Prompt:
"That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly. It is dearness only which gives everything its value."
-Thomas Paine
Assignment:
Do we value only what we struggle for? Plan your response, and then write an essay to explain your views on this issue. Be sure to support your position with specific points and examples. (You may use personal examples or examples from your reading, observations, or, knowledge of subjects such as history, literature, science.)
“No pain, no gain” This is a cliche translated and used by almost everyone around the world. People always work hard to get what they think is valuable. It is either material goal, such as money or fame, or it can be mental goal, such as helping out others or meditation. However, it is not always true that people only value what they struggle for. People can find happiness or satisfaction from trivial things they encounter in life; they sometimes are also disappointed to find not a great value in a thing which they strived for.
Small things or meager events which were acquired accidently or effortlessly can hold great values to people. The novel, "The Catcher in the Rye" is full of things or events happening accidently which Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the story, valued much. For one example, The music album he bought for his sister, called "The little Shirley Beans", cost only a dollar and was easy to get. However, this album always reminded his sister whenever he was drunk or fell into despair. It served as one of Holden's few connections to his family, past, and innocence. Nonetheless, he never tried to acquire this small, cheap album with great eagerness.
People sometimes find little or no value for what they struggled for. During the middle ages, the pope sent hordes of Christian army under the name of Crusades to conquer back the land of Jerusalem. The hidden and main purpose of the war was to take Jerusalem drive muslims out of the trade route so Europeans could take control of the trade with India. However, although Jerusalem fell into Christendom, the muslim empire of Turks were reluctant to give their way. Trade route were still blocked. For crusades, who lost tens of thousands of men from battle, disease, and malnutrition, their prospect was only their holy land, which was certainly a little value compared to what they sacrificed for.
To put things straight, people are not always happy about only what they struggled for. They do find a great value in things which are trivial, and sometimes, things which cost a lot does not give enough payback to those who tried really hard for it. It is true that people struggle for happiness, but it is not always true that those people struggle for gives back happiness.
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What makes people change?
Many says that changing have to take a risk, but there is a bigger risk if change does not happen. However, there certainly are many situations which changing does not require any risk, but there is a huge risk if there is no change. In this sense, change is always needed for people. What makes people to change, however, is a point which not everyone agrees about. In my perspectives, motives for change comes from inside or outside, depending on the situation. Moreover, sometimes motivations for changing comes from internally and externally.
Internal motivation are one of the major incentive of changing. Although it is hard to have a intrinsic decision for a goal, the change from it tends to stay permanent. My personal example of my first year in middle school is a perfect case of intrinsic inducement. In my first test of the middle school, I did not study hard, thinking that I still may get decent grades like when I was in public school in Australia. The result was terrible. I faced the truth. I needed to change. I needed to study hard or unless my life would start to turn into the wrong direction. Then, I gave up many things to change myself into a 'Study-Top', a Korean nickname for kids who get great grades. As a result, the habit of studying hard and concentrating in my school works still is inherent inside me. I really changed myself.
Another kind of incentive for changing comes from outside. External motivations sometimes do give temporary change, and in other occasions, give temporary changes for a certain goal. One example of a temporary change which extrinsic changes bring is a reward. Parents can ask their children that there would be a new toy if the children's room is tidy for a week, their children may change their behavior for a week. However, when the price is given, they may stop cleaning their room and return to their older state. On the contrary, occasions such as car accidents from drink driving or heart attack from lack of exercise can be a striking external motivation to people. Those who have survived from it would never drink-drive, or start doing some exercise.
Sometimes, these two incentives combine to change people's behaviour. People like president Park Jung Hee or Biff Loman from "Death of the Salesman" are those who changed from influences from both inside and outside. President Park Jung Hee was originally a Japanese military officer in Manchuria during the occupation era, notorious for killing many Korean liberalists. When Japan lost the war and returned to its home country, he changed into a patriot. There were two reasons. First was an external one, which was execution of many of his fellow Koreans who served in Japanese army. The second was a motivation from the inside; he wanted to make Korea as strong as Japan. This changed him to become one of Korea's legendary presidents. Biff Loman, in the play "Death of a Salesman", also is expected to change. His guilt for his father's death and new determination for future serves as the internal motives of his change, while his father's legacy is an extrinsic incentive for his new life.
Changes are inevitable. People must change to develop themselves, their group, their country, and consequently, history. What makes them change comes from various origins. From inside, people make firm and strong decisions to change. From outside, people will strive hard to achieve the goal, whether it is temporary or not. Finally, the incentive for changing comes from both of these sources. These motivations will keep people from staying the same, and making our world somewhat a more diverse place.
