A Contrasting View Individualism and Nationalism - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1276 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/08/02 Category Politics Essay Level High school Tags: Nationalism Essay Did you like this example? There are unique values that every American citizen holds. According to each individual, some values have more weight than others. But without a doubt, freedom and peace are two essential values that every American seeks and expects to possess. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A Contrasting View Individualism and Nationalism" essay for you Create order Both President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and President Lyndon Baines Johnson made these qualities a priority for the country during their times as Presidents, specifically in their respected speeches. In his commencement address at American University, Kennedy explains that the peace will come to the United States when the people come together as one and focus on strength and integrity. In the speech known as The Great Society, Johnson also makes this point, but in a contrasting fashion. Johnson makes the stance that the people must come together with pride, trust, and support for their nation and its leaders in order for peace to come into action. John F. Kennedy aims to inspire the American citizens to aim for peace through an image individualism, whereas Lyndon B. Johnson focuses on bringing people to focus on strengthening the nation through pride and nationalism. A better sense of peace will come through the thought process of Kennedy advocating the American citizen to focus more on the wellbeing of themselves and their fellow citizens than the contentment of government officials. The President with a powerful stance on freedom, civil rights, and peace had   a very colorful life story. The John F. Kennedy Librarys website states, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born May 29, 1917 in Massachusetts. Kennedy would be go to Harvard College and join the Navy. After returning home, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps medal for his leadership and courage. The future president would begin working in politics. He would become a representative, senator, then finally nominated as a candidate for presidency on July 13, 1960. At the age of 43, Kennedy was the youngest man elected president and the first Catholic to fill the position. On June 10, 1963, Kennedy would deliver a commencement address for American University graduates. In this time in history, the tensions of the Cold War   and aches for peace were beginning to peak. President Johnson lived a life full of caring actions and dedication to his country. According to whitehouse.gov, the future prominent figure in American politics was born in Stonewall, Texas on August 27, 1908. Going to school at Southwest Texas State Teachers College, Lyndon Baines Johnson would spend countless hours teaching disadvantaged students of Mexican descent. He would then become a US representative, join the navy, return to become a Senator, run as John F. Kennedys running mate, and would be sworn in as president after JFKs assassination. To give context of the time period of the speeches, it is important to understand that the speeches were only 11 months and 12 days apart from each other. Both Kennedy and Johnson were feeling pressure in the ever-rising tension of the Cold War. The American citizens wanted a resolution to the conflict and was simply seeking peace. Peace is a very hot topic and emotion-filled word at the time of these speeches. As he gives the commencement speech at American University, Kennedy is the figurehead for American liberty after being very passionate about the subject of freedom and peace in the past, and Johnson has an even bigger problem on his plate because of the nation still being shaken up by the assassination of Kennedy. In both speeches, many devices to push rhetoric are utilized. Kennedy mainly uses tools such as alliteration, antithesis, and repetition. A great example of Kennedy utilizing antithesis to push the attractive rhetoric of individualism is when he states, I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, and the kind that enables men and nations to grow, and to hope, and build a better life for their children not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women, not merely peace in our time but peace in all time. President Kennedy uses antithesis to make sure that the actions that Americans can make for themselves, not only makes the peace more prominent in America, but also in foreign nations. Johnson puts alliteration, repetition, and juxtaposition to use to push his message of nationalism. A very dangerous example of Johnson using a device to push his rhetoric of nationalism and eventual authoritarianism comes in the concluding par agraphs of The Great Society speech is when he utilizes repetition. Four paragraphs all start out will the line, Will you join. Questions like Will you join in the battle to give every citizen an escape from the crushing weight of poverty? are asked. While this question seems harmless, Lyndon B. Johnson has put a sinister twist of submission to Americas powerful political leaders. The repetition of will you join is a constant push for the yielding of the American people. In the two presidents speeches, both use similar tactics through propaganda elements. Both head of states are constantly using plain folks appeal to seem more approachable and possibly easier to agree with. They are constantly saying using words such as our and we to get on the same level of the American people. Kennedy consistently uses this to bring the connection back to the idea that we are to solve this problem ourselves. This point is very explicit in the following excerpt from the commencement speech speaking about those who believe peace is impossible, It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable, that mankind is doomed, that we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are man made; therefore, they can be solved by man. In this piece from the text, Kennedy uses plain folks appeal to explain that peace comes through individualism, while Johnson uses the propaganda element to shame the American public into blaming them for the gro wth of urban areas in America. As Johnson tries to put the American people on the same level of himself, he states, So in the next 40 years we must rebuild the entire urban United States. The state of urban America is because of the injustice and poor actions of the political leaders, not because the American people are doing something wrong. To assist in proving their points, Kennedy and Johnson both uses organizational patterns. To push the idea of selfhood, Kennedy utilizes cause and effect. Kennedy stresses that unity towards the goal of individualism will result in a peaceful nation. This way the peaceful effects individualism is a very effective and morally sound action. To push the idea of capitulation and nationalism, Johnson utilizes classification. Johnson categorizes his paragraphs with different meanings and goals, all of which are aimed towards nationalism. In the beginning of the speech, Johnson focuses on the false importance of making America the most powerful nation on Earth. Throughout the text, Johnson aims more to explain what the government must do to give itself more power to take the rights away from countless groups of American citizens. This powerful organizational pattern of classification is used for dishonorable reasons. In the final analysis, John F. Kennedys way of going about peace through individualism and self analysis to strengthen the nation is far more effective than Lyndon B. Johnsons advocation of national pride and reliance on public leader figures. With this information, one may make their own opinion on what most effectively puts peace into action. While doing this, its important to keep in mind the dangers of becoming reliant on your nations leaders and becoming too supportive of your countrys actions. For when nationalism becomes a higher priority than liberty, rights are taken from those not in power.

The Association Of The National Rifle Association

The National Rifle Association, also known as the NRA, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1871 with the original goal to â€Å"promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis.† Additionally, there was a heavy focus of proper shooting sports among America’s youth. It featured multiple shooting programs and developed ranges for members to use and train. Through the use of their magazine â€Å"The American Rifleman† members of the NRA were informed regarding firearm bills. With the passage of the National Firearms Act of 1934, the NRA formed the Legislative Affairs Division (LAD). The early days of the LAD were not to lobby directly. The purpose of the LAD was to encourage members to proceed with their own action to combat the infringement of Second Amendment Rights by mailing legislative facts and analysis to members. However, in 1975, the NRA recognized the need for â€Å"political defense† of the Second Amendment and formed the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA). In addition to the protection of the Second Amendment, education was a key initiative for the NRA by providing certification for law enforcement officials and the general public. With regards to the general public, â€Å"the NRA continues to be the leader in firearms education.† The NRA offers courses to instruct and train individual gun owners. An example of gun education would be in 1988, the NRA established the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program teaching 21 million pre-kindergarten to sixth grade children toShow MoreRelatedThe National Rifle Association ( Nra )971 Words   |  4 PagesOf the many interest groups that have a viable, unwavering presence in both the campaign and election process and in the hands of its taxpaying voters is the National Rifle Association (NRA). The nonprofit organization has a staunch and straightforward message: to advocate and protect the second amendment. As of late, the NRA has received criticism by some candidate who is running for presidency, and even the President himself, but this has not changed the purpose or image of the organization throughRead MoreThe National Rifle Association ( Nra )3063 Words   |  13 Pages The National Rifle Association (NRA) Lori Acompora Professor Urban Manhattanville College According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States experiences epidemic levels of gun violence, claiming over 30,000 lives annually. For every person who dies from a gunshot wound, two others are wounded. In America, there are approximately 270 million firearms possessed by civilians, and only 897,000 carried by police. Every year, approximately 100,000Read MoreNr National Rifle Association2234 Words   |  9 PagesNRA The NRA(National Rifle Association)is the organization that protects the Second Amendment of the Constitution.The Second Amendment states â€Å"A well regulated militia being necessary to security of a free state,the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed†. The NRA was founded by two Union commanding officers in New York in 1871 by the the names of William C.Church and Geogre Wingate.During World War II the NRA offered some of its ranges to the government to serve as trainingRead MoreThe National Rifle Association : An Organization2017 Words   |  9 PagesThe National Rifle Association is an organization that was founded in the year 1871. 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They contribute. And they get what they want over time.(qtd. in nra.org) The NRA is indeed all of these things, with programs to benefit a variety of Americans, sponsorship of one of Americas oldest sports, and as an organization that will stand up for its political beliefs regardingRead MoreThe National Rifle Association Is An American Non-Profit1244 Words   |  5 PagesThe National Rifle Association is an American non-profit organization that has been around for over one hundred years. It is a large organization with approximately 5 million members and is run by 84 leaders: 64 board members, one consultant, 17 lobbyist, 15 senior staff and 4 spokespersons. There are 9 women and 73 men apart of the NRA leaders. The executive vice president and chief executive officer is Wayne LaPierre, an author and a gun rights advocate who was elected to the board in 1991. TheRead MoreSpeech Analysis : National Rifle Association Annual Meeting1442 Words   |  6 Pages Speech Analysis Assignment National Rifles Association Annual Meeting In the video I watched the National Rifles Association (NRA) President Jim Porter addresses the crowd at the April 11th 2015 NRA Members’ meeting, in Nashville, Tennessee. Porter was elected as first vice president of the NRA Board of Directors. He had previously served as second vice president and president of the NRA Foundation Board of Trustees. As the outgoing NRA President, Porter discusses his pride in the organizationRead MorePublic Rifle National Rifle Association s President Wayne Lapierre1583 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,† declares National Rifle Association s President Wayne LaPierre. But, does this statement really hold true on college campuses? 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Corporate Interests and Cultural Rights

Question: Discuss about the Corporate Interests and Cultural Rights. Answer: Introduction This assignment is based on the subject of management accounting and the primary focus of the study is on the business of Woodside Energy. Woodside Energy is an oil and gas company in Australia. The company is registered under the Australian Security Exchange (Woodside.com.au 2017). In the beginning, the study focuses on the corporate strategies that Woodside has taken to run its business properly in the market. After that, the focus of the assignment moves towards the criticism of the business practices of the company. The environmental analysis for Woodside Energy has conducted during this study in order to identify the current position of the company in current scenario. Lastly, discussion is made on the culture and leadership followed at Woodside. Development and growth of the organization Woodside Energy has started its business in the year of 1954 (Woodside.com.au 2017). The mission of the company is to deliver the high return to the shareholders by establishing itself as the market leader in the international market. The vision statement of the company states Becoming a global leader in Upstream (Woodside.com.au 2017). The mission and vision statements indicate a common goal of the company and that is to be the market leader in the global context. If the past and current strategies of the company are analyzed then it can be identified that the strategies of the company are always aimed to establish the company at the unique position in market (Leonardi 2016). At the same time, it is also noticeable that the company has tried to achieve the competitive advantage through strong partnership with the stakeholders and by maintaining the high transparency level. The company has tried to achieve the competitive advantage in the market by following three basic strategies an d these are as follows: Grow the portfolio continuously Leverage the current capabilities Enhancing the values of the core assets of the company (Doyi et al. 2016) The history of Woodside Energy shows that the company has taken several strategies in past in order to achieve its goal and maintain the competitive advantage in the market. The use of subsea technology is one of the best strategies taken by Woodside in the past days. This particular strategy has helped the company in deepwater drilling (Smith 2016). At the same time, the subsea technology has helped the company minimizing cost of oil drilling. Apart from the use of subsea strategy, the management of Woodside has also taken the strategy of constructing high quality LNG plants in the past days (Woodside.com.au 2017). This strategy influenced the company concentrating on the value chain. Smooth value chain helped the company minimizing the total time of production and distribution. Currently, the management of Woodside Energy is concentrating on growing the portfolio of the company (Woodside.com.au 2017). They are conducting several corporate acquisitions. The company is trying to expand its business in Australasia and sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, the management has also taken the FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading) operations strategy in order to minimizing the cost level and simplifying the production technique (Woodside.com.au 2017). Along with that, the company also concentrates to maximizing the shareholders value through increasing the profitability. Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be said that each strategy of the company in past as well as in present is aimed to achieve the overall goal or mission of the company. The strategies are well developed as per the need of the company. Describing the controversies and their outcomes Woodside Energy is operating its business for more than 60 years. In this long life span, the company has faced several controversies or criticisms. One of the biggest criticisms faced by Woodside was in 2006, when the Mauritanian government claimed that the company had made a contract of investing US$600 in an illegal way (Woodside.com.au 2017). The management of Woodside Energy took the business expansion strategy in 2004 and at that time, they made an agreement with the Mauritanian government to invest US$600 for the project of developing Mauritanias Chinguetti offshore oil (Woodside.com.au 2017). This particular controversy or criticism created a bad image of the company in the market. The criticism continued for next 2 years (Kerr and Cox 2016). The Australian Federal Police (AFP) started the investigation during June 2006 and at last, in May 2008, the AFP declared that the company was not involved in any illegal activity regarding the particular project of developing Mauritania s Chinguetti offshore oil (Woodside.com.au 2017). There was another major criticism faced by Woodside Energy during 2011. This criticism was regarding the payment to the foreign workers. In the year 2011, the Australias Fair Work Ombudsman initiated the investigation on the payment structure followed by Woodside Energy for the foreign workers (Peach and Box 2016). After the investigation, the Australias Fair Work Ombudsman found out that the company has underpaid the foreign workers, who were working at North-West Shelf oil rigs. The Australias Fair Work Ombudsman claimed that the company pays less than $3/hour to each foreign employee in those rigs (Coombe and Baird 2016). The criticism carried on for 2 years and the court claimed that the company paid low payment to the employees, who worked at the company as the painters from 2009 to 2011 (Winrow 2016). It was identified that officially the company allotted $400 per day for each painter, but actually the payment was far less that the allotted amount. The management of the company claimed that the Australias Fair Work Act does not impose any fixed standard of payment. However, it was proved that there was fixed payment standard in the particular act and due to this, the court imposed penalty on the company (Vaughan 2016). Environmental analysis Woodside Energy is one of the most popular companies in the oil and gas sector in Australia. In order to analyze the business of Woodside Energy, it is important to analyze the environments within which the company operates its business. The analysis of the operational environments of Woodside Energy is stated below: PESTLE analysis: Factors Current situation Political In Australia, the political environment is stable and this helps Woodside operating its business properly. The government of the country is much supportive in context of providing advanced operational infrastructure to the company (Abbott 2015). Economic The economic condition in Australia at current scenario is not much strong. Per capita GDP of the country has declined and along with that, the economic growth has also declined. Social The people in the Society in Australia are adoptive in nature. At the same time, their lifestyle is advanced. Most of the people in Australia use personal vehicles and so the demand for the petroleum is high in Australian society. Apart from that, the demand for the other oil and gas products is also high in Australian society (Nottage 2016). Technological Technologically, Australia is advanced. There is proper technological infrastructure in the country, which provides better scopes to Woodside for using advanced technologies in its business. Legal The legal environment in Australia is much strict. Every company in this country is bound to follow some rules and regulations while operating their business activities. Some of the important laws are - Australias Fair Work Act 2010, Employment and Labor Law 2016 and Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Abbott 2015). Environmental The pollution level in Australia is much lower than the other countries. The people and the government in the country are much aware of the environmental issues and so they always try to maintain expected standard of natural environment. Table 1: PESTLE analysis (Source: Abbott 2015) Specific environment analysis: The specific environment in the industry within which Woodside operates is business is stable in the current scenario. The oil and gas industry in Australia is one of the major exporters in the country (Sholarin and Awange 2016). In last few years, the level of production in this specific industry has increased by 5% to 10% (Bergmann 2016). In such a situation, the level of competition is high. There are several competitors of Woodside like, Apache Corporation, Santos Limited and BHP Billiton Limited (Woodside.com.au 2017). At the same time, the industry has advanced technological infrastructure, within which every company can work properly (Baer 2016). Apart from these, the current profitability standard of the company is much better in the industry. The customers and unions in this industry have less influence on the price level of the products. Internal environment analysis: The situation of the internal environment of a company is indicated by its process, system, employees and management. If the internal environment of Woodside is analyzed, then it can be identified that the business process at the company is very systematic. Application of advanced technology has made the workflow smooth (Coombe and Baird 2016). On the other side, the company uses proper IT system in order to maintain its records and information. Use of advanced IT system helps the management in proper decision making. However, sometimes the conflicts between the management and employees can be notices at Woodside. Most of the time, the issues are related to the payment of the employees. Currently, the situation is much improved (Vaughan 2016). The management of the company includes highly efficient personnel. The effectiveness of the management team can be observed in the success trend of the company. SWOT analysis: Strengths The financial strength of the company is very strong. High brand value Wide customer base Effective promotional strategy Use of high technology Weaknesses Employee-management conflict Lack of internal communication Opportunities High growth opportunity in the market Availability of advanced technological infrastructure that can improve the operations of Woodside Threats High level of competition Increased rules and regulations in the industry Table 2: SWOT analysis (Source: Woodside.com.au 2017) Therefore, from the above analysis, it can be said that the internal and external environment of the company is much favorable for the business growth of the company. On the other side, there are some threats in the market that can create problems for the company. However, the company can manage the situation by utilizing its strengths and opportunities. Hence, the overall environmental scenario of the company is favorable. Describing the organizational culture and leadership style The working culture in an organization depends on its core values. The working culture of Woodside Energy depends on six of its core values integrity, excellence, discipline, respect, working together and working sustainability (Woodside.com.au 2017). The company believes in fair and honest working environment, where everyone gets fair judgment and proper respect. At the same time, the management of the company always tries to build a team spirit among the employees (Woodside.com.au 2017). However, sometimes, employees-management conflicts can be noticed within the company, the management puts its efforts to solve the issue within the minimum possible time. Each of the employees along with the members in the management follows strict discipline and companys policies at the workplace (Woodside.com.au 2017). The management tries to maintain low work burden on the employees. At the same time, the company arranges for the training and development sessions at a regular interval in order to improve the excellence level of the employees. The leadership style of the management at Woodside aims to maintain the working sustainability of the company. The management of the company is very conscious about maintaining the employee retention rate (Woodside.com.au 2017). The company believes that if it achieves the working sustainability, then only it will achieve the sustainability in the external market. Conclusion In this study, it has been identified that Woodside Energy aims to achieve the leading position in the market. The company has taken different strategies in the past that can help it maintaining its competitive position. It has used advanced technologies in order to make its operations easier. The company is also taking effective strategies in the recent years. However, Woodside has faced some controversies or criticisms due to some of its business activities. The study has identified that the internal and external environmental situation of Woodside is much favorable. On the other side, the working culture and leadership style of the company aims to maintain the working sustainability. Reference list: Abbott, M., 2016.The Economics of the Gas Supply Industry. Routledge. Baer, H.A., 2016. The nexus of the coal industry and the state in Australia: Historical dimensions and contemporary challenges.Energy Policy. Bergmann, M., 2016. The Rise in Dividend Payments.Cyclical Labour Market Adjustment in Australia 11 Developments in Banks Funding Costs and Lending Rates 21 The ATM System since the 2009 Reforms 31 The Australian Government Guarantee Scheme: 200815 39 The Rise in Dividend Payments 47, p.47. Coombe, R.J. and Baird, M.F., 2016. The Limits of Heritage: Corporate Interests and Cultural Rights on Resource Frontiers.A Companion to Heritage Studies, First edition. Edited by William Logan, Mairead Nic Craith, and Ullrich Kockel. Wiley Sons Publishing, pp.337-354. Doyi, I., Essumang, D.K., Dampare, S. and Glover, E.T., 2016. Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (TENORM) in the Oil and Gas Industry: A Review. InReviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Volume 238(pp. 107-119). Springer International Publishing. Kerr, T. and Cox, S., 2016. Media, Machines and Might: Reproducing Western Australia's Violent State of Aboriginal Protection.Somatechnics,6(1), pp.89-105. Leonardi, C.R., 2016. Foreword: Special issue on particle methods for the oil and gas industry.Computational Particle Mechanics,3(2), pp.123-124. Nottage, L.R., 2016. Investor-State Arbitration Policy and Practice in Australia. Peach, D. and Box, T., 2016, April. Simplicity From Complexity: A Systematic Risk-based Approach to Managing Marine Biofouling in the Petroleum Industry. InSPE International Conference and Exhibition on Health, Safety, Security, Environment, and Social Responsibility. Society of Petroleum Engineers. Sholarin, E.A. and Awange, J.L., 2016. Environmental Project Management. Smith, K., 2016. Which former MPs now work for gas companies?.Green Left Weekly, (1086), p.4. Vaughan, L., 2016. From Weebo to Walmadan: making sense of Aboriginal heritage protection (de) evolution in Western Australia.Right to Protect Sites: Indigenous Heritage Management in the Era of Native Title, The, p.253. Winrow, G.M., 2016. The Anatomy of a Possible Pipeline: The Case of Turkey and Leviathan and Gas Politics in the Eastern Mediterranean.Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies,18(5), pp.431-447. Woodside.com.au. 2017. Woodside Energy | Home. [online] Available at: https://www.woodside.com.au/ [Accessed 7 Jan. 2017].

Wyrd, Fate And Geis Essays - Anglo-Saxon Paganism, Germanic Paganism

Wyrd, Fate And Geis WYRD, FATE AND GEIS The old Nordic word 'wyrd', from which the modern adjective 'weird' is derived, is a kind of synonym for 'fate'. Yet unlike the Greek concept - with everything preordained, predestined, fixed, wyrd is dynamic, active, a chaotic interweaving of choices and consequences, and sometimes some very strange twists... which is why it's called 'weird'! Although the basic concepts underlying both wyrd and fate come from the same Indo-European myth group, they've developed in very different ways. In the Greek version, Fate is, well, fatalistic: everything's fixed, predestined. ('Destiny', incidentally, is the Roman version of the same myth, and is essentially the same as that of Fate.) For every individual, the 'three sisters' (the three Fates) spin a life and weave it into the fabric of life itself, and cut it off, coldly, dispassionately, at its end. The fabric is held together by a loose cross-warp of chance, but chance seems to play no active part in life's story, individuals are offered no choices at all. Unlike the Fates, Wyrd always offers the human being a choice, but there's always a twist! Which is where the concept of wyrd becomes useful. Rather than a fabric of lives, each entirely separate, and only loosely connected to others by the cross-warp of chance, the 'three sisters' weave a fabric of life. Unlike the flat cloth of the Fates, the fabric of wyrd is more like a Celtic knotwork, twisting, weaving, and turning back upon itself in weird ways. Another image is that it's like an immensely complex M?bius loop: somehow, without any clear boundary, the inside becomes the outside, and the outside inside - there is a boundary of sorts between 'I' and 'not-I', between ourselves and everyone else, but it's a distinctly weird one... And like the ultimate in fractal geometry, every point within the fabric seems to contain, or at least intersect with, every other point: every moment also includes everything, everyone, everywhere, everywhen. Hence, whatever it may seem like at the time, there is always a choice to be had; the catch is that wherever there's a choice, there's also always a twist, which is why Murphy's Law is a law! Working within this approach to reality it would appear that people have far more choices, but in order to utilize these options the individual must be able to work with the twisted nature of the wyrd, rather than trying to control it or fight against it. One must also have to cope with the fact that the wyrd is weird: when everything, everyone, everywhere, everywhen seem to all merge impossibly into here and now, it's hard not to fall into panic. Yet in the original Greek myth, panic would be the natural response to the failure of the individual to uphold courage when meeting up with Pan (whose name literally translates as 'the everything'). (If you're familiar with Greek mythology, one of the best ways to understand the nature of the wyrd is to merge the cold, dispassionate image of the Fates with the lively passions of Pan.) Since 'the everything', by definition, includes those many issues of which one is afraid, it's not surprising if the person sometimes falls into panic when met with the wyrd: yet that moment of panic also contains every chance, every possibility. Every point within the wyrd can be a fulcrum, a place of change in the raging storm of reality. Facing that weird moment of panic, one can find for themselves in a moment of calm at the center of the storm, a turning point at which mere individuals do change the world not just for themselves, but for everyone. Within the wyrd, there is always a choice: how one uses that choice is up to them. Yet there is a need to be cautious, wary, careful, and respectful when dealing with wyrd because like a weird game of Snakes and Ladders, each simple-seeming choice within the wyrd may lead one to a place least expected. The concept of wyrd does also contain something like fatalism: there's always some kind of weird twist, which contains an ending. It's not necessarily a literal ending of life but more often a completion, a closing of