Monday 21 May 2012

How to be a Good Wife


Introduction
The most important relationship in this world is the Husband and Wife relationship. Though a saying goes, ‘Relationships are made in heaven’ but the essence of relationship is felt in the Mother Earth. The Husband & Wife relation dates back to the starting of our civilization and since then it has gone through many phases. Apart from bodily attraction, the partnership is of trust, support, acceptance, security to name a few. You may be the most beautiful lady or the most handsome man in the world, but if you cannot survive in a relationship you will be left alone in the world.
Criticism can wipe out a relationship. Don't be on pins and needles on the small matters. Focus on what is vital. Occasionally you will be incorrect. You need to find out how to react to arguments and stay rational so that you can identify and express regret for those circumstances. Human beings habitually take things out on persons, closest to them. The significant thing is recognize this occasion afterwards and resolve them. No one has an indistinguishable set of morals and thinking. What is essential is the spirit to learn and cope with juncture where you just can’t resolve your judgment.
We can distinguish some major factors for wife’s which will help in maintaining a good relationship with their husband and thus maintain a happy and peaceful family.
Qualities of a Good Wife
It is a belief concerning human nature that ‘what you give is what you get in return’. If you are a good wife and treat your Husband right, he would appreciate you, love you and take care of you in return. Below listed are some qualities husband will cherish his wife to have them:
1.      Respect your Husband: If we anticipate respect from other, others anticipate the same too. Respect can also be revealed in the way we talk and behave. Always try to talk in a caring way and abstain from talking in an unsympathetic way. A wife should always value her husband and never desires to humiliate or hurt him in public or in private. It is best to think before talking as it is impossible to withdraw the words later. A good wife will care for her man with admiration in front of other people and at house.
2.      Be Supportive in Nature: A husband expects support and understanding particularly in times of difficulty. A good wife admires her husband through his achievements and provides reassurance when he's feeling down during failures. As an equal partner in the marriage it is vital wife support husband in all phases of his career and life. Do not put down your man or hurt his self-image. There’s no faster way to build bitterness in your husband than to criticize him in front of others. It is very essential to be proud of your man on his achievements and authentically complement him. In doing so, you can expect your partner to behave with you in the similar manner and also value you more for your support and consideration. When you don’t have the same opinion with him, courteously let him know about it.
3.      Good Communication: Communication is the pillar for a good marriage. It is never advisable to hide things on or after your marriage. Honesty is the best policy, for the success of a marriage. Talk with your hubby regularly even if it is for a few minutes. If you allow things to suppress and believe that you cannot divulge it to your husband, then your marriage is in difficulty. When your husband is talking, be a fine listener. You may have much important stuff to tell him but let him talk first. Don’t welcome him with grievances and problems as soon as he comes back home. Good Communication furthermore helps in building trust and strengthens your association. After marriage husband and wife are a team or associates. Do not take any vital decisions about family without discussing with your husband. Brawl or troubles may occur amongst the two but it doesn’t make sense to tell the whole world about it rather than solving it between you.
4.      You need to be pleasant: It is very important that we must treat others the way we want others will treat us. Never be impolite to your husband, family and friends. Be affectionate, kind, constructive, sympathetic and friendly. Never be one of those people who make everybody around feel awful just because they had a bad day. Greet your husband with a smile instead of a sour face. A good wife respects her hubby by maintaining a pleasant tone, a happy smile and a tidy and fresh appearance. If you don’t like how you partner treats you, take a minute to notice how you treat your partner and correct your behavior.
5.      Nagging Attitude: No man appreciates a nagging wife. To get your own way it is advisable to ask him properly. Many wives believe that by merely nagging they can get their things done. But the reality is that your nagging can generate unwanted gap or can create things worse amongst you. Your husband is a mature man with his individual opinion and requirements. Just for the reason that you think he must be doing something particular doesn’t mean he has to do it.
6.      Everybody needs Space: You as a wife require to appreciate that your hubby has an existence other than you as well. He has his relatives, colleagues, and friends who also are elements of his existence. He may also have a number of passions or hobbies he is drawn into.  Never expect his complete attention. Don’t prevent him if he desires to go out and spend time with his friends at times or hook up in a pastime or games that he is fond of. An inquisitive wife can on occasion be too infuriating.
7.      Expressing your Love and admiration: Men like praises and admiration. Make the most excellent of your moment you spent together. Husbands like to listen to the expressions ‘I love you’. Join your hubby in actions that he is interested in despite the fact that you would have favored to do something different. Give him a caring present once in a while. Always remember not to forget the unique days in his life. Indulge him very often, particularly when he is home. You may give him a good rubdown. Making him reliant on you by doing his everyday jobs when he is at home is also not a bad proposal. Let him miss you and imagine about you at times when you are not near. All these gesticulations won’t go unobserved and can even encourage him to do something good for you. Please donot withhold affection.
8.      Never expect the Moon: As neither of you are perfect, both of you needs to keep trying to save your marriage because unfulfilled expectations tend to frustrate us. However, if you both continue working on your marriage, it will always be sheltered, even when one comes up a little short. If your expectations are too high or impractical, then you should set standards that are obtainable. In case you want to spend more together time, be ready to have that wish satisfied at some cost.
9.      Have an active sex life: There are many reasons which may demand caution on shared, jointly experienced sexuality. They may be illness, disability, age, religious, and cultural clashes. This is the most critical area of their marriage and characterizes the tone of their relationship. Most men have profound physical and emotional desires connected with sex, and your keenness to come close to him is often decisive to his happiness and your marital triumph. Without the regular intimate recognition and love that appears from your lovemaking, a man can and will become disappointed, cranky, and ultimately experience from feelings of refusal and even resentment. Remember lovemaking provides a closeness and bodily release that is very important for both.

Conclusion
Though it is vital to be of utmost understanding nature but putting yourself down in front of him is another way of hurting his taste in women. As he is with you, it’s for the reason that he wants to be with you. He will uncover your beauty even if you don’t feel like it. Remember that approach and eagerness are large parts of being sexy. Reduced self-esteem and emptiness in your life are dreadful for marriage. You should make sure; you still have a enjoyable and attractive life.
Recognize that obnoxious relationships are not just man against woman. Similarly, if you feel you are undergoing violent feelings or actions towards your husband then you should seek specialized help and anger management. It is recommended to be aware of each other's ability to get into damaging habits. Keep in mind that positive communication is more likely to get a positive consequence.

Personal Survival Kit

Introduction
A survival kit is a package of essential tools and provisions geared up in advance as a support for continued existence in a crisis circumstances. Survival kits, gives a person basic protection against all odd elements. It facilitates them in keeping warm, provide food and water, meet their first aid needs, signal to rescuers, and help them in finding their way back. Civilians such as forestry employees, inspectors, or bush pilots, whose occupation is in remote site or in regions with intense climatic conditions, are required to be always equipped with survival kits. Disaster provisions are also held in reserve by those living in areas which are prone to earthquakes and other natural disasters.
A lot of people like the camouflage as well as the earthy colors in their survival kit including ropes. Though it is good for military but if civilians are equipping themselves to have a good kit then they should avoid these colors. It is required to be as visible as feasible in order to be noticed by the rescuer. A natural shelter will camouflage it in the background and will create more difficulties for search and rescue operation. If we taped brightly colored tape or reflective material on an element it is easier to search in case we drop or misplace them. This means we can save a lot of time and energy if we expend some time in improving our signals. Survival is a serious affair and a regular update about any eventuality is very much essential. A survival arrangement starts at the pre-trip planning phase, in the case of a planned journey. If we have a personal survival kit and unexpectedly fall into an emergency situation, be certain that our small kit will do the job.
Personal Survival Kit
Having a high-quality personal survival kit on disposal is the safest way to protect ourselves in an unforeseen event. Miniature version of a whole lot of things we need is cleverly packed into a compact container, which means we never have to search somewhere else for the proper items. What makes a personal survival kit better than other is the quality. Not all pack contains food, properly sealed water and batteries. However, it also is essential to look for kits that contain as many products we could have, including light, communication and warmth.
There are many types of survival kits, ranging from small sizes enough to fit into our pocket to large size sufficient to pack a room. It doesn’t matter how big or small a survival kit is it should assure all or most of our needs. One accepted small kit is prepared from an Altoids tin. Users typically put gears like strike anywhere matches, a small folding knife, water purification tablets, adhesive bandages, duct tape, and tinder for starting fires. The tin is often wrapped with 550 paracord. The idea isn’t that this kit will give us all our need to survive for weeks but rather, it gives us at least the essentials to last a night or two.
Another acceptable type of survival kit is described a Get Home Bag. It is usually made from a duffel bag or backpack. While all efforts are made to maintain the lightness of the bag so as to effortlessly carry long distances, the pack is packed with food and gear to last quite a few days. The content list includes items such as granola bars, 550 paracord, a mess kit, dehydrated soups, a portable water filter, a sheath knife and/or machete, and a well stocked first aid kit.
One more category of survival kit is the Evacuation Bag. This kit is held in reserve at home and contains items a family will need in an occasion they are strained to leave home for an uncertain length of time. While comparable in content to a Get Home Bag, there are a small number of additional items that are included. These would be stuff like clothes for all family members and copies of essential papers. The target is to make available all of the family’s needs until such time they are able to come back home.
These Evacuation Bags are not confined to just one duffel bag or backpack. It is suggested that a family prepare separate bags for each and every person who are old enough to carry one bag in an emergency situation. If younger kids are involved, supplies for them can be placed in another family member’s bag thus helping them to move easily with a lighter load. This not only helps to share the load of the complete family Survival Kit, it also brings awareness to the small members of our family during any eventuality. Who knows it may be a kid, due to his/her preparedness rescue an adult. Though younger kids need to share the load of a family survival kit, but it is very much essential that they move with the family members. As the preparedness is a collective effort, it is the responsibility of the head of the family to take regular stock of the kit and involve all members for its utilization. Survival kits come in different shapes and sizes with a common goal to keep us and our families alive until help reach the destination.
Preparedness

Practice makes a man perfect and it is no different in an emergency situation. It helps people feel less confused and better planned even if it is in the middle of the night. We should make sure that our families know where to locate the main circuit breaker, gas, fire extinguishers, and water valves. Select a reunion location where all family members will meet during an emergency. It should be outside the house, in the garden or any other open place. They should carry their survival kit during the monk test. There should be a counting of all the members of the family. If anybody is missing, only the trained person during the emergency should enter to rescue the family member. We need to always update every year our Family Disaster Plan. Check the personal information and telephone numbers of everyone sited in the plan. Print updated copies of all the family members. Check the contents of the emergency kits. Change the batteries in the flashlights and portable radio. Replenish the emergency kits. Change bottled water; make sure that all food is safe to eat and a medication has not expired.




Mini Personal Survival Kit
Signalling group
-
Polished case serves as improvised signal mirror. Polished aluminum tape applied to interior of lid, protected by peel-away sheet.
Emergency devices group
2
Razor knife Blades
1
Spark-Lite Fire starter Flint
5
Spark-Lite "Fire Tab" Tinders
4
Windproof/Waterproof NATO Lifeboat Matches and Striker Strip
1
"Premium" BCB Wire Survival Saw
1
Fishing Kit in plastic vial: 13 asst. hooks, 6 swivels, 5 split shot
50 ft.
20 lb. Fishing Line
1
Extra Large Hook
20 ft.
Brass Snare Wire
1
Fishing Knot Information sheet
1
White narrow-angle Photon Micro-Light II
11in.
Teflon Tube
1
Brunton 15MM Button Compass
Medical group
6
Acetaminophen or similar pain killer, vacuum packed

Critical personal medication, vacuum packed
1
Drug Information Sheet
.6 cc
Potassium Permanganate Crystals in plastic vial
Water & food group
25
Potable-Aqua Iodine Water Disinfectant Tabs in glass vial
2
Large Oven Baking Bags
Miscellaneous / Multi-Purpose Group
9 ft.
550# Mil Spec. Parachute Cord wrapped around kit
2.5 ft.
3M Scotch "Super 33+" Electrical Tape (wrapped around kit to seal it)
10 ft.
Twisted Nylon Line
16 in.
Duct Tape
10 ft.
H.D. Poly/Cotton Sewing Thread
2
Sewing Needles, 1 large, 1 medium
1
Heavy Duty Sewing Awl
7
Safety Pins, 2 each #1, #2 and 3 ea. of #3
5 sq. ft.
H.D. Aluminum Foil
1
Thin Pencil (unsharpened)
2
"Rite in the Rain" paper, 2 x 3 in. sheets
1
Two Piece Tinned Steel Container  3 3/4" x 2 5/16" x 15/16"


Conclusion
Disaster never comes knocking our door, so the better we prepare for it, safer we and our family members are. As day by day Personal Survival Kits have become more and more advance, adequate knowledge and awareness will go a long way in helping us to survive before help actually arrives. It is very essential to have the Personal Survival Kit for all the Family members because in case there is a coordination failure and some members are missing, at least because of the survival kit they should be able to survive for a day or so. With the advent of Global Warming, Emergency preparedness training of all persons in the household is essential, as it is becoming very difficult to predict the Mother Nature. Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods, Earthquake, tsunami and many other calamities always make us feel we can never overpower the Mother Nature, hence all we can do is save ourselves with a little bit of precautions, so as to help our state and country, by giving those extra vital hours before they finally arrive. 

Sunday 20 May 2012

Best way of Reading Bible


Introduction
The Bible is a collection of regional text of Judaism and Christianity. The English word Bible came from the Latin word Biblia and ultimately from Greek ‘the book’. The oldest surviving Bibles are the Greek manuscripts from the 4th century. The Bible was separated into chapters in the 13th century by Stephen Langton who later became Roman Catholic Archbishop. In the 16th century, Robert Estienne, a French printer converted it into verses. The Hebrew Bible is divided into three parts. First, the five books on the teaching or law, comprising the origin of the Israelite nation, its laws and its covenant with the God of Israel. Second, the Prophets, containing the historic account of the ancient Israel. Third, the writing of poetic and philosophical works such as Psalms and the Book of Jobs.
During the three centuries following the establishment of Christianity in the 1st century, Church compiled Gospel accounts and letters of apostles into a Christian Bible which became known as the New Testament. The Christian Bible is separated into two fractions. The first is called the ‘Old Testament’ containing thirty nine books and the second portion is called the ‘New Testament’ containing twenty seven books. The Old and New Testament are commonly referred as ‘The Holy Bible’. The Bible is the best selling book with approximate sales estimated at a staggering 6 billion books.
People are confused about the large number of translated Bibles available. Some are Literal Translations which translate word by word and are very accurate though may be clumsy at times. Those following English, Dynamic Translation are the best as they translate concept by concept but are not as accurate as the Literal translation. For daily Bible reading Paraphrases are preferred as they have a smooth flow and put the Bible into contemporary concept.

How to Read The Bible

The Bible is its own finest teacher.  As the Bible is not arranged like an encyclopedia, hence you cannot get the sequence about God, Jesus, etc. We should remember while reading the Bible, the verses and chapter breaks, are placed in the scriptures by man.
Though it is advised to read the Bible, it has nothing to do with the pompous proclamation that ‘I read through the entire Bible this year’, as an alternative, it should be everything to do with knowing the speech of God and putting it into practice. The first way of thinking is marketing; the other is transforming.
There is no plan which can be depicted as the best way of reading the Bible as it depends on the individual how he/she wants to read the verses. Many recommend reading the Old Testament first and then the New Testament as New Testament is a follow up of the Old Testament. The reasoning behind it is that in the New Testament most of the people are Jews, and Old Testament teaches much about being a Jew, which helps in understanding, why the New Testament people say and do many of the things. As it takes about three to four months to finish reading the Old Testament and the New Testament, it is recommended to go through it the second time for better understanding.
There are many ways to study the Bible. The above method was just one of the recommendation of reading the Old Testament and New Testament thus giving a sequential understanding of the Bible. In more than 120 countries Bible reading has been made very simple by the Scripture Union; Pray; Read; Think and Pray. This particular technique is great for beginners; however, it can be geared in the direction of any level of learning. As we become more comfortable with Bible study, we start to develop our own modus operandi and discover favorite resources that will make our Bible study very personal and meaningful.
Pray    : Request God to unlock His Words for you.
Read   : Begin with the New Testament and read in sequence from Matthew to Revelation. Read about ten to fifteen verses or a chapter.
Think  : Feel about the subject you have read and raise some questions:
What does God say in the passage concerning the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit?
Does the passage educate some important belief about our life?
Are there any command to comply with, a caveat to pay attention to.
Does the passage recommend us to do in our daily situation?
Does it highlight on our professional life, personal life and church involvement?
Pray: Write down a wish to the God on the basis of what we have erudite from our Bible interpretation.
Starting Point while reading
We should start the Scriptures reading with the topic about Jesus, from the New Testament, particularly the gospels. A suggested guideline of reading the Bible is to finish, three to four chapters a day, which implies we can finish the Bible in a year’s time. It might take around three years to conclude if we read one section per day.
Go through the New Testament first, beginning with Matthew and going chapter by chapter until we arrive at the final section of Revelation. This will provide us an excellent idea about Jesus, Church and Christian livelihood. Then let’s go to the opening of Bible and read Exodus, Genesis and Deuteronomy which enlighten us about how things started and God’s order for formation, mankind and civilization. There are 150 Psalms. Read the Psalms in order from 1 to 50 and then take a break. Read Isaiah, Daniel, Hosea, Ezekiel, Amos, Haggai, Jeremiah, Jonah, Malachi, Lamentations, and Zechariah which should be of assistance in grasping the prophets. It is also suggested to go through the Wisdom Literature which contains Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, Ruth, 1& 2 Chronicles and 1& 2 Kings which will give an excellent grip of the past of Israel.
After this once more study of the New Testament from beginning to the end, followed by the next 50 Psalms. Then undertake the Old Testament ruling about Leviticus and Numbers. Finish it with some less famous books Nehemiah, Ezra, Esther, Obadiah, Joel, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, & Habakkuk. Draw to a close with last 50 Psalms.
Don’t just study God’s Word for the sake of studying. Be certain to put the Word into practice in your life. Jesus said, “But even more blessed are all who pay attention to the word of God and put it into practice.” Look also for “life application principles.” An example of a life application principle in the book of James is: “Make sure my faith is more than just a statement, it should result in action.” It’s an excellent practice to try and pull out these topics and relevance of our own as we contemplate, even prior to our beginning using other study tools. This gives a chance for God’s Word to speak personally to us. As we continue to do this type of verse by verse study, there’s no limit to the wealth of understanding and growth that will come from our time we spent in God’s Word.
Conclusion
The extensive history of the Bible beginning with Abraham to the chapter of Revelation covers around two thousand years. The manuscript of Bible provides mainly dependable, commanding insight into the personality and the will of God in addition to human nature. But the story those continue in the present and have yet to accomplish its conclusion. If biblical observer is right then the entire creations today still anticipate its ultimate emancipation. As the life is still not the way it should be and the anguish of naive people persists, we shall still wait for the advent of Jesus in the present to put together all things novel.
The Bible story progresses from a backyard to the backwoods to a conurbation. It moves from slavery in every kind of its forms, whether political or spiritual, to freedom in every kind of its forms. All the time, the progress has been wider or beyond, greater or deeper. Not all is established in the Bible story, but path shoots out through history. The Bible talk about all forms of sins and evil with their deadly consequences without self-control and it also asserts that they have already been dominated and will be totally destroyed or altered. As at the formation, so at the consummation, brightness will overcome darkness, and order will triumph over chaos.
Whatever time your voyage takes through God’s Word, it will be the best traveling you can ever take.  You will laugh and you will cry. It has everything that makes a very good book, and lots more but all true.  It can teach you the most important things in the life and the one to come.

Thursday 3 May 2012

The Harlem Renaissance and The Lottery

Introduction
The Harlem Renaissance and The Lottery created history by showing the vulnerability of human towards Prejudice, Double Standards and Influential behavior. One is a great revolution and another revolutionary story. Both have created a niche for itself and have laid the foundation of thought process as to how we can evolve as a better person, so as to make the world a better place to live.

The Harlem Renaissance
After the end of the American Civil War in 1865, an era of improved education and employment for the Black American was foreseen. This created the first black middle class in America, and its members began expecting the same lifestyle as afforded by White Americans. But in 1896, the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case declared racial segregation to be constitutionally acceptable thus giving a crushing blow for racial equality. Northern part of the United States was less affected than the Southern states, where by adults were given right to vote, better educational facility and greater job opportunities. Due to this seven million African – Americans migrated to the Northern State.

Harlem, downtown near New York City known as the Mecca of Black was once dominated by the European Immigrants in the late nineteenth century. During the World War I, migration of labor from Europe literally ceased, resulting in huge demand for unskilled labor. As the influx of African –Americans from the Southern state continued, places like Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, New York City saw dramatic change in the work culture.

During the early 1900s, the burgeoning African-American middle class began pushing a new political agenda that advocated racial equality. The epicenter of this movement was in New York, where three of the largest civil rights groups established their headquarters. These groups helped to establish a sense of community and empowerment for African-Americans not only in New York, but also around the country. In addition, they provided a rare opportunity for whites to collaborate with black intellectuals, social activists, educators, and artists in an attempt to transform a largely segregated and racist American society.

As the 1920s came to a close, so did white America’s infatuation with Harlem and the artistic and intellectual movements surrounding it. The advent of The Great Depression also hit the African-American segment of the population hard; layoffs and housing foreclosures shut many blacks out of the American Dream that previously seemed so close at hand. The increased economic tension of the Depression caused black leaders to shift their focus from arts and culture to the financial and social issues of the time. The strained relationship between the black community and the white in Harlem finally tore the two groups apart in 1935. That alienation was expressed in the Harlem Riot of 1935. The resulting violence finally shattered the notion of Harlem as the “Mecca” for African-Americans, and broke the fleeting truce between white and black Americas.

The Lottery
Shirley Jackson's, "The Lottery", published in 1948 brought much controversy and criticism. With a suggestion of an underlying evil, hypocrisy, and weakness of human kind, there is a constant struggle for the characters to make the ritual murder of a member of their town a familiar act.

The story takes place in a small village, where the people are close and tradition is paramount. A yearly event, called the lottery, is one in which one person in the town is randomly chosen, by a drawing, to be violently stoned by friends and family. The drawing has been around over seventy-seven years and is practiced by every member of the town. The lottery is an ideological mechanism which reinforces the village's hierarchical social order by instilling the villagers with an unconscious fear that if they resist this order they might be selected in the next lottery. This social order and ideology are essentially capitalist which is very well summarized by the fact that how the villagers react to not only the lottery, but also to the higher class in their village, Mr. Summers, Mr. Graves, and Mr. Martin. They are the most economically powerful within their society. The fact that these men run the lottery each year makes the villagers transfer the power they feel that the lottery has to the men who run it.

Mrs. Hutchinson, the protagonist shows a hint that she attempted to rebel and not show up to the event when she arrives late, with a nervous excuse of "forgetting what day it was". It is ironic that she, who almost stood up for her beliefs, is the one who wins the lottery, and is fated to be stoned. What is perhaps the most upsetting about Mrs. Hutchinson is her sudden unleashing of her true self. Before the drawing she is friendly with the other women, pretending to be pleased to be present. The very moment that she sees is her family that draws the black dot, though, her selfishness is evident. "You didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!” Then she turns to her own daughter. "There's Don and Eva," she yelled maliciously, "Make them take their chance!" She continues to scream about the unfairness of the ritual up until her stoning. Mrs. Hutchinson knew the lottery was wrong, but she never did anything about it. She pretends as much as she could to enjoy it, when she truly hated it all along. Perhaps it is implying that the more artificial and the more hypocritical one is, the more of a target they are. Mrs. Hutchinson was clearly the target of her fears.

Resemblance – The Harlem Renaissance and The Lottery
While the Harlem Renaissance was a historical movement, the lottery is a nostalgic ritual, the effects of both had on modern society were far from over because it draws upon hundreds of thousands of years of human involvement in sacrificial rituals and the belief that bloodshed will produce prosperous conditions for their people. The situation is relevant to our modern society as we tend to flock toward nasty gossip and are interested in spite of the privacy of the subjects involved. Whether it is standing on the side to watch a fight, an accident, or discussing the relationship, we seem to have no problem. We have no problem remarking on an individual’s adultery until it is ourselves that get caught. We have no problem stereotyping people until it is we who are stereotyped. It seems as though we sometimes condemn everyday truths that we know are characteristics of most people, including ourselves, and being afraid to admit them, place the spotlight on someone else. It is sad and definitely hypocritical, but it happens all the time.

Wednesday 2 May 2012

Western and Chinese Influence on African Development

Introduction
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million square kilometer, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area. With over 1.0 billion people, it accounts for about 15% of the world's human population. Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.

Sub-Saharan Africa's poverty is one of the most obdurate features of the world economy. For the entire post-Industrial Revolution period, Africa has been the world's poorest region and also its slowest growing. Africa's poor economic growth has been chronic rather than episodic and that’s the reason Africa's growth lagged behind the rest of the world. Many observers at the start of Africa's independence from colonial rule in the early 1960s believed that Africa's long period of slow growth would end once the colonial yoke was removed. This manifestly did not happen, and in fact growth plummeted. African per capita income growth averaged 1.5% in the 1960s, 0.8% in the 1970s, and –1.2% in 1980s. Output per capita continued to decline from 1990 to 1996 at a rate of –0.9% per year. This record of growth is perhaps the greatest single disappointment and surprise of recent African history.

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), for African countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and continue to sustain that achievement, they will need to invest at least 25 percent of GDP, which calls for higher domestic savings to meet development needs. An increasing number of African countries are beginning to step away from aid dependency, as the domestic private sector becomes the engine of growth across much of Africa. Currently, at least a third of African countries receive aid that is equivalent to less than 10 percent of their tax revenue. They include Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Libya. This is a significant change from years of high dependency on aid. Of Africa’s 54 countries, aid exceeds taxes in only 12 extremely poor countries. Politically stable and democratic countries in Africa such as Tanzania and Madagascar are now raising alternative resources primarily through increased taxation, trade and domestic borrowing.

Western Attitude with respect to Africa
The dialectical inter-phase that occurred during European colonization left Africa wrecked psychologically, economically, culturally, politically and otherwise. In effect, this period saw Africa under colonial bondage, involving socio-political domination, slavery and economic exploitation, racial and cultural devastation. In fact, the colonizers destroyed the philosophical and religious base of Africa and foisted European system as alternative. Colonial experience left two broad “legacies” on Africa: denial of African identity and the foisting of western thought and cultural realities and perspectives on Africans.

Development was conceived basically in this construal such that capitalist west was seen as a model. This view led Africa into conceiving development in terms of replication or imitation of Europe. This wrong concept of development was responsible for the state of Africa since development was construed as a transfer of European economic and technological prowess into Africa. Unfortunately the impacts of the universalistic conception of development were different in Europe as they had a nodal organizing principle of development. This differing effect base led to the lack of a universal conception of development in Africa. The need for a broader conception of development became imperative.

It is amazing that up till now Eurocentric ideas are still prevalent in Africa. In the face of the self recovery or the renaissance movement by some Africans, whatever is rediscovered and called African civilization, are inventions of Europe. This atmosphere has made it conducive for Europeans to subtly manipulate Africans to view the world from European perspectives in all spheres as social, political, developmental, technological, scientific etc. This mentality took sway as even African intellectuals began to reject and deny their own cultural and intellectual achievements. This Eurocentric notion pervades all aspects of life in Africa. Even the consumer behavior tilts more towards European goods and services. This has engendered the alternative for African development to come from Europe. The imperialism bequeathed Africa with two main unforgettable experiences namely the denial of African identity and the tendentious imposition of western thoughts and cultural realities and perspectives. The great achievements of Egyptian thought were largely appropriated as European achievements. Hence, what is today referred to as colonial mentality took sway and Africans took to denying and rejecting their intellectual and cultural prowess. Those who got trapped in Europe and America during the slave trade were consequently made to develop low self esteem.

Afro-centrism
The concept which means African–centeredness was created by Afro-American intellectuals in asserting that Africans should be given their intellectual pride of place as the originators of civilization. Afro-centrism, does not violently confront any person or people, but is a resolute attempt to put the records right. It is about placing African people within their own historical framework. It is a demand that the contributions of Africans in all areas of civilization be reflected in world history. Euro-centrism as a complete dislocation, self-alienation, disorientation and misinformation of the Afro-Americans. It is evident however that the flaming spirit of freedom in Afro-centrism has led some to consider it as a racial ideology.

Chinese Attitude with respect to Africa
Chinese association with African countries began centuries ago. The quest for key resources in Africa targets areas rich in oil, minerals, timber, and cotton, such as Sudan, Angola, Nigeria, and South Africa. Large scale structural projects, often accompanied by a soft loan are proposed to African countries rich in natural resources. China commonly funds the construction of infrastructure such as roads and railroads, dams, ports, and airports. These amenities aid the movement of natural resources back to China, and provide China with leverage to obtain exploration and drilling rights.

France and the UK were once the primary commercial partners in Africa, but China recently became the largest trading partner with the United States ranked 2nd. Although Africa has seen economic growth through commodity exports to China, experts argue that Chinese exports to Africa as well as Chinese business practices have impeded aspects of African development, but much better than little to no growth coming from the Western Countries.  

China’s assistance is exclusively project based. Projects are mostly part of bigger package deals which include other types of cooperation with the recipient countries. Over the past 50 years China has, assisted African countries with 133 infrastructure projects, 38 hospitals and has dispatched 16 000 medical personnel to Africa. China does not concentrate on specific countries; the recipients include all 53 African countries. Top recipients, according to Chinese scholars, are Angola, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Ethiopia. It is difficult to get aggregated information of the compilation of loans and grants, to which countries and what projects China directs its assistance. China’s development assistance is mostly bilateral. China adheres to the principle of multilateralism in its general political priorities. In particular, China stresses the need to promote the interest of developing countries in the international arena.

African countries partnering with China today are signing with a future world superpower. In Africa, this Chinese alliance provides strong psychological consequences. It provides economic hope and shows African elites an example of success. Chinese investments in key sectors of infrastructure, telecommunication, manufacturing, foods, and textiles radically alter the African continent; the main change will have taken place in African minds. With the recent growth and economic improvement, more Africans students are returning to Africa after studies abroad in order to bring their skills and industry home. With key infrastructure in place, Africa has a future.


Western vis-à-vis Chinese Advantages and Disadvantages
An interesting phenomenon while criticizing China, many experts still acknowledge some contributions China has made in Africa, and even call for cooperation with China in Africa. People have no concrete idea about how, when, where, and what to cooperate. Most of critics focus on the physical level, for example: trade imbalance, investment for natural resources, aid without strings, corporation social responsibility, and so on. All said and done, China has contributed to stabilizing of crisis or emergency situations, the post-conflict reconstruction, and the sustainable development of Africa. China is a valuable trading partner, a source of investment financing, and an important complement to traditional development partners. China is investing massively in infrastructure, which helps alleviate supply bottlenecks and improve competitiveness. By insisting on a non-interference principle, China does contribute to bargaining capability building of African countries. China has served as a development model for Africa and an alternative source of trade and finance from Africa’s traditional development partners.

A key challenge ahead in terms of aid effectiveness is the fact that annual aid figures are not disclosed. There is a need for independent and transparent audit and reporting processes, involving the African countries at the receiving end. In terms of donor cooperation, a main challenge will be to overcome the barriers of suspicion which seem to exist. African countries and their citizens are key in this, as they in the first place are the ones to define what aid effectiveness means in their respective contexts and what kind of assistance donors could provide. China does give assistance to all 53 African countries, not just the 48 it has formal diplomatic ties with. Albeit China does not push for reforms in recipient countries, tied aid is a type of condition China has.

The non-interference policy is deeply rooted in China’s historical experience of western interference and China is therefore careful not to interfere in African countries. The Chinese government is careful not to interfere as it sees its political problems. Also, the principle is based on China’s own experience of being able to develop according to its national context without facing conditionality. Regarding the concern that China supports regimes like those in Zimbabwe and Sudan, which western donors have shunned due to their human rights violations, China’s way is said to be to conduct quiet diplomacy in support of African regional organizations for them to solve their own problems. About Corruption, the Chinese view is that Chinese aid is less afflicted by corruption as the aid is given in kind not in cash.

Conclusion
The search for an authentic model for African development is by no means an easy one.
Development is a holistic evaluation process of the epistemic, cultural, normative, psychological and sociological stance of a group of people. A strong overhaul will make for a stronger hold and technological indices that are seen in the modern times as the hallmarks of development. In making for a rational choice for African development, it will be an exercise in self-conceit and deceit for any of the two opposing ideologies in discourse to ignore the other. Our position is that since there is hardly any idea one can call for a multicultural approach. No sane person will run away from anything that will benefit him, all he has to do is to position him in such a way that he could exchange ideas by barter. All African leaders have to pledge that, they have a collective responsibility to eradicate poverty and ensure sustainable development in Africa.

The international community should help African countries to lift their capabilities and will of developing their economies. Only when a country enjoys economic development gradually, could its government adopt relatively moderate policies catering to backward regions and groups, and have the will and capability to improve the economic situation of the backward regions in the country, to overcome and solve regional conflicts and have the will to cooperate with the international community.

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