Jump to content
Objectivism Online Forum

My composition

Rate this topic


lex_aver

Recommended Posts

At my Eglish class, I was asked to write 200-words composition on what determines man's motivation and can its level be changed in adulthood or is it fixed at childhood. So, that's what I wrote:

On Motivation

Contrary to the popular belief, a difference between motivated and unmotivated individuals is not a result of deep character differences, but a consequence of one constant choice: whether to accept reality or to evade it. Choosing the first alternative makes one understand that nothing is ever gained without an effort and that happiness is to be achieved actively, by productive work. Realizing this leads to the increase of motivation.

Choosing the second one, by contrast, makes one deceive oneself into thinking that happiness can be achieved automatically. That leads to idleness.

Consider the following example: two individuals get bad quarter marks. They both know what these marks mean and how it is important for them to get better. One of them immediately doubles the effort, while the other doesn’t. “It used to happen before”, he thinks, “Things will sort out, somehow”. But they won’t. In reality there is no ‘somehow’, no effect without a cause, no product without a work.

One’s success is defined by how often one champions reality in this crucial choice. That’s why Leonard Peikoff said, “To save the world is the simplest thing in the world. All one has to do is to think”.

Any comments are welcomed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...