Prompt 1: Is it best for people to accept who they are and what they have, or should people always strive to better themselves?
Prompt 2: Can common sense be trusted and accepted, or should it be questioned?
Prompt 3: Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit ?
I chose to write about the first prompt for this assignment. I chose this prompt as it is a highly accurate reflection of my life and thought at any given moment; in fact, when I happened upon tho prompt studying for the SAT some time ago, I thought to myself, "This prompt is me." It describes what I think everyday when I am at school, while i am running during cross country practice, when I come home after practice and start on homework, and even when I am in bed at night--waiting to fall asleep. It is constantly on my mind--incessant, never ending. Everybody has his or her poison as far as I am concerned, and mine is perfectionism. I constantly must prove myself, whether it involves academic or athletic pursuits and endeavors. I do not make mistakes, I cannot make mistakes, or at least mistakes that are of any real impact. I perceive mistakes as an indication of my competence and later success in life. Grades in school are especially important to me, and I work hard to maintain high grades. I have noticed that in recent years, as my studies have become increasingly difficult, my anxiety over grades and perfection in general has consequently increased as well. Additionally, on top of the excessive amounts of homework and studying that I must invest in any one day of the week, I feel compelled to succeed in other extracurricular activities, such as cross country and music. Though I perform admirably in my academic pursuits, this is not nearly enough. No, on the contrary, I always want more and more from myself; I am never satisfied with myself and my achievements. However, while my aspirations to constantly prove my worth in both school and athletics may seem like a significant disadvantage (especial in today's fast-paced, get it done yesterday world with it emphasis on speed over quality, I do not view my perfectionistic qualities in such a cynical. Instead, I prefer to view my perfectionism more optimistically: I consider my perfectionist qualities to be an asset rather than a liability, a blessing as opposed to a curse. I cannot imagine my life without constant self-improvement motivating me through some daunting task. Without it, I doubt seriously I could have achieved so much by now, and I doubt seriously that I could achieve my future goals without it as well. My perfectionism spurs me to challenge myself in ways I never would have had I not had the good fortune to be born with the innate desire to succeed. While this perpetual desire to perform my best at all times can be extremely stressful (and admittedly somewhat unhealthy at times), I believe that my life would be less purposeful without it and I doubt I would be nearly as successful without it--basically, the ends justify the means.
Nonetheless, I am only but one example of a person constantly harangued with the desire for perfection. Where would society be, for example, had Christopher Columbus and Galileo Galilei not endeavored to prove existing common sense wrong; had Rick Allen, the drummer for Def Leppard, decided to retire from his drumming career once he lost one of his arms early in the band's life; had Lance Armstrong quit once he was diagnosed with cancer? The answer to these questions is simply that the Old World and the New World would have remained isolated from each other for an additional period of time (and thus many human advancements would have been delayed, not to mention significant alterations in world history), teenagers would have been deprived of great rock n' roll music, and a major cultural phenomenon would have never been known. I understand that I have been dealing in hypotheticals as a main basis for my argument, but my assertions are true. If these people had never worked hard in their lives and never desired to achieve success, the world would be a very different place indeed. Therefore, people should always strive to improve themselves and to have more in their lives--success, opportunities, esteem. After all, where would society be if great people, both in history and in our own time, did not try to have more and to improve themselves?
I will conclude by emphasizing that people are not perfect. No matter how hard some may try, humanity is a trait that cannot be rectified or altered in any appreciable way. Humans will always make mistakes and errors, bad judgment and ignorant decisions; this quality is what defines humanity as whole, what each and every person shares in common. Any attempt to alter or change this behavior indefinitely while retaining the basic semblances of humanity is fruitless, a wasted attempt, a misplaced delusion of grandeur as humanity embodies imperfection. However, this does not mean people should not strive to be the best that they can possibly be. Desire for success is a fine goal to strive for, and people should always endeavor to do their best and better themselves. However, a person desiring success should recognize and admit that perfection is an implausible, misplaced goal. Perfection requires transcendence of humanity; one cannot hope to achieve it and still maintain his human element. In conclusion, people should strive to the best that they can be while also admitting that perfection is impossible if one is to still be considered human.
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