How can one be successful? What paths must an individual take? Many of us are so caught up in the present and sometimes we cannot picture how our actions can affect the future. With this in mind, having set morals and beliefs is one of the first steps to figure out who we really are. Once we develop a moral character, every individual is prone to become better and successful.
Success can mean so many different things. Is it money? Is it happiness? Perhaps it is about family, love, health, relationships. Whatever it may be, what leads each defines success varies. Believe it or not, the only person who can display the most perfect definition of success is yourself. No one is capable of simply pulling out the definition because one’s opinions are different to others. What each individual values should be the base of what leads them to success because the morals that one follows provides conformity and pleasure.
The prominent Greek philosopher, Aristotle, came down to a conclusion: “Only the good can be happy, and only the virtuous can be good.” This simply states that the way to happiness is to do good. Thus, one can only be good if they follow virtues that are good. If every individual in this world strives to become a better person and acts upon good morals, they will undoubtedly feel pleased with themselves. Positivity is contagious. It makes others feel content, but how do we know if something is good? All that can be said is that good morals do not harm others. Good morals impact the world for the better. And if that makes an individual happy, then they are on the right track to success.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an intricate piece that greatly revolves around the life of Jay Gatsby. In the eyes of many readers, Gatsby is a rather peculiar character. Readers should give him credit for his ambition to win Daisy’s heart, but there is definitely a common agreement that he should not have focused on a singular dream. Perhaps Gatsby’s life story would have been completely different if he focused on better morals, or if he had more of them. To catch Daisy’s attention, Gatsby grew wealthy through illegal business. That itself is what the majority of the society interprets as immoral. The money that he gathered may have made him happy, but that happiness certainly did not last. “His house had never seemed so enormous to me as it did that night when we hunted through the great rooms for cigarettes” (Fitzgerald 113). Gatsby was lonely. If Gatsby had not focused on one person, he may have had true companions. This just shows that focusing on a single thing can cause people to be oblivious to everything around them. This oblivion impacts the way a person reacts to things or believe things, eventually leading to unhappiness.
Developing a moral character allows people to become a better version of themselves. Following the highest of virtues will give certainty to an individual, more self-esteem, more self-confidence, that evidently influences everyone else in a positive manner. That is the maximum level of success; when an individual and the society surrounding them is happy.
Reflection:
I deleted the whole section about Sam Harris because I had no idea where to go from there. I wish I could have incorporated his ideas because they were really interesting. I also added more things in my Aristotle paragraph and included a strong conclusion.
Success can mean so many different things. Is it money? Is it happiness? Perhaps it is about family, love, health, relationships. Whatever it may be, what leads each defines success varies. Believe it or not, the only person who can display the most perfect definition of success is yourself. No one is capable of simply pulling out the definition because one’s opinions are different to others. What each individual values should be the base of what leads them to success because the morals that one follows provides conformity and pleasure.
The prominent Greek philosopher, Aristotle, came down to a conclusion: “Only the good can be happy, and only the virtuous can be good.” This simply states that the way to happiness is to do good. Thus, one can only be good if they follow virtues that are good. If every individual in this world strives to become a better person and acts upon good morals, they will undoubtedly feel pleased with themselves. Positivity is contagious. It makes others feel content, but how do we know if something is good? All that can be said is that good morals do not harm others. Good morals impact the world for the better. And if that makes an individual happy, then they are on the right track to success.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an intricate piece that greatly revolves around the life of Jay Gatsby. In the eyes of many readers, Gatsby is a rather peculiar character. Readers should give him credit for his ambition to win Daisy’s heart, but there is definitely a common agreement that he should not have focused on a singular dream. Perhaps Gatsby’s life story would have been completely different if he focused on better morals, or if he had more of them. To catch Daisy’s attention, Gatsby grew wealthy through illegal business. That itself is what the majority of the society interprets as immoral. The money that he gathered may have made him happy, but that happiness certainly did not last. “His house had never seemed so enormous to me as it did that night when we hunted through the great rooms for cigarettes” (Fitzgerald 113). Gatsby was lonely. If Gatsby had not focused on one person, he may have had true companions. This just shows that focusing on a single thing can cause people to be oblivious to everything around them. This oblivion impacts the way a person reacts to things or believe things, eventually leading to unhappiness.
Developing a moral character allows people to become a better version of themselves. Following the highest of virtues will give certainty to an individual, more self-esteem, more self-confidence, that evidently influences everyone else in a positive manner. That is the maximum level of success; when an individual and the society surrounding them is happy.
Reflection:
I deleted the whole section about Sam Harris because I had no idea where to go from there. I wish I could have incorporated his ideas because they were really interesting. I also added more things in my Aristotle paragraph and included a strong conclusion.