The Mistakes of Leaders and Accepting Them

On June 17, 1972, the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, as a result of trying to cover up the break-in. In Sophocles Antigone, the blind prophet Tiresias tells Creon the King of Thebes, “Think: all men make mistakes, But a good man yields when he Knows his course is wrong, And repairs the evil: The only Crime is pride.” Tiresias says that nobody is perfect, but what makes a man good is his ability to accept his mistake and forget his own pride, but Creon does nothing to change. Although pride in accomplishment is good, it should be masked by what is best for everyone instead of what is best for one’s pride because it can give a person respect.
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...

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...e. This action, though many disagree, makes Nixon a better person because, unlike Creon from Antigone, he was willing to admit his mistake and to tell the truth. Most people will not admit to their mistakes because they are arrogant and have too much pride to be able to. This is because the right choice often is not the easy one to do, but if done, it is what makes that person a better man.
People should forget pride and do what is best for others because it makes them a better person, even though having pride in accomplishments is praiseworthy. It is important to realize that modern society does not usually praise an individual’s pride because it is viewed as arrogant and boastful. Furthermore, people should strive to do what is best for the most people, and admit to their mistakes, because it makes them a better person, even if they have to abandon their beliefs.