Rockridge High School
Taylor Ridge, Illinois
Teacher: Barb Downey
Have We Abandoned Excellence?
By Amanda Reuther
12th Grade
If the question I am answering is “Have we abandoned excellence?” then what I need to know is for what are “we” striving? My view of excellence has been passed down from my parents. By doing my best in all I do, I will continue striving for excellence. Excellence has not been abandoned by the United States, neither as a country nor by individuals, and it has certainly not been abandoned by me.
Excellence may be described in a simple quote: “Reach for the moon; even if you miss, you will fall among stars.” If one is true to himself, there is no way to abandon excellence. It is true that perhaps one person’s dream for his/her life may be to become a teacher, while another is determined to find the cure for cancer. When evaluated by much of society, the teacher’s status may fall short of the one who is working on curing this ever-growing disease. However, true excellence cannot be compared; it comes from motivation within oneself.
A nation as great as the United States could easily give up on excellence. We have come so far. Why not take a break and let other countries reach our standards of living and technology? Taking a break would be abandoning excellence, and I do not believe we have done that. One may ask; “Why did we send a robot to take pictures of Mars? Is it just to show that we have the technology to do so?” The answer is, “Because we have already been to the moon.” If we were to be solely proud of our accomplishments and never reach further, we as a country would not be where we are today.
Americans would be foolish to abandon our hopes and dreams, thus giving up excellence. Despite the fast-paced world we live in, striving for excellence is quite possible. It may be hard to be excellent in everything we do, running the risk of focusing our talents on many things and not doing our best. The average person may find him/herself juggling a job, family, and meetings daily. High school students find themselves doing this and also throwing school and homework into the mixture. However, the matter of achieving excellence is less important than the determination it takes to strive for it. Having busy lives filled with multiple commitments, jobs, and pleasures may seem to broaden one’s focus and make excellence even harder to achieve; however, there is also value in this. By doing our best in many things we become so much more than a person who strives for excellence in only one area; perhaps we become an excellent person.
I am no exception to the aforementioned American. I am involved in numerous choirs, bands, and religious leadership teams/church groups. I have not become excellent in everything I do; however, I love music and I love God. By involving myself in activities reflecting my passions, I love what I do and try my best. I believe that excellence is something valuable to strive for and I hope that I will never abandon reaching for my best.
The value of excellence cannot be measured. The difference in reaching for excellence and settling for good enough is profound. If good enough were always what I settled for, I would never be the best. I would never be able to take pride in achieving a goal to its limits, and I would never challenge myself to become better at anything. My ultimate goal for the future is to reach my potential in everything I do and to attempt to go even beyond that, never settling for anything less than what I believe is my best.
Currently, my path to excellence is like many other high school seniors’: aimed at college. I auditioned for an honors music scholarship. I did not receive an honors scholarship; however, I am still practicing music in order to audition for the other music scholarships. I hope that no matter what happens concerning my college auditions and music scores, I continue to make music and work my hardest to be the best musician that I can be.
No, neither the United States, individual Americans, nor I have abandoned excellence. We all are working against a hectic world; however, we are fighting back just as we should. By working harder for our dreams we are learning the true meaning of excellence. Instead of giving up on dreams when other opportunities present themselves, we accept the opportunity and continue working for our dreams. Calvin Coolidge once said, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence… The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race.” So like we have always done, we press on.
Questions
Q1- Am I really where I want to be?
I feel as if I could be so much more than I am right now. I do as much as I can to perform and work at my highest level; however, by settling with where I am, I could never advance.
Q2- Am I moving in the direction that will enable me to make the greatest contribution?
I do believe that I am on a path to finding my own excellence. I believe that by pursuing my dreams, excellence will be within reach, in turn, preparing me to make a great contribution to people and the world around me. At this point in time, I am busy applying for scholarships and getting ready for college so that I can become a music therapist.
Q3- If I could achieve my highest goals, what would my accomplishments look like?
I would be married with a loving family and be a successful, independent music therapist.
Q4- Do I recognize excellence and search it out or do I find mediocre acceptable and am willing to settle?
I think that I find excellence in myself. Excellence cannot be defined exactly. Each individual decides what excellence means to him or her. To me, excellence is recognizing goals and making the best attempt possible at achieving them.
Q5- Do I seek out people, books, movies and other things that encourage me to be the best I can be?
Yes. My junior year of high school, I had an opening in my schedule. I did not want to take a study hall and my choices were limited to home economics, agriculture classes, or a world history class. I opted to take the world history class. I knew it would be a challenge; however, it would be more beneficial to my learning experience.
Q6- Do I recognize the best in others?
I try to look at the positive in people. Sometimes it is hard, but I always remember that God created everyone and has a plan and purpose for them; therefore I should be happy to have crossed their path.
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 disagree that “excellence demands standards.” I think that the busy world we live in creates obstacles in the path to excellence, but does not make the achievement impossible.
Q8- Interpret this quote from paragraph nine: "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion."
Our technology both helps and hinders us. We have achieved so much; we may feel temptation to slow down on advancements and be happy with what we have. We should appreciate our knowledge and advancements; however, without continuing advancement, our purpose may become unclear.
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”?
I have seen firsthand examples of both the pro and con of struggling. The negative effect of welfare, for example, is the learned ability of surviving by it. If all someone ever knows is poverty, they may never reach for anything else. An encouraging opposite to that is the effect poverty has on some. I have seen some people motivated by their struggle and later in life become very successful because they didn’t want to “live like that anymore.”
Q10- Explain what Morrow means when he says (A) "the confusion contaminates character and disables ambition." Do you agree?
I disagree with this statement. Whether one knows what excellence is or not, I feel that he/she, despite the knowledge, knows what his/her passion in life is and would strive for the best. Confusion does disable ambition in some cases; however, this is not an example of that.
Q11- Argue pro and con the effect of over stimulation and under stimulation as discussed in paragraph 10.
The pro of under stimulation is that one has freedom to make his or her own choices and is not pushed to do anything they do not want to. A con of this is that one may feel that no one cares or supports them. A con of over stimulation is that one may become burnt out and give up. A pro of over stimulation is that one can rest on the fact that they have someone backing up what they do and caring about what they do.
Q12- Contrast practical excellence with metaphysical excellence as used in Morrow's last paragraph.
Practical excellence is widely craved by society. It is something physical that can be destroyed or broken. It can be seen and appreciated. Metaphysical excellence is something that cannot be taken away. It is a feeling or accomplishment that perhaps not everyone can acknowledge, but can be found inside the person who accomplished it.
Q13- Copy and interpret your two favorite quotes. Explain why you chose them.
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 quote starts out with the opposite of the common cliché’ “be yourself,” and states, “Be that which we want others to think we are.” It isn’t saying to lie in order to act nicely, but instead, is saying be nice. Truly be the kind of person that others can admire; then there is nothing to hide.
Not in the clamor of the crowded street,
Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng,
But in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.- (Henry Longfellow 1807-1882)
This quote is an example of being overwhelmed with a hectic lifestyle. Though there seem to be so many things to blame when someone faces failure or triumph, it always comes down to what is inside. Within every person is either a determination to be great or an attitude to “get by.” In the end, the will from inside will prevail