Strategies for Loan Repayment Rates

Strategies for Loan Repayment Rates INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION Lack of access to the formal credit facility through formal banking and financial institutions has been one of the major hurdles faced by the poor people of the developing countries. There are two main reasons widely discussed. Firstly, the commercial banks and institutions think that the loan demanded by the poor people are in very small amount and it is not economical for the banks to grant these loans. Secondly, these poor people often failed to provide any collateral, this makes their loan requirements risky, and conventional banks and institutions avoid entertaining these types of loans (Secondi, 2008). The solution to these problems was provided by microfinance programs. The primary objective of microfinance programs around the world is to reduce the poverty by providing small loans to the neglected poor people without the condition of collateral. Microfinance has gained a considerable appreciation over the past three decades due to its mechanism of providing the credit access to the neglected poor people. In pursuit of the fight against poverty, small loans were provided by the microfinance institutions (MFIs) to the poor people so that they may utilize them to establish small businesses or expand their existing business and achieve self sufficiency. However, there has been considerable differences in the rate of interest charged on these loans by the various MFIs, repayment rates and level of self sufficiency achieved by the borrowers around the different regions of the developing countries (Ahlin et al 2011). MFIs normally use group lending methodology to expand the credit access to the poors. This methodology helps the microfinance clients to keep a check on the proper utilization of the loan amount and also allowing only those individuals to be the part of the group who possess a good moral and financial reputation in their society. Eventually, much of the lenders responsibility of the supervision is shifted on to the group members. This helps the group members to effectively control the problems arising from incomplete information on the financial health of the individuals intending to join the group (Armendariz and Morduch, 2005). It has been viewed that the group loan given under joint liability lending contracts play an effective role in enforcing the contract conditions of loan repayments through peer monitoring by the group members. Under the joint/ group liability contracts, each group member is responsible for the repayment of the loan in case of any member reports default. Ther efore, each group member act as guarantor for the others. It had been argued by various researchers that in a joint liability contracts the group members are well informed about their fellow group members compared to the MFIs or banks. Therefore, this peer monitoring by the group members is much more effective and a cheaper than the MFI’s (or bank’s) monitoring (Varian, 1990: Stiglitz, 1990 and Banerjee et al 1994). There are a number of studies[1] suggesting that the group liability programs work better in addressing the problem incomplete information faced by the lenders and banks, as much of the responsibility has been shifted to the group members, resultantly lowering the cost faced by the MFIs. Some studies such as Tassel, 199 and Ghatak, 1999 argued that the in group liability loans, the self selection of the group members helps in reducing the problem of incomplete information and can generate higher repayment rates. There are various laboratory experimental studies tried to investigate the group liability loans and effects of peer monitoring on repayment rates. Such as, Cason et al (2009) in their study found that even the monitoring was a costly activity and subjects were required to pay the cost of monitoring, but still the group partners preferred to monitor each other. They also observed that when the cost of monitoring paid by the group members was less than the cost paid by the len der, the group liability programs performed better than the individual liability programs. They also pointed out that in the absence of difference in monitoring cost (among group monitoring cost and lender’s cost), the repayment behavior of the subjects remained almost similar in both group and individual lending cases. In another study conducted by Kono (2006) in Vietman, reported that even in the presence of monitoring and imposition of penalties to the defaulters, the default rates were higher in group liability cases compared to the individual liability cases. There are few studies explaining the importance of social ties between the group members towards effective monitoring and loan repayment rates. There are a number of ways the social ties can be effective, one of the most important factors is the full information about the group members. This complete information makes it is much easier for the group members to monitor their fellow partners, and if required they can enforce the contract terms (Besley and Coate, 1995, Abbink et al 2006). However, we were interested in investigating the effect of peer monitoring and choice of microfinance contracts on the loan repayments. The peer monitoring has been discussed extensively in the literature, however, the evidence on the choice of microfinance contracts (i.e. The choice among the interest and non-interest based microfinance contracts) is non existent. We do observe studies addressing the choice among the individual and group lending contracts by the microfinance lenders (Gine and Karlan, 2008, Bhole and Ogden, 2010, Madajewicz, 2011). We conducted laboratory experiments with the students of the University of Sydney, Australia during October, 2013. In our study, there were four treatments and the subjects were offered the loan under the group liability scheme. A pair of two subjects constituted a group and there were 74 groups in total (148 subjects). In the first treatment, subjects can choose to monitor their partner’s repayment actions, then they were required to choose a contract from the given two contracts (PLS and IB). After choosing the contracts, they were recording their repayment actions. In the second treatment, subjects were allowed to go for monitoring, but they were not allowed to choose the contracts rather the experimenter had allocated the both PLS and IB contracts randomly and evenly. With the third treatment, there was no monitoring choice available to the subjects, but they were allowed to choose from the PLS and IB contracts. In the fourth and last treatment, subjects were neither allowed to monitor, nor allowed to choose from the PLS and IB contracts, the contacts were allocated by the experimenter in a randomly and evenly way. There were five rounds for each treatment and after every round the subjects were swapped randomly and it was ensured that the same subject should not be the matched with the other more than once. The subjects were able to identify their group partner through their roll numbers, but they cannot see and talk to him. There was a monitoring fee[2] for all those subjects who were opting to monitor their group partner. Yet, while monitoring they can impose penalty on to their defaulted partner. The decision of monitoring or otherwise was a common knowledge for both the group partners. This experimental study was conducted to address the following research questions. Whether peer monitoring and peer pressure (imposition of penalty) affect the repayment rates positively? Are there any choice preferences for PLS and IB contracts? How choice of the contracts affects the repayment rates? Are there any gender specific differences in repayment rates? Whether the degree of religiosity affects the repayment behavior of the subjects? In summary, our results indicated that the monitoring had a significantly positive effect on the loan repayment rates in both with and without choice of contract cases. There were significantly higher proportion of subjects, choosing the PLS contact against the IB contract. Although, there was a high preference for PLS contracts, but at the same time we did not notice any change in repayment rates for both PLS and IB contracts. Moreover, we noticed lower repayment rates in no monitoring with no selection of contract treatment. We did not observe any gender related differences. Also the results revealed that the degree of religiosity was not affecting the repayment behavior of the subject. For the empirical analysis of this experimental work, we used the percentages to analyze the repayment rates. Paired t-test and McNemar’s test were also applied to examine the differences in behavioral responses of subjects across treatments. Finally, we applied panel logit regression methodo logy to check the significance of monitoring choices against the no monitoring cases and PLS contract against the IB contract in the presence of demographic and other control variables. The rest of the chapter continues as follows. Section 2 gives a literature overview. Section 3 describes the experimental contracts, design and execution. Results are discussed in Section 4 and in Section 5, we analyze the results and concluded the study. RELATED LITERATURE Microfinance gained popularity and appreciation over the past three decades for its mechanism of offering small loan to those poor people who were generally excluded from the provision of formal credit facilities. The microfinance use its innovative lending methodology in the presence of incomplete information of the clients and non availability of physical collateral. Generally, lending techniques adopted by the MFIs were individual or group lending. The group lending can be used as screening tools whereas, the joint liability could work as the monitoring device within the group. Nevertheless, the group lending and joint liability programs of micrfinance are considered as efficient instruments in the expansion of credit facility to the poor (Morduch, 1999: Armendariz and Morduch, 2005). Under the group lending strategy, all the members of the group were provided with the micro loans in their individual capacity. All the group members were then made jointly responsible for the repayment of the each other’s loan in case of default, also future they were denied from any loan facility by the MFIs (Morduch, 1999 : Ghatak and Guinnane, 1999). It had been argued that the success of the group lending strategy has been the outcome of various reasons. Firstly, the screening of the clients by the group members, this helps in selecting the credible and trustworthy persons in the group. Secondly, the group members keep a proper check on the utilization of the loan and also they keep on observing the efforts of each of their partners have exerted in order to make his investment project successful. Lastly, each group member faces a peer pressure from his partner which forces them to comply with the repayment conditions of the loan, along with peer pressure the group members have to face social pressure from their society they were living which enforces the contract conditions of loan repayment. In this way it became possible for the lenders to shift their burden on to the borrowers and the problems occurred due to incomplete information can be handled at the borrowers end (Microcredit Summit Compaign, 2005). In the existing literature, there are a number of works explaining the positive impacts of microfinance programs for the small line and investment activities. It has also been pointed out that the implications of microfinance programs kept on varying from borrower to borrower and repayment behavior was not same across the borrowers (Cr ´epon et al. (2011); Banerjee et al. (2010)). On the other hand, there are studies focusing on the merits and demerits of group/joint-liability loans and stressed that the joint liability loans were successful in increasing the repayment rates (Banerjee et al. (1994); Van Tassel (1999); Wydick (2001)). Entirely the same, it had also been mooted by a number of researchers that the espousal of a group or joint liability loans may lead to increase the risk loving behavior among the borrowers. They may put in a much riskier projects because the repayment responsibilities had been portioned out among the group member. The building of this attitude potenti ally invites the free-riders (Gine et al. (2010); Fischer (2010); Barboni et al. (2012)). There have been a number of factors addressed in the literature which could involve the repayment behavior of the individuals positively. Such as monitoring either by the lender or by the group members, peer pressure and peer sanctioning, social affiliations among the group members, opportunity for future loans, group size and lower tier of interest rates (Floro and Yotopoulos, 1991, Wydick, 1996, Wydick, 1999). Gin and Karlan (2010) conducted randomized field experiments in the Philippines over a point of three years found that group liability affected the development and advancement of the microfinance program exerting extreme social pressure on the group members, resulting in discouraging the good willing clients to adopt. They likewise did not notice any difference in repayment rates for both individual liability and group liability cases. Ghattak and Guinnane (1999) has given a comprehensive analysis on the effect of screening, monitoring and enforcement in group lending. They also observed that the lender’s cost of group screening, monitoring and enforcement can be reduced if they follow the group liability strategy. It has also been argued that in a group or joint liability cases where the default or failure to repay the loan will affect all the group members, including the defaulting member (as everyone in the group has to pay back the loan) and the whole group will stand disqualified for the future borrowing will encourage the group members to monitor each other. In this way, the group lending has the potential to increase the repayment rates. However, it has been viewed that even in the group lending case the monitoring and enforcement through imposition of penalties are costly, but at the same time effective in reducing the lender’s risk, due to shifting of responsibility on to the group members (S tiglitz, 1990: Varian, 1990). The researchers have consistently argued that the controls or restrictions like peer monitoring by the group members, restriction on further loan payment to the defaulter, social pressure from community through close knit social ties and effective monitoring by the MFIs on the individual as well as group borrowers could potentially increase the chances of loan repayment (Abbink et al., 2006a; Gine and Karlan, 2010; Cassar et al., 2007; Karlan, 2007). In a recent study by Al-Azzam et al., (2012), inferred that peer pressure on the fellow counterpart within a group could result in a higher rate of payment. [1] For example, Armendariz , 1999 and Rai and Sjostrom, 2004. [2] See Section 3.2 for details.

Examining Teaching through a New Lens: Learning about English Language

As a future educator, I tend to find myself wondering about my students. I think about the challenges that may arise and the tasks that I will need to accomplish. I know that there will be many joys and rewarding times during teaching; I also recognize the potential struggles. I wanted to make my focus for this paper a learning experience. I wanted to dive into information on a topic that I was unsure of and learn more about how to handle it. I aimed to find information about ELL, English language learner, students and how I could assist them in the classroom. My Topic and What I Already Knew about My Topic I will explain in this section why I wanted to research within the topic of ELL students. I will also provide my past knowledge and experiences that include being with ELL students due to my observation in a public school for my F200 class. The few weeks I spent observing shed a new light on the subject for me. Topic Choice I decided to focus my research on the topic of ELL students. I knew that understanding ELL students would be important to my future. I knew that it would be critical to find out information on ELL students because I only speak English. I wanted to know what I could do as these students’ teacher to help them learn as much as possible. Past Knowledge and Experience If you would have asked me about ELL students any time prior to this year, I would have not been able to tell you one thing about them. I honestly never had the thought of having to teach a student who spoke a different language than me. I grew up in a small, rural town with all English speaking students. I never saw my teachers faced with the dilemma of having a different language spoken in the classroom. Not being exposed to ELL studen... ...eb.b.ebscohost.com English language learners. (2013). Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgf.asp Ernst-Slavit, G., Moore, M., & Maloney, C. (2002). Changing lives: teaching English and literature to ESL students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(2), 116-128. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com Goldenberg, C. (2008). Teaching English language learners. American Educator, 32(2), 8-44. Retrieved from http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/summer2008/goldenberg.pdf Heining-Boynton, A. L. (n.d.). Keys to success for English language learners. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/760 Vacca-Rizopoulos, L. A., & Nicoletti, A. (2009). Preservice teachers’ reflections on effective strategies for teaching Latino ESL students. Journal of Latinos and Education, 8(1), 67-76. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com

Christian Justice and Righteousness Essay -- Martin Luther, theology, s

As a reformer, Martin Luther certainly changed the world of the Church. Would you say that his opposition to the existing religious authority of his day could be justified from a scriptural standpoint? How might it not? Which biblical principles affect your own responsibility to promote justice and righteousness when such actions come into conflict with an established order? Â   The actions of Martin Luther in the 1500s have reached almost mythical stature among Christians. Luther's deeds had much more radical consequences than he could have foreseen as he first challenged the existing church. He sparked a revolution of thought, a break from the Roman Catholic Church system and a return to a faith based upon Scripture alone. Though Martin Luther's choices were for an essential cause and brought fantastic results, a question must be answered before Christians can truly call him a hero of the faith. The question is this: Was Luther's challenge of his earthly authorities justifiable by the scripture? Â   The answer is not instantly obvious, nor do the Scriptur...

Pidgins and Creoles Essay

Note to the Customer I’m sorry the essay cannot be revised as you say. It was an urgent order, so books could not be found. Moreover, you didn’t say that you wanted a critical analysis of the pidgins and Creoles. Revisions are only possible if the writer fails to follow the original instructions. In your next order please mention that you would like books to be used, and whether the discussion should be descriptive or analytical. Best regards, Pidgins and Creoles A pidgin is defined as a language that has been simplified from at least two different languages.   Referred to as a contact language, a pidgin may be used by those who do not originate in a given geographical area and must therefore develop a common language to be spoken in the area.   All the same, pidgin is used sparingly.   Its structure is rather simplistic.   Seeing that it serves a â€Å"simplistic purpose,† a pidgin dies out rather easily (Pidgins and Creoles, 1997). If people manage to use a pidgin for a long time, however, the contact language is expected to become richer and more complex in terms of vocabulary and structure.   In that case, the pidgin is said to have evolved.   Children may learn the evolved pidgin as their very first language or mother tongue.   If this happens, the pidgin has managed to turn into a Creole.   An example of a Creole is Tok Pisin, a language of Papua New Guinea, which was a pidgin before it turned into a national language (Pidgins and Creoles, 1997). Stafford notes that pidgins and Creoles are mostly used in third world nations because of the dramatic changes in the social and political environment experienced by the communities there.   Moreover, most of the pidgins and Creoles in the developing regions, for example, in South East Asia, are based on languages of Europe.   English, French, and Spanish are very much associated with the pidgins and Creoles of the third world.   This is because Europeans had spent time a great deal of time in the developing world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pidgins are often created for communication between immigrants and natives or missionaries and locals (Stafford).   As the pidgin evolves, the contact language develops its own grammatical rules.   Typically it is the children who must get together to formulate grammatical rules for the pidgin that they have accepted as their first language.   The fact that the Creole is generally formed without the influence of adults reveals that the formulation of grammatical rules and the application of structure to a certain language is innate behavior (Pidgin and Creole).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Insufficient education† is another reason why people of a certain region may have to develop a pidgin, and subsequently a Creole, so as to communicate with a new group of people they have come into contact with (Pidgin and Creole).   It is estimated that between ten to fifteen million people in the world speak languages that are considered creolized.   As an example, Creole based on French is spoken by seven million people in the world. These people may be found in Haiti, the French Overseas Departments of Guadeloupe, Mauritius, Martinique, Guyana, Reunion, Dominica, St. Lucia, and many islands of the Caribbean that have been influenced by the British, in addition to southwestern Louisiana (Mauritian Creole, 2005).   In the case of the pidgins that were created by these people, most probably to communicate with the Europeans they had come into contact with; French was considered the superstrate language.   If there were minority languages that contributed to the creation of a pidgin, the languages were referred to as subtrate languages (Pidgins and Creoles, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Regardless of the kinds of languages that were used in the creation of pidgins and Creoles, the fact remains that human beings have an essential need to communicate with one another.   Human beings do not appreciate invaders, so therefore people in the third world had by and large rejected the presence of the colonialists.   Nevertheless, they had to learn to communicate with the people who had become dominant on their lands.   Whether they had to communicate with the foreigners because the latter controlled their economic resources or otherwise, it may be inferred from this discussion that pidgins and Creoles would be created for as long as human civilization exists on earth.   Man is a social animal, after all. References Mauritian Creole. (2005). Pidgins and Creoles. Retrieved Dec 1, 2007, from http://kreol.mu/CreoleLanguages.htm. Patrick, P. L. (2004, Nov 14). Pidgin and Creole Languages: Origin and Relationships. Intro Sociolinguistics. Retrieved Dec 1, 2007, from http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~patrickp/Courses/PCs/IntroPidginsCreoles.htm. Pidgin and Creole. Retrieved Dec 1, 2007, from http://www.hevanet.com/alexwest/pidgin.html. Pidgins and Creoles. Retrieved Dec 1, 2007, from http://www.uni- due.de/SVE/VARS_PidginsAndCreoles.htm. Pidgins and Creoles. (1997, Feb 25). Retrieved Dec 1, 2007, from http://logos.uoregon.edu/explore/socioling/pidgin.html. Stafford, A. Pidgins and Creoles. Retrieved Dec 1, 2007, from http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/language/pidgcreol.html.

Health care Essay

Leaders are the key people for any organization’s success, for they play an important role in directing and influencing how employees work. Leaders have a lot to do in order to promote healthy behavior by employees for instance in a health organization, leaders need to influence workers in away such that they maintain their healthy behavior at hand. Since health is a very sensitive issue, it needs a lot of concentration as pertains the behaviors of the employees. Leaders need to effect financial incentives to the workforce to encourage health behavior. This incentive tends to upgrade the health of the employee through reduction in the risk that he/she would have faced. This also have an impact on the target and efficiency on the output. For a health organization for instance, workers will produce better result for they are comfortable. There should be provision of tools that encourage safety and wellness. This helps to improve the health of the worker throughout the working period. With general fitness, the worker is healthy at the same time able to behave well when it comes to delivering, urgency and proficiency. Leaders need to involve senior management in promoting emotional health and productivity. Since the management is the one that is much close to the workforce and are the ones implementing strategies, in campaigning for this will make it possible for the out come to be a good healthy behavior from the work force. Leaders need to offer economic incentives for the betterment of the lives of the workers. When it comes to economic wellbeing, one needs to access social amenities with ease. When assisting workers in their workload as providers of their houses through gaining from the economies of scale the health organization gets, workers will access appliances easily thus enabling them to get what they need utmost cheaply. This will make their life well as they have the full diet affordably thus better health. Better health leads to better behavior. Leaders need to educate employees on safety at work. This tends to ensure they get to know how to handle things with care as health organization tend to operate with lots of risky items. With their knowledge on this, they will tend to observe correct protocol with respect thus remaining discipline. With correct protocol follower, they will never be infected thus which means they are adhering to the healthy behavior taught by the responsible body. Health care is a broad field that deals with lives of individuals. For the preparation of interviews, many areas need to be covered for the exact and discrete information to be unveiled. For my analysis, I will consider my interview questions directed to the health care interviewees. It will be categorized into five major items that need to be emphasized on.

Reflecting on Wisdom

Reflecting On Wisdom PSY 220 March 9, 2013 Colleen Moore Reflecting On Wisdom The attributes that are commonly associated with wise people are: Reasoning Ability, Sagacity, Learning from Ideas and the Environment, Judgment, Expeditious use of Information and Perspicacity. Reasoning Ability is the uncommon ability to look at a problem and solve it through good logical reasoning ability, by applying knowledge to particular problems, by integrating information and theories in new ways, and by possessing a huge store of knowledge.Sagacity is the keen understanding of human nature, thoughtfulness, fairness, good listening abilities, knowledge of self and placing value on the advice and knowledge of others. Learning from Ideas and the Environment places value on ideas, is perceptive, and learns from others’ mistakes. Judgment has good sensible judgment at all times, takes a long-term rather than a short-term view, and thinks before acting and speaking. Expeditious use of Information learns and retains information from experience (both mistakes and successes), willingness to change one’s mind based on new experience.Perspicacity Demonstrates perceptiveness, intuition, ability to see through things, read between the lines; and discern the truth and the right thing to do. (Bumgardener & Crothers, 2009) A person I believe would be wise would be Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ who is known from the Bible as the son of God. (II Samuel 7:12-14 King James Bible) Jesus had all six of the characteristics named in the above paragraph. Jesus who was the son of God was sent to the world to save the world to teach the gospels and to help save the world from sin. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life† (John 3:16 King James Bible). Jesus went to many cities throughout his life preaching the gospels and healing the six, casting our demons and raising the dead. Any per son who believed that Jesus was the son of God and had enough faith would be healed. (John 4:43-54 King James Bible) Jesus was a very wise man because he studied the gospels, he spent many hours in prayer, and he also went to the tabernacles to learn and to preach and to heal those in need of healing. Mark 1:21-28, Luke 4:31-37) Jesus was a very compassionate man and when people who had the faith would cry out to him for healing he would heal them because their faith was very strong. An example of this would be when Jesus had left the city of Jericho he had a mass following of people traveling with him when they had come upon two blind men. The blind men heard the crowd and asked what was going on and once they were told they had cried out to Jesus to not pass them by and to please heal them of their blindness.The crowd that was following Jesus tried to rebuke them because they figured the blind men weren’t worthy enough for a healing or they just did not want the blind men t o bother Jesus, but the blind men cried out to Jesus in persistence because they believed and had the faith to know that Jesus could heal them, Jesus then called out to the blind men and asked what they wanted and they had said they wanted their eye sight back, so Jesus seeing that they had the faith told them to arise and that because of their faith they were healed and could see again. Once the Blind men were healed they followed Jesus and were glorifying God. Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43 King James Bible) Jesus was wise in the ways that he taught his parables. For example in (Luke 10:25-42 King James Bible), a man who was an expert in the law decided to test Jesus by asking him â€Å"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? † Jesus then said to the man, â€Å"What is written in the law? How do you read it? The man answered â€Å"Though shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind; and they neighbors as thyself. Jes us then said to the man â€Å"Thou has answered right: this do and thou shalt live.Again the man wanted to justify himself so he asked Jesus â€Å"Who is my neighbor? † Jesus then replied to him with a story about a man who had come from Jerusalem to Jericho and ran into some thieves who stripped the man of his clothes and beat him half to death and then left. The man who had been beaten lay on the ground and had been passed by two people who looked at him and left without helping the man. A third man â€Å"The Good Samaritan† came by and saw the wounded man on the ground and had left but came back with supplies to clean the wounded man and bandage him up. Then the Good Samaritan took him to an inn to take care of him.The next day the good Samaritan man got up and before he left, he gave the inn keeper money and told the inn keeper and told him to take care of the wounded man and that any extra money that the inn keeper has to use he will repay him once he returns. Th en once Jesus was finished with the story he said to the man who was and expert in the law â€Å"Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? â€Å" The man then said â€Å"He that shewed mercy on him. † Then Jesus said â€Å"Go and do thou Likewise. † One of the attributes I believe I have fully developed would be Judgment.I may not always use the best judgment at all times, but I feel that my judgment is usually sensible and thought out as sensible as I can make it. When something comes up that I have to use my judgment for, I try to sit and think it through as much as possible to find the best possible outcome for the solution. I feel that I would need to fully develop all of the attributes discussed in chapter 10 of the reading. These are things that every person has to learn throughout their lives and will continue to develop through the years. Reference (Bumgardener & Crothers, 2009) (King James Bible) Reflecting on Wisdom Reflecting on Wisdom Student Name PSY 220 Due Date Teacher Reflecting on Wisdom In life it seems that we always told to take advice from grandpa because he has lived a long time and is wise. Grandpa is the go to person for when we have a life issue. My grandfather is a very wise man. He has learned lessons from life instead of just thinking he was getting punished. He always tells us grandkids and great grandkids that everything happens for a reason; a reason to learn from. My grandfather’s name is Vernon and he is in his late 80’s. Grandpa always has a reason behind everything he does.He always helps us by talking through our problems with a logical and reasoning view. Grandpa has always helped me to look at both sides of possibilities and apply things that I already know to the situation before making a decision. Grandpa always has listened to what we have to say and he isn’t against taking advice from the younger generation. He always says that he values our i nput and he will store it in his knowledge bank for future reference. Grandpa is very humorous along with being logical, he always seems to be able to make light of most situations and can help us look at it from a humorous side of we end up making a bad decision. Normally, because we didn’t go to grandpa about it before hand. ) The best advice I have ever gotten from my grandfather is, when you are making a decision think about 6 months from now, or even 6 years, what is the outcome from both sides; and can you learn from your choice either way? Throughout his years grandpa has always held a positive mind frame and laced life with humor, he always asks what we learned even if we faced a consequence. I believe that my grandfather is one of the wisest men in the universe.Grandpa always learns and uses past knowledge before making a decision. Grandpa always had been there it help us with his wisdom and knowledge of life’s great lessons, he has also helped us to install s ome of the characteristics that will make us wise one day (Baumgardner and Crothers, 2009). Grandpa has installed in us the ability to use our knowledge and our past mistakes to make our decisions. I think that I have encompassed a lot of this from my grandfather. I have learned to look at the mistakes of my sisters and adjust my choices to not make the same mistakes.For example all 3 f my older sisters were teen moms. They all are in their late 20’s, early 30’s and have 4 kids each. They all struggle care for their families, they all are divorced at least twice. I have learned from their mistakes and I am the first in my family to finish high school and not have a child to take care of. I love my daughter and I am thankful that I got my career started before having her, now I know that I can give her the life she deserves without depending on government assistance for simple things such as housing and food, like my sisters.I see their struggles every day and I know th at it is hard on them to only be allowed to spend so much a month on food, or to only be able to live in a home approved by the government. I think that I still have a long way to go before I become a wise person, but I do think I am on my way. In the six attributes of a wise person; I have the ability to reason. I look at a problem and think about what the things I have learned from other problems and knowledge I have. I have an understanding of human nature, but I am still learning a lot about myself.I have learned through grandpa that no advice is bad advice, because someday you just might need it. There is always a chance to learn about various things in the environment and from people around you. Always keeping an open mind and opened ears helps with picking up knowledge that we would not get otherwise. I also believe that I have very sensible judgment and I always think about things before I make a decision. I always know the positive and negative outcome and if I can learn so mething valuable either way. I have the ability to learn from others experiences and from my past experiences.I also am never set in my decision; I am open to reconsidering my choices. The one thing I am working on is being able to read between the lines. My grandpa says you can tell a lot about how a person feels or the situation they are in if you can see through what they are saying and what they really mean. This is something that I am not quite great at yet. Maybe I never will be, but it is always worth a try (Baumgardner and Crothers, 2009). . References Baumgardner, S. R. and Crothers, M. .K. (2009). Positive psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Reflecting on Wisdom Reflecting On Wisdom PSY 220 March 9, 2013 Colleen Moore Reflecting On Wisdom The attributes that are commonly associated with wise people are: Reasoning Ability, Sagacity, Learning from Ideas and the Environment, Judgment, Expeditious use of Information and Perspicacity. Reasoning Ability is the uncommon ability to look at a problem and solve it through good logical reasoning ability, by applying knowledge to particular problems, by integrating information and theories in new ways, and by possessing a huge store of knowledge.Sagacity is the keen understanding of human nature, thoughtfulness, fairness, good listening abilities, knowledge of self and placing value on the advice and knowledge of others. Learning from Ideas and the Environment places value on ideas, is perceptive, and learns from others’ mistakes. Judgment has good sensible judgment at all times, takes a long-term rather than a short-term view, and thinks before acting and speaking. Expeditious use of Information learns and retains information from experience (both mistakes and successes), willingness to change one’s mind based on new experience.Perspicacity Demonstrates perceptiveness, intuition, ability to see through things, read between the lines; and discern the truth and the right thing to do. (Bumgardener & Crothers, 2009) A person I believe would be wise would be Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ who is known from the Bible as the son of God. (II Samuel 7:12-14 King James Bible) Jesus had all six of the characteristics named in the above paragraph. Jesus who was the son of God was sent to the world to save the world to teach the gospels and to help save the world from sin. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life† (John 3:16 King James Bible). Jesus went to many cities throughout his life preaching the gospels and healing the six, casting our demons and raising the dead. Any per son who believed that Jesus was the son of God and had enough faith would be healed. (John 4:43-54 King James Bible) Jesus was a very wise man because he studied the gospels, he spent many hours in prayer, and he also went to the tabernacles to learn and to preach and to heal those in need of healing. Mark 1:21-28, Luke 4:31-37) Jesus was a very compassionate man and when people who had the faith would cry out to him for healing he would heal them because their faith was very strong. An example of this would be when Jesus had left the city of Jericho he had a mass following of people traveling with him when they had come upon two blind men. The blind men heard the crowd and asked what was going on and once they were told they had cried out to Jesus to not pass them by and to please heal them of their blindness.The crowd that was following Jesus tried to rebuke them because they figured the blind men weren’t worthy enough for a healing or they just did not want the blind men t o bother Jesus, but the blind men cried out to Jesus in persistence because they believed and had the faith to know that Jesus could heal them, Jesus then called out to the blind men and asked what they wanted and they had said they wanted their eye sight back, so Jesus seeing that they had the faith told them to arise and that because of their faith they were healed and could see again. Once the Blind men were healed they followed Jesus and were glorifying God. Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43 King James Bible) Jesus was wise in the ways that he taught his parables. For example in (Luke 10:25-42 King James Bible), a man who was an expert in the law decided to test Jesus by asking him â€Å"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? † Jesus then said to the man, â€Å"What is written in the law? How do you read it? The man answered â€Å"Though shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind; and they neighbors as thyself. Jes us then said to the man â€Å"Thou has answered right: this do and thou shalt live.Again the man wanted to justify himself so he asked Jesus â€Å"Who is my neighbor? † Jesus then replied to him with a story about a man who had come from Jerusalem to Jericho and ran into some thieves who stripped the man of his clothes and beat him half to death and then left. The man who had been beaten lay on the ground and had been passed by two people who looked at him and left without helping the man. A third man â€Å"The Good Samaritan† came by and saw the wounded man on the ground and had left but came back with supplies to clean the wounded man and bandage him up. Then the Good Samaritan took him to an inn to take care of him.The next day the good Samaritan man got up and before he left, he gave the inn keeper money and told the inn keeper and told him to take care of the wounded man and that any extra money that the inn keeper has to use he will repay him once he returns. Th en once Jesus was finished with the story he said to the man who was and expert in the law â€Å"Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? â€Å" The man then said â€Å"He that shewed mercy on him. † Then Jesus said â€Å"Go and do thou Likewise. † One of the attributes I believe I have fully developed would be Judgment.I may not always use the best judgment at all times, but I feel that my judgment is usually sensible and thought out as sensible as I can make it. When something comes up that I have to use my judgment for, I try to sit and think it through as much as possible to find the best possible outcome for the solution. I feel that I would need to fully develop all of the attributes discussed in chapter 10 of the reading. These are things that every person has to learn throughout their lives and will continue to develop through the years. Reference (Bumgardener & Crothers, 2009) (King James Bible)

Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle Essay

Every day the people in this nation zoom around in their busy lives. People cut corners to save time and often take the easy route in many tasks. Sometimes by cutting these corners, an impact can be made on the world around us and the people we love. Eating is just one of the many things that people forget to take care of. Food is the foundation to our bodies. Food is what keeps people going and fuels them to do what they need to do. In 337 BC, Hippocrates stated, â€Å"Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.† Most of the food people consume is not good for them. Poor nutrition is damaging and causes mood swings, behavioral issues, problems in growth development, cancer, sickness, disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and the list goes on. The artificial fillers, colors, dyes, excess salts and sugars in food cause the body to break down. This deterioration of the body leads to many types of ailments. People need to stop eating fast foods, genetically modified foods, processed and refined foods. It is killing the people in this country day after day. It is severely important to eat healthy nutritious foods. â€Å"A poorly nourished child will fail to grow properly; a poorly nourished adult will have a decreased resistance to infection and disease (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2008).† The body needs a certain amount of vitamins and minerals to stay functioning properly on a daily basis and to keep sickness out. If people do not start eating and living healthier, sickness and chronic disease will only increase and continue to occur. 45% of Americans have at least one chronic condition and 26% of the population has two or more conditions (AACC, 2009). Poor eating habits are being passed down to children and these habits are going to be detrimental to our communities and to this nation. Eating nutritious organic fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes (beans) will prevent and diminish many health issues as well as maintain a healthy body and mind. In the past 3 decades, there has been significant increase in hyperactive beh avior, ADD and ADHD in children. A 3% increase per year has been recorded from 1997 to 2006 and a 5.5% increase from 2003 to 2007 (CDC, 2011). In America today, 5.2 million children are diagnosed with ADHD and 63% of those children are currently taking medication as a treatment (CDC, 2011). Fast foods, processed foods, candy, soda, chips and pizza are all attributing factors for hyperactive behavior. Research has linked food additives, dyes and poor nutrition with behavioral issues. The debate continues over the actual cause of hyperactivity however, a solid body of evidence points to food additives, allergic reactions to food and excess sugar in the diet. Food additives cause adverse responses that a child’s natural body is incapable of warding off. Aggressive behavior and restlessness will occur in a child when refined carbohydrates and sugars are present (Kirschman, 2007). Good eating habits are critical for the proper growth and development of a child. Studies have proved that removing artificial additives from a child’s diet will provide a substantial improvement on one’s behavior. One study demonstrated a 70% behavioral improvement after just 5 weeks (Stevenson, 2010). People need to take more care when making choices on what to feed their kids. Children also need to be educated on the effects of a poor diet. This will help them to become conscious adults and less likely to develop chronic diseases. Junk food filled with empty calories, sugars, salts and fats are like drugs to children. Their bodies are not developed enough to handle this sort of distortion in body activity. Food is medicine. Therefore, the body requires proper nutrition to function correctly. There will be a considerable increase in risk of chronic disease in upcoming generations if poor eating habits are not addressed starting at a young age (AACC, 2009). The World Health Organization (WHO) has been compiling information since 1989 about the direct link between poor nutrition and chronic disease. The WHO has concluded that there is a growing epidemic of chronic illness. Evidence has shown a direct relationship between poor diet and unhealthy lifestyles. America has been a world leader in the areas of technology, medical and scientific research, and higher education for generations. However, as people spent billions of dollars and millions of man-hours solving the crises of infectious diseases around the world, a more silent and deadly crisis grew; chronic illness (Rose, 2011). Obesity is the most prevalent of all chronic diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2010, overweight and obesity counted for one third of the adult population. Overweight and obesity can lead to chronic illnesses like hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, respiratory problems and some cancers. U nfortunately some aspects of appetite come from an emotional nature, often times not feeding the body but feeding the need for love and comfort (Kirschman, 2007). Other factors include hormonal malfunction, emotional tension, boredom, habit or malnutrition. â€Å"According to a June 23, 2011 report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, participants gained weight with the intake of potato chips, potatoes, sweetened beverages, unprocessed red meats and processed meats. They lost weight with the intake of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and nuts (Rose, Para 9, 2011).† Additives and preservatives take the place of nutrients and minerals removed from the original food sources. Even though processed food may taste good, it is lacking all the beneficial nutrients needed to nourish the body, maintain blood sugar levels, and ensure proper digestion. Our bodies store all the things that our digestive systems cannot process therefore making more fat tissue which contributes to obesity (Rose, 2011). Statistics show that people who are average weight will live longer, have more energy and feel better overall. A well-balanced, whole foods diet high in all essential nutrients and absent of offending substances will result in healt hy body, healthy mind and healthy body weight (Kirschman, 2007). People need to realize just how serious the consequences are related to poor diet. Conscious living and healthy eating habits are essential to a healthy, long life free from ailments and chronic illness. It is never too late to start making a change. The time has come for the people of this nation to take control of their lives. People need to stop making choices based on how they feel and from what they see when they wake up and step out into the world each morning. Changes in diets and lifestyles have occurred through industrialization, urbanization and economic development. These changes have impacted what people chose to eat as well as their activity levels (WHO, 2002). There has been a significant impact on the health and nutritional status of our population. The access to food has increased and diversified and this direction is not beneficial. The more people evolve and find new technologies; the sicker, the bigger and more in debt people become. These changes in dietary and lifestyle patterns; chronic illness including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and some types of cancer are becoming increasingly significant causes of disability and premature death. This places additional burdens on already overtaxed national health budgets (WHO, 2002). Expressing the importance for changing the way people consume food is tough but the consequences of poor diet outweigh any sort of excuse. People’s minds are being filled with attraction to the wrong types of food. People need to take charge of their habits and recognize the importance of adopting a healthier lifestyle. This society needs to stop overeating and consuming overloaded amounts of non-nutritious foods. Food may look and taste absolutely delicious, but that does not mean it has the same satisfying benefit to our bodies. People need to start making choices that matter over the ones that feel good in the moment. This is needed for the well-being of every person in this nation. Food is a person’s foundation and without consuming it properly; a long life of sickness awaits. When people fuel their bodies with proper nutrients it is virtually impossible to get cancers and other chronic diseases. If a person’s body is balanced; when a person nourishes all their systems and all the functions of the body are intact, sickness is powerless (Gerson, 2012). The University of Berkeley, California (2008) writes that one of the biggest preventative measures in avoiding disease is to quit smoking, reduce your blood cholesterol, avoid hypertension, stay active, maintain a healthy weight, avoid diabetes, and balance alcohol consumption. In fewer words, eat healthy and stay active. Testing shows that vitamins A, C, E, B3 and B6 prevent the growth of cancer cells. They stimulate the body’s immune system and act as free-radical scavengers. Free radicals are chemicals produced by the body when exposed to harmful elements such as food and drink contaminants, rancid fats or air pollution. Lipotropes, which prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver, protect the cells from the transformation to cancer cells. Free radicals damage parts of the human cell, especially DNA (a hereditary material present in nearly every cell in the human/animal body) and RNA (similar to DNA except that it is a single stranded molecule). DNA and RNA direct the actions of each cell. Once this process is disturbed by free radicals (poor nutrition), cancer and other chronic disease can develop. (Kirschman, 2007) The result of poor diet, lack of nutritious foods, and absence of activity will result in sickness, disease and chronic illness. People can prevent these things from happening by making simple changes in the way they live their lives. Avoid junk foods like candy and chips. Soda and manufactured juices that pose as being healthy, reduced in calories/sugar or low in fat can be replaced with water. A juicer is also a great investment. An assorted variety of colorful fruits and vegetables can be mixed into a juice extractor which can substitute for a snack or fill the desire for a delicious beverage. Juice from natural juicing requires little digestion and goes directly into the body system Haynes, 2012). It is beneficial to the earth, to communities and to this nation to grow food locally; to purchase food locally. People need to include a large range of fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans and nuts in their diets. It is vital to eat these foods in their most natural and unprocessed forms. Pesticides, chemicals and hormones added in foods can alter the capabilities of the nourishment naturally presented (Kirschman, 2007). This nation needs to step out of consumerism and go back to the basics of eating. Humans are gatherers (herbivores) and meant to eat foliage. People do not have enough land, time or money to consume at the level they are devouring (Andrews, 2009). â€Å"A meat-cancer connection has been reported in over 100 epidemiological studies from numerous countries with assorted food habits. Diets can be healthy when including moderate amounts of meat from healthy source s. Yet, unlike plants, which we can’t live without, we don’t need meat to survive (Andrews, 2009).† If people were to provide their bodies with nutrient packed fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans, chronic illness, disease and sickness could be diminished. According to the National Center of Health Statistics, 65.2% of American adults are overweight and obese because of poor nutrition (CDC, 2010). That is just one result of this chronic issue. With eating conscious, people can eliminate the risk of developing a sickness or having different types of chronic illness. Eating crunchy peppers, carrots, apples, celery, nuts or radishes can be consumed as a snack instead of chips and candy. Water should be substituted for all sodas and commercial juices. Boil and steam fruits and vegetables instead of frying them. Eat them raw or juice them in a juicing machine. Foods that are fried, processed, genetically modified and refined tend to lose of their nutritional value thus destroying the body. Too much sugar stored in the body basically just turns into fat. Excess fat stored in the body and the lack of energy from poor nutrition can cause people to become inactive. To avoid all of this the answer is very simple. Eating healthy is imperative to one’s health. Nutritious, mineral and vitamin packed food must be consumed to keep the body functioning properly. People need to take care in what is being served on their dinner tables. People need to be conscious and aware of what they are choosing at the grocery store. People need to watch their portions and take care in the way their foods are being cooked. Chronic illness and sickness can be prevented by eating healthy. If people take the steps and watch the way they consume food they would live longer, disease free lives. If they take care in what they are eating there would be less sickness, disease and debt in our nation. References American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC). (2009). July 2009 Clinical Laboratory News: Rates of Chronic Disease Expected to Rise Sharply. Clinical Laboratory News, 35(7). Retrieved from http://www.aacc.org/publications/cln/2009/july/Pages/newsbrief0709.aspx# Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). (2011). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Behavior (ADHD). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html/ Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). (2010). Overweight and Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html/ Columbia University Press. (2008). The Columbia Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://lib.kaplan.edu/login?url=/login?qurl=http://www.credoreference.com.lib.kaplan.edu/entry/columency/nutrition Gerson, C. [gersoninstitute]. (The Gerson Institute). (2012, April 24). Charlotte Gerson at the Rock Church’s Cancer Care Ministry [Video file]. Available from http://youtu.be/WtHujJeEguI Haynes D., Haynes, V. (2012). Health Benefits of Juicing. Retrieved from http://juicerrecipesnow.com/health-benefits-of-juicing/ Kirschman, J., Nutrition Search Inc. (2007). Nutrition Almanac Sixth Addition. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies Rose, C. (2011). Obesity in America. Down to Earth. Retrieved from http://www.downtoearth.org/health/nutrition/obesity-america References (cont.) Stevenson, J. (2010). Recent Research on Food Additives: Implications for CAMH. Child & Adolescent, 15(3, 130-133. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4a239b06-faf5-442b-90fa-f212cc52100d%40sessionmgr12&vid=7&hid=9 University of Berkeley California. (2008). Preventing Heart Disease. Retrieved from http://www.wellnessletter.com/ucberkeley/foundations/preventing-heart-disease/# World Health Organization. (2002). Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Disease. WHO Technical Report Series, 916, 1-160. Retrieved from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/who_trs_916.pdf