The K Word

Further to my post on Instagram, I find it important to post up a review of the book ' 21 Lessons for the 21st Century', by Yuval Noah Harari. This book has challenged my critical thinking paradigm because it contains a lot of postulations, hasty generalisations and sweeping statements which I found hard to agree with. However, having read many books, I personally find it important to conclude that there is a certain limit to the amount of opinion and assumptions an author can put in a book and the amount of information your readers or audience can process.  As a general rule, you should not produce opinions on the basis of weak evidence, because you will have difficulty interpreting subsequent information that contradicts these opinions, even if this information is disproportionately more accurate. As Yuval writes his introduction, he asks some very intriguing questions like, “What are today’s greatest challenges and most important changes?"  But, how do you distinguish b...

Being a Pacific Islander to me means being conscious of where I hail from, especially about the existence of our vast cultural diversity. The Oceania is quite difficult to characterize due to its rich culture and heritage with each one having its own set of language, food and traditions. As Oceanic people, we have encountered some critical moments in the past especially in our engagement with colonisers, missionaries and explorers from the Europe.  The Oceania had a great transition from its brutal past into the glare of a globalizing world and despite such a drastic movement, the heritage and culture of our Oceanian people has been well preserved through oral tradition, literature and performing arts. As Oceanic people, we have encountered some critical moments in the past and rightly so, this was clearly evident through migration patterns around the Pacific and the region, our contact with the missionaries and the colonizers and also the disputes over natural resources among the ...

Executive Summary The foundation of any profession lies within its ethical boundaries. After major corporate collapses, accounting scandals and the great depression, the accounting profession has witnessed a paradigm shift in how it is regulated. The accounting profession has been subjected to constant scrutiny which has led to a credibility crisis. Pertinent to the objectives, this research discusses the ethical and professional attributes of practicing accountants and how corporate collapses have led to major reforms in the accounting profession. This research also provides discussions of ethics as a foundation for the accounting profession and how it has become a back-bone for reporting and decision making. Keywords: corporate collapses, expectation gap, ethics, negligence Literature Review Corporate Collapses and Scandals The accounting profession is heavily regulated by their governing bodies and is subjected to ethical guidelines for professional conduct. “Since account...

The accounting standards does not provide a specified definition of heritage assets but it is generally understood that such assets tend to be found at places such as museums or exhibition centers. However, there has been a lot of controversy on whether heritage asset should be included in the financial statements for reporting purposes or not. For every argument in support of whether heritage asset should be in the financial statements, a valid counter-argument is provided as to why it should not be presented in the financial statements. Pertinent to research journals on heritage assets, this reflection discusses my views on why I disagree with ideas presented in the journal, how I reconcile my personal views in relation to the conceptual framework and my views outside the scope of the hints provided. While reading the journal article ' Knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing: Accounting for Heritage Assets' by Kearins and Hooper (2003), I disagree with the...

Initially, I prided myself in staying away from conventional big brand religion and this is where Stoicism hooked me away. Apparently because it is simple to apply, quite practical and its association with inspiring leaders who applied the principles of Stoicism in their daily lives.  As an individual who was almost depressed by contemplating on existential crisis, I came across various beliefs of which stoic was pragmatic. Existential crisis made me question a lot of things including my own believes and quite frankly, I was never satisfied with answers that were given to me. The questions were endless. What would constitute a credible belief? What are believes made of? What exactly is it? What do we really talk about when we talk about believes? What does it mean that you have beliefs? How are believes structured? But then I had to make peace with the overwhelming depressing questions over  existential crisis.  All these made me understand one th...

What is Depression and Anxiety? Perhaps, you may have heard of Depression and Anxiety, but do you know what they are and how they affect and shape the life of an individual? Do you know what to do if you know someone who is depressed? In case if you don't, this blog is the place that will help you answer a few questions about the subject matter and things you can do to help someone who's depressed or anxious.  In psychology, depression and anxiety are classified as mood disorders. It may be described as feeling of prolonged sadness (could be cited for various reasons e.g. death of a loved one, breakups), unnecessary rumination or overthinking. Anything that could lead to your low productivity and make you feel down longer than the period necessary is mostly termed as depression or anxiety. Generally, it is normal for anyone to feel sad or upset. But if the feeling lasts longer, it needs to be addressed. The issue of depression is something that should not be taken light...

How much do you value being in control? It seems sensible that we want to retain as much control as possible. From an evolutionary standpoint, being in control of our environment is likely the best way to increase our chances of survival. Yet based on many of the things we do to not be in control, it stands to reason that we may not value it as much as we think. Willpower Suppose you could take a perfectly safe pill that would give you more willpower. Many of us would jump at the chance. More willpower would mean we readily eliminate bad habits. It might provide the necessary self-control to lose an extra fifteen pounds or quitting an addiction we wish we didn't have. Willpower is in high demand in our society because those with a strong will tend to succeed, whereas those who are weak in this department tend to be the biggest attractors of problems. But others might object to this. Take a pill? or a chill pill? That's not natural. It's the easy route, a sig...

It is human nature that we all desire to be happy. We go about it in many ways, but no one would argue that being unhappy is desirable. It follows then that we’d want to focus on the things that make us the happiest. Regrettably many lives are prioritized quite differently. A significant portion of society rushes around in dire need trying to keep life moving along. Not everyone lives this way. There are those who know little of this desperation, who soak up life like a sponge taking immense pleasure in the journey. The difference lies in the emphasis that is given to priorities, specifically the things deemed most important to happiness instead of the moment. Time As we grow older we discover that among all things valuable, the limited time we have on earth is one of the most precious. Happiness is achieved by not wasting a moment of it. Time is the great equalizer among all walks of life as it can never be bargained for. No matter how successful, rich, popular or well liked we a...

It is a common mistake for a skeptic like me to focus too much attention on religion. I have come to a realization as to why certain people really lack religious belief and according to many they are termed as "atheist". Maybe, there's lack of evidence to support religious beliefs or maybe they encountered some pretty bad experiences with some so-called religious fanatics. One common "maybe" would also be about conspiracy theories that attempts to justify tragic events based on superficial information and lack of evidences. A skeptic like me is never easily convinced when religious fanatics try to justify tragic incidents by observing a pattern in a situation and I term that as "superstitious nonsense!!!". The following article does not defy any religious or belief system. The initial purpose was intended to seek clarity and find answers to my quest for knowledge on superstition that spreads on social media in no time and pollutes the mind of i...