Great People Essay, Research Paper

Great People

Only great men are marked with great faults. This quotation from Maxims was written by La Rochefoucauld. He states that people with nobility of their minds create many mistakes throughout their lives. This quotation is only partially correct, people do indeed have faults but it is these faults that restrict them from being great.

Every person has done unpleasant acts that disassociate them from being a great person. Each day, people break society’s norms or rules and most feel they have done nothing wrong. A man who has sex with the under aged girl has a justification for his actions. He tells himself that she knew what she was getting into even though he did actually rape her. Just as a man with his wife s blood on his hands justifies that she deserved her punishment for not following his rules. Everyone breaks some form of laws through out the day. People who do not see themselves as criminals break laws, for instance the average speeder or traffic light runner. These people are in a hurry and do not want the hassle of stopping or slowing down instead they go on and have an accident. Each person has their own way of justifying their actions. Most people blame someone else for their own actions because to them they did nothing wrong. While others compare their actions to the actions of others w!

ho did a deed far worse than theirs. With this constant justification of our negative traits peoples’ views of reality begin to become distorted and lost. With distortion of reality the whole society begins to shift into a greatless nation of sinners.

Some people who are thought of being great discover inventions that injure or take others lives. For example Albert Einstein, he was the discoverer of atomic energy. This energy has been used to devastate entire cities and kill uncountable numbers of people. Atomic energy emits a massive amount of radiation that pollutes our air, water, and land leaving large areas inaccessible for years to come. Is this the work of a great individual? No, a great person would not create something that would be this destructive. Albert Einstein obviously did not know the full extent of his discovery. He did not take the time to completely research all the possibilities and consequences that came with his findings. So in other words the human race is still paying for his mistakes.

Everyone has two sides, one that is good and makes the person do honorable worthwhile actions and another that is evil and forces unjust conduct. Most people deny their evil side completely. They trick themselves to believe that they are great and there is no room for any evil inside them. Everyone has feelings of greed, envy, hate, and many others that inhibit them from being great. People have egos that block out their feelings of worthiness making them believe they are inferior and incapable of completing a task honorably. This is the explanation for the corruption within our daily lives be it in relationships, work place, or even the political system. As this corruption continues, the society begins to accept these behaviors as common practice thus leading to a world of evil driven people.

The final reason there are no great people is that society does not allow it. Our society cuts down the person who achieves or has any form of success. People cannot accept someone else being better than them because it makes them look inferior. Society is like a hammer that beats the nail (achiever) into the ground making it very difficult for it to rise. A truly great person is only an illusion in the consciousness of society. People only focus on the flaws that a person who appears to be successful aquires. They do not want to consider the other traits that led to the person s success. With this ongoing force from society it is impossible to be great.

With these negative flaws it is no wonder there are no great people. The statement only great men are marked with great faults is slightly correct. Every person is marked with great faults, but there are no great people in this world no matter who they are. The potential for greatness is destroyed with these great faults.

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