U.S. foreign policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

U.S. foreign policy - Essay Example It is an observation that foreign policy of the US plays a crucial role in functions and operations of different countries around the globe, and this has been the reason of significant importance of different aspects of US foreign policy in international media and research.This paper is a similar attempt to analyze one of the major stakeholders of US foreign policy: public. In particular, the paper includes discussion and analysis of the perspective as whether public opinion matters in the decision-making process of US foreign policy or not. The paper includes different studies and reports that will be very beneficial in comprehensive understanding and validation of the discussion. Introduction In a democratic nation’s foreign policy, decisions are likely to be taken by the citizens and in support of the citizens. Governments are answerable to the citizens and the public would not clash, in view of the fact that it is public who finally pay the price and suffer for the most pa rt. Efforts of one government to control significant foreign policies of another by disturbing public opinion within that nation are not new to global relations. The British tried to influence United States view in support of joining both World Wars during the twentieth century. The issue of whether such efforts actually matter, however, stays open. United States public diplomacy throughout the post-9/11 phase certainly influenced by public opinion; however, the result is conditional on United States leaders’ trustworthiness in front of public... As a result, a foreign policy maker must be responsive to these restraints, master them, and rise above them, changing them to his or her determination (Hunt, p. 98, 2009). It is generally acknowledged by both researchers as well as the politicians that the balanced option is the leading approach to foreign policy making. This approach consists of identification and description of the problem; selection of objective; recognition of substitutes; and choice. Discussion In the foreign policy making procedure, the decision maker is not different to any normal human being who, after assessing the case, usually selects those measures, which almost certainly would attain the most excellent result. However, in the concept of rationalism, the rational is frequently puzzled with truth. If a foreign policy goes wrong, it is said that the decision makers worked unreasonably. However, whether correct or incorrect, if the decision was an act of study it can barely be unreasonable. Some that decisi on makers perform reasonably in conditions when they are stressed mainly in emergency, because in these circumstances, they have to be careful about their actions (Spanier & Hook, p. 395, 2009). The topic of public opinion along with its power in foreign policy has been an issue of argument both in and since the cold war between pragmatists and moderates. Arguments in favor of pragmatist view ‘can be found back in the eighteenth century’. â€Å"Edmund Burke a political philosopher contended that ‘A representative’s unbiased opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. Your representative owes you, not his industry

Mid Term Exam (there are 4 questions) Scholarship Essay

Mid Term Exam (there are 4 questions) - Scholarship Essay Example The sum of these roles covers all aspects of managerial performance though Mintzberg was careful enough to state that they might not describe the process of managing comprehensively. Mintzberg (1973) defines the role as "a set of certain behavioral rules associated with a concrete organization or post" (p.36) and groups the manager's roles into the three large blocks: interpersonal, informational and decisional. Each of these blocks consists of several roles: Figurehead - involves obligation of manager to act as symbolic head performing many routine duties (social or legal). This role is inspirational and activities associated with it are not central to the manager's job. Leader - involves responsibility for motivating of employees and also staffing, training, development and associated duties. This role is especially important during organization of group: it facilitates adequate integration between organizational goals and individual needs of subordinates. Each of these roles is important and may be viewed as the most essential for a manager under a specific set of circumstances. Therefore, ranking them in order of importance is a very difficult task. One possible way to fulfill this task is to use the existing models of managerial work as the basis. Thus, one of the most popular models of management known as POLCA includes planning, organizing, leading, controlling and assessing (Morgan, 1986). This model suggests that Mintzberg's roles may be ranked as follows: Resource allocator (planning), Liaison (organizing), Leader/Figurehead (leading), and Monitor (controlling and assessing). However, when an organization faces inevitable changes other roles such as Disseminator or Disturbance handler may be more important than others. 2. Managers sometimes make poor decisions because of cognitive bias in their decision-making process. Discuss three of the four sources of bias that can adversely affect the ability of managers to make a good decision, and illustrate each of them with a realistic business decision-making situation. Cognitive biases represent a broad group of observer effects that often distort our perception of phenomena related either to external environment or inner world of human being. There are several categories of

Intercultural Views With Appiah And Kimmel Cultural Studies Essay

Intercultural Views With Appiah And Kimmel Cultural Studies Essay Have you ever agreed with two pieces that were the same but so different? These are the type of feelings one may have after reading the Piece Moral Disagreement by Kwame Anthony Appiah and the piece Gender Class, and Terrorism by Michael S Kimmel. Appiahs article is very open minded and grounded. Appiah (2006) focuses on moral theory within culture. Appiah argues that formative denotation of culture is ultimately preceded by the intellectual interchange. Kimmels piece focuses on gender and culture. He looks at the small details in gender and terrorism that are similar. I believe that Both Kimmel and Appiah give valid points on intercultural ethnic understanding, cultural diversity and historic taboos to back up arguments on culture; however Appiahs philosophy is more useful on the aspect of understanding culture than Kimmels. Both Kimmel and Appiah focus their piece on intercultural arguments. Kimmel talks about Timothy McVeigh, a racist white supremacist and the Taliban policy that he believes both have intercultural taboos. He said Their anger often fixes on others-women, members of minority groups, immigrants, gay men and lesbian (p. 451). Kimmel believes theses terrorist want to re-masculinize men and feminize women. Appiah focuses on the cosmopolitan view of different cultures and societies. He talks about taboos within our cultures and our gender. Appiah is very realistic on his philosophy that cultures may never agree but we need to understand them. Appiah expects disagreements within intercultural communication; for example, he says, and the most fundamental level of disagreement occurs when one party to a discussion invokes a concept that the other simply doesnt have (p.380). Kimmel is trying to pinpoint evidence, and he gives an example of intercultural tactics that could explain the motivation of terrorist acts. For example, Kimmel links Timothy Mcviegh and the terrorists of September 11 in the same class. He says, Virtually all were under twenty-five, educated, lower middle class or middle class, downwardly mobile (p. 451). Kimmel gives his reader intercultural resources and information to help pin point what to look for in a terrorist through culture. Appiah has a more open mind with culture. He uses the concepts thick and thin: thick means detailed and thin represents universal. Appiah would most likely recommend to Kimmel that we will never realize or understand all of the different taboos within culture. Kimmel and Appiah have a realistic understanding of cultural diversity. Appiah uses emphasis on cross-cultural conversation as a mean of promoting mutual understanding. Appiah uses a realistic example: to apply the concept of rudeness, for example, you have to think of the act youre criticizing as a breach of good manners or as lacking the appropriate degree of concern for the felling of others. I say, thank you ironically, when you accidentally step on my foot, implying that you did it deliberately. Thats rude. Thanking a person, without irony, for something that hes done for you isnt (p. 380). Kimmel argues that cultural diversity that opposes globalization and the spread of western values can lead to violence. He quotes, the resulting anger is naturally directed first against their rulers, and then against those whom they see as keeping those ruler in power for selfish reasons (p. 452). Both authors could agree that we have a lot of differences within our humanity. Appiah shows historic examples of taboos within his Ghanaian background, while Kimmel gives the reader valid sources of taboos within culture. For instance, Appiah shares the different family kinship in the Akan society in Ghana. He says, Consider the abusua, this is a group of people related by common ancestry (p.381). Appiah then explains that your membership in the abusua depends only on who your mother is, your father is irrelevant. This is a great example of the many cultural differences that would be weird or un-moral to western culture; however, I believe that Appiah would want his reader to try to understand there is no right or wrong way. Kimmel gives examples of the hate that is brought in by anti-globalization politics. He quotes Peter Mardsden, has observed that the Taliban is a desperate attempt to keep out that other world, and protect Afghan women from influences that could weaken the society from within (p.452). Both Appiah and Kimmel show great examples of cultural d ifferences. Overall both authors have strong arguments, however I believe that Appiah philosophy is more useful for one to understand culture. Kimmel and Appiah both point out a lot of differences within cultures, but Kimmel focuses on small details within cultures to pinpoint or understand terrorist acts with globalization. Appiah shows the reader examples of the differences between cosmopolitans and Universalist. He says cosmopolitans suppose that all cultures have enough overlap in their vocabulary of values to begin a conversation. But they dont suppose, like some Universalists, that we could all come to agreement if only we had the same vocabulary (p. 387). Appiah then backs up his argument by showing an example of a journalist interview. He says a journalist interviews a foreign dictator, someone who is known for his abuses of human rights. (Journalist) She speaks differentially, frequently calling him your Excellency (p. 387). He then sums his point up by saying is this politeness or is i t a craven abdication of the journalist obligation to press for the trust? Can it be both? If it is politeness, is it appropriate, in these circumstances, to be polite? Appiah successfully uses strong examples to back up his argument stating that politeness, morals and taboos differ for us all; while Kimmel uses a universal approach that Appiah would categorize as thin. Appiah has a stronger piece with stronger evidence that makes his piece more understandable for the reader, while Kimmel has some evidence that is weak. A Kimmel quote, (Mohammed Atta) was he gay? Was he a repressed homosexual, too ashamed of his sexuality to come out? Such innuendoes are based on no more than a few circumstantial tidbits about his life. He was slim, sweet-faced, neat, meticulous, a snazzy dresser (p.452). Such allegations are irrelevant because there is no strong evidence to prove any homosexuality. He also brings an example of Adolf Hitler he quotes He argues that any of Hitlers policies-such as the killing of longtime colleague and avowed homosexual Ernst Rohm, or even the systematic persecution and execution of gay men in concentration camps-were, in fact prompted by a desire to conceal his own homosexuality (p.453). Again there is no concrete evidence to prove any homosexuality with Hitler. Hitler was a sick disturbed terrorist whom kill thousands that were not gay so how could we know any difference of his killings. Overall both authors brought different arguments from a different prospective on culture. Being that Appiah is a philosopher, he brings knowledge, values, and wisdom, within fundamental problems in his argument. Kimmel, a sociologist, he argued with the study of human behavior. I would recommend both pieces to any reader who would like to look at different theories, but I would highly recommend Appiahs piece because it is reasonable and clear on human intercultural civilization.

American Literature and Society :: essays research papers fc

Literature is a very powerful tool that is used to make a huge impact on society or in someone’s perspective. Literature comes in different forms and each literature form fits in a certain category or role to help understand the true meaning of it. From playwrights to short stories, each one has moral lesson, a message or a reflection of the author. I have witnessed the power of literature several times. Literature has moved teens to better being; it has motivated unfortunate people to fame, used as an educational process of teaching and most of all, entertainment. Back in the day, plays were on of the most famous forms of entertainment. Without television and radio present, plays served as a substitute to entertain certain groups of people like the royal family or just for the whole public. This was one way of making money by the actors and the authors that wrote the play. Also present during those times were the poem recitals. This is similar to a play but fewer people are present in the stage or sometimes solo performance. Today, Literature is still being used as a form of entertainment and educational intentions. Hollywood made a lot of money by revising the great masterpieces of famous authors such as â€Å"Rome and Juliet† by William Shakespeare. Also, they made movies out of hundreds of literary works for educational purposes and better understanding of the literature piece. Each form of literature has its own style. The style determines how it influences the audience to absorb the true meaning and moral of the story or poem. William Shakespeare and Benjamin Franklin were truly persuasive while Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe mixed mystery and adventure to their works. The style touches the readers which really makes a good relationship from the reader to the author’s literary masterpieces. Being a foreigner to this country, I have viewed American Society in a different way. There are a lot of factors that changed my perspective to the American society and of them is the literature I have studied during the process of having English as on of my major subjects. I can strongly say that American society is very much different than the environment I used to live. There may be similarities but there are few. American society tends to change a lot of times, its culture slowly evolves the American society to a whole different level.

Prefect Letter

I am writing to yourslef to express my enthusiasm for the position of a year 11 prefect. The role as prefect as i can see, is an (essential) part of representing the school which acts to help the schools community and becoming a model of the school’s junior pupils, but more over, I can see the role of prefect as a leading demonstration of the school to the outside world as prefects are thee best pupils in the school, therefore, a prefect has to be an all-round friendly person.Being an ell-round friendly prefect, would mean prefects would have to have great communication skills in which they wouldn’t loose their temper whilst discussing a certain matter and would be able to listen to what other prefects might want them to do. Being a good listener is vital because prefects need to listen to teachers who set them tasks, and they must always follow it. Prefects would have to listen to any concerns by pupils or teachers that are put forward when in the role as a prefect. Al so, prefects need to be a good all-round representative.This would mean having emaculkate unform and have manners when addressing teacher, pupils and visiors. Being a prefect would mean always addressing in a graceful manner. I have represented the school many of times duing my five years that i have attended St. Thomas Aquinas. I have helped at Open Evenings where i have had to represent a subject. I remember reprsenting science and i had to show children the experiment that i was in charge of and i had to be friendly towards them and approach them with an informative manner.I was once in the school dance club that takes place after school on Fridays and i have been able to show pupils and counsillors in our school that we have an excellent dance group. One dance i was involved in was, Chicago which featured ex-teachers Miss Garner and Miss Barnet. With an input from all dancers, the show turned out to be a success. I ahve also been in the school choir which involved performing in masses, performing in a place where old people meet regularly and i have sung alongside Mr Weekes at the Atrix Theatre in which i had to wear school uniform to represent the school.I was on my best behaviour and feel that i represented the school well. When ever i had to perform and represent the school, i always helped people out and i always co-operated with enthusiasm. There are many other ways i have been part of a team, for instance: doing group work is lessons in which i have had to co-operate and having to put forward any opinions which i would discuss further with my group. I feel that i would make a good refect because my communication skills have developed since working with BPM Media for my work experience. I’ve learnt to be independent and to try everything that is put in front of me and to never say ‘I CANT. ’ I am also a very good listener because i am able to follow the rules at school and i have used my skill in my work experience placement and it has gone down as a great skill to have, especially in being a prefect.I have been classed as an ‘ambassador’ of the school which is featurd in a praise log i got for ebglish for completing coursework before the deadline because i was able to knuckle down to the work. I think it is important to uphold school rules because school rules are important to all of us because they tell us how to act, give us directions, set stabdards for everyone and provide a safe climate. Every rule has a reason for being and should be followed consistently.For instance, all pupils have to have emaculate unform, with emaculate unform, it means out school is well represented and shows everyone outside of school the expectations of all pupils who attend. By applying for the position of prefect, i am looking to acquire responsibilities of level which i have never had, and so to constantly challenge myself to a higher level is what brings one true joy. I am, as you can see, raring to go, ready t o offer my service to the school with the utmost of my abilities and in order awards that i will treasure.

Lord’s Prayer

Introduction Matthew 6:9-13 is commonly referred as the â€Å"Lord’s Prayer†. In this paragraph, Jesus presented a pattern of prayer to the disciples, thus suggesting the manner in which God should be addressed and the petition we are entitled to present to Him. What is it about this paper that intrigues so many people to dig into the meaning of it? It is interesting to see from the verses above that Jesus’ prayer puts God in the first place. The first half of the prayer focuses exclusively on God and His agenda as believers adore, worship, and submit to His will before they introduce their own personal petitions.The second half of the prayer focuses on how should disciple invite God to their daily life and live upon God’s continuous spiritual provision. Even with the second half where their wills are introduced, God still takes dominant position in the relationship. The discipleship of the followers thus is being presented through day-to-day prayers. Soci o-Historical Background To fully understand the meaning of the text, the first thing to do is to step back to examine the society where the text was written, back to the time where the incident happened, thus we can fully grasp the context of the paragraph.The Gospel of Matthew as we know it was almost certainly written before A. D 100. It is quoted by Ignatius (Smyrn. 1. 1), writing in approximately 110-115 A. D. , and probably referred to in the Didache, which may date to sometime in the late 90s. 2 External evidence helps us to confirm that Matthew wrote primarily to Jewish Christian congregation or congregations either on the verge of or just recovering from a substantial break from Judaism as a whole. 3 If Matthew depends on Mark, it must obviously be later than Mark, but the dating of Mark is equally uncertain.Most would place Mark under the Neronian persecution in the mid- to late-60s, but the evidence is highly inferential. 4 Various data within Matthew’s Gospel might also support an earlier dating. Why would only Matthew include references to the temple tax (17:24-27), offering (5:23-24) and ritual (23:16-22), or to Sabbath keeping in Judea (24:20) in an era (after 70) in which none of these was practiced any longer? Why would he stress Jesus’ antagonism against the Sadducees in an age in which they had died out? One answer is that these things happened that way during Jesus’ lifetime.But given the evangelists’ consistent pattern of selecting episodes from Jesus’ life that were theologically meaningful for their communities, one wonders if these data are not indirect pointers to a pre-70 date. The evidence is finely balanced, but it is believed there is a slight weight in favor of opting for a date in the 60s, sometime after the composition of Mark. The above surveys of the probable circumstances of its composition lead a majority today to conclude that the author was a Jewish Christian. 5 Strictly speaking, this Gos pel, like all four canonical Gospels, is anonymous.Canonical Matthew is written in relatively good Greek, better than Mark, but not as polished as that of the native Greek writer, Luke. Given the amount of Hellenization that had infiltrated Galilee by the first century, and given that regular contacts with Gentiles that a toll collector would have had, the apostle Matthew would have become reasonably cosmopolitan Jew, quite capable of this kind of writing. 6 Some have inferred from reference like 13:52 that Matthew himself was a scribe, either before or after becoming a Christian, and that he therefore could not  also have been a toll collector.7 In fact, if he were a Christian scribe or teacher, his previous experience with an occupation that required writing and record keeping might even have helped better prepare him for his later responsibilities. Without any ancient traditions to the contrary, Matthew remains the most plausible choice for author. This author, at least of an o riginal draft of this book, seems quite probably to have been the converted toll collector, also named Levi, who became one of Jesus’ Twelve apostles (cf.10:3; 9:9-13; Mark 2:14-17).Literary Context Suggestions for Matthew’s Gospel have always involved apologetic design to try to convince non-Christian Jews of the truth of the Gospel, encouragement to the church’s witness in a hostile world, and deepening Christian faith by supplying more details about Jesus’ words and works. 8 All of these proposals make good sense and may well form part of Matthew’s intention. To what kind of church under what circumstance would such a Gospel to be addressed?The text itself never says. It is usually assumed that all of the Gospels are first of all addressed to Christian communities, since from the earliest days of Christian testimony that is where these documents are read. Suggestions about the church to which Matthew presumably is writing usually try to relate t he circumstances of that body of believers to the large Jewish world. Most of the testimony states merely that Matthew wrote â€Å"to the Hebrews,† although occasionally a place in Palestine is suggested.Modern scholars have often suggested Syria, especially its central city of Antioch, 9 which was up to one-seventh Jewish and a center of early Christian missionary effort. More fruitful is discussion of the type of situation within Judaism that would have provoked this Gospel. Some have argued for Gentile audience, and interpreted Matthew’s Jewish emphasis as teaching Gentile Christians how to appropriate their Jewish heritage and Scriptures. Others have remained content just to label the community â€Å"mixed†.Most interpreters recognize Matthew’s audience as Jewish-Christian congregation or congregations either on the verge o or just recovering from a substantial break from Judaism as a whole. Graham Stanton suggests the concept of the church having bro ken from but still in debate with the synagogue. 10 Studies of â€Å"formative Judaism† point out how diverse Jewish thought and practice were before AD 70. After the destruction of the temple, however, only two primary branches emerged: rabbinic Judaism and Christian Judaism.The tension was quite high as each of these groups competed in the same communities to defend the claim that they alone were the true heirs to their religious heritage. 11 A situation like this can explain how Matthew could be so concerned to show Jesus as the fulfillment of all things Jewish and yet stress the rebellion of Israel’s leaders, comparable in Matthew’s mind to the hostility of the synagogue leadership in his day. Passage Analysis/Implication The paragraph selected is commonly known as the â€Å"Lord’s Prayer†. Versions of this prayer appear in both Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.â€Å"Pray then like this† is rendered similarly by most translation. Translato rs may have â€Å"When you pray, you should pray in this way,† â€Å"Your praying should be like this,† or â€Å"When you pray, this is the kind of prayer you should make. † The form of address in Matthew (Our Father who art in heaven) appears in Luke simply as â€Å"Father† (Luke 11:2). The modifier â€Å"Our† reminds us that no believer stands alone, while â€Å"in heaven† serves both to differentiate the heavenly Father from earthly fathers and at the same time to preserve the distant between God and man.The use of first-person plural pronouns through out the prayer reminds us that our praying ought to reflect the corporate unity, desires, and needs of the entire church. â€Å"Hallowed be thy name† is translated â€Å"may your name be honored† by Phps and â€Å"May your name be held in reverence† by Brc. With regard to the last part of this verse and the entirety of the following verse, it is observed that the three p etitions are parallel in thought, and both the passive form and the use of â€Å"name† reflect the attitude of reverence found in Jewish prayers. â€Å"Thy kingdom come† is parallel to the first petition.The reference is to the final establishment of God’s reign on earth. And the prayer requests that God establish his reign for us, not that we establish for him. The next petition, â€Å"Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven†, is not found in Luke’s presentation of the Lord’s prayer. This petition is an exact parallel to the first petition concerning the honoring of God’s name, and as such it also stands parallel with the second petition. The meaning of the petition may be expressed in a variety of ways: â€Å"May people obey you as you are obeyed in heaven† (MACL),â€Å"May you to obeyed all over the earth as your are obeyed in heaven† (INCL). â€Å"Thy will be done† is a passive and does not specify who i s to do God’s will. Many translations have to say â€Å"may people do what you will† or â€Å"the things you will, may people carry them out on earth, just as those in heaven do. † Some translations have understood the prayer to be asking that God’s will be done on earth and be done in heaven, whereas it is probably better to assume that his will is already done in heaven, and that the prayer is that people on earth carry out his will just as it is already carried out in heaven.The first half of the prayer thus focuses exclusively on God and his agenda as believers adore, worship, and submit to his will before they introduce their own personal petitions. â€Å"Give us this day our daily bread† is a short verse but difficult to interpret. The problem concerns the meaning of the word rendered â€Å"daily†. The word appears only in Christian literature, and its origin and meaning have never been explained to the satisfaction of all. Several sol utions have been offered and are summarized in the commentaries.One of the standard Greek lexicons presents them in the following order: (1) â€Å"Necessary for existence. † Some commentators say that this interpretation makes the petition less than spiritual, but Jesus and his followers took seriously the needs of the body. (2) â€Å"For the current day, for today. † This seems to be the interpretation favored by translations that render â€Å"daily†. (3) â€Å"For the following day. † This would refer to the daily ration of bread, given for the next day; therefore, â€Å"give us today our daily portion.†Mft translates â€Å"give us to-day our bread for tomorrow,† while Brc renders â€Å"Give us today our bread for the coming day. † There are several possibilities of meaning. If the prayer was said in the morning, the â€Å"coming day† would be the day in progress. If future reference would permit an eschatological interpretat ion as well, in which case the â€Å"coming day† could be the coming Messianic banquet. However, in this context such an interpretation is highly unlikely. (4) â€Å"Bread for the future. † This is discussed under (3). It is so called eschatological interpretation.The first two alternatives are similar to each other. The third alternative, if taken as a reference to the present day, comes to mean essentially the same as the first two possibilities. The fourth interpretation, though attractive, does not seem to be in focus in the present passage. Since an eschatological interpretation should be rejected, the translation of â€Å"this day† should not be â€Å"in these days† or â€Å"in this age†. It means simply â€Å"today†, although it can be â€Å"each day† or â€Å"day by day† in some constructions, depending on how â€Å"daily† is dealt with.The Greek word for â€Å"bread† is here used with the wider meaning of â€Å"food†. Some have wanted to take â€Å"bread† to mean more than â€Å"food†, feeling it represents all our needs, spiritual and physical. Most translators will follow the examples listed under the first two interpretations: â€Å"Give us each day the food we need. † â€Å"Forgive† has proved very difficult to translate. It can be expressed with some figure of speech such as â€Å"Forget the wrong,† â€Å"no longer see the wrong†. â€Å"Debts† represents a literal rendering of the Greek word.However, commentators note that the word is here sued figuratively for â€Å"sins†. Spiritual debts to God are first of all in view. Our plea for continued forgiveness as believers, requesting the restoration of fellowship with God following the alienation that sin produces, is predicated on our having forgiven those who have sinned against us. As verse 15 stressed, without this interpersonal reconciliation on the human level, n either can we be reconciled to God. In the clause â€Å"As we also have forgiven†, the pronoun â€Å"we† is emphatic.The verb â€Å"have forgiven† represents an aorist indicative in Greek. A number of translations give it a habitual or timeless force. Other specify that the action is past in reference to the petition for God to forgive. The word â€Å"as† is important. Some translators have taken it to mean â€Å"because† or â€Å"since†. But it is better to have â€Å"in the same way† or â€Å"just as†. That is, we ask God to forgive us in the same manner we forgive other. The final petition is especially difficult to interpret. The Greek word translated â€Å"temptation† may also means â€Å"trial, persecution.†The petition does not imply â€Å"don’t bring us to the place of temptation† or â€Å"don’t allow us to be tempted. † God’s spirit has already done both of these with Je sus (4:1). Nor does the clause imply â€Å"don’t tempt us† because God has promised never to do that anyway. Rather, in light of the probable Aramaic underlying Jesus’ prayer, these words seem best taken as â€Å"don’t let us succumb to temptation† or â€Å"don’t abandon us to temptation. †12 We do of course succumb to temptations every once in a while but never because we have no alternative (1 Corinthians 10:13).Thus when we give in, we have only ourselves to blame. The second clause translates a verb that may mean either â€Å"rescue from† or â€Å"protect against. † â€Å"Evil† translates a noun that may also mean â€Å"the evil one†. The New Testament scholars are divided on their judgment. Some are of the opinion that the word is a neuter, inasmuch as neither Hebrew nor Aramaic uses â€Å"the evil one† to denote Satan. Others, basing their judgment upon 13:19, believe that the phrase may refer to the Evil One, that is, the Devil. In either case, the power of evil is here spoken of as a reality.Numerous late manuscripts add various forms of a conclusion to Jesus’ prayer, probably based on 1 Chr 29:11-13, no doubt to give the prayer a proper doxology that otherwise lacked. This well-known conclusion appears in the NIV margin but almost certainly did not appear in Matthew’s original text. 13 14 Conclusion The â€Å"Lord’s Prayer† is in fact closer to a disciple’s prayer in its content. As the sinless One, Jesus cannot ask God to forgive his sin. However, Jesus sets up an example of prayer for us to follow.Only with the fulfillments of various petitions can we reconcile with God in unity. We are called to honor God’s name in our daily life. We are called to be used by God and obey Him in building His kingdom. We shall pray to God everyday for the needs of our body, and ask for forgiveness of our sin. Jesus is calling disciples to pray for deliverance from and protection in testing. We surely cannot avoid testing as such. God lets us to be tested by the evil one to confirm our faith in Him. When such testing comes, only God’s strength can see us through.We may note that the use of plural pronoun â€Å"our† reminds us that just as we approach God as our heavenly Father, we must remember God’s other children as our brothers and sisters. I must seek not only my daily bread but also the needs of my brothers and sisters in Christ. 15 Application This prayer is a great reminder for a highly individualized society we have. We pray for everything in our lives no matter big or small. There’s nothing wrong with praying all the time, but often times most of the prayers we say are about ourselves.We prayer for better grades, better health, more time, more patience, better lives, etc. It’s always about us. We often fail to realize that we are trying to take control of everything. We pray to God for His â€Å"help† instead of letting Him be in control of the situation. Through the studying of this prayer, I realize that only through God’s power can we stand against the storms in our lives, and through him can we find the true peace. Also, we must seek not only the provision for ourselves, but also those around us. Our own intimacy with God must lead to prayer for and active commitment to the needs of all his people.