College Admissions Essay-The Generation Of Virtues

Throughout our lives, we make choices and decisions that change our lives and others in positive and/or negative ways. It is these decisions that determine how we will be remembered, our legacy. When I graduate high school, I want to be remembered by the qualities that define me as a person and the good I’ve done for others. Throughout the years, I’ve been often been described by my family and friends as bold, confident, outgoing, and hardworking. Not only are these characteristics important to me, but they are important to my family, as they want to leave a legacy in the name of our family. The qualities I have exhibited are the same qualities past family members have shown and are remembered for. Through always putting out my best effort when it comes to work and school, I have shown my dedication and discipline. Through doing what I can to help others, I have displayed my commitment to world peace, the betterment of the world as a whole, and the yearning to make a difference in someone’s life other than my

My father always said, "learn to walk before you jump" and for years that's what I've tried to do. But what's the point if all you keep doing is tripping along on the road of your future. All I've ever known is hard work and plenty of failures. However, without failure, there wouldn't be a success. Even in grade school, I knew I couldn't make it. Yet, somehow by some miracle, I'm still kicking it to make it through.

Trying to stay in your comfort zone and letting fear get the best of you will always choke your creativity and sabotage any chances you might have of succeeding. In order to achieve any worthy goals, you must start realizing that discomfort is a prerequisite for success. In his teaching, The Life Excellence Plan, Stephen McGhee wrote “You make yourself feel uncomfortable by stepping into uncharted territory. You allow yourself to rise up.” Being too comfortable is a sign that you are at a standstill in your life. In this world of convince it’s easy to get comfortable and fall into a life of mediocrity. No risk, no reward. On occasion we can get so comfortable with where we are in our lives that we no more test ourselves to push ahead in life.

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him... We need not wait to see what others do.” — Mahatma Gandhi

When I was a young child I was shy, socially awkward, and horribly insecure, so when I realized popularity would never be my strength I decided to put all my efforts into what I was good at: school. As early as kindergarten I was identified as an advanced student and teachers quickly highlighted my efforts as exemplary to the other students. I fed off the high praise. The better I performed academically, the greater the approval I received, the better I felt about myself, so as a naive child I determined my self-worth and academic performance were inherently linked. As long as I was successful in academics, I would be a successful person. For years, I believed that, putting school beyond all else.

Everyone has to make choices in their life. Some are everyday choices, like what to eat or drink. Others are more critical, like choosing a job. Important decisions take time to comprehend. Like with me, the decision to go to college was the most critical choice in my life and for my future, and I will never regret it. Going to college is important because it helps me find a job, it expands my knowledge, and it is a wonderful experience.

In today’s society, our focus on the problem solvers of the nation has deviated to only the problems in need of solutions. People of our generation now treat innovative thinking with contempt, and instead of drafting resolutions to issues, they grouse about all that is amiss. They perpetuate negativity during the tumultuous events we face and renounce those who speak out against them. But truthfully, those who speak out, those who rise up, those who refuse to succumb to this notion that nothing we can do affects where we end up - they are the real heroes. These individuals strive for change, without knowledge of personal gain or reward, regardless of who respects them in society.

Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it. Pablo Casals

Your new awareness enables you to perceive others as equal to yourself, a part of you, even” (454). Finding one’s selflessness can help a person to act more mature in the society. If most people in the society only care of their own business matter, the society would stop developing; if most people in the society can be selfless, that means most people in that society would be more willing to contribute to the society. Selfishness create bias among people. People might judge others based on

Although our current way of life is in need of a revision in order to help others in need, I do not believe in a drastic revision as today’s societies already send aid to other countries and already have an altruistic mindset. However, the issue that remains is that today’s societies and people don’t

In today’s world, people deal with the constant struggle of finding whose needs are more important. Individuals, and individualism itself, claim to have their life be there’s, and they can do whatever they please, however, when people put society’s needs before theirs, they are doing their good for society, and everyone around them. Society’s goal is to move the human population forward in a positive direction, and to help everyone instead of just one person. In today’s world, individuals must look at society, and social needs to fulfill their own needs, giving the needs of society more of an importance to all.

America’s gift to our generation is the hope for a better future is because we have the power to change our fate, change their life and turn their turn it around.

With the looming threat of global warming, overpopulation, and world war III we do not often find ourselves in a position to change the world around us. But what do we do when the situation presents itself? What is our response to injustice? Sometimes nothing. In first world countries it is easy to discuss an issue without taking action because people often feel too minimal to make an impact. However, history shows some of the largest social and political movements were sparked by the actions of a single individual with the audacity to stand up. The truth is power in the hands of an individual has the magnitude to create equal amounts of good as it does bad, but the power for change does not only lie in the hands of powerful, it can be found in the hearts of any individual, no matter their status or origin.

Peter Singer’s The Most Good You Can Do is an insightful, informative, philosophical spin on the typical self help book. His ideas on effective altruism, doing the most good with what you have, is a fresh look at living a charitable life. The book provides an ample amount of examples of people and companies who strive to make as much impact in the world as possible, likely in an effort to make effective altruism appear to be a feasible way of living for the average person. However, as the book progressed, it seemed to lose focus, shifting between profiles of effective altruists, and Singer’s own point of view on the movement. Overall, the ideas presented were interesting and thought provoking, but the entire text could have been shortened dramatically and

Most people in today’s world are self-absorbed. It seems as if everything they do is in order to benefit themselves. In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin writes, “few people in public affairs act from a meer view of the the good of their country, yet men primarily considered that their own and their country’s interest was united, and did not act from a principle of benevolence” (73). In our society, businesses donate to charities to gain more customers, superstars fund organizations to improve their image, and students volunteer to improve their resumes. Most people ask “what is in it for me?” rather than “what can I do to improve this organization or person?” Throughout Franklin’s book, it became clear to me that he was acting on the principle of benevolence. He was constantly bettering society through his deeds with no regard to his own gain. Learning how Franklin ingrained benevolence into his daily life caused me to reflect on the benevolence present in my life. I realized that my mom is a primary example of benevolence. I also see that I lack the trait, but can work on it, and see that it can be displayed through small acts of kindness.