Burlington High School
Burlington, Kansas
Teacher: Devra Parker
Modern Chaos
By Danielle Comstock
12th grade
Humans are at the top of the wheel. There is not a living thing on this planet that is smarter and more successful than the simple existence of one Homo Sapien. The world spins and modernizes with the growing capacity of our creativity and knowledge, yet today our flaws seem to erase our confidence. America is one of the most powerful countries, but it is also the most contradictory. Year after year more chaos seems to seep into our civilization and scramble our original value of life.
First, America’s excellence is shrinking. The value of life seems to slip from our minds. Suicide rates are climbing, and people are throwing away the greatest gift they own. I believe excellence is not in money or power, but it is the unlimited bounds that mankind achieves with faith, knowledge, and love. Love has changed. It is expressed in songs and movies, but it is hardly seen in the modern family or relationships of today. One in three marriages end in divorce, and the result of a split family is usually the absent love and support of a parent. Religion is slipping away also. Gay marriage is allowed in some states today, and hardly anyone I know believes in some sort of basic religion or god.
Second, everyone needs to realize the important of excellence--the importance of dreams. I have seen a blind woman create exquisite paintings. I have heard of a man, who had one arm in high school, play basketball, and yes he was on the varsity team. A woman in Africa planted and farmed an estimate of 13 million trees to save forests that have been burned for African farmers. Everyone has a dream, and we should strive for that dream. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream where African Americans would be accepted and allowed equality in America. He shared his passion, his dream with America and it became a reality. If we don’t at least try to do what we want or would love to do, if we do not try to change the world or make it better, it will never change.
We spend too much time worrying about what other people will think. What will happen to my reputation? What if it doesn’t work? Confidence is caged in a fear of acceptance, and everyone needs to live like it’s the last day of his/her life. I never know when my minute is going to be up. I could die tomorrow; I could be dead five minutes from now. Death could happen any time and others are wasting their life with doubts and fear. Excellence is not found in the worrier or the doubter; it is found in the person that is grateful for each day he/she gets to spend living life. Excellence is found in the person who knows what he/she has in life.
I try to accomplish what I need and love in my life by working for it. I want to be a doctor and save lives; I think it would be an honor to pursue that career, and that is what I’m going to do. I believe that having a suitable career is a great example of excellence. It doesn’t matter how much a person makes or what job it is, as long as they love what their doing. People need to get our there and start undertaking challenges to accomplish what they believe in.
We need to get out there and work at what we want. Some of our society today is has become lazy. 60 percent of Americans are overweight. Tons of people are living on welfare and child support, when they can go out and get a job. Instead of kids going outside to play, they stay inside and play video games or watch TV.
In the past things were different. In the past a family would sit down and enjoy cooked meals as a family. Americans were smarter and more productive, and we used to have a larger range of vocabulary a generation ago. There were industrial revolutions, discoveries of electricity, and winged flight. It is as if America has hit a stopping point in major discovery. There are so many intelligent and promising people in the world that don’t even give themselves a chance. In the past it was all about making life interesting. Today, it is like the amazing inventions that we’ve created in the past are crushing us.
For example, the car was invented for modern transportation, but the increase of current oil costs are making motor vehicle transportation too expensive. The exploration of space is very compelling, but the billions of dollars it takes for one voyage to the moon is not. Television and entertainment technology is a part of many American lives today. Social security, which was made to aid retirement, is crumbling. The economy in modern America is hardly worth mentioning; millions don’t have jobs and demand for oil is rising. Flaws in American society are increasing, and if we had the commitment and confidence we used to have in the past, we could overcome these challenges.
Thus, America is one of the most admired countries in the world, and it should be. No other country is more free and modernized, yet it is not a perfect civilization. From being created and controlled by human beings, it is as mortal as any other breathing person. The only way America can be made stronger is with the strength of the people that give it life, and I feel we are losing hold on the value of change and the significance of strength. However, all is not lost. If we realize who we are and what astounding things we are capable of, I believe the only outcome will be a mysterious revolution of admiration in ourselves.
Answers To Questions Re: Required Reading
Ask Yourself:
Q1- Am I
really where I want to be?
I believe I am because I am happy and loved where I am right now.
Q2- Am I
moving in the direction that will enable me to make the greatest contribution?
Yes, I want to be a doctor and save people’s lives.
Q3- If I could
achieve my highest goals, what would my accomplishments look like?
I think they would be very well appreciated and unlike any accomplishments I
have ever experienced.
Q4- Do I
recognize excellence and search it out or do I find mediocre acceptable and am
willing to settle?
Yes, I try my best in things I do, I strive to be honest, and I work hard to
achieve my goals.
Q5- Do I seek out people, books, movies and other things that encourage me to be the best I can be? Of coarse, I seek out movies and books at the library that will give me knowledge for later in life, and my family and friends help me when I need reassurance and love.
Q6- Do I
recognize the best in others?
In some it is very hard, but I try to see the good and individuality of
others. I always think to myself, it could be worse.
Time Article
Q7- Do you agree with Morrow (paragraph seven) that: "Excellence demands standards. It does not usually flourish in the midst of rapid, hectic change. This century’s sheer velocity has subverted the principle of excellence; a culture must be able to catch its breath."
Yes, excellence usually is constant and loyal. Excellence is hard work, and it has rules and regulations.
Q8- Interpret this quote from paragraph nine: "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion."
It is a pity that certain people don’t strive for success and live at ease without changing things for the better..
Q9-
Argue pro and con Morrow's contention that "Americans not yet successful (the
struggling, the underclass) are apt to aim at ease, not excellence"?
Not everyone who is struggling and underclass are at ease; many people who are
underclass are excellent in their character. However, there are many who are
struggling in their life, and they usually aim at ease.
Q10-
Explain what Morrow means when he says (A) "the confusion contaminates
character and disables ambition." Do you agree?
No, Confusion makes you think and reach out and solve problems, and solving
problems in life defines your character and makes you ambitious towards life.
Q11-
Argue pro and con the effect of over stimulation and under stimulation as
discussed in paragraph 10.
Over simulation adds intellectuality to society,
and under simulation provides excitement and entertainment. However, both
wear down excellence and distract us from our goals.
Q12- Contrast practical excellence with metaphysical excellence as used in Morrow's last paragraph. Practical excellence it the idea of a person that it is profitable, and metaphysical excellence is the infinite and extraordinary definition of excellence, explaining how it is precious and essential in a happy life.
Quotations from Key 32 found at the end of your required reading
Q13- Copy and interpret your two favorite quotes. Explain why you chose them.
"Be not angry that you cannot make
others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to
be." - Thomas Kempis (1380-1471)
Some people try to change
others when they don’t realize they need to change themselves.
"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Sometimes we
lie to ourselves and do wrong things, and we need to make peace with the wrong
things we do and forgive ourselves.