Kadoka High School
Kadoka, South Dakota
Teacher: Mrs. Shuck

 

Have We Abandoned Excellence?
By Helena Kittle
11th Grade

What is excellence?  Excellence is of the highest quality; very fine; superb.  Do you think that our society has abandoned excellence?  Do you think that you have abandoned excellence?  Our society has abandoned excellence in medicine, the military, and in the judiciary system.

The word excellence is something that gets thrown around a lot.  Many people think of excellence as being a very good basketball game, or a good meal that you eat.  Many people don’t realize the quality that excellence has behind it.  Excellence is of the highest quality, meaning that you can’t do any better. 

I believe that our society has abandoned excellence.  People today are willing to settle for mediocre.  Many people think that excellence is something that can never be accomplished; therefore, many people are not willing to strive for it.  If you look around, almost everyone in our society is not trying his or her best at anything.  When people are satisfied with what they have accomplished, they are ready to quit.  No one wants to try for more when they can do what it takes to “just get by”.  It is hard work to accomplish excellence, and many people do not want to put forth the effort that it takes.

For instance, I believe that America has abandoned excellence in medicine, specifically cures for cancer.  Cancer is a moneymaking disease for the medical industry.  Doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies benefit from cancer patients.  If there were a cure for cancer, a lot of people would no longer have jobs.  So may be this is a case where striving for excellence to save lives is weighed against striving for excellence in job security.  What is more important?

Saving lives is more important, that is why our American military tries so hard to achieve excellence.  Excellence in the military would mean saving the lives of American soldiers, citizens, and people abroad.  However, I do not believe that excellence will ever be accomplished in the military because there are too many individuals within the military that are willing to settle for mediocre.  So once again we sacrifice lives for individuals’ lack of desire to achieve excellence.

Our judicial system toys with lives everyday.  Is he or she innocent?  Is he or she guilty?  Does he or she go to prison for the rest of his or her life?  I believe that our system of law is more worried about capturing a person than capturing the right person.  They may think that they are striving for excellence, but what they are really doing is pacifying the public and personally doing what it takes to “just get by”.

Personally, I strive for excellence in some areas, and in others I do what it takes to get by.  Why you ask?  It is because excellence takes a great deal of determination, time, and hard work.  When I am trying to accomplish something, I weigh the outcome according to the amount of work I need to put in.  If accomplishing excellence raises the pleasure of the outcome, then I will strive for excellence.  However, if the outcome is of little satisfaction, then I will do only what I need to do to accomplish that outcome.  For example, I strive for excellence in gymnastics.  I do this because it gives me personal satisfaction to know that I am accomplishing everything that I am capable of doing.  School, on the other hand, is a “just get by” accomplishment.  Most of the time I do only what I need to do to receive personal satisfaction, and not strive for excellence, even though I know I can do better.  In this case, time and effort out-weigh the satisfaction.

Will my “just get by” theory in school enable me to make the greatest contribution to myself and other people?  Yes, because I believe I choose what is important and of interest to me, and those choices are where mediocre ends and excellence begins.  The pleasure of the outcome out-weighs time and effort.

There are two quotes I use to help me accomplish excellence.  The first quote is:  “Ask, ‘Do you want to do it, not can you do it?’” –Debra Willert

(1963-    ) To me this quote means when I am making a choice, I shouldn’t think can I do it or can’t I do it; I should think how much do I want to do it.  When I decide that I really want to do something, I’ve made my choice, and the word can’t is not a factor.  Wanting to do something helps you strive for excellence, and the words can or can’t hold me back from reaching it.  The second quote is: “Excellence does not come to you, you must search for it.” –Helena Kittle (1987-    ).  This is a quote of my own, and to me it means that excellence comes through determination, time, and hard work.  We cannot open up a door to find it; we may have to open up many doors before excellence is found.

Our society and individuals will constantly be searching for excellence, but only a few will find it.  Excellence is perfection, and we do not live in a perfect world.

Questions

Ask Yourself:
Q1.  Am I really where I want to be?
No, I am not really where I want to be, because I know that I can accomplish much more than I already have, but I am willing to settle for mediocre on a lot of things.

Q2.  Am I moving in the direction that will enable me to make the greatest contribution?
Yes, because I strive for excellence in things that interest me, therefore, I can make contributions to others and myself.

Q3.  If I could achieve my highest goals, what would my accomplishments look like?
My highest goals are to become a chiropractor and an accountant, where my clients are pleased, and word of mouth is my best advertisement.  My accomplishments would look great to people who are interested in that sort of stuff, but to other people who have no interest in that, they might not look so great.

Q4.  Do I recognize excellence and search it out or do I find mediocre acceptable and am willing to settle?
I recognize excellence in things that I am interested in, but if the outcome is of little satisfaction to me then I am willing to settle for mediocre.

Q5.  Do I seek out people, books, movies and other things that encourage me to be the best I can?
I seek out many things that encourage me to strive for excellence, and to try to be the best that I can

Q6.  Do I recognize the best in others?
I recognize the best in others when I like the person, if I have no interest in them, then I don’t make much effort to find the best in them. Although, I know everyone has a good quality sometimes it is hard to see, especially if you don’t have an interest in the person.  Time Article

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, I agree with Morrow, because excellence takes time, determination, and hard work.  In order for a culture to achieve excellence it must slow down and learn from its faults.

Q8.  Interpret this quote from paragraph nine:  “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion.”
Those that have accomplished success are at ease and no longer strive for excellence, and we should grieve for them.

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”
Pro-I believe that it is much easier to settle for mediocre than to try for excellence, because in the past excellence may have kept them as a struggling, underclass person.  Con – The struggling underclass are just as apt to strive for excellence in areas of their lives that do not portray success to those who are measuring the degree of excellence they have accomplished.

Q10.  Explain what Morrow mean when he says, “the confusion contaminates character and disables ambition.”  Do you agree?
Yes, I agree with Morrow, because trying to reach excellence can be confusing and bring you

Q11.  Argue pro and con the effect of over stimulation and under stimulation as discussed in paragraph 10.
I believe that there is a pro to over stimulation.  Pro – Under stimulation leads to room for stimulation to achieve excellence. Con – Over stimulation leads to the confusion of the goals that have been set. Con – Individuals not applying themselves to reach their highest potential.

Q12.  Contrast practical excellence with metaphysical excellence as used in Morrow’s paragraph.
Practical excellence is achieving excellence that can be  seen and understood by the naked eye, whereas, metaphysical excellence is abstract and cannot be proven or understood by anyone person; it’s a belief.

Q13.  Copy and interpret your two favorite quotes.  Explain why you chose them.
“Do I want to do it, not can I do it?”  Willert_(1963-    ) I think this quote means you know that you can do something, but do you really want to do it, and is it of any interest to you.

“Excellence does not come to you, you must search for it.”  Helena Kittle (1987 -    ) This is a quote of my own, and to me it means to achieve excellence you must put in determination, time, and hard work.  I chose these quotes because this is what I live by in my everyday life.