Spenny the Great!

Spencer Tolson

Katherine Cowley

Writing 150 Honors: Writing and Rhetoric

30 September 2010

Spenny the Great

What constitutes greatness? Most might argue that to achieve greatness one must come up with a new invention or idea that changes how mankind thinks about the world around them, as with Albert Einstein. Some might argue that greatness is achieved by those earning prestigious awards and titles, such as earing the Nobel Peace Prize. Most say that greatness is a term that is applied to people generally accepted as having an influence on the world, such as kings and queens that are given command of armies and wealth. I believe that these are all valid examples of greatness. However, I also I argue that greatness is a choice; made every day, by everyone single one of us.

As a poor college student, it is hard to see how I can change the world. I am not smart enough to get a perfect score on a test, nor do I have many titles to my name. I probably will not negotiate peace between two warring nations, or invent something that will change the world as we know it. However, I make a personal choice to be great. Greatness might be different for everyone. For one, it might be becoming the president of the United States, or discovering a new element. For me, greatness consists of waking up every day and being the best I can be in every aspect of my life. And doing the same tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. Millions of people get up every day to work an eight hour shift to provide for themselves, families, and others. People selflessly give of themselves with no kind of fanfare or award. Are these not great people? Are they not greater than those who do get some kind of recognition or satisfaticon?

Not all of us are geniuses. Not all of us can run a hundred meter dash in under ten seconds. However, we can be the greatest we can be. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” Take pride in what you do. Do what you do the best you can. People might not laud your name, or read it in a book fifty years from now. But internally, you will know that you are the best you can be. Self-satisfaction is a key to this. Does it really matter if others know what your name is? This might mean greatness for some, but not to me. I have achieved something great when I can lay down at night and know that I did my best. That is true greatness.