed by the army to fulfill the war’s needs. In the early 1990s, the number or single parents in the military increased (Zellman, Johansen, Meredith, & Selvin, 1992). Civilian single parents already encounter huge problems with their children that leads to work disruptions, thus, these problems is also likely to occur to single parents in the military as they work with longer and unforeseen hours. In 1992, single custodial parents in the military reached a number or 66,000 and this caused a slight problem as not all of them were able to leave for the Persian Gulf War (Sagawa & Campbell, 1992). The Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces, then, asked the Pentagon to review their policies regarding deployment of military personnel. The single parents in the military are not only the ones having the said dilemmas; there were also the dual military families or those whose parents are both in the military. In the early 1990s, 2.9% of the active duty personnel are dual military families (Zellman et al. , 1992). Along with single parents, they composed 7% of the active duty armed forces and were also hindered to be deployed for the Persian Gulf War due to their incapability of leaving their family behind. The Commission proposed not to allow single parents and dual military families to be deployed for the sake of their children (Sagawa & Campbell, 1992). This paper would focus on answering the problem of how

Contain communism Essay Example for Free

Contain communism Essay Communism had always posed a threat to the interest of the U.S. and their attitudes towards the U.S.S.R. had proved they had not entertained the idea of communism much. But it was not until February 1946 did it all come out and the U.S.A began to act towards containing communism. The policy of containment meant the U.S. actively prevented the psreading of communism.There were several ways with which the U.S. tried to contain communism some of which were futile and others effective. However, for every move the U.S. made the U.S.S.R. had a retaliation. One way with which the U.S. tried to contain communism was with the use of the atomic bomb. The dropping of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima was a method that was used to bring the war between the Japanese to a quick end with few loss of American lives. Described by Truman as the greatest thing in history the bomb had a very devastating effect taking up to 70 000 lives. After that another bomb was dropped in Nagasaki, this was particularly to impress Stalin and scare him if possible. However this was to blow up in Trumans face. Stalin feeling that it was an insult that he was never informed of such a weapon by his allies was not impressed and also became more suspicious of the U.S. And the fact that he was also denied the islands in the far east since he had nothing to do with the defeating of Japan also irritated him more. Trumans attempts did not work instead Stalin sought a production of his very own atomic bomb, and alhough it was initially predicted the Soviet Union would get the bomb within 10 years, mysteriously the bomb was in the hands of the Soviets a lot sooner than that, they had it within 4 years. So Truman had nothing against Stalin now. This was one of the unsuccessful means of containing communism because it rather increased the already existing tensions between both countries during the cold war. And because it was a suspicious thing that the U.S.S.R. got the bomb so soon and the U.S. neglected to mention the weapon to the U.S.S.R. suspicion between both countries increased and the gulf between the countries expanded further. Another way in which the U.S. tried to contain communism was through propaganda. The methods through which communism was extending its influence throughout eastern Europe was blatantly unprofessional. The method was given  the name salami tactics where by countries in eastern Europe fell one by one into the influence of communism. For example, Czechoslovakia was the last democratic country in eastern Europe until 1948. The elections were coming up in May but because the communist were blamed for the country not receiving the Marshall aid the communist party was expected to do badly. However, before the election there was a coup detat where the police force took over and removed every non-communist personnel from office. In February, representatives of opposing parties were removed and Jan Masaryk the foreign minister who opposed communism personally mysteriously fell out of the window during the coup. The Czech communists took over with little blood shed and with no help from the Soviet Union. These was how the communist parties took over in other countries, by dissolving opposing parties and killing their leaders. This was the method that was used in east European countries such as Poland in 1947,Bulgaria also in 1947, in Romania and Albania, 8 countries in total were taken over using the salami tactics.and the only response the U.S. could give to this was verbal abuse. They simply, verbally condemned the acts which were committed and were hoping that the U.S.S.R would perhaps feel guilty and digress but unfortunately that did not work at all. This method of containment was perhaps the weakest of all mehods because the U.S.A. in no way showed any opposition to the methods used. This could be assumed as slacking in the part of the U.S. to containing communism. The most successful was the combination of policies, that is, Marshall plan and the iron fist policy. The iron fist was a result of the long telegram of February 1946 by George Kennan,deputy chief of mission in the U.S. embassy in Moscow. The telegram though it was lenghty simply said the Soviet Union was neurotic. He saw them as aggressive and insecure and concluded that there should be no compromise with the Soviet Union. Another factor that added to the development of the iron fist approach was that the U.S. were not prepared to make the same mistake that was made by the British. The Britains had a policy of appeasement with Nazi-Germany. They had negotiations with Hitler and gave him whatever he requested for as long as it was seen as reasonable but the appeasement only encouraged Hitler to ask for more and soon there was an outbreak of war in 1939. Truman and other  politicians agreed that they did not want the same thing to happen with the U.S.S.R. so therefore the iron fist approach was justified where by Truman refused totally to negotiate with the U.S.S.R. The Marshall plan also was another technique used. George Marshall was the new U.S. secretary of state and he had travelled through western Europe and was disheartened by the devastation he saw and was shocked by the economic crisis of the region. When he came back, he suggested that america invest in the economy of Europe, he argued that as America was a marketing economy Europe would have been a good consumer base but if there was no way for Europe to be able to afford their goods then no profit would be made and the economy of the U.S. would suffer. Therefore investment in the European economy was the solution. Though he asked for 17 million dollars, he was granted 13 million and so this money was distributed through out western Europe. Ofcourse the U.S.S.R. reacted negatively to this and also formed the comecon which organised economic assisstance to the countries of eastern Europe. But unfortunately this was no match for the Marshall plan. Added to this, in Germany, the Yalta and Potsdam agreements had stipulated that Germany be divided into two buffer zones. The western zone was to be under the supervision of the western powers while the eastern zone was under the U.S.S.R. However, in the eastern region, the U.S.S.R. continued taking reparations from Germany because of the damages of world war 2 where as, The U.S. kept putting money into the western zone. Soon it became obvious that the western zone was flourishing compared to the eastern zone. This caused the Berlin blockade of 1948-49. The U.S.S.R.s attempt to divide the eastern zone from the western zone. But this was where the Marshall plan and the iron fist came into play. Truman through the approach of the iron fist refused to give into these manouvres of the U.S.S.R. And with the money from the Marshall plan, the west were able to supply aid to Berliners, they flew food and supplies to them through the Berlin airlift and they were able to provide to over 2 million Berliners. The result of this was that Stalin had to give in and brought down the Berlin blockade by May 1949. A successful combination of the iron fist approach and Marshall plan, the west were able to gain an initiative giving the situation that happened in czechoslovakia and other east European countries. Another successful means of containing communism was the Truman doctrine.In February 1947, the British warned the U.S. that they could not keep their troops in Greece any longer which they had been in since 1944. But after the second world war, the British government began to feel the effect in their economy as they owed 3000 million pounds. This scared Truman because he believed communism was taking over and so by March 1947 he issued the Truman doctrine that specified that any country that had a democratically elected government and was fighting off communism would be given militarial support. And so with this, support from America was given to Greece and the communists were defeated. Stalin, however saw this as U.S. imperalism although he had no retaliation for this because in the first place, he had kept an agreement with Churchill that Greece was an area of British influence. None the less, the U.S. were still able to fight off communism in Greece. These were some of the ways the U.S. had contained communism or tried to.Through militarial means, that is the Truman doctrine and financial mean such as the Marshall plan. And also through propaganda, when they tried belittle the communists because of their use of salami tactics. They also tried the use of terror which was the A-bomb but that proved unsuccessful. Like some of the techniques used and on the other hand, others were quite successful indeed.

Food, Culture and Spirituality

Food, Culture and Spirituality Food, culture, spirituality Every religion gives an interpretation of the symbolic aspect of food, and the status of food, and readings dictated by the Divine indicate to the human being his behaviour towards the earthly food. Food is an integral part of our history, and of our fate. Theology, religious discourse that interprets what the divine indicates in His language and liturgical texts are there, being the expression of the divine in the language of the People. Each of us has a unique way of behaving towards food, disciple or not of a particular religion (cultural reference system consolidating our relationship with the forces of transcendence). Man, since its advent on earth, practically selected food that has been helpful for survival. He has also been slow to adapt to certain foods and to domesticate what was natural. Later, depending on culture and / or tradition, man has legislated on the categories, on helpful food, bad food, pleasant food By establishing strict coding rules on how to eat, cook, etcMan has forced many generations to internalize a certain taste and to preset certain eating habits. Thus, from one continent to another, whereas today it is possible to find the same food everywhere, we find that there are different ways to eat, cook and prepare these foods. In the collective unconscious exists here and there a conditioning and learning specific to each culture, our religions that encourage us to sort between desirable: the known, and the undesirable: the unknown. The food remains the vector of our culture (our religion) because it is meaningful. If I refuse to eat a particular food, it is my inner conscience which tells me that there is a taboo (although sometimes I do not know the reason for this ban and I will try to build a logic argument (often taboo is religious). The concept of lawful and unlawful, sacred and profane is a duality which is similar to the universal notion of good and evil. The difference is then made between the food polluting the body and food benefiting the body. Eating a particular food is always a choice, an activity of the mind which classes, dictates, chooses based on cultural, economic and religious criteria. The food may also be in some traditions, a sacred food, that is to say, reserved for the gods, fit for consumption by the Gods, food offering or ceremony. The holidays are times sanctuaries where certain categories of foods are consumed, depending on History, Memory, Tradition; This is how our history may be likened to the history of our favourite foods. Men eat as society has taught them to feed themselves; this evidence appears to some as unfounded. We often love food that our mother taught us to consume. And our likes and dislikes, our food aversions are the result of our upbringing, our culture, our religion. Taste and food aversions nestle in us between the burden of heredity and constraints of socialization. All food system act as a control, it is a language of differentiation and distancing. Diet indicates a belonging, an ideal. We must not forget that in the Old Testament (Genesis Gen.l 0.29 to 30). It is recalled that the â€Å"Paradise is vegetarian and it was only after the flood that God allowed man to eat differently. It is written, Everything that lives and moves will serve you as food . Food, constitutive factor of cultural identity I am what I eat, what I eat transforms me; eating transmits certain characteristics to eaters. As a result, if I do not know what I eat, I do not know who I am â€Å"Claude Fischeler. Do we eat to live or do we live to eat? A question that often arises. In the face of this dilemma, the answer is both simple and complex. To live we must eat, we cannot do without food. Our diet and how to feed ourselves have evolved at the same pace as us. Our story is the story of our food. Our relationship with food is complicated, and each one of us rules it in his own way, as the hermit who needs just little food to survive, essentially fundamental to its survival; by cons if you abuse too much food as a bulimic, it becomes dangerous and can lead you to death. We must therefore follow a certain measure, knowing that food is both poison and medicine. Food is central to our mental and social universe, it accompanies us from our birth to our death for some civilizations beyond death by the offerings made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹daily on the altar erected to the memory of ancestors . Learning about our tastes and sensations is done very early, from our first feeding; loved foods are those that have the taste and flavour of â€Å"flavoured† breast milk. Thus our brain receives and manufactures from the first moment of our life categories, adapting or rejecting by selecting certain tastes. We can say that the choice of our food is never so risky. This choice is always to specific categories that have to do with our children, our youth, our social and cultural environment, ultimately our history. Chance has little place in our food choices. Say that you love more this than that does not denote a single individual desire, this desire is conditioned by what we have already eaten or liked, even if we have forgotten â€Å"when and where? â€Å". Food, therefore, is a social cultural phenomenon induced positively or negatively in our mind, and determines our eating habits. Our uniqueness is also food. To this must be added the symbolic and mythological representations that illustrate our imaginary perception of food; the example of milk may well be illustrated by the milk of Mother Wolf of Romulus and Remus, as the preferred food to Paradise (with others). Milk creates an inseparable kinship and makes those who were fed together brothers and sisters in milk that is to say a third person who gives the breast to other children makes them his children, brothers and sisters of milk of her own children. This will prevent them later to marry from each other. We see that eating urges the individual. Eating is a social and cultural ritual that ensures continuity and diversity in family and social contacts. Eating together is sharing moments and fun with family and friends and participating in the unification and cohesion of groups, that is to say, sociability and maintaining social ties. Each society has its way of sharing food. Food is meant to be shared, in order not to destroy its essence for oneself and for others. In Hinduism, there is a warning â€Å"he who eats without knowing kills food, and if eaten, it kills. Be aware of what you eat, eating is not a trivial matter but a social act that determines the experience of community sharing. Brillat Savarin (Philosophy taste) gives us the key to this enigma by telling us: â€Å"Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are. Modern man eats everything but finally digests anything, because the culinary delight presupposes knowledge of your own kitchen or at least its basics. What distinguishes man from a ruminant for example is his awareness of what he eats and the pleasure he derives. Each civilization rebuilt a coherent landscape bases on food, wine is magnified because it is a close relative of the Communion in the Christian Religion, and it gladdens the heart of man. It keeps the image of consolation for the afflicted and haven for aggrieved persons. It is therefore linked to social marginalization. It is more individual than social, if not part of the whole meal that it must accompany or illustrate. Wine is consumed by feeling national the wine and cheese, typically French picture we praise it if we are French, as we praise the beer if we are German or Belgian, whiskey is consumed by mimicry or snobbery. As for coffee , it will make its entry into the French world in the seventeenth century , called philosophers ‘milk . It is considered a noble beverage that gives spirit and distinguished aristocratic drunkenness. Consumption will allow ladies to enter the intellectual circles. We see that the use of coffee has changed society for a social progress and some liberalization of morals. In Asian society, eating is to balance the bodys energies, thus ensuring a healthy eating is also a cultural act that has a metaphorical meaning and value. At an anniversary banquet, noodles consumption means long life to the person, the food appears here as a vector and an auspicious message. Put on the table rice stuffed dumplings to taste indicates a certain social and family cohesion. The Asian table must follow the rules of the three senses: sight, smell and taste; to this must be added the five basic tastes: sour, pungent, bitter, sweet and salty and to have a good meal it must rotate the crisp, fondant, sticky and dry. An Asian meal should be presented with all dishes together without succession in time. It is engulfed at a glance with its variety of colours and nuances of flavours. Thus the guest can choose what he likes, when he likes, and enjoy it at his convenience. Everything is there, everything is ordered in space and not in time. The meal is served to reinforce social relations, to exchange, to speak, as it is improper to eat in silence. Chinese formerly used knives. They were banished from the table for chopsticks, following a change of power. To mark this rupture, scholars forbade the use of the knife. Here we see the evolution of a table use: knives for chopsticks are happening, what is not a coincidence but reflects the social and political evolution of Chinese society. Eat all together from a central big dish, with your fingers but within a strict code , eating what comes ahead using three fingers to dip the bread in the sauce , do not lick your fingers , obeying a rhythm in time and focusing on food, these are other ways to behave vis- à  -vis food : they correspond to a certain Mediterranean cultural practice (especially the Maghreb ) . Here we eat in silence as the food is sacred. You must devote your attention and time. Today the food we impose has for criterion regularity, shelf life, caloric intake, leaving the old qualities such as flavour, taste, tradition, fun The man has striven for centuries to diversify his supply; He is reversing it today by making an increasingly homogeneous food. Therefore, food is disconnected from the social and cultural body which was its diversity, plurality, and frugality . Its not the food that makes the man, but the man who creates his diet. We must therefore sometimes relearn how to eat, to sit at the table to give meaning to our diet. Otherwise, we may do, without realizing it, food autism We will then only have right to virtual ideal food, safe , tasteless food. Then, the multi-functionality of a meal will appear to us as artificial, as collages acts, simultaneous but inconsistent, that is to say ridiculous features without any content. Our food is the vehicle of our symbols, it affects our lives and occupies our minds, it gives us sensations; it is essential to our lives and to our progress. Without food, man would be naked: just like he chooses his clothing, he chooses his diet, and this is what sets him apart and distinguishes him and is necessary for him to live and exist. Food: spiritual food? It is interesting to see how all the great sages or high initiates if we want to use a scholarly term gave a great importance to food. All religious people, whatever their faith, give a moment of reflection, prayer or meditation just before eating a meal and normally it takes place in silence. In some cases, the food becomes a spiritual food, because through food you can feed all the parts that make up the human being, of course, the physical part, but also the body parts that are called subtle. Returning to the theory and teaching of French philosopher and educator, of Bulgarian origin, Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov we find the meaning of food is very original and highly spiritual. It is through food that Aivanhov teaches us how we can increase our spirituality. Food becomes, through his teachings, an act of consciousness towards which we should all strive. Food certainly has the function of feeding us physically, but also to nourish all the other components of our being, all other bodies which compose us. This will be the purpose of the ethereal part of any food, feed our subtle body parts which are the seat of our psychic and spiritual functions. The first rule is to be aware of the first bite we take in our mouth: the beginning is extremely important, given that on it depends the rest of the meal. If we start out the meal peacefully, it will run fine until the end, but if we start when we are nervous or agitated, we will remain in this condition until the end. Harmony thus arises from the first bite. Food must then be chewed properly, that is to say long and slowly; because it is in the mouth that occurs the first digestion, even at the subtle level. According to Aivanhov it is in the mouth, through small glands located under the tongue, that are absorbed ethereal particles of food, those that can be defined as the subtle energy , not heat , and serve to feed the nervous system. The ether portion is a food -related colour, the life it contains: a world which is located in the field of air. Therefore, to eat well, the ethereal body must accompany each meal with a good breathing. You have to think to breathe deeply between a bite and the other to allow proper combustion. Supporting our etheric body means supporting our vitality, our memory, and our sensitivity. But awareness is not enough if we are going to feed the astral body, where our emotions and feelings reside: for this we must love the food we consume. Be in harmony with oneself is a fundamental condition for being able to stop and have a thought of peace, so that even this body, which is more subtle , can extract what it needs. For those who believe, it is enough to see the food as a manifestation of Divinity and focus on that thought to get the greatest benefit and enlightenment through the repetitive act of the meal. For Aivanhov, if we want to receive the finer parts of the food, we must be aware and especially predisposed to love, and our bodies will be open and ready to receive the best of the food. In fact, its like when we welcome a person with lots of love, he (she) will open to us and give us all; but if we receive him (her) with hostility, he (she) will close and we cannot get anything from this person. Just like a flower opens and transfers all its fragrance in the light and heat, the same way the food will behave with us, if we are qualified to position ourselves to it positively. Another key point in his theory states that it is possible to eat everything, but only as it should be eaten, and in reasonable quantities. Indulge and consume quantities above what we really need is harmful and promotes a loss of energy. Once you understand how to eat, it would be possible to feed in â€Å"homeopathic doses. The power supply has obviously a fundamental role, but mental and spiritual life is more important. That is why the positive and full of love thoughts are the basis for being able to enjoy fully foods that are ingested. Such thoughts are needed, even during a meal preparation; when we come into contact with food , we can provide it with positive energy through our thoughts . Aivanhov gives priority to foods that are able to develop spirituality. With the assumption that even infants smell, see colours, hears sounds, it becomes easy to understand how fruits and vegetables, which are steeped in sunlight, allow us to absorb it, through them, when we eat. By cons, meat, according to him, has a poor light and, above all, it has rapid time decay. Thats why it is not fit for human consumption. In addition, the animal feels death approaching when it arrives at the slaughterhouse, so its glands produce hormones that are poisonous to those who then eat its meat. Even solar energy contained in plants can feed us, but it is important that, in thought, we get it to reach all parts of our body. Silence is fundamental during the meal, to be able to concentrate, to be aware of the act that is accomplished. In this way, the meal becomes a privileged moment of meditation. Through this way of meditating, we are present when the act is accomplished, thanks to the love and consciousness; our body is nourished completely, even in its most subtle parts. The pranic food There are currently 20,000 people on our planet who would feed exclusively prana (chi, qi, ki) meaning that they would feed exclusively from the ambient energy, the light, at the expense of food and even water. Formerly, it was the case of the great mystics as Marthe Robin or the Tibetan lamas. Today, this phenomenon tends to spread and affect persons who are less religious†. To make sure of it, scientists observed a man who fasted for 70 years. For this purpose, he was filmed continuously for 15 days, 24 hours a day, continuously, to avoid deception. It was confirmed that he did not eat or drink during those fifteen days, and also he did not urinate or have a bowel movement, that is even more disturbing. Researchers have not yet figured out how this Indian could live 83 years while he pretended not to eat or drink for more than 70 years. You should know that today, individuals go towards new energies, raising their vibrational level to a greater spirituality, which gives them less attraction to the material elements. This no doubt helps people in their adaptation to the pranic nourishment. But it seems it is still too early for humanity to take this step. And for the moment, we must be very careful before getting to the pranic nourishment. We must be surrounded and knowledgeable about the subject. As some have tried and lost their health. An interesting view on the subject is the movie â€Å"light directed by Peter Arthur Straubinger. Food plays a central role in all religions, therefore some requirements and uses: Jewish kosher, Halal Muslim food, fasting among Christians. Each of the three monotheistic religions has its own norms or customs. But with modernity and secularization, are these still respected? When you believe, you do not eat anything, or anyhow. In most religions, there is a strong link between physical food and spiritual food. Besides, the precepts and prohibitions say something about Divinity, just like the presence of food in most ceremonies. Referencing Awad Fouatih – Pluridisciplinary Professor, Aubervilliers,France Pranic Food (French Edition)byHenri Monfort Living Sufism: Tariqa Qadiriya Boutchichiya, islam--soufisme