Burlington High School
Burlington, Kansas
Teacher: Devra Parker

Established Excellence: America’s Reality
By Scott Bird
12^th grade

 

The sight of land warms the heart of a man who hasn’t seen it for weeks. The generations before him have only dreamt of such freedom. As his boat finally rocks to a halt, a deep breath of concern and worry leaves him. While taking his first steps on solid ground, he recognizes that the liberty of the land will certainly lead to an improved life. The decision to immigrate to America will make a permanent mark on his past, present and future, as well as for generations to follow.  The courage it took of this man, my great-great-grandfather, to pursue excellence in his life has given me the opportunity to experience the excellence we still cherish in America today.

Any proud American knows that this nation was built on a strong foundation, one where people just like my ancestors chose to immigrate because it would make a marked difference in their lives. I personally feel that America has not abandoned excellence in today’s reality, but actually given excellence a higher standard than ever before.

My experiences define excellence as the act of being superior. The people in the United States have demonstrated our superiority in many ways. We have an even greater desire to liberate the world today than our ancestors did back in 1776. We sent thousands of U.S. troops to fight in Iraq revealing America’s superiority over the world. And, although this great nation won the war in a few months with minute casualties, American citizens still protested the military whose actions were nearly flawless. Our excellence was also displayed during the 2004 Olympics. We took home more medals than any other country in Athens. However, when the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team lost their first game since 1978, fans all over America rebelled and stopped supporting them. Once more, our excellence is shown by citizens who long for a better quality of life. Today, more young adults further their education than ever before, although the average income of an American citizen triples the necessary earnings to survive in the world.

The pursuit of excellence is the most important characteristic of my life. I perform my best in every phase of my life, not merely on the important undertakings but also the minuet tasks I am given. The reason for my extensive pursuit is different than most. The excellence I pursue is God’s favor.  Through Jesus Christ I have been given the power and determination to strive for perfection. By living to honor Him I have earned success in many other aspects of my life. I have been blessed in athletics. My development into an outstanding football, basketball, and golf competitor has occurred because of my great work ethic. The hard work and dedication taught to me by my parents has become very beneficial, not only to help me succeed in athletics but also in the classroom. The abilities of my classmates far extend beyond my own, but, with the ambition I have been taught, I have achieved many academic honors. Recently, I was announced Homecoming King for the 2004 senior class. I feel this in one of the greatest accomplishments of my life; the dedication I have to establish a connection with my peers has shown me that hard work pays off. I exert all my ability to perform my best, in each homework assignment, athletic event, and work task I am given. My favorite verse Colossians 3:23 sums up my view of ambition by sayings, “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men.” Therefore, I must excel in everything that I do, not to become prosperous and successful for myself alone, but because I know it is God’s will for my life.

I believe we need to pursue excellence as our ancestors once did, with the courage to give up everything, to improve the quality of our lives. The quest of excellence in our lives is necessary to return America back to its original desire of distinction. I know in my life I will continue to strive for perfection in every mission I am assigned. The excellence in America has been forgotten, and the United States citizens need to take rapid steps in recognizing the superiority of this great nation. So, my objective as a proud United State’s citizen is to push aside any selfish desires and endure the narrow path that leads to supremacy, a path we all can be proud of. My wish is that Her citizens can unite together through adversity and see the America of the future that stands strong, stands superior, and stands excellent.

 

Answers To Questions Re: Required Reading

 

Q1- Am I really where I want to be?

Currently I am not where my future aspirations would intend me to be. The dedication it takes to strive for excellence is so great that the many, including myself, take the easier way out and settle for the ordinary.

 

Q2- Am I moving in the direction that will enable me to make the greatest contribution?

Yes I feel that I am moving to become the man God wants me to be. The Holy Spirit inside of me is working and changing my life drastically to improve my social skills and my desires to succeed in whatever plan there is for my life.

 

Q3- If I could achieve my highest goals, what would my accomplishments look like?

The goals I am striving to achieve are numerous. I desire to accomplish a few basic things. The first and most important goal is to glorify God in every aspect of my life. I feel if I can accomplish this everything else I have in mind would fall in place. I desire to own a Chevrolet Dealership, in the early years of my adult life. To accomplish this I know extremely hard work is in front of me and I am ready for the challenge. The control of my own schedule is of utmost importance. I wish to be available to enjoy life with my family and friends.

 

Q4- Do I recognize excellence and search it out or do I find mediocre acceptable and am willing to settle?

I recognize excellence in many different ways. Perfection is so difficult accomplish there is no way any human can achieve it.  Sports are the easiest way to determine perfection and excellence. Being able to see the perfection of one characteristic of a player’s ability is necessary. Barry Bond, in my opinion, is the greatest home run hitter of all time. He hits farther and more often than anyone else ever has. But his swing is no where near perfection, many times he has came up short of the fence or flied out, he has even stuck out multiple times. To say Bond is an excellence baseball player is acceptable but to say his game is perfect is foolish.

 

Q5- Do I seek out people, books, movies and other things that encourage me to be the best I can be?

I seek out friends, movies, and books to encourage me to become the best I can. In everything that I do I accomplish a goal. Sometimes that goal isn’t what I had in mind, but it is always recognized to encourage me and to push myself to become one step closer to perfection. I strive to find this advancement in all aspects of my life, including entertainment, school, and work areas.

 

Q6- Do I recognize the best in others?

Everyone in the world has something they are good at and it is easy to see in most. When spending time with my friends I try to encourage them by building up their self-esteem in very simple ways. Being excited while greeting them is the easily way to demonstrate the caring you have for them. Many of my friends act alike because we recognize a characteristic about someone that is fruitful and develops in us.

 

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."

I agree with Morrow that excellence demands a standard of comparison, without something to judge it by how can anything be better than the rest. Although, the culture is moving rapidly and changing every second I believe excellence can and will be determined. The generation that follow must simply develop their excellence quicker. When the world changes the excellence must shift and modify with it.

 

Q8- Interpret this quote from paragraph nine: "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion."

What the prophet Amos was implying was that the people who think that have achieved excellence must watch out. As soon as you think you are on top and in control, you will fall just as Zion did in that age. The ambition is takes to receive excellence must be kept in order to maintain that excellence.

 

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" ?

Morrow’s quote can be taken as good and bad. I agree with how Americans become discouraged and reset their goals to ones that can be easily achieved. I believe it is good for those who do not reach there goals. Every American wants to be successful and aiming their goal lower gives them that since of accomplishment. The con to this statement is that most Americans don’t every try to reach their highest potential.

 

Q10-  Explain what Morrow means when he says (A) "the confusion contaminates character and disables ambition."  Do you agree?

Yes, I totally agree with Morrow. The ambition of most Americans is very weak because of that confusion. The contamination that Morrow talks about is when Americans change their goals to become successful.

 

Q11- Argue pro and con the effect of over stimulation and under stimulation as discussed in paragraph 10.

The over stimulation of American culture effects all people, the over stimulation makes it impossible to keep the focus that is needed to become successful. The positive aspect of over stimulation is that people know the dangers and risks that can hinder their ambition in this world. Under stimulation has the same hazards, young adults not being aware of problems will make them unaware.  But under stimulation has benefits for those who can keep focused and are not swayed by the world.

 

Q12- Contrast practical excellence with metaphysical excellence as used in Morrow's last paragraph.

Practical excellence isn’t eternal as metaphysical excellence is. In my opinion, the practical excellence is determined by a group of people, and that it can change or be destroy, i.e. The United States technology. The U.S. technology is way advanced compared to the world but someday it will not be excellent. The metaphysical excellence cannot be argued with nor will it change. The prefect example of metaphysical excellence is God.

 

Q13- Copy and interpret your two favorite quotes. Explain why you chose them.

“Let him who would move the world, first move himself.” – Socrates (BC)        This is one of my favorite quotes because it captures the truth about success: Without hard work and dedication you will never accomplish anything.

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Ralph simplifies live in a single sentence. I chose this quote because millions of people go through life searching for something to make them happy. You are the only person or thing that can give you peace.
 

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