Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a best-selling book that aims to inspire people on how to become financially capable. The title refers to Kiyosaki’s biological father, who was poor, and his friend Mike’s dad, who was rich. In the book, Kiyosaki narrates lessons he learned from both dads.
Poor Dad, as mentioned earlier, was Robert Kiyosaki’s own father. He believed that getting an education is the ticket to success and finding a good company to work with. Despite being a Ph.D. graduate, he always had to struggle financially. Poor Dad strongly believed that benefits such as pay raises, retirement plans, vacation and medical leaves were more important than money itself.
When Kiyosaki left a high-paying job, his poor dad couldn’t comprehend why he did so since he would lose all the benefits associated with it. The word money” was dreaded in his household and wasn’t discussed during mealtime. His financial statement was also something of a wreck, full of liabilities and credit card debts which left his family paying for them after he passed away.
However, this doesn’t mean that poor dad was a loser or quitter. When young Kiyosaki and Mike tried to make money by “casting nickels out of lead,” their poor dad praised them for thinking of ways to have money but not for doing something illegal.
Poor dad encouraged them to continue what they were doing (not the casting part) but to do something that would help them get rich in life instead. As a schoolteacher himself, he admitted not knowing how to make money since schoolteachers didn’t care much about it; thus referring the boys to Mike’s dad who had experience in business.
According to Kiyosaki and Lechter (17), Rich Dad, who was also Mike’s father, did not finish school. However, Poor Dad believed that he was “building an empire”. While Poor Dad’s belief was to study and find a good company to work for, Rich Dad’s credo was to study and acquire a good company to own. He even talked about money during meal times. Poor Dad advised against taking risks while Rich Dad encouraged it, saying that one should learn how to deal with it well. Another difference between the two dads was their attitude towards money; Poor Dad worked for money to pay the bills while Rich Dad had his money work for him by advocating financial stability through investing.
Kiyosaki notes that when it came to buying certain things, Poor Dad often said he couldn’t afford them whereas Rich Dad would find a way to buy them. For Poor dad, there were certain things outside his box that he couldn’t do or afford but for Rich dad, he looked outside the box and found ways – perhaps even creating another box in the process.
While money wasn’t important for poor dad; it meant power for rich dad but this didn’t mean that rich dad was greedy as when he died, he left millions of dollars not just for his family but also charities.
In these times of economic crisis, people can benefit from the lessons of Rich Dad and Poor Dad. From Poor Dad, we learn the importance of education. Although it may sound like a cliché, having an education is truly valuable. It greatly increases one’s chances of finding a decent job with good pay and benefits.
Rich Dad, who did not finish school himself, also stressed the importance of education but added another important lesson – to let money work for you through investing. While the world is plagued by financial difficulties, now is actually a great time to invest while prices are low. As they say: buy low and sell high.
The key to successful investing lies in education – learning about how the investment market works and observing its trends carefully. Investing involves risks but as Rich Dad said: managing risk well is crucial.
Whether we’re like Poor Dad who avoids money matters or Rich Dad who seizes opportunities for wealth creation, now is an opportune moment to assess our assets and liabilities and strive towards financial independence without being burdened by mortgages or unpaid credit card bills.
Works Cited
- Kiyosaki, Robert and Sharon Lechter. Rich Dad, Poor Dad.” New York: Warner Books, 1997.
Mantegna’s And Giotto’s Paintings The Lamentation Over The Dead Christ Analysis
The Lamentation over the Dead Christ artwork was painted by Italian artist Andrea Mantegna in 1480. Conversely, Giotto created his Lamentation painting between 1305 and 1306. Both paintings depict various people mourning Jesus’ death. In Mantegna’s painting, Mary (Jesus’ mother) and St. John stand beside Jesus’ dead body, weeping. In Giotto’s painting, five human figures surround the body of the deceased Jesus Christ.
Effectively, both Giotto’s and Mantegna’s Lamentations reflect on Jesus’ suffering from the torture stake to the grave and thus have deep religious connotations.
For example, in Giotto’s painting, the body of Christ is held by three women and does not touch the ground. This painting shows the connection between Christ’s body and the mourners. A young woman, presumably Mary, supports Christ’s head. The mourners in both paintings have dull faces that reflect sorrow. In Giotto’s painting, mountain ridges intersecting the entire composition are well-illustrated. Behind them stand a tree and 11 angels before a vast sky that seems to demonstrate different moods or emotions. The ridges illustrate gaiety while human figures suggest sadness.
In Mantegna’s painting, a fierce perspective foreshortens and dramatizes the whole figure pointing to Jesus’ painful death.
Conversely, there is a significant difference between the paintings of Mantegna and Giotto. For example, in Giotto’s painting, there are more figures than in Mantegna’s painting. In the foreground of Giotto’s painting, there are three females and two unknown figures. On the other hand, only three people can be seen in Mantegna’s composition. Additionally, Christ’s body does not touch the ground in Giotto’s painting while it is portrayed as lying on the ground in Mantegna’s work.
Giotto’s painting clearly distinguishes between foreground and background through the sky while Mantegna focuses on the ground instead of sky. In terms of angels depicted, 11 angels with different emotional states can be observed in Giotto’s painting while no angel form is present in Mantegna’s work.
The compositional plane differs between these two paintings as well; objects that are low on compositional plane and objects high up are clearly shown to indicate some objects being on earth while others are up above. The feet of Christ have holes to allude to how he was nailed to a torture stake which is visible only in Mantegna’s work.
Mantegna seems to have focused more on realism with regard to foreshortening whereas Giotto depicts heaven and earth joining together to mourn their dead savior creating a voluminous three-dimensional world compared to simple window framing-like composition by Mantegna.
In terms of proportionality, Christ’s body appears swollen and big with reduced feet size by Mantega whereas no swelling or disproportionality can be observed from Christ’s body depicted by Giotto.
Mountain ridges that show jagged diagonal lines can be seen only in Giotto’s depiction along with fully covered body compared to partially-dressed one portrayed by Mantegna. Clothing texture appears soft and smooth in Giotto’s painting while it seems rough and torn in Mantegna’s work.
Overall, these characteristics show that Christ endured much suffering from his crucifixion to his death.
These two paintings share similarities as they both depict various entities mourning Christ. In Giotto’s painting and Mantegna’s, the body of dead Christ is encircled by other figures, including Mary and disciple John. The figures surrounding the body of Christ in both paintings appear to be sorrowful, conveying a mood of great sadness. Both paintings are considered Renaissance art and are symbolic, with their respective artists remembered for their exceptional work many years ago.
The use of light contrasted with shadow in both Mantegna’s painting and Giotto’s enhances the realism of the scenes by foreshortening the recumbent figure. The emotional Biblical catastrophe depicted in both paintings is conveyed through pastel colors that complement each other, giving a feeling of stagnation and movement within the picture plane.
Giotto’s painting has rough surfaces surrounding the clothing of its figures, similar to Mantegna’s depiction where Christ’s body lies on a rough surface that arouses feelings of his suffering. Both paintings reflect on Christ’s problems on the cross and his resurrection from death while clearly identifying various figures such as Mary, disciple John, and Jesus himself.
In conclusion, both Mantegna and Giotto created impressive works that will be remembered for generations. Giotto’s paintings appear to be more advanced than Mantegna’s because he includes more figures in his compositions. Giotto’s paintings attempt to convey the message that Christ has risen and fulfilled his earthly mission, while Mantegna’s painting depicts Christ after he has been crucified and taken to the tomb. Both artworks demonstrate the immense suffering that Jesus endured before, during, and after his crucifixion.
Works Cited
Derbes, Anne and Sandona, Mark. The Cambridge Companion to Giotto. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Driving In The Winter And Driving In The Summer
The four seasons in the country create a huge challenge not only for your physique but also for your vehicles and driving skills. It entails a lot of adjustments for your vehicles and efforts from drivers. Each season has its own unique quality that can either make or break cars, so you must be prepared and equipped all the time.
Summer and winter are probably the hardest seasons to drive in because they are extreme weather conditions. Utmost care and precaution in driving are much needed during these two seasons. They also require different precautions as they bring different effects on vehicles. However, it is important that vehicles remain in good technical condition throughout the year to prevent breakdowns.
The scorching heat of the sun affects vehicles in several ways. The higher temperature increases the chances of overheating. To prevent this, it is important to check the water level in the radiator and washer, as well as the oil level, especially in the electric fan. During summer, people tend to use air conditioning more frequently to cool down their vehicles’ interiors; therefore, it is crucial to ensure that it is set correctly.
Another critical part of a car during warm weather is its tires. Long trips, heavy loads, high speeds and higher temperatures all put additional stress on them. As people often head to beaches or out-of-town destinations during summer for a nice real tan or just relaxation purposes.
However, these long trips tire our wheels out. Before going on a trip, make sure that there is enough tread on the tires to operate safely and that they are wearing normally to avoid accidents. Cars and tires are designed to operate safely only up to their load limits, so it is advisable not to overload vehicles. The heavier the car, the longer the braking distance will be, so adjust your driving accordingly. Additionally, filling the fuel tank too high is not recommended as at higher temperatures, fuel expands (Newbold & Bonnick, 2005, pp.85-90).
Just like driving in the summer, certain precautions must also be taken when driving in the winter. It is important to know that your vehicle is in good condition to prevent any breakdowns on the road. During your vehicle’s check-up, make sure that the following parts are in good condition as they are most likely to break down when driving in snow:
- The electrical system, which includes the battery, ignition and lights.
- Lights – check all lights (headlights, side lights, emergency flashers, directional lights, taillights, brake lights and parking lights) for proper functioning. It is important to see and be seen especially when driving in a snowstorm.
- Brakes – crucial too during winter because they are needed on slippery roads. Be sure to check brakes and adjust them to ensure equal braking.
- Tires
- Exhaust system
- Heating system
- Windshield wipers
During summer it is recommended not to fill up the fuel tank too high but during winters it is advised not to let the fuel level get too low – we may take much longer than expected while driving due to poor road conditions. If we get stuck somewhere then our car engine will be our only source of heat so we need enough fuel for that purpose.
Above all before hitting off on a snowy day we must contact our provincial “Road Reports” service to get updates regarding road conditions of our region (Newbold & Bonnick, 2005).
Driving in winter and summer both have their disadvantages. In winter, some highways may be restricted to four-wheel drives and major roads can even be closed for hours or days. During summer, roads can become too hot and cause stress on our wheels. Regardless of the season, it’s important to drive slowly and bring water because you never know what could happen next (Peterson, 2004 p. 43). Both seasons have a significant impact on different parts of vehicles, so maintenance is crucial.
Different precautions and preparations are important to take note of when driving in summer and winter. However, one thing that you must never forget is to obey traffic rules and speed limits. By doing so, you can ensure safety on the road.
References
Peterson, E. (2004). Frommer’s Montana & Wyoming. Montana: Frommer’s Publishing.
Newbold, D. and Bonnick, A. (2005) present a practical approach to motor vehicle engineering.
Maintenance. Massachusetts: Butterworth-Heinemann.