“Figure out what floats your boat and make sure it’s not gold because gold will sink your boat.” This silly phrase was said by my Biology 100 teacher, Riley Nelson. When I first heard him say it, I, like the rest of the class, burst out in laughter. My professor is known for saying some pretty senseless things, but I later realized that that statement actually has truth behind it. In today’s society, money seems to be everything. If you live in a big house, wear the most fashionable clothes, and drive the fastest car, you are admired. People will look at you and think that you are special. Although being rich may have its perks, those who are simply rich will not have the same satisfaction in life as those that are viewed as great. Instead of just having riches or fame, greatness is about demonstrating respectable characteristics while remaining humble in the process.
“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them,” said Charles de Montesquieu. When I read this quote, it made me stop and think. Oftentimes, I think of prestigious men and women to be great because they have demonstrated extraordinary talents and abilities. But after examining their lives further, I realize that although they were in fact amazing people, they did not act superior to others because of it. Jefferson coined the phrase “all men are created equal” and although King Benjamin is a prime example of an ambitious servant of God, he reminded his people that he did “not desire to boast” (Mosiah 2:16.) Throughout history, there are countless examples of distinguished individuals who although accomplished great things, were humble in the process.
Today’s society has a perception that greatness is achieved by “being the best.” If you are the best football player, if you have the best clothes, if you get the best ACT score, you are great. However, people who should truly be considered great are those that demonstrate respectable characteristics while remaining humble at the same time.
Showing posts with label greatness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greatness. Show all posts
Thursday, September 30, 2010
It Moves You
I admit this prompt has made me miserable. I’ve moaned and complained to my roommates, my friends, my parents, to that great black hole known as Facebook. I’ve asked endless hoards of people (okay, maybe three people) what they thought greatness was. All to no avail! And so here I am, hoping to beat this paper out at 1:00 AM the day it’s due.
All through my high school AP English class we were constantly asked to look for the “theme” of a variety of short stories, books, and poems. My teacher would urge us to find the “human element” of each piece, how the author highlighted a certain bit of humanity. I suppose that’s what made a work great. It was some bit of writing that brought forward some trait all humans had or knew about and expounded on it.
A great work is something that touches the human soul. It resonates inside us, invoking some emotion or memory or recognition. Take Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Inside all of us is both an Elinor and a Marianne. When it comes to love we are sensible and reserved at time, but we can also be wild and romantic. We deal with heartbreaks like Elinor, quiet and suppressed, pretending like all is well. We also deal with them like Marianne: with violent fits of sorrow, selfishly throwing our disquiet into the faces of all those around us. Other times we are yet in the middle. The point is, in reading this “great work,” we see ourselves and those around us.
Music can do the exact same thing. I find that Chopin’s romantic style often invokes a variety of emotions in me. As I learned in Psychology, music is incredibly powerful. It is so easy for the brain to link music with a particular memory, feeling, or thought. As a girl I have ruined many a great song by linking it to a boy who later turned out to not be so great (the use of that particular word was fully intended). I have a CD that was played when I was a child to get me to fall asleep and I find that that music can still knock me right out. Greatness is achieved in music when it can make that sort of lasting influence on an individual or a crowd.
I believe greatness becomes relative to the individual on some level. Crime and Punishment may make you think about your own guilt, but it can also be extraordinarily boring. It may not be great to you, but it is great to someone else. A great work is that book that makes you want to change the world or that song that makes you want to cry or that painting that reminds you of that time you threw spaghetti sauce on the wall and then threw in some melted clocks. They move you.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
It's All Good
Achievement. Success. Wealth. Authority. Words we usually associate with greatness could also be used to describe the criminality of Al Capone. The words we should really use are those such as goodness, compassion, and peace. And although I may not be able to define exactly the formula that makes something great, I can tell you about things that are great, and why they posses that element of greatness. Greatness is a case by case inspection, not a mass produced, FDA-certified product, just like in the examples of greatness that we encounter everyday.
When I think of greatness, I think of snowcones on summer days, of my mom, and of Buddha. Although these are all completely different things, they all gave me a feeling of balance in the world and in my life; they are great to me. Snowcones bring back memories of my family and I just being together and enjoying each other's company – something that truly makes me feel the greatness of the world and the mercy of God. My mom is another prime example of greatness. She is crazy, weird, embarrassing, funny, helpful, compassionate, and extremely generous. She watches NCIS religiously, but is always ready to help anyone in our ward or make someone a meal (even if it is just pasta). The meshing of these qualities makes her great; she is both human and godly in one mortal body. When I think of Buddha, I feel like I'm in the center of the circle of the world, ready to handle whatever comes my way with grace and poise. I feel ready to do my best and be great in the sight of God.
There is one other prime example of greatness in my life: Jesus Christ. He was, and is, capable of the greatest love, the greatest sacrifice, and the greatest example for us to emulate. He, “the greatest of all,” is our Savior and loves us so much that He suffered to redeem each one of us – me, and you – so we could live with Him again (D&C 19:18).
If that's not great, then I don't know what is.
Be not afraid of greatness
"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." William Shakespeare wrote this. But do you know where I really got this quote? The great movie She's The Man. Yep. I just finished watching it about ten minutes ago. Was it great? Yes. Sleep is great also. But I must post something on this great blog first.
My point is, so many things can be great. Where does the line of greatness begin? This night was great, my family is great,the hot cocoa I just drank was great, God is great, and my biology test yesterday was not so great. It's such a generic word. How can something so overused have any meaning anymore?
In reference to Shakespeare, are people 'born great' or 'have greatness thrust upon them'? I don't believe so. Greatness is not innate and it is not something simply handed to someone. Greatness needs to be reached through effort. It requires much thought also, because many people who achieve greatness in one area, fail in another. Many star athletes achieve greatness in their sport yet many are terrible people. Many artists achieved greatness in their paintings or sculptures, yet suffer from depression. Many celebrities claim greatness, yet have not one single friend. To me, only one person has truly achieved pure greatness.
On the 1-10 scale of greatness, Christ must be at 100, at least. Christ was completely selfless, he rejected no one, he obeyed every commandment, and he died and suffered so that every human being could be resurrected. He saw himself as equal with others. He never uttered a single complaint. How could someone as great as Jesus Christ not let that kind of greatness go to his head? That, to me, is true greatness.
My point is, so many things can be great. Where does the line of greatness begin? This night was great, my family is great,the hot cocoa I just drank was great, God is great, and my biology test yesterday was not so great. It's such a generic word. How can something so overused have any meaning anymore?
In reference to Shakespeare, are people 'born great' or 'have greatness thrust upon them'? I don't believe so. Greatness is not innate and it is not something simply handed to someone. Greatness needs to be reached through effort. It requires much thought also, because many people who achieve greatness in one area, fail in another. Many star athletes achieve greatness in their sport yet many are terrible people. Many artists achieved greatness in their paintings or sculptures, yet suffer from depression. Many celebrities claim greatness, yet have not one single friend. To me, only one person has truly achieved pure greatness.
On the 1-10 scale of greatness, Christ must be at 100, at least. Christ was completely selfless, he rejected no one, he obeyed every commandment, and he died and suffered so that every human being could be resurrected. He saw himself as equal with others. He never uttered a single complaint. How could someone as great as Jesus Christ not let that kind of greatness go to his head? That, to me, is true greatness.
What's So Great?
The primary characteristic realized in being "great" or achieving "greatness" is so individual that even trying to establish a collective definition is extremely difficult. Despite this, there are some properties that can generally be agreed upon that are intrinsic in the discovery and development of greatness. Defining some of these could be extremely valuable in helping people to connect and create "greater" works.
One question that is immediately posed when we think about what greatness is made of, is whether something will possess the same amount of greatness over time. We often value things because they are rare, and we see this rarity is something that is "great" and valuable. However, we should be careful not to assume these two terms as completely synonymous. They are undoubtedly different, generally we can see why, depending on the context that we are evaluating them. Something is generally held to be great because some aspect of it, is able to assert power over the norm that exists in its distinct category.
One interesting thing about greatness is the way that it can be a foundation for itself. If we continue from this thought, we are forced to realize that perhaps nothing is really great. From an optimistic framework though, everything is great. I prefer to assume the conclusion that everything is great. This falls in line with many of the teachings that we have learned since primary. God created everything on the earth. We have to embrace every aspect of our lives. Every event, down to its finest detail, must be embraced by us. All of these moments are key to the unfolding of life. To reject parts of our life because they aren't "great" is to refuse the greatness that is intimately bestowed from God to each of us. Even suffering should be considered "great." Not because it allows us to become stronger, but because it intrinsically has value. Affirm life in every instance and truly become someone who is great.
One question that is immediately posed when we think about what greatness is made of, is whether something will possess the same amount of greatness over time. We often value things because they are rare, and we see this rarity is something that is "great" and valuable. However, we should be careful not to assume these two terms as completely synonymous. They are undoubtedly different, generally we can see why, depending on the context that we are evaluating them. Something is generally held to be great because some aspect of it, is able to assert power over the norm that exists in its distinct category.
One interesting thing about greatness is the way that it can be a foundation for itself. If we continue from this thought, we are forced to realize that perhaps nothing is really great. From an optimistic framework though, everything is great. I prefer to assume the conclusion that everything is great. This falls in line with many of the teachings that we have learned since primary. God created everything on the earth. We have to embrace every aspect of our lives. Every event, down to its finest detail, must be embraced by us. All of these moments are key to the unfolding of life. To reject parts of our life because they aren't "great" is to refuse the greatness that is intimately bestowed from God to each of us. Even suffering should be considered "great." Not because it allows us to become stronger, but because it intrinsically has value. Affirm life in every instance and truly become someone who is great.
Greatness in Society
Over time, greatness has come to be a standard goal of people in society. In essence, achieving greatness has become one of the main motives for a person's every action. Greatness is defined as an extent, amount or intensity considerably above normal or average. Likewise, If everyone were to achieve greatness, in turn, no one would be great anymore: for no one would be above average.
The evolution of greatness puts enormous pressure on students and society today. As people continually get better, smarter and stronger on average, the standard of greatness rises as well. For example, in sporting events records can only be broken; they do not oscillate or get worse over time. Regardless of when studies are taken, world records of sports are always becoming more difficult to set, acknowledging a continual trend. Like that of sports, society as a whole has raised its standard of living and expectations. One hundred years ago it wasn't necessary for everyone to graduate college in order to have an above-average job: now it is. These increasing standards will only make greatness in the future more difficult to obtain and will require much more effort from people wishing to attain it.
Most of the time, greatness can be measured. Questions such as - Who is the best tennis player, or fastest runner at this time?- have one definite answer. By means of competing and testing, the majority of life can be measured against itself, enabling society to define greatness. While many social aspects of greatness can be measured, some can not. Categories such as writing, art, music and other qualitative aspects of life, appeal to society sensually, making it extremely hard to acknowledge one particular piece as better than another. Every person's likes and emotions are different. Who then has the authority to actively judge which piece of art, music or writing is considered great? Society today tries hard to set standards of greatness on these things. This begs the question, can qualitative arts be given a quantitative value of greatness?
Greatness will continue to have both definitive and relative traits. Because greatness pushes people to do better in all they do, greatness is, in turn, the reason for societal progression.
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