Rockridge High School
Taylor Ridge, Illinois
Teacher: Barbara Downey
Excellence Is Within You
Sara C. Adams
12th Grade
When approached with the topic of whether or not we as a society have abandoned excellence, I thought to myself: who am I to decide who is excellent and who is not? What if someone’s idea of excellence is eating potato chips on a couch in front of their TV all day? Would they be achieving excellence?
After much debate, I came to the conclusion that these types of people could not possibly be achieving excellence. They are the part of society that has become lazy and apathetic toward anything requiring effort. This part of society has always been there, but as time goes on we forget about the negative and teach our children about the excellent. When one is asked to name famous people of the past, he or she might answer Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, William Shakespeare, Ludwig Van Beethoven, or Leonardo Da Vinci. No one remembers the underachievers, but no one can deny that these types of people existed in that time period. This brings me to the original question: Have we abandoned excellence? The answer is no, but it is up to each individual person to decide whether or not they want to achieve it. It is something people must find within themselves because they want the satisfaction of knowing they did something well, not to receive the admiration of others. Bravo!
Growing up in the United States, many of today’s youth have under-appreciated the things just given to them daily. We forget to appreciate the fact that we can shower every morning because of the Roman’s development of waterways. We overlook the achievements of Thomas Edison and his light bulb when we are reading a good book at night. No one stops to think how lucky we are that John Standard gave us the refrigerator. In overlooking these things one might conclude that the people of today have stopped achieving excellence. But real excellence cannot be plugged in or bought at a store; a person cannot touch it or see it. It is found within ourselves. It is the feeling Thomas Edison got when he saw the glow from his first light bulb. It is the spark found in the Wright brothers’ eyes when their plane went into flight for the first time. Unfortunately, in the fast paced world we live in, Americans are beginning to doubt the existence of anything that isn’t tangible. Technology has allowed us to split atoms, clone living things and examine the tiniest parts of plants. The confidence gained by our capabilities has caused us to think if we cannot touch it or watch it on TV, it must not exist. One might find it ironic that our excellent standard of living has caused us to overlook our own personal excellence.
Most Americans use excellence daily and do not even realize it because the technology involved goes beyond their level of comprehension. For example, an HD TV has around 1,200 lines of resolution, enabling a clearer and more defined picture for the viewer. This technology requires thousands of dollars of equipment and an entirely different transmitter. The average American looks at an HD TV and says, “Cool, the picture is better.” Our ignorance has become our downfall.
I, however, strive to surpass the ignorance the surrounds me. I have walked through life with the advice of my parents in mind: being excellent is striving to always do everything to the best of your capability and never settling for the easy road because the hard road looks like more work. I plan on devoting my entire life to working towards improvement and never settling for being “good enough” at anything. Even if my future doesn’t include becoming a millionaire with a three-story house and a pool in the back, if I know that I truly worked my hardest every day, then I will live my life in excellence.
When I tell people I want to become a journalist, most people reply, “They don’t make very much money, do they?” And I answer, “No, they don’t.” From this point, I can actually watch the confusion spread from their mind to their face. “Why are you doing it then?” I write because I have a desire to be a successful writer. I write because nothing else gives me the feeling of satisfaction like a paper I am proud of. There is not enough money in the world to buy that feeling. Some people will strive to become doctors or lawyers because they think the prestige of the position or the money will make them feel excellence and happiness, when in reality they will spend their lives trying to impress others because they are trying to fill the void left by the lack of these things.
Some of the most excellent people in the world are overlooked by society. Take society’s perception of a garbage man, and compare him or her to a surgeon. Without much thought or investigation, one might conclude that the surgeon is more likely to attain excellence than the garbage man. But what if the garbage man takes pride in his work and makes sure he goes above and beyond his obligations to ensure a clean environment, while the surgeon carelessly leaves a sponge in someone’s body or amputates the wrong leg. Who really has the excellence?
To some people, excellence is hard to see in our world. But to see excellence in each other, I think it is imperative that we find it in ourselves first. Excellence is something one strives for his or her entire life but is never fully attained. The excellence of our country will always rest in the determination of its people. Perhaps more importantly, the excellence of people can only be found within themselves.
Am I really where I want to be?
I do not plan on settling where I am. I think if someone has a goal to strive for excellence, then that person will never settle for mediocre. I am happy with where I am mentally, however. I am in the mindset that with enough determination and hard work I can achieve anything. I plan on pursuing a career in writing, whether it is on a newspaper or magazine staff, or a writing team for a TV show, movie set, or commercial. The writing business is full of rejection and harshness, but my passion for the field will drive me [to succeed].
Am I moving in the direction that will enable me to make the greatest contribution?
The greatest contribution to me, is being me and being proud of who I am. And I think being successful and being excellent often requires a change of character as life throws us curveballs. Lynn Hall once said, “We did not change as we grew older, we just became more clearer ourselves.” I think this quote best describes an excellent person. I think self-awareness is a contribution to society; simply because once you have achieved excellence, you can help others as well.
If I could achieve my highest goals, what would my accomplishments look like?
I would be
on a screenwriting team for a prime time television show.
Do I recognize excellence and search it out or do I find mediocre acceptable and am willing to settle?
I think it’s essential that one recognizes excellence. I think if you’re willing to settle for mediocrity you’re not really alive; you’re just not dead yet. With no drive or fire inside you there really isn’t a reason to be living.
Do I seek out people, books, movies, and other things that encourage me to be the best I can be?
I surround myself with some positive support. However, some
criticism and negativity are necessary in turning me into who I want to be and
making me a stronger person. If I surrounded myself with a completely positive
atmosphere, I would have no room to grow.
Do I recognize the best in others?
I try to see what is good in others because I was raised in a Christian environment, though I think it more important to recognize the best in yourself. People tend to dwell on their faults, and that drags them down. If one focuses on his or her good qualities he or she will be generally more successful.
Do you agree with Morrow 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 his statement. People’s minds are set in the ideal that “fast is better” and just do something well enough to “get by.” We forget the story of the tortoise and the hare, and that in some cases doing something slowly and doing it right is better than getting it done in a hurry. And more often times than not, doing something in a hurry means you will be doing it again because it fell apart or you didn’t read the directions correctly.
Interpret this quote from paragraph nine: “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion.”
To me, this quote is really asking a question. Are we REALLY better off where we are, or have our advances into the technological world caused to be too lazy? The benefits of being in such a well-off country have given some people the opportunity to work less and reap more benefits, and I think this quote is saying that this is not a good thing.
Argue pro and con Morrow’s contention that “Americans not yet successful (the struggling, the underclass) are apt to aim at ease, not excellence”?
It is easy to look at those that are struggling financially and say that they are more likely to take a road that requires less effort; and many do. I work at a grocery store, and I meet people on a regular basis that are unemployed, have been for quite some time, are living off of the government, and have no intentions of bettering their situation. It is entirely inappropriate, however, to say that all struggling Americans have taken this lazy way in life. There are those who have hit a bump in the road that are working their hardest to straighten their lives back out, and we as fellow Americans can not ignore their efforts, which are nothing short of excellent.
Explain what Morrow means when he says, (A) “The confusion contaminates the character and disables ambition.” Do you agree?
I think Morrow is trying to say excellence is defined in so many different ways by various types of people, and so it is impossible to establish what is the right definition and the wrong. I personally think each person’s belief of what being excellent is part of who he or she is, so it establishes character rather than contaminating it.
Argue pro and con the effect of over stimulation and under stimulation as discussed in paragraph 10.
The obvious good side to over stimulation is you are aware of your surroundings and well as your options in life. You don’t have “tunnel vision,” in other words. The downside to under stimulation is you have nothing to challenge yourself with. If there is no excellence, you have no competition for motivation. The downfall to over stimulation is that it can be overwhelming, and sometimes it is hard to keep your focus with so many distractions. The good thing about under stimulation is that with the right focus, you can be the one who paves the road for an entirely new way of life.
Contrast practical excellence with metaphysical excellence as used in Morrow’s last paragraph.
Practical excellence is found in things Americans naturally want; something that stimulates their senses. But metaphysical excellence, best described by Morrow as “essentially invulnerable,” cannot be destroyed. Metaphysical excellence is what will endure, and is the kind of excellence we all as human beings should strive to achieve.
Copy and interpret your two favorite quotes. Explain why you chose them.
“Let him who would move the world, first move himself.” – Socrates
Excellence has to be found within ourselves. One must have a sure understanding of who he is before he begins to change others.
“I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” - William Henley
Each individual person, whether he believes it or not, calls the shots in his or her life. We decide who we want to be, what we want to achieve in our lifetime, and how we will go about fulfilling this task.