Life After Death: Zoroastrianism/Parsiism

Zoroastrianism heavily influenced the development of the Judeo-Christian traditions, from its worldview right down to its suppositions about the afterlife. It is currently practised by millions of people in Iran and also in India, where followers are called Parsis.

The truths of Zoroastrianism are found in the Gathas, five poetic songs composed by Zarathustra and preserved by Zoroastrianist priests over the centuries. As well as being one of the original monotheistic religions, Zoroastrianism was first responsible for bringing a moral element into the discussion of the afterlife. Humans do have individual, immortal souls, and the themes of Heaven and Hell infuse this faith, rather than those of karma and reincarnation.

The motto of Zoroastrianism is "Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds". Following their life on earth, each person is judged by God according to how much good or bad they have done. If you have opted to live in purity, your soul will be directed to Heaven or "best existence," as it is simply called by Zoroastrians. Those who have practised evil end up in "worst existence," or Hell.

Upon dying, a person must pass across a narrow bridge. At the entrance to the bridge stands Conscience or daena, a maiden who represents the individual soul. Pure souls view her as a beautiful and dignified woman, but evil souls see her as a witch. She leads the good over the bridge to the "House of Songs" to become angel-like creatures who watch over people on earth. Those who reject her are cast into the abyss below to dwell in the "House of Lies".

This faith has been called practical and world-oriented. Because it is focussed on the causality which links the presence of good thoughts to creating peace and happiness in the world, it does not reflect any anti-religion or anti-cultural sentiment toward other faiths. The emphasis lies on good thoughts and good action, thus guaranteeing your happiness in the after-world.

Zoroastrians believe in the progress of sacred time, where everything on earth is gradually evolving to become its true heavenly idea. Inside the minds of all human beings, there is an ongoing struggle between Good and Evil - Spenta Mainyi, the Holy Creative Spirit, battles with Angra Mainyu, the hostile spirit. This is a constant human ethical struggle. Some Zoroastrians believe it stems from a cosmic duality where the universe possesses two sides, Good and Bad, ruled respectively by the Good God and Evil Spirit.

Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord) is transcendent but also connected to human beings through a set of seven Attributes, which are Godlike qualities that exist on earth to allow us to be closer to the divine source of life. The Attributes are as follows: Vohu Manah (Good Thought - connected with animals); Asha Vahishta (Justice and Truth - fire and energy); Kshathra (Dominion - metals and minerals); Spenta Armaiti (devotion and Serenity - Earth and land); Haurvatat (wholeness - waters); Ameretat (immortality - plants); and Spenta Mainyu (creative energy - human beings).

These qualities are sometimes embodied as divine spirits or concepts, but never worshipped on their own. Through them, humans can connect with God and refine their thoughts toward goodness and purity.

Top Schools in Hyderabad

Hyderabad is one of the cities in India that are flourishing rapidly. In fact, it is particularly known for its advancements in technology. Due to these advancements, Hyderabad is now attracting job applicants from throughout the country, aiming to be grab one of the several emerging job opportunities. Naturally, this has led to an increased population. This, in turn, means that there need to be more facilities to satisfy the needs of the increasing population.

Education is one such need in Hyderabad which is being effectively catered to. Due to technological advancements, the education system of Hyderabad is also improving greatly. Many schools have now adopted American and British education systems and are offering qualifications like GCE, SSC and IGCSE. If you are looking for the top schools in Hyderabad, you must make sure that your chosen school has these latest options available and, thus, caters to modern educational needs. These educational systems do not only ensure a higher level of learning but are also highly beneficial if you plan to send your children abroad for their professional education in future.

When looking for the best schools to educate your children in, you must go through the top ten schools in Hyderabad. Some such schools are Johnson Grammar School, Gitanjali School and Little Flower High School. Some Christian schools are also particularly popular for providing a great educational standard. These include St. Mary High School and St. Paul High School. Other popular choices include Jubilee Hill Public School and NASR Public School.

The reason these schools top the list is because they provide modern educational standards. The staff in these schools is trained, which ensures a standardized teaching method. This also makes sure that the students are effectively being taught and are receiving the best quality of teaching. Also, these top schools pay special attention to the qualification of their faculty and only the most qualified individuals are allowed to teach the students. Also, these top schools aim to make use of state-of-the-art equipment to enhance learning. For example, computer-based presentations are used to make children understand concepts better. Moreover, subjects like Computer Studies are also included to make the students stay up-to-date with the modern requirements of the technological world.

Alexander Von Humboldt, Polymath and Renaissance Man

According to Charles Darwin, the Prussian explorer, geographer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt was "the greatest scientific traveler who ever lived." In fact, it was during his famed voyages in Latin America that von Humboldt cultivated his modern scientific concepts and ideas, which garnered him prominence within the scientific community at that particular day and age. The central idea scientific thinking was that absolutely nothing on our planet could be fully comprehended in isolation. Every living thing had to be understood in relation to other fields of science such as astronomy or meteorology. As we will explain later, von Humboldt's thesis is not at all surprising, for the main reason that his scientific thinking expanded well beyond his respected field; consequently, he is now known to us as a celebrated polymath and the last Renaissance man in history.

When he was just a child, Alexander von Humboldt was known to his family and friends as "the little apothecary", since he developed a penchant for collecting and labeling different types of insects, plants, and seashells. Already his all-around interests in various phenomena, which would widen continually during his early education, foreshadow his future polymath expertise. Von Humboldt studied finance for half a year in the University of Frankfurt; one year later, he enrolled in the University of Gottingen, where he was able to listen wholeheartedly to the lectures of the revered archaeologist C.G. Heyne and the naturalist J.F. Blumenbach.

It was shortly after he published his first scientific treatise that centered his passions on travel. Here, he befriended Georg Forster, now known today as the founding father of modern scientific travel literature. In order to prepare for his future travels, he then studied commerce and foreign languages in the University of Hamburg, geology at the University of Freiberg under the teaching of A.G. Werner, astronomy and scientific engineering under J.G. Köhler and F.X. von Zach, and anatomy at the University of Jena under the famed anatomist and surgeon J.C. Loder. The vast field of knowledge of this Renaissance man would widen even more when von Humboldt made the acquaintance of the botanist Aimé Bonpland, and together they set off for the uncharted territories of Latin America.

With his extensive knowledge on the physical sciences, von Humboldt, now in Latin America, was able to collect important data concerning more or less every field of natural science: archaeology, botany, geology, geography, oceanography and zoology. Because of his polymath manner of thinking, he was bright enough to harmonize all these different fields of sciences into a single, prescient thesis. This theory stated that everything in nature is interconnected. For instance, biology, geology, and meteorology (a science that von Humboldt founded), determined where specific flora and fauna grew; another example proposed that the continents bordering the Atlantic Ocean were joined long ago.

All these modern scientific views were to be published in a massive five-volume work called "Cosmos", but Alexander von Humboldt, the last Renaissance man, died before he could complete it. However, his mark on science remains indelible to this very day.

The Victorian Ethos of the Discovery and Exploration of a New World

The zenith age of the Industrial Revolution coincided with the beginnings of the Victorian Ethos. What characterized the Victorian Ethos was an undying passion and curiosity for exploration, for the discovery of the unknown. The figures that embodied this philosophy were the scientist naturalists. And with the great strides in engineering during this fertile period, these scientist naturalists could not have chosen a better period in history to begin their dreams of discovering and exploring the unknown regions across the world. Out of this voyaging came the numerous scientific concepts and ideas that continue to remain relevant in our present day and age.

Due to the vigorous explorations of the scientific field in the Victorian Age, the secrets of the world's past were brought into light. The American paleontologist Joseph Leidy was the first scientist to uncover a fossilized skeleton of a dinosaur. The continuing research of Joseph Leidy was able to discover scores of extinct species that were previously unheard of till then.

Journeying to the far flung corners of the globe was an obsession unique to the Victorian Age. The explorers Henry Bates and Percy Fawcett embodied this spirit more than anybody else. Henry Bates is world-renowned for being one of the first explorers to successfully voyage into the Amazon Forest. After his expedition, he returned home to England and brought back a stunning catalogued collection of over 14,000 different types of flora and fauna - including a massive assortment of butterflies and some carnivorous pitcher plants, which aroused the curiosity of many Victorians during that era. 8,000 of these species were completely new to science. Meanwhile, Percy Fawcett is legendary for his mad expedition in the South American jungle to find the lost city of "Z", which was thought to be El Dorado. In 1925, Fawcett and his expedition team, in search of "Z", vanished without a trace. To this day, no one knows for sure what exactly happened to them.

Sir Richard Owen is best known today for coining the term "dinosauria", or dinosaur. However, the greatest contribution of Sir Richard Owen to the Victorian era was his dedication to the founding and establishment of the British Museum of Natural History in London. Because the institution was open to everyone, scores of Victorians now had the chance to see first-hand the vast compilation of scientific items important to the fields of botany, paleontology, entomology, zoology, etc.

Probably the most learned man in the Victorian Era, Sir Richard Francis Burton was famed for travelling to the farthest reaches of Asia, Africa, and America. Reported to speak 29 different languages and dialects, Sir Richard Francis Burton was important to the Victorian Era for collecting and bringing back from his travels essential pieces of literature - including the "Arabian Nights" and the "Kama Sutra" - which he then translated into English for the Victorian population.

These scientist naturalists - Joseph Leidy, Henry Bates, Percy Fawcett, Sir Richard Owen, and Sir Richard Francis Burton - were all men molded by their peculiar times, driven by the Victorian Ethos. Without their contributions to their respective fields, our civilization would be less rich and our world would be less open to our curiosity.

Using Math Worksheets

What are math worksheets and what are they used for? These are math forms that are used by parents and teachers alike to help the young kids learn basic math such as subtraction, addition, multiplication and division. This tool is very important and if you have a small kid and you don't have a worksheet, then its time you got yourself one or created one for your kid. There are a number of sites over the internet that offer free worksheets that are downloadable and printable for use by parents and teachers at home or at school.

If you cannot purchase a math work sheet because you think you may not have time to, then you can create on using your home computer and customize it for your kid. Doing this is easy. All you need is Microsoft word application in your computer to achieve this. Just open the word application in your computer and start a new document. Ensure that the new document you are about to create is based on a template. Then, ensure that your internet connection is on before you can search the term "math worksheet" from the internet. You will get templates of all kinds for your worksheet. Choose the one you want and then download.

Once downloaded, you can customize the math worksheet to suit your kid. The level of the child in school will determine the look and content of the worksheet. Use the school textbook that your child uses at school as a reference guide to help you in the creation of the math worksheet. This will ensure that the worksheet is totally relevant to the kid and will help the child improve his or her grades in school.

The math worksheet is not only for the young children in kindergarten and early primary school; they are also used for tutoring high school and university students to keep the students' math skills sharp. The sites that offer these worksheets have helped a lot and this resource is now a common thing to use for all kinds and levels of educators. The formats for the worksheets differ according to the level and content of the worksheets. For the young kids it is preferable to have the worksheet in large print, while the older students commonly use the small print ones that are simple and uncluttered.

The most important thing about these math worksheets is that they are used for tutoring and not for the main course studies. That is why they are used by tutors to offer remedial tuition and by parents at home so that they can offer their kids extra tuition to sharpen their skills. Math is known to be difficult and is often a headache for the young and so the math worksheets come in handy in helping resolve this problem. Thanks to the sites over the internet that offer free printable math worksheets, you do not need to worry about the cost of purchasing one, maybe only the ink cost. So don't go making excuses for not being able to access a math work sheet.