Have We Abandoned Excellence?

By Kade Bonenberger

11^th grade

The presence of excellence is slowly diminishing throughout our communities and our nation. As I observe different types of people in a variety of environments, I notice the lifestyles and attitudes of people changing. Excellence is slipping in the high school, during sporting events, at church, and even on the sidewalks in town. So, when asked the question, “Have we abandoned excellence?” my answer would be, “of course we have.”

As I walk through the halls of my high school, I see the absence of excellence everyday. Students run through the halls and yell obnoxiously at each other. Inside the classroom is even worse. The students have lost much of the respect for their teachers. Also, the teachers have lost some of the control that they once contained. I can think of numerous incidents where the classroom was too noisy to get my homework done. The quality of work turned in is dramatically dropping. Most students either rush to get it done or just wait until the last minute and copy a fellow students paper. There is nothing to be learned when this type of work ethic occurs. Most students would be satisfied with a grade of a B or a C, instead of putting in that extra effort and striving for an A. In my opinion, excellence needs to be taught at a low grade and pushed all the way through a child’s school days.

Not only is excellence going downhill in the school system but in the sports world as well. Sometimes the emotions of the athletes, coaches, and fans can become way out of hand. The attitudes of athletes towards other players seem to be more high-strung and short tempered. The coach’s choice of actions can sometimes get out of control too, whether it is towards the officials or even towards their own team. The worst loss of excellence would probably come from the fans. I have been to some sporting events where the crowd became extremely violent, using swear words and even throwing objects onto the playing area.

In addition to the loss of respect for athletes, coaches and referees, the American flag as also lost it’s share of respect. I have always been taught when the flag is present and the National Anthem is played, I should stand at attention and take my head cover off. I have seen people talking or eating during the song, and sometimes people don’t even stand up to acknowledge the flag of our nation.

People have abandon excellence when they are in a church. Not only is excellence slipping at church services, but also at weddings and funerals. It is not so much the religious spirit that is diminishing, but some of the actions that people do are not quite like they used to be. For example, people dress way more casual while attending church services then they used to. Also, the routine of attending church every week has been off set by then many other activities that busy families deal with. Excellence is not a big problem in church to this day, but it could worsen in the future.

Another troubled area for abandoned excellence is on the streets and in the businesses of many towns and cities. The fast tempo of everyone’s life leaves a small amount of time for people to be involved with their community. These days, it is unheard of for a person to help some little, old lady across the street or to help keep the town clean by picking up trash. Also, the trust that people had for each other in small communities is gone. In recent years, my own community has experienced a number of different vandalisms of things such as, buildings and lawn ornaments. This led to distrust and some hard feelings for many of the people in my town. The businesses in some locations have also lost some of that customer satisfaction that they once had. Some business owners charge higher prices for lower quality item to try and make a better profit. I think the businesses should try and make a living, but they should also try to help out their customers and give them the best deal possible.

My overall opinion on the issue of excellence in our nation may or may not be supported by other people. These are just a few of the events I have observed in my school, at local sporting events, in church, and throughout the community. I’m sure many of these problems are showing up all over the United States and becoming daily occurrences in bunch of communities. I think it is important that people keep what excellence our nation has left and pass it on to future generations. So, the next time you are asked the question, “Have we abandoned excellence?” What will your answer be?

Questions

Q1- Am I really where I want to be?

Yes, I think I am where I want to be. As a high school student I am active in school, sports and many extra curricular activities. Also, I am involved in different types of community events. In my opinion, it is important for a teen to have involvement in some type of activity.

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

Yes, I think that I am moving in the right direction to make the best contribution. The classes that I have taken and the ones that I am currently taking will help better my future. Also, the involvement with other people will enhance my chances to make the greatest contribution.

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

If I achieved some of my highest goals, my accomplishments would look great to me. For example, one of my goals would be to achieve a 4.0 status in school. This would be my biggest accomplishment in high school if I could reach my goal.

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

I try to recognize excellence in everything I do and everything that I have ever done. On the other hand, sometimes I get tired of trying hard and find myself settling for second best.

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

I think it is great for a person to seek out certain things to help better their own lives. I like to pick out things certain people do that stand out and use those things to help me do the best that I possibly can do.

Q6- Do I recognize the best in others?

I sometimes find myself looking at people and thinking of the accomplishments he or she may make in the future. It is important to recognize the skills of other people and what they are capable of accomplishing.

Q9- 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’s paragraph in some ways. I think that it is crucial that excellence demands a certain standard. Without a standard, what would excellence be? I also agree when Morrow stated that culture must be able to catch its breath. Sometimes excellence is pushed to far and just needs to happen as it happens.

Q7- Interpret this quote from paragraph nine: “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion.”

I disagree with the quote from paragraph nine. My interpretation of the quote is that the people that are at ease in Zion can achieve excellence more easily than most people. These people probably do not know the true meaning of what excellence really is.

Q8- Argue pro and con Morrow’s contention that “Americans not yet successful (the struggling, the underclass) are apt to aim at ease, not excellence”?

This statement by Morrow is true in some cases. Yes, the struggling and underclass people may not strive for excellence because they don’t want to. On the other hand, some underclass and struggling people may try to achieve excellence, but are unable to reach that because of their life status.

Q9- Explain what Morrow means when he says (A) “the confusion contaminates character and disables ambition.” Do you agree?

I think Morrow is saying the underclass and struggling people are less civilized and lazy. I disagree with this statement because I believe underclass people work that much harder to try and reach certain achievements.

Q10- Argue pro and con the effect of over stimulation and under stimulation as discussed in paragraph 10.

Over stimulation in our nation makes it difficult for people to strive for excellence. In our busy society today, people are faced with more difficult tasks and have to work harder to achieve excellence. Where as, the people of the past years that were faced with under stimulation, dealt with more minute problems and achieved excellence much easier.

Q11- Contrast practical excellence with metaphysical excellence as used in Morrow’s last paragraph.

In Morrow’s last paragraph, he uses the example of Big Macs and the Sistine Chapel as practical and metaphysical excellence. Practical excellence is the more basic, easier to identify type of excellence. Where as metaphysical excellence is in a more abstract form, as shown in the paragraph.

Q12- Copy and interpret your two favorite quotes. Explain why you chose them.

“Our lives are only as good as we decide to make them. We should make short and long range plans and then follow them through, reviewing them as we go. It is our design and determination that decide our destiny, and this is our responsibility. When things are not right, we should blame nobody, for that only dodges the problems that lie within us and causes us to fail again next time. Examine your own actions and decide how things will be.”

The paragraph above is the best definition of excellence that I have ever encountered. I agree with every word that the person is trying to get across in their writing. They say that it is our own decision how destiny turns out and nobody should be blamed for our decision. I think this is exactly correct, for everything is as good as we want to make it.

We should make a special effort to be that which we want others to think we are. We must do our duties, complete our tasks, be kind and honest. “It is not alone what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.”

- Moliere (1622-1673)

This is another quote that I strongly agree with. Moliere is trying to explain that it is our effort, which leaves an impression on people of the type of person that we really are. We must do our duties and complete or tasks in everything that we encounter in the future.

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