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Page 28 text:
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(First Prize) W HEN the act of reflection takes place in the mind, when we stop and ponder what our condition in life is, we immediately express dissatisfaction. It is the restless spirit of man that strives and reaches out for that something which is ever lacking. With one wish satisfied, human nature demands another. Each wish is the result of man’s ambitions and as he longs for the realization of his dream, his dissatisfaction is in direct proportion to that long¬ ing. If we have made a masterpiece in art and some new painter gives to the world a more beautiful picture which eclipses our own, we are immediately dissatisfied and strive to regain our former pre¬ dominance. When money is the all in all and that desire is gratified, the gold loses its lustre, a man longs for something more rare and precious. The proverbial phrase “The greater the gain, the greater the want,” comes back with never dying emphasis. In emphasizing certain thoughts, Emerson compares life to con¬ centric circles, each succeeding outer one being the higher height to which some genius has climbed. Nature follows a circle, which is natural. The line of least resistance is followed which ends at the beginning. Struggling for life and daily bread the masses do not increase their radii but plod within the same rut which wears deeper and deeper. While tramping in the treadmill, their ambitions awake longings, but these longings are not fired and crystallized into deeds. The time was when man was an absolute believer in fate. The circumstances and conditions of the day confirmed his belief. The world, by the simple law of increasing circles with greater radii, is growing slowly but surely toward the millenium and with great public school systems, with higher and better literature, with greater relig¬ ious tendencies and with an enormous decrease in vice and war, our earth’s condition today is such that even the most radical pessimist is being forced to drop the matter of world degradation. As a result we see that what was formerly called irony of fate cannot be credited to fortune, but was the direct harvest of the seeds that the man had sown. As life goes on, fate grows less and less, character grows more and more; the field becomes more completely our own and yields nothing but what we have sown. Dissatisfaction was considered one of the plagues of fate. Man is slowly losing the idea that his dissatisfied condition is due to the low level on which fate holds him, and he is commencing to realize that no one can hide behind idle talk of luck or fate, or bring them to court as witnesses on his behalf. It is wise to face the truth that — 24 —
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Page 29 text:
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T II E ENTERPRISE ’2 0 must sooner or later confront us, namely that “Character is Destiny” and “We are captains of our souls.” If a man is dissatisfied, if lie is discontented, then he is ambitious and he can thank his creator for what he formerly considered a curse. The unthinking man who has accepted his lot and is satisfied, is dangerous to society. He must be dissatisfied with his lot and must struggle to the goal of his dreams. Only while men are striving to place their circle outside all other circles, can we entertain hope of a millenium. So we of the 20tli century are commencing to realize that dissatisfaction is not a curse but is nature’s method of helping the human race attain a higher standard. The question has been asked; why is not the world full of Lin¬ colns, for great numbers are discontented and are trying to better themselves? The making of an individual life is purely personal. Intelligence, culture and resources that come from these attainments lie within the reach of almost every one in this country who gets a clear vision of what he wants and is willing to work for it. How many people have learned to make their failures omens of success? Those who have, have learned one of the most valuable secrets in life. Much experimenting, frequent failure and opposition lie along the road to success in every line of work. If the circle of a life has ceased to widen, if the individual is discontented and is vainly striving to reach the outer circles, let him not sit down in despair, but quietly, and with a firm determination, set about one day at a time, to work out his ambitions. Nothing can be secured in this world without work. We hear of geniuses and come back at fate with the thought that if we were born with the talents of that man, we would be satisfied. In the first place, we would not be satisfied, for having achieved one victory Nature calls on us for other and bigger things. In the second place, there is no such thing as genius. Genius is explained by the one word—work. Who works harder than Edison? Who is more dissatisfied than he? The unceasing work of an individual to satisfy his ever rising goal is called genius. We, who are satisfied with our lot and are a menace for that reason, try to excuse ourselves from our responsibility and lay the blame at fortune’s door. The world, however, has ceased to think in terms of luck and fate, and as a result we only succeed in deceiving ourselves. Deceiving one’s self is the worst thing that a person can do, therefore, the best thing to do is to confront the ultimate truth and be the “Captain of one’s soul.” Dissatisfaction is predominent among the people. It is not a curse of fate, but a blessing in disguise. Life is a series of concentric circles. The farther out one would go, the harder the work must be, but no work can be accomplished unless it is inspired by ambition. With the ambition firmly fixed, with the mind ready for quiet, reso¬ lute, daily work, which will slowly but surely raise one from a rut and i—25—
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