Childrens Stories About Being Yourself

The ancient Greek storyteller Aesop is credited with crafting scores of tales with valuable moral lessons. Many of them still resonate today, including the following tales about being yourself. Pretense Is Only Skin Deep Aesops fables tell us that nature will shine through no matter what package you put it in. Theres no point in pretending to be something youre not because the truth will eventually come out, either by accident or by force. The Cat and Venus. A cat falls in love with a man and begs  Venus to change her into a woman. Venus complies, and the man and cat-woman are married. But when Venus tests her by dropping a mouse into the room, the cat-woman leaps up to chase it. The cat can change her appearance, but not her nature.The Ass in the Lions Skin. A donkey puts on a lions skin and runs around the jungle scaring the other animals. But when he opens his mouth, his bray gives him away.The Vain Jackdaw. Dressing in the discarded feathers of other birds, a jackdaw almost convinces Jupiter to appoint him king of the birds. But the other birds strip him of his disguise and reveal his true nature.The Cat and the Birds. A cat, hearing that the birds are ill, dresses as a doctor and offers his help. The birds, seeing through his disguise, reply that theyre fine and will continue to be so if he will only leave. After all, the birds have a lot more at stake than the cat does. The Dangers of Pretense Aesops fables also warn us that trying to be something youre not can alienate others. The protagonists in these tales end up worse off than if they had just accepted themselves. The Jackdaw and the Doves. A jackdaw paints his feathers white because he likes the looks of the doves food. But they catch on to him and chase him away. When he goes back to eat with the other jackdaws, they don’t recognize his white feathers, so they, too, chase him away. Guess who ends up hungry.The Jay and the Peacock.  This story is similar to The Jackdaw and the Doves, but instead of desiring food, the jay just wants to strut like a proud peacock. The other jays watch the whole thing, disgusted, and refuse to welcome him back.The Eagle and the Jackdaw. A jackdaw, envious of the eagle, tries to behave like one. But without the eagles skills, he gets himself into a sticky situation and ends up as a pet for children, his wings clipped.The Raven and the Swan. A raven who wants to be as beautiful as a swan becomes so obsessed with cleansing his feathers that he moves away from his food source and starves to death. Oh, and his feathers stay black.The Ass and the Grasshopper.   This story is similar to The Raven and the Swan. A donkey, hearing some grasshoppers chirping, jumps to the conclusion that their voices must be a result of their diet. He resolves to eat nothing but dew, and consequently starves. Be Yourself Aesop also has a host of fables designed to demonstrate that we should all be resigned to our station in life and not aspire to anything greater. Foxes should be subservient to lions. Camels shouldnt try to be cute like monkeys. Monkeys shouldnt try to learn to fish. A donkey should put up with a terrible master because he could always have an even worse one.  These arent great lessons for modern children. But Aesops stories about avoiding pretense (and not starving yourself for beauty) still seem relevant today.

Teenage Drug And Alcohol Abuse - 978 Words

Teenage drug and alcohol abuse is becoming a major problem in the United States. Abuse of illicit substances eventually leads to an addiction. Drug and alcohol addiction is a disease, and it is contagious. It does not spread through germs; it spreads through families, schools, and communities. There are two youth prevention programs that try to exceed at decreasing the drug and alcohol abuse in teenagers. They are the D.A.R.E. program and the Serenity House based out of Texas. The D.A.R.E. program, also known as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is a national substance abuse prevention education program that seeks to prevent the use of drugs and alcohol in the young teenagers of America. D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 by Daryl Gates who was the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department at the time. The story goes that when Gates noticed the number of drug busts on school campuses was increasing, he had the idea to focus on prevention education instead of punishment (Cima, 2015). Ga tes wanted police officers to teach elementary and middle school classes about the effects of these substances. He felt teachers, and doctors were not a qualified fit for the job. Although, I find that the D.A.R.E. program exposes teenagers to the topic of drugs and alcohol before it even becomes relevant to them. The Serenity House, however, takes a different approach when it comes to the prevention of youth drug and alcohol use. The mission of the Serenity House Impact Youth Program is toShow MoreRelatedTeenage Drug And Alcohol Abuse2166 Words   |  9 PagesTeenage drug and alcohol abuse can come from a number of different factors such as emotional disorders, stress, social events and other adolescent pressures. Adolescent is a period of time when teens have a lot of pressures to fit in, establish their own identities, it’s also a time of growth and development, and also the great desire to fit in which leads teens to give into peer pressure. 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To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have eas y access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel againstRead MoreEssay about Correlation Between Drug Use and Suicide717 Words   |  3 PagesCorrelation Between Drug Use and Suicide   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Americas on-going drug abuse epidemic continues into this millenium, and there are many social problems linked to drug use, including suicide. The disparity of daily life in suburbs or the inner cities are why many people have fallen into their reliance on drugs, including alcohol. Patros and Shamoo (1989) describe the abuse of drugs and alcohol as a slow form of suicide. But many drug abusers choose to end their life before drugs have time to claimRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcohol Abuse On The Body1644 Words   |  7 PagesAlcohol abuse can also cause short-term effects to the body. Although there are many different short-term effects, the most common happens to be a hangover which is a â€Å"group of symptoms experienced by a person after a heavy consumption of alcohol† (Alcoholic 1). Symptoms of a hangover often consist of nausea, fatigue, thirst, headache, diarrhea, and sensitivity to light and noise. The severity of a hangover depends on several factors ; these factors include the amount of alcohol consumed, the levelRead MoreSeveral Cases of Violence Against Children1030 Words   |  5 Pagesare a couple of things I see today which can lead to child abuse. First of all, we have an epidemic of babies having babies. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2012) babies born to teenagers are at risk for neglect and abuse because their young mothers are uncertain about their roles, and may be frustrated by the constant demands of caretaking. 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There Is No Question That Gay Marriage Has Become A Huge

There is no question that gay marriage has become a huge moral and spiritual issue for the church (Brown 2014). Liberal Protestants believe because this issue has torn groups of believers apart we would be better to accept our differences in beliefs and move forward with the mission of spreading Jesus’s love. The Conservative Protestants viewpoint on this issue is people in homosexual relationships need to be shown love while at the same time helping them understand what the Bible says on this topic. Gay marriage has become a highly-debated topic between Conservative and Liberal Protestant religious groups, in which the opposing positions are centered around interpretation of sacred text, belief in the concept of naturally orientated†¦show more content†¦Liberal’s believe that certain parts of scripture from the Bible are more relevant in today’s day and age than other parts. In Genesis 1:31 it says, â€Å"God surveyed all that he had made and prono unced it â€Å"very good!†Ã¢â‚¬  (Life application study Bible 2011) Since God pronounced his creation very good, if people have natural desires for a homosexual marriage then it must be of God. Liberals also believe that love is the superseding goal of Christianity. In 1 John 4:8, â€Å"Love is the greatest of these not only because it is eternal, but because even in this temporal life, where we now live, love is supreme.† (Life application study Bible 2011) If two people are in a committed loving homosexual relationship, since God is love then the relationship must be from God. Liberals also believe condemning same-sex marriages is harmful to the LGBTQ community and its members. They reference the story when Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. 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Disneys The Lion King free essay sample

â€Å"The Lion King† (A): The $2 Billion Movie† is a case describing the transformation that Disney underwent after being taken over by Michael Eisner and the subsequent release of â€Å"The Lion King. † Prior to the appointment of Eisner as CEO underperforming both creatively and financially, with critics claiming Disney was failing to innovate and move with the times, and financial analysts taking the company off their stock-to-buy lists due to a dip in share prices. Eisner was able to reinvent and restructure the company by implementing various different managerial ideologies and business models, to which the success of the â€Å"The Lion King,† one of the largest grossing movies of all time, is a testament. The earliest incarnation of the Walt Disney Company did not implement much of a corporate structure. The Disney brothers, Walt and Roy, ran their business in an informal, nonhierarchical manner and saw no need to establish official titles or structures. We will write a custom essay sample on Disneys The Lion King or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Employees were on a first name basis; Walt Disney stated, â€Å"If a person is important to the company, then other employees will know it. † Their original success came primarily through producing animated versions of classic stories such as â€Å"Peter Pan† and â€Å"Sleeping Beauty†. Disney was known for reworking timeless tales, as opposed to generating new content. However, the death of Walt, in 1966, and Roy, in 1971, showed a noticeable downward shift in in the company’s profits. Between 1969 and 1984, Disney had produced a series of cinematic disappointments, and belief in the company had started to wane. Several consumers and fans lost faith. Remarks such as â€Å"Disney isn’t changing with the times and have lost their appeal†, â€Å"The movies are missing heart. The old ones had heart†, started to arise, consequently causing Disney’s stock price to drop severely. By 1984, a number of financial analysts had taken Walt Disney Company off their stock-to-buy list, since the shares dropped from $75 per share to $47 per share. It was in the aftermath of these events that Eisner was brought on board. When Eisner first joined the company, it was clearly in need of restructuring. The Disney theme parks accounted for 80% of operating income, film for just 1%. Film production costs were far above the industry average, and company net income was down. It was clear that changes needed to be made. In the rebuild, Eisner’s motto was â€Å"transform the company from a creator of content to a creator and distributer of content. † In other words, this meant that Eisner strove to lessen the financial impact that came with risky, expensive films that failed to be commercially successful by equipping Disney with the capabilities to produce cheaper films in-house. He also sought to diversify Disney’s customer base and introduced new channels through which revenue could be generated, outside of box office blockbusters. One of the most successful of these endeavors was The Disney Store, which not only generated huge profits, but also kept Disney connected to their customers in a fresh, unprecedented way. Eisner was able to manage change collaboratively by using the framework. The first step in framework is to build a climate of psychological safety through trust and mutual respect. Employees in the Disney Company were not going to be ridiculed for any mistakes or by the company. Eisner established a path of communication to encourage people to speak up. Known for his tough leader reputation, in which he often stated, â€Å"If you aren’t tough, you don’t get quality†, Eisner mentioned that the company needs an atmosphere in which people feel safe to fail. He believed that failure should not only be tolerated, and that the fear of criticism for submitting a ‘foolish’ idea should be thrown out; otherwise, people become too careful and shy. Eisner took Disney’s existing flat, nonhierarchical organization and transformed it into a well-defined and clear infrastructure by addressing the rational change, to bring back the movies that had â€Å"heart†, and be the company that used collaborative problem solving and learning (by taking new ideas and coming up with a way to promote the idea). This turned Disney’s organic structure into a functional mechanistic structure. In creating other avenues through which to boost profits outside of what Disney had conventionally done, Eisner was creating a safety net for the company, and establishing a profit multiplier business model. Through this model, Eisner generated capacity divisions (Creative Content, Broadcasting, and Theme Parks and Resorts), while using the animation as a core to help reach the added value of profit, bringing in huge returns for shareholders and reviving the flagging Disney brand. The Creative Content division worked several times across the many divisions in order to benefit consumers and shareholders. It is made up of theatrical films, home videos, audio products, television production and distribution, Walt Disney Theatrical production, character merchandise and publication licensing, The Disney Stores, newspapers, technical, and specialty publishing, books and magazines, and Disney interactive. The Broadcast Division consists of radio and television stations, cable and international broadcast. The Theme Parks and Resorts Division consisted of Disney parks, hotels, and resorts. Eisner also recognized the huge financial potential of animation, despite the fact that many thought animation was something of a dying art. Eisner recognized that animated characters could easily be repackaged and manipulated in various different capacities to generate profit. Eisner reaffirmed Disney’s commitment to animation, which had been a cornerstone for the company since its inception. With the new business model in place and Eisner at the helm, the way was paved for â€Å"The Lion King† to be a huge commercial success. The profit multiplier business model is an organic form with a horizontal structure that places a strategic focus on adaptability culture. It focuses on the external environment through flexibility and change to meet customer needs. With this in hand, Disney decided to meet customers’ needs by adding the retail store – creating more direct links with its customers. Disney formed a dynamic and creative workplace by ensuring that each division meet the customer’s needs through the production of movies and merchandise. This accumulation of resources, as well as taking advantage of its external resources (alliances with companies such Mattell, Nestle, Coke A Cola, etc.. ) helped Disney successfully promote their image and product. Alliances weren’t Disney’s only source back to the top. Its accessibility to financial resources, allowed for its animation department to go on a trip to Africa, in order to get a more accurate depiction of the scenario they thought would best bring its upcoming â€Å"The Lion King† to life. â€Å"The Lion King† was Disney’s first original storyline, and it took 4 years and an estimated $50 million to complete. Eisner’s new structure called for the animators to present the new movie concept to heads of all departments, so that all departments such as Home Video, Consumer Products and Theme Parks could be poised and ready to brainstorm and find ways to exploit these new characters. The idea was not to just to capitalize on the movie after it’s release, but to harness its potential before it was even completed to ensure that Disney could make as much money through all of its different outlets and channels as possible. Incorporating Hollywood A-listers such as Elton , Whoopi Goldberg, and Time Rice served as noticeable advantage in Disney’s brand recognition. The movie grew to gross $2 billion in revenue for Disney, a runaway success that must be largely attributed to Eisner’s profit multiplier business model. To conclude, â€Å"The Lion King† is a perfect example of the way in which careful planning and business structuring can lead to overwhelming success. The way in which Eisner was able to exploit original content to gross the most revenue by diversifying profit channels is a model that is consistently being replicated today almost twenty years later. Its success in providing creative content resulted in a huge impact across the division of the company, giving Disney a structure that will both, keep Disney at the top and keep its stock prices at a level that has people like James Jones saying, â€Å"you don’t get rich working for Disney, you get rich owning Disney stock. †