Pullman Strikes free essay sample

In 1894, a breakthrough in American labor history was made. This innovation is commonly known as Pullman Strike, where an extensive raid was turned down by the federal government. The strikes impact was enormous and had wedged a great deal of our country resulting in dozens of people being killed in violent clashes. The Pullman Strike was a bitter dispute between workers and company management, it also had played a great part in the labor movement. The corruption began with George W. Pullman. Pullman was born in 1831, in upstate New York. His father was a carpenter, which later lead to Pullman learning carpentry himself. In the 1850’s, Pullman moved to Chicago and during the Civil War, he began building a newer kind of passenger car that soon became popular on the railroads. George Pullmans goal was to create an environment that was different compared to urban neighborhoods that he saw as a danger to Americas y industrializing society. We will write a custom essay sample on Pullman Strikes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For a long period of time, Pullman’s company flourished. People had come internationally to see his work. However, this era of success and popularity soon ended during the Panic of 1893. During this time, a financial depression swept across the United States. Because of the bad economy, Pullman cut the wages of workers to on-third and then refused to cut down the rents in company housing. In response to Pullman’s decision, the A. R. U. (American Railway Union) called to for a strike at the Pullman Palace Car Company complex. Being the local branches of the union called for a total of 150,000 members, the strike spread nationwide. In response to the strikes, George Pullman decided to close the plant in an attempt to wait out his workers. When he did this, the A. R. U. called the attention on the national membership. This then contributed to the union’s national convention to call for a vote. The vote was in the majority that they would refuse to work on any train in the country that contained a Pullman car. Because of this boycott, the nations passenger rail came to a standstill. Along with this, the Railway Union managed to gain 260,000 workers across the country to join in favor of the workers. As the controversy spread, the government decided it was time to take action. One US attorney general in particular was determined to put an end to the nationwide dispute, Richard Olney. Finally on July 12, 1894, the federal government got court orders to end the strikes. At that time, President Grover Cleveland sent to enforce this ruling. Once the federal troops arrived in Chicago, riots broke out. The damages outcome came out to be a total of 26 civilians killed, 57 wounded, and the burning of a rail yard. One of the leading activists in favor of the strikes, Eugene V. Debs, was portrayed as one of the dangerous radical leading an insurrection against the â€Å"American way of life†. Eventually, Debs was arrested and charged with violating court injunction and was sentenced to six months in federal prison. One of the things Debs did to pass time in prison would be reading the works of Karl Marx and becoming a committed radical. After the strikes had been put to an end, it was clear that Pullman’s unpopular labor clearly would have a negative effect on his future reputation. George Pullman died on October 18, of 1897 of a heart attack. In fact, because George Pullman had so many people who hated him, he was buried at night in Graceland Cemetery in a lead -lined coffin with a reinforced steel-and-cement vault. On top of all this, more cement had to be poured over his body as well to prevent his body from being desecrated and exhumed by the many labor activists who wanted a form of revenge on Pullman. Overall, the Pullman strikes began small when wages were being cut and then spread nationwide rapidly and eventually played a vital role in the labor movement. This dispute between workers, company management, and George Pullman could be seen as a quarrel that leaned more towards the source of violence in the end but it has left a great deal of influence on our country today.

Using the Statistical Analysis Essay Sample

Using the Statistical Analysis Essay SampleThe subject of the statistical analysis essay sample will vary according to the type of position. For example, a professor may need a dissertation with a basic introduction and some examples of how it is used, but this can be a little more specific, while an accounting executive may need a sample chapter, which highlights how the essay topic can be used to solve a problem.Writing a statistical analysis essay should be easy to accomplish. However, some people find it difficult, particularly if they do not know how to write a persuasive essay. A comprehensive essay might be daunting to a layperson.There are various ways to approach writing a statistical analysis essay. The first is to use just words. Many people just write a few paragraphs describing the whole concept and then explain what a single example would look like. This method is very vague and often leads to a poor understanding of statistical principles.In addition, this method does not always allow the writer to express their own ideas clearly, as it is also the writer's responsibility to convey information clearly. The second method is to include words in order to develop ideas further, but also be aware that this might cause a reader to lose interest in the essay.The third method is to combine the two previous methods. Instead of simply giving a few sentences about what one might have done, then explaining how it is relevant to the particular essay you are writing, include some vocabulary words in the middle. Then, the sentence on the following page will show how each word is related to the concept you have discussed previously. You should then be able to give a detailed explanation of the result of the system.The statistical analysis essay sample might also include statistics. The key to understanding this part of the essay is to learn about statistics and how it works. If the reader does not understand what is happening in the background, they will not be able to make sense of the written material. It is important to remember that the goal of any essay is to achieve maximum understanding for the reader.The statistical analysis essay sample should contain examples in the front of the essay. The writer should start by providing a brief overview of what they have written, then give a short explanation of the underlying concepts. Then, they should use examples to illustrate the ideas they have just discussed.Finally, the essay sample should contain a conclusion. If the essay is lengthy, this should also include a summary of the points made. There should be no errors in the text, as this is the sole purpose of the sample essay. Having complete sentences, clear thoughts, and a compelling ending will make any reader feel as though they were really able to grasp the idea behind the essay.

Poverty And Social Structure Essays - Homelessness, Housing

Poverty And Social Structure Essays - Homelessness, Housing Poverty And Social Structure Pitzak, Chris Soc. 422 Dr. Heaton May 17, 1999 POVERTY AND SOCIAL STRUCTURES Although the United States is one of the richest countries in the world many of it's people sleep in the streets, dig through garbage cans to find food, and carry all that they own in this world on their backs or in shopping carts. These people are known as the homeless. Recently I had the opportunity of helping, and at the same time being educated by one of the members of this unfortunate group. I was able to experience first hand how a homeless person thinks and feels through an intimate means of communications popularly known as writing notes. Why writing notes? Because the individual that I invited into my home and fed was both deaf and mute. He was male, middle aged, and of African American decent. Needless to say it was a conversation unlike any I have ever had. In this paper, I plan to detail the observations I made during our interaction, specifically addressing how social structures form a key element in both the lives of the affluent and indigent. I met Reggie through some of my friends. He was homeless and in need of help. One night he knocked on my door and wrote on his piece of paper, may I come in? I nodded affirmatively and motioned him to have a seat on the couch. After retrieving a pad of paper and pen, we began to communicate. We began with a couple of trivial questions and then I asked if he would like something to eat. He responded by writing yes please on his pad of paper and I quickly prepared some of the food we had in our refrigerator. As he ate, I asked him about himself and how he had arrived at the position he was currently in. He said he was from Virginia and was Mormon. He had been baptized there and learned that there were a large number of Mormons in Utah, and for that reason decided to move to out here. He had a car and so he packed his few belongings and came out to live with a people who had the love of Christ and would be more accepting. He obtained a minimum wage job and even a small apartment. Things seemed to be going good. After a short period of time Reggie lost his job because he missed too many days without notifying his employer, a result of his genetic disabilities, and shortly after could not pay rent. At the time I talked with him he was living in his old beat up car, trying to find a meal. Why did Reggie find himself in this impoverish state, and why was he unable to climb out of it? I believe it is largely because of social structures, namely his networks. When individuals form networks or groups they tend to associate with those who are like them. Equity theory explains this by claiming that people are most satisfied with a relationship when the ratio between benefits and contributions is similar for both partners. This would infer that networks would exist between those within a specific class but not across classes. By forming associations with those of equitable status, the rich form a very supportive network and the poor form a network that can sympathize with their situation at best. Networks are vital to class mobility in that they are critical in molding life chances, providing

Bordetella pertussis (bacterium)

Bordetella pertussis (bacterium) Bordetella pertussis is the bacterium that causes pertussis, otherwise known asor whooping cough . Despite vaccination, incidence of pertussis cases have been growing over the last two decades. Current vaccines lack the ability to give long-lasting immunity and must be improved. Complement evasion molecules would make good candidates for vaccine components, because the complement system is essential in the killing of B. pertussis. The complement system is a first line of defense against colonization of bacteria in host tissue. Many bacteria employ complement inhibitors or attract human complement inhibitors to their surface. B. pertussis is no exception on this, however not much is known about the way B. pertussis evades the complement system . Prior to this study a few potential complement inhibitors of B. pertussis were identified. In this study we seek to characterize these proteins in a series of functional immune assays. Under these experimental conditions, we were not able to determine the function of the potential complement evasion molecules. BACKGROUND Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative bacterium and the causative agent of pertussis, also called whooping cough. Pertussis is a human-restricted disease of the respiratory tract and highly contagious ( en is dit zo? REF). Regular bouts of coughing produce airborne droplets through which B. pertussis can be transmitted (Jongerius et al. 2014). The disease was on the verge of eradication due to worldwide vaccination, but has been re-emerging in the last two decades. In 2008 there were 16 million cases of pertussis globally as estimated by the World Health Organisation. Possible explanations for the re-emergence are waning of immunity – since in the 1990s a different vaccine was introduced giving less enduring protection – or bacterial strain adaption (Mooi et al. 2014). Like many pathogens B. pertussis developed strategies to evade or repress the host response for successful colonization (REF). Little is known about the mechanisms by which B. pertussis escapes clearanc e by the complement system, a first line of defense in the immune response. Identification and characterization of these immune evasion molecules may lead to the discovery of new targets for anti-inflammatory drugs or new components for vaccines. Here, we try to characterize several potential complement inhibitors of B. pertussis, identified by phage display and genome analysis. Bordetella pertussis virulence factors B. pertussis expresses a variety of virulence factors that enable the bacteria to colonize the upper respiratory tract. The transcription of the majority of these virulence factors are regulated by the activity of the proteins BvgA and BvgS. BvgAS is a two-component system that controls gene expression in response to changing environmental conditions, such as temperature (Fedele et al. 2014). After inhalation the bacteria adhere to the ciliated epithelial cells of the larynx, trachea and bronchi, where they produce secreted toxins and membrane-bound molecules that contribute to the adherence (REF). The toxins damage the mucous layer of the respiratory tract, contributing to the pathogenesis of pertussis. For example tracheal cytotoxin (TCT) is proposed to cause ciliostasis, impairment of ciliary movement, which may explain the intense coughing that characterizes pertussis, as a way to clear excessive mucus (Jongerius et al. 2014). Other secreted toxins include pertussis toxin (PT) an d adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT), which are toxic to host cells including neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes (Jongerius et al. 2014 ). Successful colonization is both dependent on the capacity to adhere to cells in the respiratory tract and the ability to ward off the immune response. PT and ACT both repress the immune response by targeting airway resident macrophages and neutrophil recruitment to the airways (Carbonetti et al. 2010). The membrane-bound adhesins include fimbriae (Fim), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) and pertactin (PRN), which in addition to facilitating the first step of infection are also suggested to suppress the initial inflammatory response to the infection (Melvin et al. 2014). For example, FHA-deficient Bordetella strains were shown to induce an increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17, and increased recruitment of neutrophils to the site of infection when compared to wild-type bacteria (Henderson et al. 2012). In addition to the i mmunomodulating properties of B. pertussis virulence factors, direct binding to components of the immune system, such as the complement system, is accomplished in order to reduce or inhibit the host immune response. This essential step in bacterial pathogenesis is called immune evasion (Rooijakkers et al. 2005). B. pertussis is known to express a small variety of proteins that affect complement-mediated killing: tracheal colonization factor (Tcf), Bordetella resistance to killing A (BrkA) and the autotransporter Vag8 (Jongerius et al. 2014). The complement system The complement system is part of innate immunity and an important host defense mechanism against invading pathogens. The complement system consists of approximately 40 proteins and is present in blood and mucosal tissue, such as the lining of the lungs where they interfere with colonization of bacteria. The system can be initiated through three different pathways: the classical (CP), the lectin (LP) and the alternative pathway (AP). All pathways lead to a cascade of several protein-protein interactions and proteolytic steps leading to cleavage of C3 and C5 in biologically active components. C3a and C5a are able to attract inflammatory cells to the site of infection and activate them. C3b is another cleavage product of C3 and when deposited on the microbial surface stimulates bacterial uptake by phagocytes in a mechanism called opsonization. Besides opsonization and recruitment of phagocytes the complement system can also directly kill bacteria by forming pores into the microbial memb rane and inducing lysis. The pore-forming heteromer is called the membrane attack complex (MAC) and is composed of C5b, C6, C7, C8 and C9. The classical pathway gets activated with binding of antibodies to the microbial surface. IgM or IgG bind to the first complement component C1q, which results in activation of serine proteases that cleave C2 and C4 which in turn form C4b2a, a C3 convertase. The same C3 convertase is formed upon activation through the lectin pathway, in which mannose-binding lectin-associated serine proteases cleave C4 and C2 upon binding of lectin to mannose on the bacterial surface. No specific signal is needed for the alternative pathway to form another C3 convertase: C3bBb, comprising of spontaneously hydrolyzed C3, or C3b generated by the CP/LP, and factor B that is activated by factor D. The C3 convertases (C4b2a and C3bBb) switch to C5 convertases in response to high levels of C3b deposition on the bacterial surface (Jongerius et al. 2007). The complement s ystem does not only directly or indirectly kill bacteria but also has a role in regulating adaptive immunity. Besides regulating B-cell immunity, complement-mediated signaling directly stimulates and modulates T-cell responses (Jongerius et al. 2014) and promotes antigen processing by antigen-presenting cells (Serruto et al. 2010), indirectly influences T-cell activation. On the downside, over-activation or lack of down-regulation of the complement system can result in systemic inflammation during sepsis (Jongerius et al. 2007) and autoimmune diseases when host cells are recognized as non-self and damaged by complement activation (Meri et al. 2013). Complement evasion by Bordetella pertussis In order to survive and successfully colonize the host the bacteria must have strategies to evade the early immune response. It seems especially necessary for B. pertussis to prevent complement activation because it does not express antigen O (Marr et al. 2011). Antigen O is the chain of repetitive oligosaccharides of the lipopolysaccharides in the membrane of most Gram-negative bacteria and works as a protective shield. The Bordetella strains B. parapertussis and B. bronchoseptica express liposaccharide containing this O-antigen, but despite being more virulent B. pertussis lacks O-antigen in its cell wall. B. pertussis expresses a different kind of surface polysaccharide called Bps (Bordetella pertussis polysaccharide) which seems to provide serum resistance, since Bps mutant strains were more sensitive to complement-mediated killing then wild type bacteria (Ganguly et al. 2014). In addition to polysaccharides B. pertussis is known to express several other complement evasion molecu les. Mutants lacking Bordetella autotransporter protein-C (BapC) were less resistant to serum killing, although the mechanism of resistance is yet to be identified (Noofeli et al. 2011). Another autotransporter of B. pertussis, Bordetella resistance to killing A (BrkA) that promotes attachment of the bacteria to human cells, is involved in complement evasion as well (Jongerius et al. 2014). Studies have shown that BrkA reduces C3 and C4 deposition and inhibits formation of MAC (Barnes et al. 2001). BrkA did not affect C1 deposition levels, suggesting BrkA only inhibits the classical pathway however the precise mechanism remains unknown (Barnes et al. 2001). Besides binding to complement components and thereby inhibiting their action by proteolysis or inducing conformational changes, bacteria can also employ a different strategy: to recruit and activate human complement inhibitors. The main regulators of the classical pathway are C4b-binding protein (C4BP) that B. pertussis binds to its surface with filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) (Berggard et al. 2001), and C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-inh) recruited by B. pertussis autotransporter Vag8 (Marr et al. 2011). Factor H (fH) regulates the activity of the alternative pathway. The AP does not need a specific signal, making every unprotected surface vulnerable; therefore bacteria need to evade this pathway. Many bacteria do so by binding fH via a common binding site, forming a tripartite complex consisting of the microbial receptor, C3b and fH (Meri et al. 2013). This complex inhibits the opsonizing actions of C3b (Meri et al. 2013) and thereby protects the bacteria against phagocytosis. Recent studies show that B. pertussis binds fH at domain 20 (the common binding site) while fH remains its inhibiting properties (Amdahl et al. 2010), but a particular B. pertussis protein that binds fH has not been identified yet. Pertussis vaccines The whole cell pertussis (wP) vaccine was introduced in the 1950, efficiently lowering the cases of pertussis, which was the leading cause of child death before introduction of the vaccine. Unfortunately the vaccine was causing a lot of unwanted side effects in children. This had lead to introduction of an acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine, comprising of just several antigens. Although this vaccine provides a sufficient level of protection for infants to severe pertussis, the incidence of pertussis in adults has been increasing since the introduction of the aP vaccine in the 1990s (Mooi et al. 2013). More awareness and better diagnostics contribute to this increase in pertussis cases, but moreover the protection given by the aP is short-lived. Immunity generated by the wP vaccine is mediated largely by T-helper 1 cells (Th1), whereas aP vaccination results in antibodies that induce Th2 and Th17 responses. Natural immunity is associated with Th1 cells, and hence IFN- production, as is seen in children recovering from whooping cough (Higgs et al. 2012). The adaptive immunity provided by aP vaccination is mainly humoral, promoted by Th2 cells that seem to be less efficient than Th1 cells in clearing B. pertussis infections (Higgs et al. 2012). In addition the provided immunity by aP vaccination is not lasting as long as the wP (Mooi et al. 2014). This occurrence of waning immunity is proposed to be the main cause of re-emergence of infections with B. pertussis. In addition, there is evidence the bacteria have been genetically adapting to the aP vaccines, caused by antigenic variation and selection pressure. In The Netherlands, France, Finland and Japan there are strains circulating that do not express FHA, PT and PRN, components of the aP vaccine used in these countries (Mooi et al. 2014). Future vaccines should be improved by, for example, adding other antigen preparations to provide long-lasting immunity, and additionally to strengthen the immune response. By st rengthening innate immunity, the immune system will be able to directly eliminate the bacteria, preventing transmission and therefore also strain adaptation. The use of complement evasion molecules as vaccine targets would allow faster complement activation upon infection with B. pertussis. In this study we look to identify and characterize such attractive vaccine component candidates. Prior studies Prior to this characterization study a secretome phage display was constructed (Fevre et al. 2014). This phage display was used to identify potential immune evasion molecules. Phage display is the technique of expressing proteins on the surface of a bacteriophage. A phage library comprises of several phage clones that express different proteins, which retain their original shape and behavior. This allows selection of the displayed proteins based on affinity, with successive rounds of selection to identify proteins with high affinity for the selected targets. Secretome phage display, based on whole-genome phage display, is tailored for identification of immune evasion molecules with only secretome proteins being displayed. The bacterial secretome is the collection of all secreted and surface-bound proteins (Fevre et al. 2014). Phage display was performed for the secretome of Bordetella pertussis, with 3 rounds of selection and 7Ãâ€"107 phage clones. The phages were targeted on six co mponents of the complement system: alternative pathway regulating factor H (fH), the opsonin C3b and C3 together with C5 (the two mixed) and C8 together with C9. After the third round there were five hits: BP0069, BP3355, BP0173, BP1251 and fhaC. Supposedly BP1251 and fhaC seem to bind C8 and/or C9, BP0069 binds factor H and BP0173 and BP3355 are suggested to bind a mix of complement components. Analyzing information on chemical parameters (see table 1), gene alignment and genomic context (provided by NCBI Gene, NCBI Protein, BLAST and ExPASy ProtParam) might provide some clues of the functional properties of the proteins, but their complete function is yet unknown. BP0069 is a 43 kD protein which is 97% identical to ABC transporters from B. bronchispetica and around 30% identical to TRAP transporters from several bacteria species, both are transmembrane transporters for nutrients intake. BP3355 is a 18 kDa hypothetical protein, that has no evident homologues. BP0173 is a 24 kD hypothetical protein and BP1251 is a 26 kD putative toxin.

The Fight for Protecting Women Rights in 1700-1877 Research Paper - 1

The Fight for Protecting Women Rights in 1700-1877 - Research Paper Example Feminism, in the modern socio-political and philosophical domain, has been provided with special attention from every discipline of sociological studies. However, there is no denying that in order to evaluate the position of feminism as a poignant socio-political and philosophical discipline it is also important to acknowledge the history of women activism as well as the gradual process of development of the movement that was gradually germinating since late 16th century. Compared to the recent situation of women in civilized world they were tremendously challenged and consequently oppressed in the context of â€Å"expressing themselves in a patriarchal system that generally refused to grant merit to women's views.†1 One of the greatest feminist thinkers of all time, Simone de Beauvoir, in her essay â€Å"The Second Sex,† while attempted to evaluate the position of women in the traditional patriarchal system said that a woman in terms of patriarchal judgment is nothing but a womb, a mere organism for child production2. She also has specified that every time women have proved their existence as equal to their male counterparts in terms of merit and capacity of accomplishment the same system has declared that â€Å"they are not women, although they are equipped with a uterus like the rest.†3 It is clear from these observations that women in hands of the traditional social patriarchy are considered as mere instruments of sensuality, objects of attaining physical pleasure, an organic manifestation of sensuality and above all they are regarded as organisms without individual identity and human entity. The patriarchy has always denied acknowledging the humane attributes of a woman. The male-dominated social system always faced difficulty to share its monopolistic position with female counterparts and by denying humane attributes or entity of women they actually aimed at oppressing women for its selfish  benefits.

Managing Internationally across Business Systems Assignment

Managing Internationally across Business Systems - Assignment Example In this context, ACR engages a sort of a specific as well as a discrete financial transaction. It is regarded as a contract that is related to expected capabilities of mankind that enhances the trading activities between the involved parties at every possible occasion. The contract possesses certain vital rules that are quite normative in nature as well as settlements amid the involved parties that assist them to make a particular economic transaction successful. On the other hand, OCR signifies the engagement of contracts economically on the basis of trading of services and goods. In OCR, the transactions of activities between two parties take place without any initial settlements of conditions in order to perform trade. It has been apparently observed that transactional dependence is quite lower in the case of ACR owing to the reason that both buyer and sellers are competing with one another in trading activities by taking into concern certain major aspects that include economies o f scale and cost of transaction among others. The terms as well as the conditions of the contracts within the circumstance of ACR are written and substantive in nature and takes place with varieties of procedures such as bidding and negotiation (Sako, 1992). In case of OCR, the buyers are observed to provide securities to limited suppliers. Moreover, the bidding process might not take place in OCR due to higher transactional dependence between the buyers and the sellers. The suppliers within the background of OCR tend to begin necessary activities based on oral communication with the parties prior to the attainment of the written orders (Sako, 1992). 1. Advantages and Disadvantages With regard to determine the advantages as well as the disadvantages of the particular sub-contracting system relating to the case of Tombow, it can be stated that the pencil company typically follows the sub-contracting system of ACR (Harvard Business School, 1993). Advantages The advantages of the parti cular sub-contracting system i.e. ACR relating to the case of Tombow can be identified in the form of outsourcing of products that can be considered as a chief determinant for the company. One of the significant advantages of ACR that can be recognized in the case is that it facilitated the company towards reducing manufacturing costs and made the company to pay much more emphasize upon minimizing the expenditures related to marketing as well as sales promotion and product development among others. These facets ultimately made Tombow to sell quality products in the business markets at a cheaper rate. Moreover, development in various products of the company and avoiding delays in delivery periods can also be considered the other decisive advantages of the sub-contracting system i.e. ACR in the case of Tombow. In relation to outsourcing of products, the risk of competition also gets reduced as the suppliers depend largely upon the business as well as the export markets of a company su ch as Tombow due to the effect of the

Philosophy of Childhood and the Politics of Subjectivity :: Children Papers

Philosophy of Childhood and the Politics of Subjectivity The Western onto-theological tradition has long been preoccupied with two symbolizations of childhood. One conceives of it as an original unity of being and knowing, an exemplar of completed identity. The other conceives of childhood as deficit and danger, an exemplar of the untamed appetite and the uncontrolled will. In the economy of Plato and Aristotle’s tripartite self, the child is ontogenetically out of balance. She is incapable of bringing the three parts of the self into a right hierarchal relation based on the domination of reason. In other words, attaining adulthood means eradicating the child. Freud’s reformulation of the Platonic community of self combines the two symbolizations. His model creates an opening for shifting power relations between the elements of the self. He opens the way toward what Kristeva calls the "subject-in-process," a pluralism of relationships rather than an organization constituted by exclusions and hierarchies. After Freud, the chil d comes to stand for the inexpugnable demands of desire. Through dialogue with this child, the postmodern adult undergoes the dismantling of the notion of subjectivity based on domination, and moves toward the continuous reconstruction of the subject-in-process. The Child and the Second Harmony The child first appears in the known ancient texts, not as a beginning, but as an end. She represents the idea of the fulfillment of spiritual growth as a reversal of the life cycle. In the 6th century B.C. Lao Tzu says, "He who is in harmony with the Tao is likea newborn child. It's bones are soft, its muscles are weak, but its grip is powerful. . . The Master's power is like this. He lets all things come and go effortlessly, without desire." (1) Jesus speaks of the attainment of spiritual maturity as "becoming like little children." (2) Plotinus contrasts children with adults, "whose faculty and mental activity are busied upon a multitude of subjects passed quickly over all, lingering on none." Among children, on the other hand, objects "achieve presence," because the child's attention is not "scattered," dispersed in the world of multiplicity. (3) In this grand perennial Western mythos, the child represents an original ontological unity of being and knowing, thought and experience — identity realized. The child is premoral, the realized adult postmoral. The story of the journey from one to the other begins with a Fall into division. It is, as the story goes, a necessary fall, for it inaugurates a psychological and spiritual journey which — if you don't die in the desert of adulthood — promises self-reintegration on a higher level.