Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.
~George Washington, 1st US president (1732-1799)
Week 12: History may tell a different story.
November 10, 2006 at 11:24 pm (Weekly Journal Entry)
This past week in English class, we were discussing education. The topic turned to some of our distinguished institutions of higher learning, and the way they are altering their requirements to appear less elite. Over the past week, this has weighed heavily on my mind. I have found myself wondering why we have become a country obsessed with being average.
What has caused this shift from seeking greatness to wallowing in mediocrity? I think in part it stems from the fact that there are no great leaders today. Greatness has become a thing to laugh at and scorn. It is hard for the young generations to seek greatness when they do not have great leaders to show them that it is acceptable to step out from the herd. It could be that I am wrong and history will tell a different story. Did people consider Abraham Lincoln to be as great in his day as we see him today? We know that John F. Kennedy was revered during his life, but have we romanticized his life to legend status as time has shaded in the facts? Perhaps it is nostalgic hind-site and the shutters of time that make great people.
Is it our culture of instant gratification that has led us to believe that there is not a need for great people? What messages do our children receive when their icons would rather use drugs to out-perform their peers instead of hard work? Much like graphite in a pencil and a diamond, two things that are so similar in composition yet so very different. Both are made from carbon. However, one is commonplace and not really of any notable worth. The other, forged under tremendous pressure and heat, is precious and of great worth. This might be the lacking force. So rarely these days are we forced to develop in the furnace of adversity and trial. Our parents and grandparents have fought so hard to create a world of luxury and ease, that we do not have to struggle and fight for what we want.
I wonder if history will show that there were in fact great people in our day, or have we reached that point of equilibrium where we have become stagnant and ceased to move forward? Only history can tell.
