Humans have flaws. It is unfair to hold everyone up to the golden standard of supposed heroes long past whose achievements were definitely compiled with more than a dash of hyperbole. When Malcolm Gladwell says “the convictions of your heart and the actual contents of your thoughts are less important, in the end, in guiding your actions than the immediate context of your behavior.” he is declaring the most base, animalistic urge a human can feel as an inescapable vice for all. The modern era’s theme seems to be finding the dirty secrets of those who deserve praise for extraordinary achievements. Those people are not so extraordinary that they lost their human nature, yet this is not something to shame them for. It is all a person can do to …show more content…
A specific example of a person putting other’s lives before others in a situation where he could have easily done otherwise is American Army Sergeant from World War Two named Sylvester Antolak. Sergeant Antolak charged across 200 yards of completely flat, coverless land far ahead of his squad to draw fire from the fully manned machine gun nest. He was hit three times in the arms and knocked down, yet still got back up and got close enough to kill and capture the Germans in the nest with his submachine gun. Even after that he chose to forgo medical attention and do the same action again on the next machinegun nest 100 yards away. He made it about 80 yards before he was hit again and instantly killed, clearing the way for his squad to make it to the nest and destroy it. I do not know about all of the choices in Sergeant Antolak’s, but I do know that his last ones were truly selfless and based on his care for his men. He could have easily remained to the rear and ordered his men forward, yet he did the opposite and chose to try to save his men by running distraction until he died. Sergeant Antolak decided that his men’s lives were worth giving his own for, a moral shared by many if not all military service members. Sergeant Antolak was one of the far too many who had to prove his belief in the …show more content…
Working in places where there are no or too few trained professionals available to help often at great risk to personal health and always at detriment to their financial and social lives, DWB has saved countless lives in their effort to spread treatment and hope in the world. DWB workers are injured and killed every day while performing lifesaving and life changing work in over 60 countries. Whether they are caring for airstrike victims in Aleppo or malnourished and diseased Africans, DWB workers put a considerable amount of stock in their belief that they are responsible for doing whatever they can for whomever they
The proliferation of crises around the world has led to a prominent increase in the amount of humanitarian aid needed. Humanitarian aid work represents not only compassion, but commitment to support innocent populations that have experienced sudden or on-going tragedies. Some of these tragedies include: malnutrition, genocide, diseases, torture, poverty, war, natural disasters, government negligence, and unfortunately much more. There is no doubt that these tragedies are some of the world’s toughest problems to solve as they are often complex, multifaceted and require diligence and patience. For this reason, being a humanitarian aid worker is more than a profession, it is a lifestyle that requires a sharp distinction between one’s work and
Successful people are generally thought as the work of talent, brilliance, and ambition but as Malcolm Gladwell argues in his book “Outliers” that might not always be the case. Gladwell poses interesting questions and evidence to support his claim on the idea of “self-made” people being, actually the work of hidden advantages, cultural opportunities and legacies allowing them to learn and work differently by making sense of the world thus, allowing them to
In the book, “Touching the Void”, climber Simson Yates was,”unable to lift his friend up and losing his own grip on the mountain ended up cutting the rope to Simpson to save himself” (Survival 9). This particular incident isn’t selfish considering they both would’ve died if Yates continued to lose strength as he pulled up the rope. Also, in the “Titanic”, Bruce Ismay, “was ruined” because he got in a lifeboat even though there, “was no longer women or children in sight” (Survival 1). This is clearly not selfish since no women or children were left to aboard the lifeboat, anyone would do the same considering the circumstances. Lastly, in the Grand Central Station incident when the lady witnessed an explosion underground and she states, “people were frozen or screaming, but nobody was moving towards the emergency exits, even as smoke began to fill the cabin. After realizing everyone around her were too paralyzed to react, she took action, crawling over several rows of people to the exit” (Survival 6 & 7). This isn’t selfish because there was no time to get people to focus on the exits, so she took action and saved herself which was just common instinct if you weren’t the people,
What would happen if our world today was monotonous, sorrowful, and grey? What if no one was here to form new creations, and think of bold ideas? Would triumph have a definition? Would there be outliers in our world today? We are constantly thinking, always generating new ideas and forming new thoughts. People even proceed by creating inventions, and building objects no one would of thought would be made today. But, what we don’t perceive is how they became successful and how they took advantage of the moment that was given to them. In the novel, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, the author explains that an outlier is one who is given an opportunity and knows how to take advantage. He believes that in order for a person to be successful they need at least ten thousand hours of hard work and effort in order to succeed at a skill. It is clear to me that like Malcolm Gladwell, I believe
Malcolm Gladwell, in order to make his argument seem credible, utilizes specific writing techniques. Gladwell frequently uses anecdotes about successful individuals as examples to further strengthen his argument. Gladwell write that, “One warm, spring day in May of 2007, the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Vancouver Giants met for the Memorial Cup hockey championships in Vancouver, British Columbia” (Gladwell 15). Frequently, Gladwell starts each chapter with a story about an individual group. These stories showcase the events and lives of successful people and are followed by Gladwell’s analysis of their success. By using specific, descriptive anecdotes, Gladwell is proving the credibility of his argument. Instead of just reciting his analysis,
In Shimon Wincelberg’s Resort 76, there were several instances in which one man was willing to sacrifice himself to save the life of another, including Schnur’s voluntary surrender to the SS to ensure that no one else would die on account of his own actions and the willingness of Blaustain to care for Madame Hershkovitch’s illegal cat even though he knew it would endanger his own life, so that they could eventually trade it in to feed her five children and take care of his ill wife, Ester. If these two men would have sided with temptation and attempted to save their own lives, then they would not have been able to have the satisfaction of knowing that they
Malcom Gladwell, is an author of numerous New York Times Best Sellers, who uses several techniques in his writing to clarify and support his argument. Gladwell’s techniques are using stories to appeal to the reader’s emotions. Using scientific facts and research to logically strengthen his argument. Also, writing about controversial issues to establish credibility with the readers. These techniques are found in “Offensive Play”, “Small Change”, and “Harlan, Kentucky”, works by Gladwell.
Is a great character someone who always boasts about his successes, has zero flaws, and doesn’t learn from his mistakes? The answer to that question is no. A great character is one who has strengths as well as flaws, is humble, and always has intelligent and wise words to say. It’s important for a character to have flaws because no one can relate to a perfect character; no human is perfect. Humility is very important because a great character shouldn’t have to feel like he must show off everything that he accomplishes. A strong character is not ego-driven. Also, it’s important for a character to make a lasting impact with the people he interacts with in the book as well as the reader through the lessons he teaches. Atticus Finch, a character in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, best embodies the definition of a great character.
He opens up the publication by discussing how having Henry David Thoreau as a hero has changed his life, and LaBarge proclaims that if for some reason the disaster of failing to earn tenure were to strike him, then he would find solace in following his hero's example (1). Continuing on into the article, it discusses the origin of the term “hero,” which comes from ancient Greece, and compares those heroes to the ones we have now – those who “are symbols for us of all the qualities we would like to possess and all the ambitions we would like to satisfy” (LaBarge 1). LaBarge also claims that everyone has a “vested interest in each person having heroes” (1). On the next page, he discusses how many people idolize the wrong heroes, and he explains why this is an important problem and how we could possibly fix it. LaBarge also goes into great detail on how many people who are considered heroes have faults by writing, “Washington and Jefferson held slaves, Martin Luther King is accused of philandering and plagiarizing, just about everybody had sex with someone they shouldn’t, and so on” (2). Then, LaBarge suggests that we should separate the things that make our heroes great from the things that damage their heroic perfection and forgive those shortcomings because nobody is perfect, and they are all humans like us, meaing that what was possible for them to accomplish is also possible for us to accomplish as
People should take pride in what they have accomplished. Achilles, the hero of the Iliad, was greatly revered by the ancient Greeks for his ability as a great warrior. He had great pride in his accomplishments and viewed himself superior to others, and the people praised him for it. Many people in today’s society would label him as arrogant, but in fact he should be praised for having pride for what he has done because he has superior ability. Likewise, in the Old English epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf defeats enemies that other man had never succeeded at doing. He would boast of what he had done to others, but unlike most people who boast, Beowulf had done what others had never done before. In recent days, praises people greatly for their accomplishments because they are impaired in some way. For example, society praises Stephen Hawking, who takes pride in his work in theoretical physics, much greater than Jason Lezak, who has pride in winning the 4x100 relay at t...
There are many areas of the world where the most basic needs like clean drinking water, proper sanitation and medical care are just not available. When disaster strikes, the people living in these already disadvantaged areas are thrust into situations where death is almost always imminent. Reach Out WorldWide (“ROWW”) was started by a group of 6 men in California. They flew to Haiti and volunteered to help in whatever way they could after a massive earthquake devastated the country on January 12, 2010. While working in Haiti as medical aid volunteers, the group recognized the need for skilled people, supplies and urgency for a faster response when natural disasters strike.
In life, situations arrive that force us to make tough choices. Sometimes those choices are not what we feel are compassionate or morally right. We make these decisions to save ourselves. These are decisions of self-preservation, and they override compassion. Tadeusz Borowski depicts these choices in his book This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen. He shows that when people are put in the choice of doing what’s right or preserving their life, one is preferred over the other. Would they rather save their selves or just watch others be sent to their death. In the novel, the narrator wrestles with his decisions and like Borowski suffers from them.
A nurse’s role in our society today is exceptionally significant. Nurses are somewhat idolized and looked to as our everyday “superman”. “The mission of nursing in society is to help individuals, families, and groups to determine and achieve physical, mental, and social potential, and to do so within the challenging context of the environment in which they live and work” (“The Role of a Nurse/Midwife”). Many Americans turn to nurses for delivery of primary health care services and health care education (Whelan). In our country, there is constantly someone in need of health care. There will always be a baby being born or a person dying, someone becoming ill or growing old. Some people due to their physical and/or mental state of health are completely dependent on a nurse and wouldn’t be able to get through the simple obstacles of every day, or achieve the necessary requirements of a simple day without their aid. Not only do nurses help, and assist you when you’re sick, but also act to promote good health to others. They end...
Individualism is rampant in our world. More and more people are concerned with what they want, when they want it and how they want it. They put blinders on and go about their work, convinced that “looking out for number one” is the only way to succeed and find happiness. If everyone were to adopt this way of thinking and living, the world would become violently competitive, gloomy, and callous. However, if we open our lives and give service to those less fortunate than ourselves, we allow our hearts to receive immeasurable happiness. There are countless members of society, who make service and ultimately self-sacrifice a part of their everyday lives. One of the greatest examples the world has of a self-sacrificing person is Mother Teresa. She said, “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love… It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.” Doctors Without Borders is a powerful humanitarian organization that was most recently volunteering in Haiti. Part of their mission statement reads, “…We unite direct medical care with a commitment to bearing witness and speaking out against the underlying causes of suffering. Our aid workers and staff protest violations of humanitarian law on behalf of populations who have no voice, and bring the concerns of their patients to public forums…” These are just two mainstream examples of people and organizations that live and work for others, to improve the quality of their lives.
A special district is a part of the local government that provides the area with a service (Champagne and Harpham 395). They may provide a service for one or more counties, or even just parts of one or more counties. They act in a way that provides the area with what can be considered a necessary service. This includes services regarding our health, the cleaning and distribution of our water, sanitation, flood control, drainage, and law enforcement (Champagne and Harpham 395). And though these special districts are incredibly common, many people are not aware of them. The lack of awareness that the citizens have of special districts is rather unfortunate considering that some people live in an area with as many as seven special districts. This is why special districts are so often referred to hidden