Excellence
I don’t really know whether to completely agree or disagree with what Doctor Harold J. Sala has written in his piece entitled “A Commitment to Excellence.†He and I hold different opinions on certain matters. I think the world is still a great place to live in even without everyone trying to excel.
First of all, I admit that I am not a good Christian. I don’t even try to be one either. I am not a religious person, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t believe and have faith in God. However, I am guilty of being a “natural man†with myself and the people I love at the center of my life. I believe that God doesn’t insist that we do our best. Not all artists have believed in God, and they still came up with great works of art. There are still other things that might have inspired an artist at work. Doctor Sala himself has said that great artists have lived in anonymity, so why would they, the “masters,†be ashamed in doing less than their best?
I don’t believe that excellence is easy to achieve nowadays. I think people resort to “the shortcut, the easy, non-demanding job†because those mediocre jobs are the only jobs the world has got to offer. Now, the only concern of the people is survival. They think the real challenge is how to survive in a world full of hatred, where people pull down others to be at the top.
Take, for example, the mainstream culture. The members of this culture rely on superficialities: If you have the looks, then you’ve got it made! The people who have real talent remain in the background, not believing that they will ever get the chance to prove themselves worthy of praise too. The drive towards excellence stops there.
For so long I haven’t tried to do the best I can. I am always satisfied with so-so works and fair grades. Many people say that I have the brain to excel in whatever I want to do in life, but the problem is that I lack the will and diligence to prove myself to the world.
Reality prevents someone from actually doing his or her best. The person thinks that he or she has to have the looks to reach extraordinary status in the society. Because of this, I think maybe I’m just trying to live my life as best and as meaningful as I can. I think “excellence†doesn’t show in what you have done, but the purpose and meaning you have set for yourself. Living life to the fullest and stopping in believing that you have to prove yourself to the world – those, I think, are excellence.